Forex Market Working Hours – What Should You Know?

You have finally decided to become part of the ever-changing world of Forex, but understanding some concepts is still a bit of a challenge? You are not the first person on the market to have this issue. Forex trading is the biggest market around the world, but it needs a lot of dedication from investors to understand everything that goes into it.

Did you know that the market is open 24 hours a day? This is something that many newcomers on the market don’t realize. Yes, there are some markets that are open from early morning to late evenings, but because of the geography of the earth, Forex trading is actually accessible for 24 hours. The reason for the Forex market is open for 24 hours is very simple. The earth is rotating constantly, and when one market closes in one part of the earth, another one opens. These are what they market sessions.

But, this is not the only reason you should know Forex market operating hours. Thanks to the fact that the market stays open for 24 hours, you can benefit a lot by trading Forex any time of the day, by opening positions whenever you see the changes that you were looking for.

So, if you are new to the trading market, you have come to the right place. Today, we will discuss every important aspect of trading hours. Now, let’s dive in deep and understand everything about the FX market operating hours below.

Forex Trading Hubs and Their Working Hours

In the world of Forex trading, there are four major Forex trading hubs, they are, London, Sydney, New York, and Tokyo. They are open at different times, but because of geography, traders can invest in this market at all times. The market stays open in different parts of the world from 5 p.m EST on Sunday, to 4 p.m. EST on Friday. Because of this, at any moment of the day, you will find at least one market that is open. The market is opening starting from the area of Australia and Asia, then followed by Europe, and, finally, North America.

London

London is known to be dominant in the currency markets around the world, which is why it is important to know the Forex market active hours here. The market here opens at 3 a.m. and closes at noon (EST time). London is known to be the central trading capital of the world, and not for the wrong reason. It actually accounts for about 43% of global trading, which is a huge number.

Because of the Bank of England, which is the central bank of the country, London has a huge influence on the currency fluctuations around the world. Bank of England is the one that sets interest rates and controls the policies of GBP, the national currency of the country. It also is a very well-known fact that London originates Forex trends around the world because of the impact that it has on ongoing events around the world.

Sydney

In Sydney, Australia, the Forex markets’ hours of operation are from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. (EST time). While talking about mega-markets of Forex trading, Sydney is definitely the smallest one, but because of its location, it is very important in this market. When the markets reopen on Sunday, it sees a lot of initial action, because most of the investors around the world are trying their best to get back to the market as fast as possible after the long pause since Friday.

Although the market in Sydney is not as big as, for example, other mega-markets, it still is a very important part of the Forex hours map because of its location.

New York

In Eastern Standard Time, the market in New York opens at 8 a.m. and closes at 5 p.m. and it represents the second-largest FX trading market around the world, after London. Because of the fact that the US dollar is such a huge part of the trading world, the New York market is very closely and heavily watched by investors around the world.

Also, the price changes at the New York Stock Exchange do have a huge impact on the national currency of the United States, and it is very important to look at the market of the United States before traders start investing.

Tokyo

Forex market hours EST in Japan is from 7 p.m. EST and to 4 a.m. EST, this is actually the first market in Asia to open, which is why it is such an important market for FX trading. The largest part of Asian Forex traders is going to this market once it opens, which happens before the markets of Hong Kong and Singapore, which are also playing a huge part in the world of Forex trading.

Here, many currency pairs are being traded every day, such as USD/JPY, GBP/CHF, GBP/JPY, and many others. When the Tokyo market is the only one being open, it is a great idea to monitor the USD/JPY very closely, because it is very heavily influenced by the Bank of Japan, which is the central bank of the country.

What are The Best Hours for Forex Trading?

Forex trading is the most unique market because of the way it operates. The fact of the matter is that it is not always equally good to invest in this market. As you would already know, the best time to invest in the Forex market is when it is the most active. This means it is much better to invest in Forex when more than a few markets are open at the same time. When there are many markets open together around the world, the currency pairs are much more irregular, which means that the prices of the currency pair are changing very fast during these times.

When only one market is open, currency pairs are most likely to get locked into a very tight pip spread, which means that it will not move significantly. To understand which markets are open when you want to start trading, it is a good idea to use the Forex market hours indicator.

Frequently Asked Questions