The forex market is available for trading 24 hours a day, five and one-half days per week. The Forex Market Time Converter displays “Open” or “Closed” in the Status column to indicate the current state of each global Market Center. However, just because you can trade the market any time of the day or night doesn’t necessarily mean that you swissquote close account should. Most successful day traders understand that more trades are successful if conducted when market activity is high and that it is best to avoid times when trading is light. The volatility lingers until the time for it to rise again; usually, that occurs as the London session starts and other central banks, including hedge funds.

  • Based on the close of the daily candlestick, you don’t need to all these forex trading sessions at all because you are not interested about about minutes and hours, but just the daily bars/candlesticks.
  • After which, the London session will close, and volatility gradually goes back down, and as the New York session is closing, the volatility goes down to its lowest again.
  • Leveraged trading in foreign currency or off-exchange products on margin carries significant risk and may not be suitable for all investors.
  • When traders look to trade breakouts, they are often seeking firm support or resistance to plot their trades.
  • The best times to trade forex are during the hours when the market is actively traded with lot of huge trading volumes going through and the London and New Your Trading Session Fit this category.

However, if possible, stay away from AUD and NZD pairs during the London session. Because volume will be lower, spreads may be higher, opportunities may be harder to find, and the market will probably move slower, causing price action to be unpredictable. Due to many transactions, London session time in South Africa tends to be the most volatile. 35% of global forex turnover is generated during the London trading session, the highest amount among traders. Suppose we use the unique TrendSpider automated technical analysis software platform and analyze forex trading time in India.

Live Data

Most of the trading activity for a specific currency pair will occur when the trading sessions of the individual currencies overlap. UK bank traders have a big inventory of large orders that they need to execute for their clients. The best time to trade currencies is the time when the market is experiencing the highest currency volume. For example, during the Asia trading hours, there is less currency volume and subsequently, the Forex exchange rates tend to move in very narrow trading ranges. Like the London forex trading session, the New York session and Asian forex session also have unique characteristics that forex traders should be aware of.

forex london session time

Some of the most active market times will occur when two or more Market Centers are open at the same time. The Forex Market Time Converter will clearly indicate when two or more markets are open by displaying multiple green “Open” indicators in the Status column. Top 3 things you need to know about the London trading sessionLondon’s session is fast and active. Although you may feel confused, why would you need to know markets’ opening and closing hours in different countries if you live in South Africa? It is best to trade Forex when the market is most active, regardless of where you are in the world.

Trading the London Session: Guide for Forex Traders

Sometimes the London session is referred as the ‘European session’, as considered the financial trading capital of Europe. As previously mentioned, volatility within the market will range from high to low depending on the Forex market clock. Therefore, it could be beneficial to download clock software with built-in timings to stay up to date. However, do not forget to convert it into the time zone that you are in.

A forex broker will make money through these two methods or a combination of the two. A well-respected forex broker will offer its customers low spreads and sometimes even commission-free trading. On the other hand, during the London trading hours, the currency pairs are more actively traded and the trading volume starts to pick up. According to the BIS data, the London New York session gathers most of the daily volume. The chart below outlines the forex market hours of all the major trading sessions using the UK BST as the base time. There are no ‘best’ currency pairs to trade during London forex market hours, but there are currency pairs that will reduce in spread due to the high volume and allow traders cheaper spread costs.

A volatile market where trading activity abounds will give you a good opportunity to spot profitable trading signals that can’t be noticed in slow trading sessions, which can waste your time and efforts. While most brokers suspend trading during the weekend, the fact is that economic news and geopolitical events still occur on Saturdays and Sundays. As a result, the valuation of different currency pairs can change after the brokers suspend trading on Friday. It’s also important to be aware that high trading activity also leads to high volatility.

The London forex market occupies a superior position in the foreign exchange market, with its total average forex turnover being 35%. The London session, therefore, how to read forex quotes makes for the most significant amount as compared to its fellows. Moreover, the session overlaps throughout the year with the New York session.

