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Forex market hours: trading sessions in your time zone
The forex market trades around the clock from Sunday evening to Friday evening, passing from Sydney and Tokyo to London and New York. This clock shows each session in your own time zone, adjusts for daylight saving in every centre, and marks the London–New York overlap.
Live session clock
The forex trading sessions
There is no central exchange for currencies, so “sessions” are market convention: the business hours of the main trading centres. We use each centre’s local working day, which keeps the times correct through daylight-saving changes.
| Session | Local hours | Time zone |
|---|---|---|
| Auckland | 08:00–17:00 | Pacific/Auckland |
| Sydney | 08:00–17:00 | Australia/Sydney |
| Tokyo | 09:00–17:00 | Asia/Tokyo |
| London | 08:00–17:00 | Europe/London |
| New York | 08:00–17:00 | America/New_York |
Many sites list only the four main sessions (Sydney, Tokyo, London and New York). We also show Auckland, because it opens the week for NZD pairs.
Forex sessions in UK, US, India, Pakistan, Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya and Philippines time
Session times in your country depend on whether the UK, the US and Australia are on daylight saving that day, so the same session can move by an hour during the year. The two tables show a typical Wednesday in each half of the year. For today’s exact times, use the clock above.
Mid-January (UK and US on winter time, Sydney on summer time)
| Location | Sydney | Tokyo | London | New York | London–New York overlap | Week opens | Week closes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK (London) GMT | Tue 21:00–Wed 06:00 | Wed 00:00–Wed 08:00 | Wed 08:00–Wed 17:00 | Wed 13:00–Wed 22:00 | 13:00–17:00 | Sun 22:00 | Fri 22:00 |
| US Eastern (New York) GMT−5 | Tue 16:00–Wed 01:00 | Tue 19:00–Wed 03:00 | Wed 03:00–Wed 12:00 | Wed 08:00–Wed 17:00 | 08:00–12:00 | Sun 17:00 | Fri 17:00 |
| US Central (Chicago) GMT−6 | Tue 15:00–Wed 00:00 | Tue 18:00–Wed 02:00 | Wed 02:00–Wed 11:00 | Wed 07:00–Wed 16:00 | 07:00–11:00 | Sun 16:00 | Fri 16:00 |
| US Pacific (Los Angeles) GMT−8 | Tue 13:00–Tue 22:00 | Tue 16:00–Wed 00:00 | Wed 00:00–Wed 09:00 | Wed 05:00–Wed 14:00 | 05:00–09:00 | Sun 14:00 | Fri 14:00 |
| Central Europe (Frankfurt) GMT+1 | Tue 22:00–Wed 07:00 | Wed 01:00–Wed 09:00 | Wed 09:00–Wed 18:00 | Wed 14:00–Wed 23:00 | 14:00–18:00 | Sun 23:00 | Fri 23:00 |
