Live session clock for Sydney, Tokyo, London & New York — plus CME futures hours — converted automatically to your time zone.
Bars show each session's trading hours converted to your local time (today). The gold line marks the current time.
Session hours are standard local-exchange hours (Sydney 7am–4pm, Tokyo 9am–6pm, London 8am–5pm, New York 8am–5pm) and shift automatically with daylight saving in each region.
Unlike a stock exchange, the forex market has no single physical location — it's a network of banks and brokers operating across four overlapping time zones. Each "session" above represents the local trading hours of that region's major financial center. When two sessions overlap, trading volume and volatility typically increase, which is when most short-term price movement happens.
The London–New York overlap (roughly 13:00–17:00 UTC, or 8:00 AM–12:00 PM ET) is the most liquid window of the trading day — Europe and North America are both online, which is why most of the daily volume in EUR/USD, GBP/USD, and USD/JPY happens during these hours. The smaller Sydney–Tokyo overlap (roughly 00:00–02:00 UTC) brings extra activity to AUD/JPY and NZD/JPY pairs. The quiet patch is usually the few hours before London opens, when only the Tokyo session is active.
Status of CME Globex futures (ES, NQ, CL, GC, and most other contracts)
| Event | Time (ET) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly open | Sunday 6:00 PM | Market reopens for the week |
| Daily session | 6:00 PM – 5:00 PM (next day) | Sunday–Thursday nights |
| Daily maintenance break | 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM | Monday–Thursday, ~60 min pause |
| Weekly close | Friday 5:00 PM | Market closes for the weekend |
Most futures prop firm evaluations (Apex, Topstep, Tradeify, and others) follow this Globex schedule, though individual firms may restrict trading around the daily maintenance break or major news releases. Compare the firms that support these instruments:
For forex prop accounts, the London–New York overlap (8:00 AM–12:00 PM ET) typically offers the tightest spreads and clearest trends — useful when you're trying to hit a profit target without taking on excess overnight risk. For futures prop accounts, the first one to two hours after the US cash market opens (9:30–11:30 AM ET) usually brings the highest volume and volatility. Always check your specific firm's rules on news-event trading, overnight positions, and weekend holds before sizing up during these windows.
If you're trading forex on a funded account, see how the major forex prop firms compare:
The forex market opens around 22:00 UTC on Sunday (5:00 PM New York time), when the Sydney session begins, and closes around 22:00 UTC on Friday (5:00 PM New York time), when the New York session ends. In between, it runs 24 hours a day across the Sydney, Tokyo, London, and New York sessions.
The London–New York overlap (roughly 13:00–17:00 UTC / 8:00 AM–12:00 PM ET) is the most liquid window of the day, ideal for EUR/USD, GBP/USD, and USD/JPY. The Sydney–Tokyo overlap (roughly 00:00–02:00 UTC) offers a smaller volatility window for AUD/JPY and NZD/JPY pairs.
No. The forex market closes from Friday evening to Sunday evening (New York time) because the banks and exchanges that provide liquidity are closed for the weekend. CME futures follow a similar schedule, closing Friday at 5:00 PM ET and reopening Sunday at 6:00 PM ET.
CME Globex futures trade nearly 24 hours a day, from Sunday 6:00 PM ET through Friday 5:00 PM ET, with a daily 60-minute maintenance break from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM ET Monday through Thursday. Most prop firm evaluations follow this same schedule.
For forex prop accounts, the London–New York overlap (8:00 AM–12:00 PM ET) typically offers the tightest spreads and clearest trends. For futures prop accounts, the first one to two hours after the US cash market opens (9:30–11:30 AM ET) usually has the highest volume and volatility. Always check your firm's specific rules around news-event trading and overnight holds.
A common 2026 mistake is assuming session overlaps move on the same date worldwide. They do not. In March and October, U.S., U.K., Europe, and Australia switch daylight saving on different Sundays, so the London–New York overlap can shift by an hour for several trading days. That changes when liquidity and spreads are best, especially around the New York open. Before placing intraday trades, verify your broker’s server time against UTC and re-check this clock during DST transition weeks instead of relying on your usual routine.