World market hours and forex sessions
Which market is open now, when it opens or closes, and today's most volatile hours, in your own time.
What hours is the forex market open?
Forex has no central exchange; it trades through banks and financial institutions in centres around the world. So it is open 24 hours from Sunday evening to Friday evening (New York time), and the trading day is split into four main sessions: Sydney, Tokyo, London and New York. When two sessions are open at once, volume and volatility rise.
Why does knowing session hours matter?
- Liquidity and spreads are better in busy hours and worse in quiet ones (such as the gap between New York and Sydney).
- Each currency pair is more active in its own countries' sessions; for example GBP in London and JPY in Tokyo.
- Key economic releases usually come out in that country's business hours; keep the session hours next to the Economic calendar .
Daylight saving and Tehran time
Iran has no daylight saving time, but the UK, the US and Australia do, so London and New York open an hour earlier or later in Tehran time during the year. This page's tool uses each city's real time zone and always shows the right time.
FAQ
What time does the forex market open in Tehran time?
The forex trading week starts on Sunday evening New York time (17:00) with the Sydney session, about early Monday in Tehran time (00:30 or 01:30 depending on US daylight saving). The market stays open until Friday evening in New York, about early Saturday in Tehran time.
What is the best time to trade forex?
The London–New York overlap has the day's highest volume and volatility: in Tehran time about 15:30 to 19:30 in summer and 16:30 to 20:30 in winter (today's exact times are at the top of this page). For yen and Australian dollar pairs, the Tokyo and Sydney sessions matter more.
Why do session hours change during the year?
The UK, the US and Australia use daylight saving time and Iran does not, so London and New York open an hour earlier or later in Tehran time during the year. This page works these changes out automatically.
Does the crypto market have trading hours?
No; the crypto market is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. But its volume is also higher during London and New York business hours.
What happens on public holidays?
On a country's bank holidays its session is thin or closed, and some brokers shorten trading hours. This page does not count public holidays; check your broker's notices and the economic calendar too.