| Nigeria (Lagos) GMT+1 | Tue 22:00–Wed 07:00 | Wed 01:00–Wed 09:00 | Wed 09:00–Wed 18:00 | Wed 14:00–Wed 23:00 | 14:00–18:00 | Sun 23:00 | Fri 23:00 |
| South Africa (Johannesburg) GMT+2 | Tue 23:00–Wed 08:00 | Wed 02:00–Wed 10:00 | Wed 10:00–Wed 19:00 | Wed 15:00–Thu 00:00 | 15:00–19:00 | Mon 00:00 | Sat 00:00 |
| Kenya (Nairobi) GMT+3 | Wed 00:00–Wed 09:00 | Wed 03:00–Wed 11:00 | Wed 11:00–Wed 20:00 | Wed 16:00–Thu 01:00 | 16:00–20:00 | Mon 01:00 | Sat 01:00 |
| UAE (Dubai) GMT+4 | Wed 01:00–Wed 10:00 | Wed 04:00–Wed 12:00 | Wed 12:00–Wed 21:00 | Wed 17:00–Thu 02:00 | 17:00–21:00 | Mon 02:00 | Sat 02:00 |
| Pakistan (Karachi) GMT+5 | Wed 02:00–Wed 11:00 | Wed 05:00–Wed 13:00 | Wed 13:00–Wed 22:00 | Wed 18:00–Thu 03:00 | 18:00–22:00 | Mon 03:00 | Sat 03:00 |
| India (IST) GMT+5:30 | Wed 02:30–Wed 11:30 | Wed 05:30–Wed 13:30 | Wed 13:30–Wed 22:30 | Wed 18:30–Thu 03:30 | 18:30–22:30 | Mon 03:30 | Sat 03:30 |
| Bangladesh (Dhaka) GMT+6 | Wed 03:00–Wed 12:00 | Wed 06:00–Wed 14:00 | Wed 14:00–Wed 23:00 | Wed 19:00–Thu 04:00 | 19:00–23:00 | Mon 04:00 | Sat 04:00 |
| Singapore / Malaysia GMT+8 | Wed 05:00–Wed 14:00 | Wed 08:00–Wed 16:00 | Wed 16:00–Thu 01:00 | Wed 21:00–Thu 06:00 | 21:00–01:00 | Mon 06:00 | Sat 06:00 |
| Philippines (Manila) GMT+8 | Wed 05:00–Wed 14:00 | Wed 08:00–Wed 16:00 | Wed 16:00–Thu 01:00 | Wed 21:00–Thu 06:00 | 21:00–01:00 | Mon 06:00 | Sat 06:00 |
| Japan (Tokyo) GMT+9 | Wed 06:00–Wed 15:00 | Wed 09:00–Wed 17:00 | Wed 17:00–Thu 02:00 | Wed 22:00–Thu 07:00 | 22:00–02:00 | Mon 07:00 | Sat 07:00 |
| Australia (Sydney) GMT+11 | Wed 08:00–Wed 17:00 | Wed 11:00–Wed 19:00 | Wed 19:00–Thu 04:00 | Thu 00:00–Thu 09:00 | 00:00–04:00 | Mon 09:00 | Sat 09:00 |
| New Zealand (Auckland) GMT+13 | Wed 10:00–Wed 19:00 | Wed 13:00–Wed 21:00 | Wed 21:00–Thu 06:00 | Thu 02:00–Thu 11:00 | 02:00–06:00 | Mon 11:00 | Sat 11:00 |
| UTC GMT | Tue 21:00–Wed 06:00 | Wed 00:00–Wed 08:00 | Wed 08:00–Wed 17:00 | Wed 13:00–Wed 22:00 | 13:00–17:00 | Sun 22:00 | Fri 22:00 |
Mid-July (UK and US on summer time, Sydney on winter time)
| Location | Sydney | Tokyo | London | New York | London–New York overlap | Week opens | Week closes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK (London) GMT+1 | Tue 23:00–Wed 08:00 | Wed 01:00–Wed 09:00 | Wed 08:00–Wed 17:00 | Wed 13:00–Wed 22:00 | 13:00–17:00 | Sun 22:00 | Fri 22:00 |
| US Eastern (New York) GMT−4 | Tue 18:00–Wed 03:00 | Tue 20:00–Wed 04:00 | Wed 03:00–Wed 12:00 | Wed 08:00–Wed 17:00 | 08:00–12:00 | Sun 17:00 | Fri 17:00 |
