Sydney session
7:00 – 16:00 Sydney time
Opens the trading week. Usually the quietest session, with moves in AUD and NZD pairs.
Watch: AUDUSD, NZDUSD, AUDJPY
Free forex clock
Forex Market Hours
Live session clock and time converter for Sydney, Tokyo, London and New York
The forex market trades 24 hours a day, five days a week, from Sunday 5:00 PM to Friday 5:00 PM New York time. See which sessions are open right now, when the next one opens in your time zone, and when liquidity peaks.
- Daylight saving applied automatically
- Countdowns to every open and close
- Bank holidays for the main centres
Live nowReading your clock
Checking which sessions are open…
- Sydney…
- Tokyo…
- London…
- New York…
Forex market hours at a glance
Each session follows its city's normal business hours. Because the US, UK, Europe and Australia change their clocks on different dates, the same session starts at a different UTC time in winter and summer. Winter means the Northern Hemisphere winter (roughly November to March); Sydney's daylight saving runs the other way.
| Session | Local hours | Winter (UTC) | Summer (UTC) | Most active pairs | Volatility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | 07:00 – 16:00 Sydney time | 20:00 – 05:00 | 21:00 – 06:00 | AUDUSD, NZDUSD, AUDJPY | Low |
| Tokyo | 09:00 – 18:00 Tokyo time | 00:00 – 09:00 | 00:00 – 09:00 | USDJPY, AUDJPY, EURJPY | Moderate |
| London | 08:00 – 17:00 London time | 08:00 – 17:00 | 07:00 – 16:00 | EURUSD, GBPUSD, XAUUSD | Very high |
| New York | 08:00 – 17:00 New York time | 13:00 – 22:00 | 12:00 – 21:00 | EURUSD, USDJPY, USDCAD, XAUUSD | High |
Use the live market clock to see these times converted to your own time zone.
The four forex trading sessions
Forex has no central exchange. Banks, brokers and funds trade with each other around the world, so activity follows the working day from Asia-Pacific to Europe to North America. About $9.6 trillion changes hands every day (BIS Triennial Survey, April 2025), but it is not spread evenly across the 24 hours.
Tokyo session
9:00 – 18:00 Tokyo time
The main Asian session. Often ranges, but JPY and AUD pairs can move sharply.
Watch: USDJPY, AUDJPY, EURJPY
London session
8:00 – 17:00 London time
The largest FX centre by volume. Often sets the daily trend for European pairs and gold.
Watch: EURUSD, GBPUSD, XAUUSD
New York session
8:00 – 17:00 New York time
The second largest centre. US data releases at 8:30 and 10:00 New York time drive big moves.
Watch: EURUSD, USDJPY, USDCAD, XAUUSD
Session overlaps: the busiest hours to trade
When two financial centres are open at once, more buyers and sellers are active. Spreads tighten and price moves follow through more reliably. These are the three daily overlaps:
Sydney and Tokyo
Winter 00:00 – 05:00 UTC, summer 00:00 – 06:00 UTC
Asian morning activity in AUD, NZD and JPY pairs.
Tokyo and London
Winter 08:00 – 09:00 UTC, summer 07:00 – 09:00 UTC
A short handover as Europe opens. EURJPY and GBPJPY often pick up.
London and New York
Winter 13:00 – 17:00 UTC, summer 12:00 – 16:00 UTC
The busiest four hours of the day. Tightest spreads on EURUSD, GBPUSD and gold.
The golden hours: London and New York overlap
The most liquid window of the day is when London and New York are both open, from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM New York time. Two of the world's biggest centres trade at once, US data lands at 8:30 AM, and EURUSD, GBPUSD and gold usually see their largest and cleanest moves of the day.
Best time to trade forex by currency pair
A pair is most active when the centres that use its currencies are open.
| Pair | Most active |
|---|---|
| EURUSD, GBPUSD | London session and the London and New York overlap |
| XAUUSD (gold) | London open and the London and New York overlap, especially around US data |
| USDJPY | Tokyo session and the New York session |
| AUDUSD, NZDUSD | Sydney and Tokyo sessions, plus the early London session |
| USDCAD | New York session, around Canadian and US data releases |
| EURJPY, GBPJPY | Tokyo and London handover and the London session |
When does the forex market open and close each week?
