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A Beginner's Guide to Forex Market Hours

Forex market hours explained: how the 24-hour trading day passes from Sydney to New York, and when each currency is most active.

FluxoMarkets editorial desk. Updated 26 September 2026. Editorial policy

Night earth view from space with glowing trade routes

Key takeaways

  • The forex week runs from Sunday evening to Friday evening New York time.
  • Four centres shape the day: Sydney, Tokyo, London and New York.
  • The London–New York overlap usually brings the heaviest trading in major pairs.

Live status

MarketNowRegular hours (local time)Guide
ForexSpot currency market–Sunday 17:00 to Friday 17:00, New YorkFX sessions
Spot goldXAU/USD–Sunday 18:00 to Friday 17:00, New York, with a daily one-hour breakForex guide
London stocksFTSE 100–Monday to Friday 08:00 to 16:30, LondonIndices
Frankfurt stocksDAX–Monday to Friday 09:00 to 17:30, FrankfurtIndices
New York stocksS&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq–Monday to Friday 09:30 to 16:00, New YorkIndices
Tokyo stocksNikkei 225–Monday to Friday 09:00 to 11:30 and 12:30 to 15:30, TokyoIndices
CryptoBitcoin, ether, stablecoins–24 hours a day, 7 days a weekBitcoin drivers
Diverse professionals in different world cities checking a trading app

The sessions (approximate, local time)

SessionLocal hoursMost active pairs
Sydney08:00–17:00 SydneyAUD, NZD pairs
Tokyo09:00–18:00 TokyoJPY pairs, AUD/JPY
London08:00–17:00 LondonEUR, GBP, CHF pairs; all majors
New York08:00–17:00 New YorkUSD pairs, CAD

Session times are conventions based on business hours; the market itself is continuous.

Overlaps

  • London–New York: roughly 13:00–17:00 London time. Deepest liquidity and many US data releases.
  • Tokyo–London: a short overlap in the European morning, relevant for EUR/JPY and GBP/JPY.
  • Sydney–Tokyo: the Asian morning, active for AUD and NZD pairs.
British pound coin and a US dollar coin facing each other on a reflective surface

The daily rollover

At 17:00 New York time the trading day ends. Positions held through it pay or receive swap, and spreads often widen briefly because liquidity thins as New York closes before Asia is fully active.

Weekends and gaps

The market pauses from Friday 17:00 to Sunday 17:00 New York time. News over the weekend can cause Monday's opening price to differ from Friday's close. Stop orders are filled at the first available price, which may be well beyond the stop. See order types.

Daylight saving time

The UK, EU and US change clocks on different dates, and Australia's seasons are reversed; Japan does not change at all. Session overlaps therefore shift by an hour for a few weeks each spring and autumn. The live board above adjusts automatically.

Gold hours

Spot gold follows a similar weekly schedule, with a short daily break around the New York close.

Forex market open time on Monday

The forex market opens at about 17:00 New York time on Sunday, which is Monday morning in Sydney and Wellington. Forex trading hours then run continuously until 17:00 New York time on Friday. Stock market hours are different: each exchange opens only during its local business day.

Common questions

What is the best time to trade EUR/USD?

Liquidity is usually highest during the London session and the London–New York overlap, when spreads tend to be tightest.

Is forex open on public holidays?

The global market stays open, but liquidity falls when major centres are on holiday, and some brokers adjust hours.

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