The forex market trades 24 hours a day from Sunday evening to Friday evening, passed between four main sessions: Sydney, Tokyo, London and New York. The busiest hours are the London session and its overlap with New York. Because the UK and US change their clocks on different dates, the session times in your local time shift during late October and March.
TL;DR: In GMT, London runs about 08:00 to 17:00 and New York about 13:00 to 22:00 in winter (one hour earlier in summer). The London and New York overlap is usually the most liquid window. In autumn 2026 the UK moves to GMT on Sunday 25 October and the US moves to standard time on Sunday 1 November, so for that one week the overlap is an hour longer.
Educational content only, not a personal recommendation. Session hours are market conventions, not exchange opening times, and liquidity can vary. Alpha Capital accounts are simulated accounts with simulated funds.
What are the forex trading sessions?
Forex has no single exchange. Banks, brokers and other participants trade around the clock, so the "sessions" describe when each major financial centre is active. Most guides use the same four:
- Sydney: the week opens here. Quieter, with the Australian and New Zealand dollars most active.
- Tokyo: the main Asian session. The yen and Asia-Pacific currencies see the most activity.
- London: the largest forex centre. Volume rises sharply at the London open, and the euro, pound and Swiss franc are most active.
- New York: US data releases land here. The US dollar, Canadian dollar and US indices are most active, especially while London is still open.
Each session is usually described as roughly 08:00 to 17:00 local time (Sydney 07:00 to 16:00, Tokyo 09:00 to 18:00). The times below convert those local hours.
What are the forex market hours in GMT?
GMT (the same as UTC) does not change with the seasons, so it is the clearest base. The UK and US clock changes move London and New York against it. In autumn 2026 there are three periods:
Session (GMT/UTC) | Until Sat 24 Oct 2026 | Sun 25 Oct to Sat 31 Oct | From Sun 1 Nov 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
Sydney | 20:00 to 05:00 | 20:00 to 05:00 | 20:00 to 05:00 |
Tokyo | 00:00 to 09:00 | 00:00 to 09:00 | 00:00 to 09:00 |
London | 07:00 to 16:00 | 08:00 to 17:00 | 08:00 to 17:00 |
New York | 12:00 to 21:00 | 12:00 to 21:00 | 13:00 to 22:00 |
London and New York overlap | 12:00 to 16:00 (4 hours) | 12:00 to 17:00 (5 hours) | 13:00 to 17:00 (4 hours) |
Sydney is already on daylight saving time (AEDT, UTC+11) for the southern summer, and Japan does not change its clocks, so those two rows stay the same.
What time are the sessions in UK time?
UK time is BST (GMT+1) until the clocks go back at 02:00 on Sunday 25 October 2026, then GMT.
Session (UK time) | Until Sat 24 Oct | Sun 25 Oct to Sat 31 Oct | From Sun 1 Nov |
|---|---|---|---|
Sydney | 21:00 to 06:00 | 20:00 to 05:00 | 20:00 to 05:00 |
Tokyo | 01:00 to 10:00 | 00:00 to 09:00 | 00:00 to 09:00 |
London | 08:00 to 17:00 | 08:00 to 17:00 | 08:00 to 17:00 |
New York | 13:00 to 22:00 | 12:00 to 21:00 | 13:00 to 22:00 |
For UK traders the London session stays at 08:00 to 17:00. What changes is everything else: in the week of 25 to 31 October, New York opens an hour earlier than usual on a UK clock.
What time are the sessions in New York time?
New York is on EDT (UTC-4) until 02:00 on Sunday 1 November 2026, then EST (UTC-5).
Session (New York time) | Until Sat 24 Oct | Sun 25 Oct to Sat 31 Oct | From Sun 1 Nov |
|---|---|---|---|
Sydney | 16:00 to 01:00 | 16:00 to 01:00 | 15:00 to 00:00 |
Tokyo | 20:00 to 05:00 | 20:00 to 05:00 | 19:00 to 04:00 |
London | 03:00 to 12:00 | 04:00 to 13:00 | 03:00 to 12:00 |
New York | 08:00 to 17:00 | 08:00 to 17:00 | 08:00 to 17:00 |
When does the forex week open and close?
By convention the forex week opens at 17:00 New York time on Sunday and closes at 17:00 New York time on Friday. In GMT that is 21:00 until the US clock change, and 22:00 from Sunday 1 November 2026. Prices can gap between Friday's close and Sunday's open if news breaks over the weekend, which is one reason prop firms set weekend holding rules.