| US Central (Chicago) GMT−5 | Tue 17:00–Wed 02:00 | Tue 19:00–Wed 03:00 | Wed 02:00–Wed 11:00 | Wed 07:00–Wed 16:00 | 07:00–11:00 | Sun 16:00 | Fri 16:00 |
| US Pacific (Los Angeles) GMT−7 | Tue 15:00–Wed 00:00 | Tue 17:00–Wed 01:00 | Wed 00:00–Wed 09:00 | Wed 05:00–Wed 14:00 | 05:00–09:00 | Sun 14:00 | Fri 14:00 |
| Central Europe (Frankfurt) GMT+2 | Wed 00:00–Wed 09:00 | Wed 02:00–Wed 10:00 | Wed 09:00–Wed 18:00 | Wed 14:00–Wed 23:00 | 14:00–18:00 | Sun 23:00 | Fri 23:00 |
| Nigeria (Lagos) GMT+1 | Tue 23:00–Wed 08:00 | Wed 01:00–Wed 09:00 | Wed 08:00–Wed 17:00 | Wed 13:00–Wed 22:00 | 13:00–17:00 | Sun 22:00 | Fri 22:00 |
| South Africa (Johannesburg) GMT+2 | Wed 00:00–Wed 09:00 | Wed 02:00–Wed 10:00 | Wed 09:00–Wed 18:00 | Wed 14:00–Wed 23:00 | 14:00–18:00 | Sun 23:00 | Fri 23:00 |
| Kenya (Nairobi) GMT+3 | Wed 01:00–Wed 10:00 | Wed 03:00–Wed 11:00 | Wed 10:00–Wed 19:00 | Wed 15:00–Thu 00:00 | 15:00–19:00 | Mon 00:00 | Sat 00:00 |
| UAE (Dubai) GMT+4 | Wed 02:00–Wed 11:00 | Wed 04:00–Wed 12:00 | Wed 11:00–Wed 20:00 | Wed 16:00–Thu 01:00 | 16:00–20:00 | Mon 01:00 | Sat 01:00 |
| Pakistan (Karachi) GMT+5 | Wed 03:00–Wed 12:00 | Wed 05:00–Wed 13:00 | Wed 12:00–Wed 21:00 | Wed 17:00–Thu 02:00 | 17:00–21:00 | Mon 02:00 | Sat 02:00 |
| India (IST) GMT+5:30 | Wed 03:30–Wed 12:30 | Wed 05:30–Wed 13:30 | Wed 12:30–Wed 21:30 | Wed 17:30–Thu 02:30 | 17:30–21:30 | Mon 02:30 | Sat 02:30 |
| Bangladesh (Dhaka) GMT+6 | Wed 04:00–Wed 13:00 | Wed 06:00–Wed 14:00 | Wed 13:00–Wed 22:00 | Wed 18:00–Thu 03:00 | 18:00–22:00 | Mon 03:00 | Sat 03:00 |
| Singapore / Malaysia GMT+8 | Wed 06:00–Wed 15:00 | Wed 08:00–Wed 16:00 | Wed 15:00–Thu 00:00 | Wed 20:00–Thu 05:00 | 20:00–00:00 | Mon 05:00 | Sat 05:00 |
| Philippines (Manila) GMT+8 | Wed 06:00–Wed 15:00 | Wed 08:00–Wed 16:00 | Wed 15:00–Thu 00:00 | Wed 20:00–Thu 05:00 | 20:00–00:00 | Mon 05:00 | Sat 05:00 |
| Japan (Tokyo) GMT+9 | Wed 07:00–Wed 16:00 | Wed 09:00–Wed 17:00 | Wed 16:00–Thu 01:00 | Wed 21:00–Thu 06:00 | 21:00–01:00 | Mon 06:00 | Sat 06:00 |
| Australia (Sydney) GMT+10 | Wed 08:00–Wed 17:00 | Wed 10:00–Wed 18:00 | Wed 17:00–Thu 02:00 | Wed 22:00–Thu 07:00 | 22:00–02:00 | Mon 07:00 | Sat 07:00 |
| New Zealand (Auckland) GMT+12 | Wed 10:00–Wed 19:00 | Wed 12:00–Wed 20:00 | Wed 19:00–Thu 04:00 | Thu 00:00–Thu 09:00 | 00:00–04:00 | Mon 09:00 | Sat 09:00 |
| UTC GMT | Tue 22:00–Wed 07:00 | Wed 00:00–Wed 08:00 | Wed 07:00–Wed 16:00 | Wed 12:00–Wed 21:00 | 12:00–16:00 | Sun 21:00 | Fri 21:00 |
When does the forex market open on Sunday?