The trading week starts when Sydney wakes up on Monday morning, which is Sunday 5:00 PM in New York: 22:00 UTC in winter and 21:00 UTC in summer. It ends at Friday 5:00 PM New York time, when the New York session closes.
Over the weekend the market is closed to retail traders, but news can still move prices. When trading resumes on Sunday, the first price can be noticeably different from Friday's close. This is known as a weekend gap.
Daylight saving time and forex hours
The US changes its clocks on the second Sunday of March and the first Sunday of November. The UK and Europe change on the last Sunday of March and October. Australia changes on the first Sunday of April and October, and Japan does not change at all. For a few weeks each spring and autumn the gaps between sessions shift, so an overlap can start an hour earlier or later than you are used to.
Next clock changes
- United Kingdom and Europe: clocks go back
- United States (New York): clocks go back
- United States (New York): clocks go forward
- United Kingdom and Europe: clocks go forward
Forex market holidays
Forex keeps trading on most bank holidays, but when a major centre is closed its session is thin. Spreads widen and moves can be erratic. These are the upcoming holidays in the four main centres:
- United States: Thanksgiving Day
- United States: Christmas Day
- United Kingdom: Christmas Day
- Australia: Christmas Day
- United Kingdom: Boxing Day
- Australia: Boxing Day
- United States: New Year's Day
- United Kingdom: New Year's Day
- Japan: New Year holiday
- Australia: New Year's Day
Why do you need a forex clock?
If you have ever stared at a chart for hours wondering why the price isn't moving, you were likely trading during the quiet period between the US close and the Asian open. A visual forex market time converter shows when the banks and institutions are actively trading, so you can plan entries around real liquidity rather than guesswork.
Our forex clock detects your time zone automatically, converts every session and overlap to your local time, and counts down to the next open and close. Keep it open in a browser tab and the tab title tells you which sessions are live.
See today's sessions, overlaps and holidays in your time zone.
Open the live market clockForex market hours FAQ
What are the forex market hours?
The forex market is open 24 hours a day from Sunday 5:00 PM to Friday 5:00 PM New York time. In UTC that is Sunday 22:00 to Friday 22:00 in winter and Sunday 21:00 to Friday 21:00 when the US is on daylight saving time. Trading moves through four main sessions: Sydney, Tokyo, London and New York.
What time does the London session open?
The London session runs from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM London time. That is 08:00 to 17:00 UTC in winter and 07:00 to 16:00 UTC during British Summer Time. Our clock converts it to your time zone automatically.
What time does the New York session open?
The New York session runs from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM New York time: 13:00 to 22:00 UTC in winter and 12:00 to 21:00 UTC during US daylight saving time. Major US economic data is released at 8:30 AM and 10:00 AM New York time.
What is the best time to trade forex?
For most major pairs the busiest period is the London and New York overlap, from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM New York time. Liquidity is highest and spreads are usually tightest. JPY and AUD pairs are also active during the Tokyo session and the Tokyo and London handover.
Is the forex market open on weekends?
No. Retail forex trading stops on Friday at 5:00 PM New York time and restarts on Sunday at 5:00 PM New York time. Prices can open with a gap on Sunday if news breaks over the weekend.
Does daylight saving time change forex market hours?
Yes. The US, UK, Europe and Australia change their clocks on different dates, and Japan does not change at all. Session times therefore shift by an hour in UTC during parts of the year, and the overlaps can briefly be an hour shorter or longer. This clock uses the official time zone database, so every change is applied automatically.
Is forex open on bank holidays?
Usually yes, but liquidity drops when a major centre is closed. On US holidays such as Thanksgiving or Independence Day, and UK bank holidays, spreads can widen and moves can be erratic. Christmas Day and New Year’s Day are the quietest days of the year and many brokers close.
Why is my broker’s server time different?
Many MT4 and MT5 brokers set their server clock to UTC+2 in winter and UTC+3 in summer so that each daily candle closes at 5:00 PM New York time. The session times on this page are shown in your own time zone, not your broker’s server time.