Forex Trading Hours: When Does the Market Open and Close?

The forex market trades 24 hours a day, 5 days a week — from Sunday 5:00 PM EST to Friday 5:00 PM EST. But not all hours offer the same opportunities.

Market Open and Close Times

The week begins with the Sydney open and closes with the New York close:

Market	Open (UTC)	Close (UTC)
Sydney	21:00 Sunday	06:00 Friday
Tokyo	23:00 Sunday	08:00 Friday
London	07:00 Monday	16:00 Friday
New York	12:00 Monday	21:00 Friday

In Your Local Timezone

Use our live forex session calculator to see exact open and close times converted to your local timezone — no manual conversion needed.

Best Times to Trade by Region

Europe (London Session)

• Local time: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM (London)
• Best pairs: EUR/USD, GBP/USD, EUR/GBP
• Why: Highest liquidity window of the day

North America (New York Session)

• Local time: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM (New York)
• Best pairs: USD/CAD, XAU/USD, EUR/USD
• Why: News-driven volatility during US economic releases

Asia (Tokyo/Sydney Sessions)

• Local time: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM (Tokyo)
• Best pairs: USD/JPY, AUD/USD, NZD/USD
• Why: Clean technical moves with fewer false breakouts

The Most Liquid Hours

The London–New York overlap (12:00–16:00 UTC) is widely considered the best trading window:

• Tightest spreads (EUR/USD often 0.5–0.8 pips)
• Highest daily volume
• Strong trends during US data releases
• Best for day traders and scalpers

The Sydney–Tokyo overlap (00:00–06:00 UTC during DST) offers:

• Lower volatility but cleaner trends on JPY and AUD pairs
• Good for traders in Asia and Oceania timezones
• Less algorithmic noise than London hours

When to Avoid Trading

1. Friday 5:00 PM EST to Sunday 5:00 PM EST — The market is closed. Avoid holding positions over the weekend gap
2. Major holiday weeks — Christmas, New Year’s, Thanksgiving week have thin liquidity
3. Between session closes — Brief gaps between New York close and Sydney open on Friday/Monday
4. During low-impact Asian hours — Unless trading JPY or AUD-specific strategies

Timezone Conversion Guide

You Are In	Sydney Open	London Open	NY Open	NY Close
New York (EST)	4:00 PM	2:00 AM	7:00 AM	4:00 PM
London (GMT)	9:00 PM	7:00 AM	12:00 PM	9:00 PM
Tokyo (JST)	6:00 AM	4:00 PM	9:00 PM	6:00 AM
Sydney (AEDT)	8:00 AM	6:00 PM	11:00 PM	8:00 AM

Use our session calculator to see current session status and upcoming opens in your exact timezone. Track which hours perform best for your strategy with our trading journal.