The FX week opens at 17:00 New York time on Sunday and closes at 17:00 New York time on Friday. For most of the year that is 22:00 UK time on Sunday. In the few weeks when the UK and US change their clocks on different dates (March, and late October to early November), it is 21:00 UK time. Liquidity is usually thin for the first hours after the open, until Sydney and Tokyo are fully under way.
What time is the London–New York overlap?
London and New York are both open from 13:00 to 17:00 UK time (08:00 to 12:00 New York time). It is often the busiest stretch of the day for USD, EUR, GBP and CHF pairs, because the two largest centres are trading at once. During the March and October–November weeks when UK and US daylight saving is out of step, the overlap runs from 12:00 to 17:00 UK time. The clock above flags those weeks automatically.
What time does the Tokyo session open?
Tokyo trades from 09:00 to 17:00 Japan time. Japan has no daylight saving, so in UK terms the session runs 00:00–08:00 in winter and 01:00–09:00 in summer. It overlaps with Sydney in the morning and briefly with London at the end of its day.
Which session matters for each currency pair?
A pair tends to be most active when the centres for both of its currencies are open. These are the typical liquidity windows used by our apps’ Session Clock. They describe market convention, not a forecast of volatility or direction.
| Pair | Typical liquidity windows |
|---|---|
| EUR/USD | London, New York |
| GBP/USD | London, New York |
| USD/JPY | Tokyo, New York |
| USD/CHF | London, New York |
| USD/CAD | New York, London |
| AUD/USD | Sydney, Tokyo, New York |
| NZD/USD | Auckland, Sydney, Tokyo, New York |
| EUR/JPY | Tokyo, London |
| GBP/JPY | Tokyo, London |
| EUR/GBP | London |
Is there a best time to trade forex?
This page doesn’t recommend a time to trade. What the sessions do tell you is when activity is usually higher or lower: spreads tend to be tighter and moves larger when major centres overlap, and quieter in the gap after New York closes and before Tokyo opens. Scheduled economic releases often matter more than the session itself, so it is worth reading the session clock alongside an economic calendar and therelease dates and times in UK time. Whether any of this suits you depends on your own approach and risk.
Daylight-saving dates that move the sessions
- UK and Europe: clocks go forward on the last Sunday of March and back on the last Sunday of October.
- United States and Canada: forward on the second Sunday of March, back on the first Sunday of November.
- Sydney: forward on the first Sunday of October, back on the first Sunday of April.
- Auckland: forward on the last Sunday of September, back on the first Sunday of April.
- Tokyo: no daylight saving.
How this clock is defined
Each session is the centre’s local 08:00–17:00 (Tokyo 09:00–17:00), and the market week runs from Sunday 17:00 to Friday 17:00 New York time. Monday-morning sessions in Auckland and Sydney are shown from the weekly open. These are conventions, not exchange hours: brokers set their own trading hours, and public holidays (such as Christmas and New Year) are not shown. The definition is the same versioned contract the apps use (fx-session-clock-v1.0.0).
The same session clock in our apps
MacroMatrixFX shows a session strip on the pairs list and each pair’s current session in its row, next to the pair’s macro reading and the free economic calendar. Paid plans add alerts with schedule controls.
FXPatternLab shows the session clock and upcoming releases on its Overview, alongside chart patterns found on closed candles.
Explore MacroMatrixFX · Explore FXPatternLab · Compare plans
Educational content only, not financial advice. Session times are market conventions and may differ from your broker’s trading hours. Trading foreign exchange involves risk of loss. Contact us with corrections.