ForexThe best time to trade forex
Forex trades around the clock on weekdays, but activity is far from even. Liquidity, spreads and volatility depend on which financial centres are open, so when you trade affects what you pay.
The main sessions
Trading is usually described in four sessions named after the main centres. Times below are approximate and shift by an hour when daylight saving starts or ends in each region. Full details are in our forex trading hours guide.
Why the London and New York overlap stands out
When London and New York are both open, roughly 13:00 to 17:00 UK time, the largest number of banks and institutions are active. Spreads on major pairs such as EUR/USD and GBP/USD tend to be at their tightest and moves are larger. Many US data releases also land at the start of this window.
Quieter times
Spreads usually widen around the daily rollover (often 22:00 UK time), late on Friday and during public holidays in major centres. Asian-session hours can suit pairs involving the yen or Australian dollar but are often quieter for European pairs.