The best time to trade forex
The best time to trade forex is the overlap of London and New York, from 13:00 to 16:30 UTC in winter and 12:00 to 15:30 UTC in summer. From 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026, an hour in that window moved EUR/USD 7.6 pips on average, twice the 3.8 of the quiet hours after New York closes. The yen is the exception: it moves almost as much in Tokyo.
Measured on hourly prices from 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026.
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Reading your clock.
- Sydney...
- Tokyo...
- London...
- New York...
Hours are shown in your own time zone and follow each centre's own clock change, so they shift by an hour at different times of the year. Trading itself runs through the night; a closed centre means its own desks have gone home, not that the market has stopped.
The best forex trading hours, measured
How far each pair moves in an average hour, per session, in pips. Every pair moves most when London and New York are open together. The quietest stretch depends on the pair: the hours after New York closes for the euro, the pound, the franc and the Canadian dollar, and the New York afternoon for the yen and the Australian and New Zealand dollars, which wake up again when Asia opens.
| Pair | Tokyo | London | London and New York | New York afternoon | After New York |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EUR/USD | 4.8 | 6.8 | 7.6 | 4.3 | 3.8 |
| GBP/USD | 6.3 | 9.4 | 10.9 | 5.5 | 4.7 |
| USD/JPY | 9.3 | 10.1 | 10.9 | 7.0 | 9.3 |
| USD/CHF | 4.1 | 6.0 | 6.8 | 4.3 | 4.0 |
| AUD/USD | 4.9 | 5.3 | 6.9 | 3.6 | 4.3 |
| NZD/USD | 4.4 | 4.7 | 5.7 | 3.2 | 4.2 |
| USD/CAD | 4.3 | 6.3 | 8.4 | 4.6 | 3.8 |
| EUR/JPY | 9.9 | 10.4 | 11.1 | 6.7 | 9.4 |
| GBP/JPY | 12.2 | 14.0 | 15.7 | 9.0 | 11.6 |
| AUD/JPY | 8.8 | 8.1 | 10.8 | 6.3 | 8.7 |
Average move per hour, close to close, in pips, on every weekday from 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026, from Yahoo Finance hourly prices. Sessions in their own local time, so they move with the clocks: Tokyo 09:00 to 18:00, London 08:00 to 16:30, New York 08:00 to 17:00. An hour that falls in two sessions counts for the later one, so London means the London hours before New York opens.
The best time to trade forex in your country
The overlap starts when New York opens at 08:00 New York time and ends when London closes at 16:30 London time. Summer here means late March to late October, when both have moved their clocks.
For three to four weeks a year the two are out of step, because the United States changes its clocks earlier in spring and later in autumn than the United Kingdom. In those weeks the overlap runs from 12:00 to 16:30 UTC, an hour longer.
Countries that keep one time all year, like India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Kenya and Nigeria, still see the window move by an hour, because London and New York move it.
| Where | Winter | Summer |
|---|---|---|
| India (IST) | 18:30 to 22:00 | 17:30 to 21:00 |
| Pakistan (PKT) | 18:00 to 21:30 | 17:00 to 20:30 |
| Philippines (PHT) | 21:00 to 00:30 | 20:00 to 23:30 |
| Kenya (EAT) | 16:00 to 19:30 | 15:00 to 18:30 |
| Nigeria (WAT) | 14:00 to 17:30 | 13:00 to 16:30 |
| United Kingdom (GMT / BST) | 13:00 to 16:30 | 13:00 to 16:30 |
| Central Europe (CET / CEST) | 14:00 to 17:30 | 14:00 to 17:30 |
| New York (EST / EDT) | 08:00 to 11:30 | 08:00 to 11:30 |
When the busiest hour is not the best one
The yen trades at night too. USD/JPY moves 9.3 pips an hour in Tokyo against 10.9 in the overlap, so a trader in Asia does not have to wait for London. The Tokyo session page has the detail.
The minutes around a big release. The overlap is busy partly because American data lands at its start. In the minute around a release, spreads widen and stops fill at prices nobody saw on the chart, and some prop firms forbid trading in that window altogether. The calendar says when.
A pair whose news is elsewhere. The hour matters less than whether the currency behind it has a reason to move. Which pairs have one is a question of macro, not of the clock, and that is what the best pairs to trade is about.
Questions about the best time to trade
What is the best time to trade forex?
When London and New York are both open: 13:00 to 16:30 UTC in winter and 12:00 to 15:30 UTC in summer. From 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026, every one of the ten pairs we measured moved most in that window, EUR/USD 7.6 pips an hour against 6.8 in the London hours before it.
What is the best time to trade forex in India?
From 18:30 to 22:00 India time in winter and from 17:30 to 21:00 in summer, when London and New York overlap. India keeps one time all year, so the window only moves when London and New York change their clocks.
What is the best time to trade forex in the Philippines?
From 21:00 to 00:30 Philippine time in winter and from 20:00 to 23:30 in summer. For the yen the Tokyo session is a good second, from 08:00 to 17:00 Philippine time all year. The Tokyo session
What is the best time to trade forex in Nigeria?
From 14:00 to 17:30 West Africa time in winter and from 13:00 to 16:30 in summer, which is the afternoon in Lagos all year.
What is the worst time to trade forex?
For most pairs, the hours after New York closes and before Tokyo opens: EUR/USD moved 3.8 pips an hour then, half of its 7.6 in the overlap. For the yen and the Australian and New Zealand dollars the quietest stretch is the New York afternoon instead. Which session is open now