A reputable forex broker needs to be recognised as placing high value over their client satisfaction. When you open a new trading account, make sure it’s fairly easy to reach your broker. While the customer support service is supported in the mother tongue English, being available in multiple languages, highlights the value they put on their clients.

forex london session time

That’s because aside from London, there are major financial centers open in Europe as well, such as Geneva, Frankfurt, Zurich, Luxembourg, Paris, Hamburg, Edinburgh, and Amsterdam. Some traders also refer to the London session as the “European” trading session. If you are an intraday trader, trading during this particular time of the day will certainly be going to increase your odds of success regardless of which technical trading strategy you are pursuing. If you are a Forex trader who applies breakout trading strategies, it makes perfect sense to look for breakout trades at the opening hours of the London market open.

Tips and strategies for London session trading

Therefore, if you are selling ZAR, you may assume that the best time is whenever the market in South Africa opens. However, the overlap between New York and London is one of the best times to trade Forex in South Africa with any currency pair. The best times to trade forex are during the hours when the market is actively traded with lot of huge trading volumes going through and the London and New Your Trading Session Fit this category. There may be some of you who are just starting to learn about forex trading and you may think that the forex market operates like the share market/stock market in terms of the trading times during the day.

Forex trading sessions by region SessionMajor MarketHours Asian SessionTokyo11 p.m. To 4 p.m.North American SessionNew Yorknoon to 8 p.m.Forex trading sessions by region. There are many other notable countries that are present during this period, however, including China, Australia, New Zealand, and Russia. Considering how scattered these markets are, it makes sense that the beginning and end of the Asian session are stretched beyond the standard Tokyo hours. Sometimes sessions will overlap, such as a four-hour period for peak activity in both Europe and North America. Traders often focus on one of the three trading periods, rather than attempt to trade the markets 24 hours per day.

For this reason, a trader needs to be aware of times of market volatility and decide when it is best to minimize this risk based on their trading style. A 24-hour forex market offers a considerable advantage for many institutional and individual traders because it guarantees liquidity and the opportunity to trade at any conceivable time. However, although currencies can be traded anytime, an individual westernfx review trader can only monitor a position for so long. The traders should have close stops and keep them in sync with the trend line prevalent. If this is done, the chances of facing losses are reduced, and even if the support and trend line breaks, the loss would be limited. However, if the strategy holds on tight, then in all cases, the trader would have a favorable ratio of risk and reward.

Is Picking The Right Forex Trading Hours Necessary For Forex Trading Success?

Click on a time zone for Daylight Saving Time transition dates and times. The first of these windows, between New York and London, is possibly the most important. It is pretty comfortable to trade Forex in South Africa during the best hours, so motivated traders should take advantage of this. The volume and opportunities in the London session make it worth trading compared to the Asian session or even the New York session.

After which, the London session will close, and volatility gradually goes back down, and as the New York session is closing, the volatility goes down to its lowest again. Forex market hours in India are related to India’s Standard time , so the market opens on Monday early morning and closes on Saturday early morning. India Standard Time is 5.5 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+5.5), which is why the time difference between Europen forex brokers’ market hours and Indian forex market hours. The best forex trading hours in my opinion is to trade during the London Session and also trading during the London and New Your Session trading session overlap.

What are the best currency pairs to trade during the London session?

We advise you to carefully consider whether trading is appropriate for you based on your personal circumstances. We recommend that you seek independent advice and ensure you fully understand the risks involved before trading. Currency pairs that are most affected by the overlap include the EUR/USD, USD/JPY, GBP/USD due to the inter-bank activities between the United States and Europe/London. If your trading strategy is better suited for volatility, then these are the trading pairs to watch because they will be flooded with liquidity and will move more on average during the overlap. These concepts are central to the trader’s approach when speculating in the London Session, as traders can look to use this volatility to their advantage by trading breakouts.