ForexForex trading hours and sessions
The forex market trades around the clock on weekdays as financial centres open in turn. When you trade affects spreads, volatility and how quickly orders fill.
When the market is open
Spot forex trades from about 5:00 pm New York time on Sunday to 5:00 pm New York time on Friday. Each broker sets its own exact hours, shown in the platform's symbol specification.
Times are approximate and shown for northern-hemisphere winter. They shift by an hour as daylight saving starts and ends, and different countries change their clocks on different dates.
The busiest hours
Liquidity is usually highest when London and New York overlap, roughly 13:00 to 17:00 GMT. Spreads on major pairs tend to be tightest then, and many economic releases from the US land in this window.
The Asian session is often quieter for EUR and GBP pairs but more active for JPY and AUD pairs.
When costs rise
Spreads often widen around the daily rollover at 5:00 pm New York time, around major news releases and on market holidays. Prices can also gap between Friday's close and Sunday's open, so stop-loss orders may fill at a worse price than set.
Related reading: the best time to trade forex and how to use an economic calendar.