Forex market hours
Follow the Sydney, Tokyo, London and New York sessions and understand when liquidity commonly overlaps.
Trading leveraged products involves significant risk.
Track the four major Forex centres
Session labels are indicative and do not replace the live trading schedule for an individual symbol.
Activity often increases when major centres are open together.
The London–New York overlap is commonly one of the most active periods for major currency pairs, while Asia-Pacific hours may be more active for AUD, NZD and JPY crosses.
More activity does not guarantee better execution. News, holidays and unexpected events can still produce wider spreads and gaps.
- Sydney–Tokyo overlap: Asia-Pacific currencies can become more active
- London open: European liquidity enters the market
- London–New York overlap: deep participation in major pairs
- New York close: daily rollover and financing considerations
Adjust for daylight-saving time
The table is a learning guide. Confirm current broker server time and instrument specifications in MT5.
| Session | Common UTC range | Markets often watched |
|---|---|---|
| Sydney | Approx. 21:00–06:00 UTC | AUD, NZD and regional themes |
| Tokyo | Approx. 00:00–09:00 UTC | JPY pairs and Asian markets |
| London | Approx. 08:00–17:00 UTC | EUR, GBP and broad FX liquidity |
| New York | Approx. 13:00–22:00 UTC | USD pairs, metals and US market themes |
Ranges shift when local daylight-saving rules change.
Market-hour questions
The Forex week is continuous, but liquidity and product access are not uniform.
Is Forex open on weekends?
Retail spot-Forex and CFD markets are generally closed from Friday evening until Sunday evening, although cryptocurrency CFDs can follow a different schedule.
What is rollover?
It is the daily account and settlement cut-off when financing can be applied and liquidity may temporarily reduce.
Why did the server time differ from my local time?
Trading servers use a defined timezone that may change seasonally. Use the platform clock for order and history references.
Are holidays the same for every product?
No. Currency, share, index, commodity and metal markets can follow different underlying schedules.
Check the live schedule before every session.
Use MT5 contract specifications and DOYOS holiday notices as the final trading-hour reference.