Forex Market Hours: Live Session Clock & Overlaps

Forex market hours are the times when the main trading centres are open. The market runs 24 hours a day, five days a week, across the Sydney, Tokyo, London and New York sessions. This live clock shows the time in UTC, marks each session open or closed and tells you when the London–New York overlap is active.

How to Read the Forex Market Hours Clock

Check the time at the top of the widget. It comes from your device's clock, is shown in UTC and updates every second.
Look down the list. Each session shows its hours in UTC and is marked Open or Closed.
Read the note under the list. It flags an active London–New York overlap, lists the main overlaps at other times and shows a weekend message when the market is closed.
Convert the UTC hours to your own time by adding or subtracting your offset from UTC.

Forex Session Times

The widget uses these fixed hours, in UTC, all year:

Sydney: 21:00–06:00 UTC
Tokyo: 00:00–09:00 UTC
London: 07:00–16:00 UTC
New York: 12:00–21:00 UTC
Sydney–Tokyo overlap: 00:00–06:00 UTC
Tokyo–London overlap: 07:00–09:00 UTC, which follows from the hours above, though the note does not list it
London–New York overlap: 12:00–16:00 UTC, usually the busiest part of the day

The week opens on Sunday at 21:00 UTC and closes on Friday at 21:00 UTC. The hours do not shift for daylight saving time: they match the northern summer, so in the northern winter London and New York usually run about an hour later in UTC.

Worked Example

Say the clock reads 13:30 UTC on a Wednesday. London (07:00–16:00) and New York (12:00–21:00) show Open, Sydney and Tokyo show Closed, and the note says the London–New York overlap is active. If you live in Singapore, which is UTC+8, add eight hours: it is 21:30 for you, and the overlap runs from 20:00 to midnight your time. On a Saturday, all four sessions show Closed and the note says the market reopens on Sunday at 21:00 UTC.

How Traders Use It

Liquidity and volatility follow the sessions. Many day traders focus on the London open and the London–New York overlap, when spreads on the major pairs tend to be tightest, while the quieter Asian hours often suit range trading.

Learn more in our guides to forex trading sessions, the best time to trade forex and the London breakout strategy. To see which currencies are moving today, open the currency strength meter.

FAQ

What are the best hours to trade?

The London–New York overlap, 12:00–16:00 UTC on this clock, usually has the deepest liquidity and tightest spreads on the major pairs. The London open is also busy. Quieter hours can suit range strategies, but spreads may be wider.

Is the forex market open at the weekend?

No. The clock treats the market as closed from Friday 21:00 UTC until Sunday 21:00 UTC, when the Sydney session opens the new week. If news breaks over the weekend, prices can open on Sunday at a different level from Friday's close.

Does the clock adjust for daylight saving time?

No. It uses fixed UTC hours all year, which match the northern summer. In the northern winter, London and New York usually open and close about an hour later in UTC, and the weekly close moves later too, so allow for that shift.

Why are the times shown in UTC?

UTC is a fixed reference that does not change with the seasons, so it avoids confusion between time zones. Add or subtract your own offset to convert. For example, in a UTC+8 time zone, 07:00 UTC is 15:00 local time.

What time does the forex market open?

On this clock the week opens on Sunday at 21:00 UTC, when the Sydney session starts. Tokyo follows at 00:00 UTC, London at 07:00 and New York at 12:00. Each session lasts nine hours.

Forex Market Hours