Which session overlaps matter most?
- London and New York: usually the most liquid hours of the day, with tighter spreads on the major pairs and many US data releases at 12:30 or 13:30 GMT. It is 4 hours long for most of the year and 5 hours in the week of 25 to 31 October 2026.
- Tokyo and London: a short handover in the morning (07:00 to 09:00 GMT in summer, 08:00 to 09:00 GMT in winter), often when yen crosses such as EURJPY and GBPJPY move.
- Sydney and Tokyo: 00:00 to 05:00 GMT, when AUD, NZD and JPY pairs are most active.
Quiet periods matter too. The late New York afternoon and the gap before Tokyo opens tend to have thinner liquidity and wider spreads, which can make stops easier to hit.
Which currency pairs move in each session?
Session | Pairs that are usually most active |
|---|---|
Sydney | AUDUSD, NZDUSD, AUDJPY |
Tokyo | USDJPY, EURJPY, AUDJPY |
London | EURUSD, GBPUSD, EURGBP, USDCHF |
New York | EURUSD, GBPUSD, USDCAD, USDJPY, and US indices and gold around US data |
These are tendencies, not rules. A surprise central bank decision or data release can move any pair at any hour. Our trader interview with Jonathan on EURUSD and GBPUSD at the London open shows how one trader builds a plan around a single session.
How do sessions fit with prop firm rules?
Session timing interacts with several Alpha Capital rules. Check the help centre for the details of your plan.
- The daily loss limit resets at 00:00 GMT+3. The starting balance and equity for each trading day are taken at the end of the daily candle in broker time, 00:00 GMT+3 (daily risk limits). That is not midnight in London or New York, so a loss late in the US session and one early in Asia can count towards the same trading day.
- News windows on Qualified Accounts. On Alpha Pro, One, Three and Direct Qualified Accounts you cannot open or close trades on targeted instruments from 5 minutes before to 5 minutes after a listed high-impact release; evaluations are unrestricted and Alpha Swing has its own rule (news rules). Many of those releases fall in the London and New York overlap, so check the economic calendar before that window.
- Overnight and weekend holds. Overnight holds are allowed on every plan (overnight holds). Weekend holds depend on the plan (weekend holds). News and overnight rules explained sets them out by plan.
How do you choose a session to trade?
- Match your hours. A session you can trade alert and consistently beats the "best" session at 3 a.m.
- Match your pairs. Trade the pairs that are active when you are at your screen.
- Match your style. Short-term traders often prefer the liquid overlaps; slower traders may prefer quieter hours with less noise.
- Re-check after every clock change. Put the clock-change dates in your calendar, because your usual setup can land an hour earlier or later.
Frequently asked questions
What time does the London session open?
The London session is usually described as 08:00 to 17:00 UK time. In GMT that is 07:00 to 16:00 in summer and 08:00 to 17:00 in winter. The UK moves to winter time on Sunday 25 October 2026.
What time does the New York session open in UK time?
Usually 13:00 UK time. For one week in autumn 2026, from 25 to 31 October, it is 12:00 UK time, because the UK changes its clocks a week before the US.
When does the Asian session open?
Tokyo is usually counted from 00:00 GMT, which is 01:00 UK time in summer and 00:00 in winter. Sydney opens earlier, at about 20:00 GMT during the southern summer.
Is forex open on weekends?
No. The market closes at 17:00 New York time on Friday and reopens at 17:00 New York time on Sunday, which is 21:00 or 22:00 GMT depending on the US clock change.
What is the best time to trade forex?
Many traders prefer the London and New York overlap for liquidity and tighter spreads. The best time for you depends on your pairs, your strategy and the hours you can trade consistently.
Do daylight saving changes affect forex sessions?
Yes. Sessions follow local business hours, so when a country changes its clocks the session moves against GMT. Because the UK, US and Australia change on different dates, the overlaps can be an hour longer or shorter for a week or two.
Sources
- Alpha Capital help centre: daily risk limits
- Alpha Capital help centre: news trading
- Alpha Capital help centre: overnight holds
- Alpha Capital help centre: weekend holds
Alpha Capital Group is a proprietary trading firm based in the United Kingdom. Accounts operate in a simulated environment with simulated funds. Performance fees are performance-based and outcomes are not guaranteed.
