Asking when does the forex market open assumes a single daily open-and-close, the way a stock exchange works — but forex doesn’t actually work that way at all. It’s a genuinely continuous, 24-hour market from Monday morning through to Friday evening (local time zones), stitched together from overlapping regional sessions rather than one central exchange with fixed hours.
When does the forex market open: the session handover
Illustrative, rough mapping to an Australian day — exact handover times shift with daylight saving in each region.
The forex market “opens” each week when Sydney’s session begins Monday morning local time, and doesn’t fully close again until New York’s session ends Friday evening US time — across that whole stretch, at least one major session is always active somewhere in the world.
Trading activity and liquidity tend to be highest when two major sessions overlap, such as London and New York — rather than at any single session’s start. For anyone timing trades around liquidity, those overlap windows are generally more relevant than the simple question of when a given session begins.
When does the forex market open relative to the stock market?
This is the key contrast with our US stock market hours guide: a stock exchange like the NYSE has a single fixed daily open and close, while forex has neither in the same sense — it’s a continuous, decentralised market running across time zones rather than a single physical exchange floor.
Why the exact open time shifts with daylight saving
The session times above aren’t fixed calendar constants — each region’s local daylight saving schedule shifts its session start and end relative to Australian time, and because the US, UK, and Australia don’t all move their clocks on the same dates, the gap between sessions can widen or narrow by an hour for several weeks each year. A time that was accurate in one month can be an hour off a few months later purely because one region’s clocks moved and another’s hasn’t yet.
What happens between the Friday close and Monday open: weekend gap risk
Even though forex trades nearly continuously Monday to Friday, prices still stop moving over the weekend while the news and events driving those prices don’t. When trading resumes with the Sydney open, a currency pair can occasionally “gap” to a noticeably different price than where it closed Friday, reflecting whatever happened over the weekend. Any position held open across the weekend close carries this gap risk, separate from the normal volatility during active trading hours.
Best time to trade forex, based on session activity
“Best” depends on what you’re optimising for. For the tightest spreads and highest liquidity, the London-New York overlap is generally considered the most active window globally. For AUD-related pairs specifically, the Sydney-Tokyo overlap tends to carry more regionally relevant volume and news flow, even though overall global liquidity is lower during that window than during the London-New York overlap.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time does the forex market open each week?
It effectively opens when the Sydney session begins Monday morning local time, and runs continuously until the New York session closes Friday evening US time.
Is the forex market open 24 hours a day?
Yes, from the Sydney open Monday morning through to the New York close Friday evening, across overlapping regional sessions, with no single daily close in between.
When is forex trading liquidity highest?
Typically during overlaps between major sessions, such as London and New York, rather than at the start of any single session alone.
Is the forex market open on weekends?
No, it closes after the New York session ends Friday evening and reopens with the Sydney session the following Monday morning.
Why do forex session times change throughout the year?
Because the US, UK, and Australia shift their clocks for daylight saving on different dates, the time gap between sessions widens or narrows by an hour for parts of the year.
What is weekend gap risk in forex trading?
The risk that a currency pair opens at a noticeably different price on Monday than where it closed Friday, since news and events continue over the weekend while prices themselves stop moving.
What is the best time to trade forex?
The London-New York overlap generally offers the highest global liquidity and tightest spreads, though the Sydney-Tokyo overlap can carry more relevant volume for AUD-related pairs specifically.
Want a forex platform’s execution tested across sessions?
We independently test trading platforms on real accounts before publishing a verdict — not sponsored placements.
See All Reviews Ask Our Analysts