Forex Trading Sessions in UK Time: When to Trade
Short answer: in UK time, the forex market is busiest between about 08:00 and 17:00 (the London session), and busiest of all between about 13:00 and 17:00, when London and New York are both open. The quietest weekday hours are late evening and the early hours of the morning. The market opens on Sunday evening at about 22:00 UK time and closes on Friday at about 22:00.
The four sessions in UK time
| Session | Approximate UK time | What it is like |
|---|---|---|
| Sydney | 22:00 to 07:00 | Thin. Mostly Australian and New Zealand dollar pairs. |
| Tokyo | 00:00 to 09:00 | Moderate for yen and Australasian pairs; quiet for the rest. |
| London | 08:00 to 17:00 | The largest single session. Euro, pound and franc pairs are at their most active. |
| New York | 13:00 to 22:00 | Dollar pairs very active, especially while London is still open. |
These are conventions, not official opening hours: forex is traded between banks and brokers around the clock on weekdays. Different sources draw the boundaries an hour or so differently.
The London–New York overlap
From about 13:00 to 17:00 UK time both major centres are working. Spreads on the major pairs tend to be at their tightest and price moves at their largest. Many US economic releases land at 13:30 UK time (08:30 in New York), so this window also contains a lot of scheduled volatility.
The clock-change trap
The UK and the US change their clocks on different dates. The US moves forward on the second Sunday in March and back on the first Sunday in November; the UK moves on the last Sundays of March and October. For about three weeks in spring and one week in autumn, New York opens an hour earlier in UK time: at 12:00 rather than 13:00, with its data releases at 12:30. If you trade the US open or US data, check the date.
When to be careful
- The weekly open (Sunday about 22:00 UK). Liquidity is thin and prices can gap from Friday's close.
- The late Asian hours. Between roughly 03:00 and 06:00 UTC many pairs barely move, and spreads on the less-traded pairs can be wide.
- The minutes around scheduled news. Spreads can widen sharply and stops can fill well away from their level. See our book Reading the Economic Calendar.
- The Friday close and bank holidays. Activity drains away and prices can move erratically on little volume.
How to use this
- Match your pair to its session: EUR/GBP in London hours, USD/JPY in Tokyo or New York hours, AUD/USD in Sydney and Tokyo hours.
- If you have a day job, choose one window you can actually be present for, and trade only then.
- Write down the scheduled releases for the week before Monday.
- Keep a column in your journal for the time of each trade. After 50 trades, check whether your results differ by session.
Our free Session Clock shows which sessions are open now in your own time zone. The full guide, including the windows to stay out of and what each one costs, is Trading the Sessions.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best time to trade forex in the UK? For most major pairs, the London session (about 08:00 to 17:00 UK time), and especially the overlap with New York from about 13:00 to 17:00.
Is forex open 24 hours? On weekdays, yes, from about 22:00 UK time on Sunday to about 22:00 on Friday. Activity varies a great deal across those hours.
What time does the New York session open in UK time? Usually about 13:00, but about 12:00 for a few weeks each spring and autumn, when US and UK clocks change on different dates.
What is the worst time to trade forex? Thin periods (the weekly open, the late Asian hours, bank holidays) and the minutes around major scheduled news, unless news trading is your deliberate plan.
Educational content only; not financial advice. Leveraged trading carries a high risk of losing money.