Forex market hours clock (UK time)
Which forex sessions are open right now, when the next one starts, and when the London and New York kill zones are live, worked out in UK time. It adjusts itself for British Summer Time and for the weeks when the UK and US clocks change on different dates.
Today’s key times
When is the forex market open in the UK?
Forex trades 24 hours a day, five days a week. The week opens on Sunday at 22:00 UK time (17:00 in New York) as Sydney and Wellington start, and closes on Friday at 22:00 UK. In between, the market passes from Sydney to Tokyo to London to New York, and the busiest hours are when two of those centres are open at once.
The four forex sessions in UK time
| Session | UK winter (GMT) | UK summer (BST) | What it’s like |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | 20:00 – 05:00 | 22:00 – 07:00 | The week’s first prices; thin and quiet. |
| Tokyo | 00:00 – 09:00 | 01:00 – 10:00 | Yen pairs and the Asian range that London often runs. |
| London | 08:00 – 17:00 | 08:00 – 17:00 | The biggest session: GBP, EUR and gold come alive. |
| New York | 13:00 – 22:00 | 13:00 – 22:00 | US data, the stock open, big moves in gold and indices. |
Sessions are approximate; brokers and sources differ by an hour either way. The live clock above uses each city’s own clock, so it’s always right for today.
London and New York kill zones
A kill zone is the short window inside a session when the best setups tend to form. The London kill zone is 07:00 to 10:00 UK, when London often runs the high or low of the Asian range. The New York kill zone is 07:00 to 10:00 New York time, which is 12:00 to 15:00 UK on most days, with US data landing at 13:30 UK. More in London kill zone times and New York session times in UK time.
When the clocks change
The UK changes its clocks on the last Sunday of March and October; the US on the second Sunday of March and the first Sunday of November. In the gap weeks (about three in March and one around the start of November) everything driven by New York, including US data, the stock open and the daily rollover, happens an hour earlier in UK time. The London times don’t move. The clock above shows a warning when you’re in one of those weeks.
The best times to trade from the UK
For most traders, the London open and the London–New York overlap (13:00 to 17:00 UK) give the cleanest moves and the tightest spreads. Gold has its own rhythm: see the best time to trade gold in the UK. For the full picture of every session, read forex market hours in UK time, and for the precise one-hour windows, ICT Silver Bullet times in UK time.
Once you know when to look, size every trade properly with the free lot size calculator.
Questions
What time does the forex market open in the UK?
The forex market opens on Sunday at 22:00 UK time (17:00 in New York) and runs 24 hours a day until Friday at 22:00 UK. For a few weeks around the clock changes in March and late October, both times are an hour earlier, at 21:00 UK.
What are the forex session times in UK time?
Approximately: Sydney 22:00–07:00 (20:00–05:00 in winter), Tokyo 00:00–09:00 (01:00–10:00 in summer), London 08:00–17:00 and New York 13:00–22:00. The live clock above works them out for today, including the clock-change weeks.
When is the London and New York overlap?
From 13:00 to 17:00 UK time on most days (12:00 to 17:00 in the weeks the US clocks have changed but the UK’s haven’t). It’s the most liquid part of the trading day, with US data at 13:30 UK.
What are the kill zones in UK time?
The London kill zone is 07:00 to 10:00 UK. The New York kill zone is 07:00 to 10:00 New York time, which is 12:00 to 15:00 UK on most days and 11:00 to 14:00 UK in the clock-change weeks.
What is the best time to trade forex in the UK?
For most pairs and gold, the London open (07:00–10:00) and the London–New York overlap (13:00–17:00). The quietest times are late evening and the deep Asian session, unless you trade ranges.
Find out which session really pays you
The Trader’s Ledger records the session of every trade and shows your win rate and average R by session, setup and grade, with this same live kill-zone clock across the top. £19 once.
For education and planning only. Session times are approximate and broker server times vary. Trading carries a high level of risk.