Sydney
Tokyo
London
New York
New ZealandGDP, CPI (quarterly)
ChinaCPI, PPI (GDP at 10:00 China time)
GermanyRetail sales, industrial production
Eurozone PMIFlash estimate, late in the month
CanadaEmployment, CPIForex Market Hours: When to Trade Each Session and When the Times Change
Prepared and fact-checked by the 1TRADER team · Article updated
The Forex market trades 24 hours a day from Sunday evening to Friday evening (GMT), because the financial centres in Sydney, Tokyo, London and New York open one after another. Activity varies a lot between sessions, so prices move fast at some times of day and barely move at others.
This article explains when each session runs in GMT, which currency pairs are most active in each one, and when the times shift with each country's daylight saving time. The clock and timeline at the top of this page show the same sessions in your own time zone.
Quick summary
- The busiest window is the London–New York overlap, currently around 12:00–16:00 GMT
- The Asian session runs overnight in GMT, when the yen and Australian dollar move more than European pairs
- After 25 Oct 2026 London opens and closes 1 hour later in GMT, and after 1 Nov 2026 New York does the same
- The trading week closes on Friday around 21:00 GMT (around 22:00 GMT after 1 Nov)
BasicsHow the Forex market stays open 24 hours
Forex has no single central exchange. It trades through banks and financial institutions around the world, so when one centre closes another opens. This page uses each centre's local business hours: Sydney 07:00–16:00, Tokyo 09:00–18:00, and London and New York 08:00–17:00, converted to GMT and to your local time.
Note Session hours are when each local market is active, not when you can place trades. Trading platforms stay open all week, and each broker's server time can differ.
Asian sessionSydney and Tokyo, overnight in GMT
Sydney currently runs 20:00–05:00 GMT and Tokyo 00:00–09:00 GMT, overlapping between 00:00 and 05:00 GMT. The most active pairs are USD/JPY, AUD/USD and NZD/USD, especially when Japan, Australia or China releases economic data.
Note Japan has no daylight saving time, so Tokyo stays at 00:00–09:00 GMT all year. Sydney moves back to 21:00–06:00 GMT after 4 Apr 2027.
European sessionLondon, the world's largest trading centre
London runs 07:00–16:00 GMT until 25 Oct 2026, then 08:00–17:00 GMT. The London open usually brings a wave of volume, and EUR/USD, GBP/USD, EUR/GBP and gold start moving more clearly.
Note The stretch where Tokyo has not yet closed and London has just opened is often when price breaks out of the range it held during the Asian session.
Busiest windowThe London–New York overlap
New York runs 12:00–21:00 GMT until 1 Nov 2026, then 13:00–22:00 GMT. The hours when London and New York are open together carry the most volume of the day, and major US data such as Nonfarm Payrolls and CPI comes out in this window at 12:30 GMT (13:30 GMT after 1 Nov).
Note The busiest window shifts with the seasons. In late October this year London changes its clocks a week before New York, so the overlap temporarily stretches to 12:00–17:00 GMT. Check release times in the economic calendar.
Gold · XAUUSDGold trades almost all day, with a short break
Most brokers offer gold (XAUUSD) almost 24 hours a day, Monday to Friday, usually with a break of about 1 hour after the New York close (around 21:00–22:00 GMT, and around 22:00–23:00 GMT after 1 Nov). Gold moves most during the London and New York sessions.
Note Each broker's break is slightly different, so check the instrument's trading hours in the platform you actually use.
HolidaysThin liquidity around holidays and year-end
The Forex market is closed on Saturday and Sunday. On US or UK holidays it stays open but with far fewer participants, for example US Thanksgiving (26 Nov 2026) and the Christmas to New Year period, when spreads can widen and prices can jump more easily than usual.
Note When the market reopens on Sunday evening, price can open away from Friday's close (a gap) if there was big news over the weekend.
Session times in GMT through the seasons Tokyo is 00:00–09:00 GMT in every period · clocks change on a Sunday, so changes take effect from the next market open
| Dates | Sydney | London | New York | London+New York |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4–24 Oct 2026 | 20:00–05:00 | 07:00–16:00 | 12:00–21:00 | 12:00–16:00 |
| 25–31 Oct 2026 | 20:00–05:00 | 08:00–17:00 | 12:00–21:00 | 12:00–17:00 |
| 1 Nov 2026 – 13 Mar 2027 | 20:00–05:00 | 08:00–17:00 | 13:00–22:00 | 13:00–17:00 |
| 14–27 Mar 2027 | 20:00–05:00 | 08:00–17:00 | 12:00–21:00 | 12:00–17:00 |
| 28 Mar – 3 Apr 2027 | 20:00–05:00 | 07:00–16:00 | 12:00–21:00 | 12:00–16:00 |
| From 4 Apr 2027 | 21:00–06:00 | 07:00–16:00 | 12:00–21:00 | 12:00–16:00 |
Why some sessions are busier than others The same hours are not equally active every day
On days with major releases, prices move more than usual at the same time of day.
The more financial centres are open at once, the higher the trading volume.
When a major centre is on holiday, its session is quieter than normal.
Spreads often widen around the broker's daily rollover and in thin markets.
Checklist before choosing when to trade Run through it when planning each day
- Pick the session that suits the pair you trade, for example the yen in the Asian session, and the euro and pound in the European and US sessions
- Check whether a daylight saving change falls in that period, especially in late October and March
- Check the day's key releases in the economic calendar and meeting dates in the central bank rates table
- Check your platform's server time and the instrument's daily break
- Be careful holding positions over the weekend, because price can gap when the market reopens
Bottom line
The Forex market is open 24 hours on trading days, but price moves most clearly during the London–New York overlap, while the Asian session suits Asian currency pairs. London and New York hours in GMT shift 1 hour later from late October to mid-March. Use the clock and timeline at the top of this page, which show every session in your local time automatically. Trading carries high risk.
Sources: daylight saving start and end dates from timeanddate.com · gold trading break based on CME Group · actual trading hours depend on your broker · not investment advice