Forex trading hours are the hours when the foreign currency exchange market is open. Even though it may seem that Forex market is always open (it’s true in a way), some hours are better for trades, while other hours may actually do more harm than good. Forex trading hours are 24 hours a day, 5 days a week, except for the national holidays. Forex trading hours vary from country to country, according to the hours when main financial institutions of that particular country start and end their business day.
Experts identify four major time zones, whose Forex trading hours substantially differ: Australia, Asia, Europe and America. Forex trading hours in Tokyo begin at 23:00 GMT on Sunday. This starts the weekly trading session. The weekly trading session closes on Friday at 10 pm in Chicago.
Forex actually works even at the time of major holidays, because different countries celebrate different holidays on different dates, and many of these holidays do not even overlap. For example: Hindu and Jewish holidays, Muslim and Christian holidays etc. When a holiday starts in one part of the world, another part of the world is “available for trading”. In the time of the holidays in one country, you can still get quotes from the banks of another country etc.
One of the least suitable days for Forex trading is the weekends. This is due to that it is often hard to find a counterpart for your transaction, since the volume of both – sellers and buyers – is much less on the weekends. Novice Forex traders should try to only trade within the Forex trading hours on the weekdays.
Forex trading hours vary all over the world, making Forex market a colorful mixture of countries and currencies, including US Dollars, Canadian Dollars, Australian Dollars, Euro, Yens, Pounds etc. Thus you will be able to trade with any currency at the foreign exchange market.
Forex trading hours were established in order to give employees time for Forex transactions, which is not achievable at the time of active trades, as well as probably to give traders some time to “rest and relax”.
Some people ask, why is it that Forex trading hours fall at night in their countries? Well, the reason behind that is that when it is night in one country, it is a daytime in another country. At the time when one country “goes to sleep”, financial institutions in another country are just starting to open.
Forex trading hours
Forex trading hours overlap and make up 24 hours of every day, 5 days a week. Trades are also carried out on the weekends. However they are much less active. Below you can take a look at the Forex trading hours in the 4 major time zones, in accordance with Eastern Standard Time:
Tokyo: 19.00 to 04.00 EST
New York: 8.00 to 17.00 EST
London Trading Hours: 3.00 to 12.00 (noon)
Sydney, Trading Hours: 17.00 to 02.00 EST
A trader should get familiar with Forex tr
