The forex market opens Sunday evening and closes Friday evening in US time zones

The forex market runs 24 hours a day, five days a week, but the opening time depends on which time zone you use. In the Eastern Time zone, the market opens at 5 p.m. Sunday and closes at 5 p.m. Friday. In Pacific Time, that is 2 p.m. Sunday through 2 p.m. Friday. If you trade from the UK, the market opens at 10 p.m. Sunday and closes at 10 p.m. Friday GMT.

The market does not actually close and reopen each day the way a stock exchange does. Instead, it moves from one major trading hub to the next as the business day progresses around the globe. When New York closes on Friday evening, Tokyo is already open on Monday morning, so trading continues without a break. The only gap is the weekend: the market shuts down after New York's close on Friday and does not reopen until Tokyo starts trading on Sunday evening US time.

Your broker's platform will show you the exact opening time in your local time zone. If you are unsure which zone your broker uses, check your account settings or contact them directly, because a one-hour difference between your clock and their system can cause you to miss or mistime a trade.

Key Takeaways

  • The forex market opens at 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday and closes at 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, with no break during the week.
  • Opening times vary by time zone: 2 p.m. Pacific Time Sunday through Friday, or 10 p.m. GMT Sunday through Friday.
  • The market moves continuously from Tokyo to London to New York as each city's business day begins, so there is no daily close-and-reopen.
  • Your broker's platform displays opening times in your local zone, so check your account settings to confirm the exact time in your area.

How the market moves through the three main trading sessions

The forex market is organized around three overlapping sessions, each centered on a major financial hub. The Asian session runs from roughly 7 p.m. to 4 a.m. Eastern Time, with Tokyo as the primary market. The European session runs from 3 a.m. to 12 p.m. Eastern Time, centered on London. The North American session runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time, centered on New York.

These sessions overlap. London and Tokyo trade together for about an hour after Tokyo opens. London and New York overlap for about two hours in the morning Eastern Time. The hour when all three are technically open is very brief, but London and New York together account for the highest trading volume of the day. If you trade during the New York open, you will see larger price swings and tighter spreads than you would during the Asian session alone.

The times listed above are approximate because banks and trading firms do not all start and stop at the exact same moment. Some traders begin before the official session open and continue after it ends. Your broker may also quote slightly different times depending on their own operations. The key point is that the market is never truly closed during the week — it is always open somewhere.

Why opening time matters for your trading

The time you trade affects the pairs you can trade, the spreads you pay, and the volatility you encounter. During the Asian session, pairs involving the Japanese yen move more than others because Tokyo banks are active. During the European session, pairs involving the euro and British pound move more. During the New York session, pairs involving the US dollar move more.

Spreads — the difference between the buy and sell price — are tightest during the overlap between London and New York, when volume is highest. They widen during the Asian session and especially during the gap between Friday's New York close and Sunday's Tokyo open. If you trade during low-volume hours, you may pay more to enter and exit a position.

Some traders deliberately trade during specific sessions to match the currency pairs they want to trade or to avoid the higher spreads of quiet hours. Others trade during their own waking hours regardless of session, which is also a valid approach. The opening time matters most if you are trying to trade a specific pair at a time when that pair is most active.

The weekend gap and why it exists

The forex market closes after New York's 5 p.m. close on Friday and does not reopen until Tokyo opens on Sunday evening US time. This gap exists because the major financial centers — New York, London, and Tokyo — are all closed on Saturday and Sunday. No major bank is open to trade, so there is no market.

The weekend gap creates risk for traders who hold positions over the weekend. If major news breaks on Saturday or Sunday, the market cannot react until it reopens. When Tokyo opens on Sunday evening, the price of a currency pair may gap up or down sharply if something significant happened while the market was closed. You cannot close a losing position until the market reopens, so weekend risk is real.

Some brokers offer limited weekend trading in certain pairs, but this is not the same as the main forex market. Weekend trading through a broker typically has wider spreads, lower volume, and higher risk. Most retail traders straightforward avoid holding positions over the weekend or use stop-loss orders to limit potential losses if a gap occurs.

How to find your broker's exact opening time

Your broker's trading platform should display the market hours in your local time zone. Log into your account and look for a section labeled "Market Hours," "Trading Hours," or "Session Times." Some brokers show this information on the main dashboard; others hide it in settings or help documentation.

If you cannot find it on the platform, contact your broker's support team and ask for the opening and closing times in your time zone. Provide your time zone name (for example, "Eastern Standard Time" or "Australian Eastern Standard Time") rather than just a number, because daylight saving time changes the offset and can create confusion.

Write down the times or set a calendar reminder for the market open if you trade at a specific time each day. The difference between your local time and your broker's time zone can be straightforward to forget, and trading at the wrong time can mean missing the session you intended to trade or trading during a session with wider spreads.

Daylight saving time and how it shifts opening times

When the US observes daylight saving time, the forex market's opening time in Eastern Time stays the same — 5 p.m. — but your local time may change. If you live in a state or country that does not observe daylight saving time, or that observes it on different dates, your local time relative to the market open will shift.

The US changes to daylight saving time in mid-March and back to standard time in early November. The UK changes on different dates. Japan does not observe daylight saving time at all. This means the time difference between your location and the market open can change twice a year, and the exact dates depend on where you live.

Set a reminder for the week before daylight saving time changes in your region. Check your broker's platform to see if the opening time has shifted in your local time zone. Some brokers update this automatically; others do not. A one-hour mistake during daylight saving time transitions is common, so double-check before you trade on the day the clocks change.

Frequently Asked Questions

What time does forex open on Monday?

The forex market opens at 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday evening, which is technically the start of the Monday trading week in Asia. In Pacific Time, that is 2 p.m. Sunday. The market then runs continuously until Friday at 5 p.m. Eastern Time, with no daily close.

Can I trade forex outside market hours?

Most retail brokers do not allow trading outside the official market hours of 5 p.m. Sunday through 5 p.m. Friday Eastern Time. Some brokers offer limited weekend or after-hours trading in certain pairs, but spreads are much wider and liquidity is lower. Check your broker's rules before attempting to trade outside standard hours.

Does the forex market close for lunch?

No. The forex market does not close during the day. Because it moves from Tokyo to London to New York, there is always a major financial center open and trading. Individual banks or brokers may have internal breaks, but the overall market runs continuously Monday through Friday.

What happens to my open position when the market closes on Friday?

Your position stays open over the weekend. You cannot close it or adjust it until the market reopens on Sunday evening. If the price moves against you over the weekend, you cannot exit until Sunday at 5 p.m. Eastern Time. Many traders use stop-loss orders to limit losses if a gap occurs at the Sunday open.

Why does the market open at 5 p.m. on Sunday instead of Monday morning?

The market opens at 5 p.m. Sunday Eastern Time because that is when Tokyo begins its Monday business day. Tokyo is about 14 hours ahead of New York, so when it is Sunday evening in New York, it is already Monday morning in Japan. The forex market follows the global business day, not the US calendar.