What are the forex market hours?

The forex market runs 24 hours a day from Sunday 17:00 New York time to Friday 17:00 New York time. Within that week it moves through three centres — Asia (Sydney then Tokyo), London, and New York — each open roughly 08:00 to 17:00 in its own local time.

Which forex session is the most active?

The London–New York overlap, roughly four hours when the two largest centres trade at once. Liquidity is deepest, spreads are tightest, and a disproportionate share of the day's largest moves happen there.

When does the London session open?

At 08:00 London time, which is 08:00 GMT in winter and 07:00 GMT during British Summer Time. Because London and New York change clocks on different dates, the gap between the two sessions shifts by an hour for a few weeks each spring and autumn.

Why do spreads widen after the New York close?

Liquidity providers step back at the daily rollover, around 17:00 New York, and swap is applied at the same time. A stop resting close to price can be executed by the widened spread alone, with no real move behind it.

Is the forex market open on weekends?

No. It closes Friday 17:00 New York and reopens Sunday 17:00 New York. Positions held across that gap meet Monday's opening price wherever it is, which is why weekend margin requirements are usually higher than weekday ones.

Research / Tools / Market hours

Forex market hours

Which centre is trading right now, in your own clock. The market is open around the clock; the market you actually get — the spread, the depth, the character of movement — changes completely across the day.

InnoMP Research cover art — the trading day split into overlapping market sessions

Market status Open 24 hours, Sunday 17:00 to Friday 17:00 New York time

Your local time —

Sydney

Asia —

Hours in Sydney: 08:00 – 17:00
Your time: —
Now in Sydney: —

Leads into Asia. The week's first prices form here, on the thinnest book of the week.

Tokyo

Asia —

Hours in Tokyo: 09:00 – 18:00
Your time: —
Now in Tokyo: —

The quietest major session. Ranges are narrower — yen pairs are the local exception, because Japanese data lands here.

London

Europe —

Hours in London: 08:00 – 17:00
Your time: —
Now in London: —

The largest single centre. Spreads compress, ranges expand, and the day's direction often gets its first honest vote.

New York

Americas —

Hours in New York: 08:00 – 17:00
Your time: —
Now in New York: —

Overlaps London for its first hours, then carries the afternoon alone. The US data calendar dominates this window.

The overlap that matters

For roughly four hours, London and New York trade simultaneously. That window carries the deepest liquidity and the tightest spreads of the day, and a disproportionate share of the day's meaningful moves. If a routine can cover only one window, this is the window — analysis can happen anywhere in the day, execution benefits from happening where the liquidity is.

The hours that cost money

The rollover hour. Around 17:00 New York, liquidity providers step back and swap is applied. A stop resting close to price can be executed by the widened spread alone.
Friday's close and Sunday's open. Positions held across the weekend meet Monday's opening price wherever it is, and Sunday's first hours carry the week's worst spreads.
Pre-news minutes. Spreads widen in anticipation of major releases, before any number is published.

Session hours are the conventional opening hours of each financial centre and are converted to your device's time zone by your browser. They are a guide to liquidity, not a schedule of your broker's quoted hours — individual instruments have their own trading hours, and public holidays in a centre thin it out without closing the market. Information only, not investment advice.

Forex market hours

The overlap that matters

The hours that cost money

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