Forex markets operate 24 hours a day, five days a week. But not all hours are equal. Three major trading sessions define when most volume and volatility occurs: the Asian session, London session, and New York session.
| Session | Time (GMT) | Active pairs |
|---|---|---|
| Tokyo / Asian | 00:00, 09:00 | USD/JPY, AUD/USD, NZD/USD |
| London | 08:00, 17:00 | EUR/USD, GBP/USD, EUR/GBP |
| New York | 13:00, 22:00 | EUR/USD, USD/CAD, USD/CHF |
13:00-17:00 GMT is the most active window in the entire forex week. Both London and New York are open, producing the highest volume and the strongest breakout conditions. Most major economic data releases (US CPI, NFP, Fed decisions) occur during this window.
The Session Open rule fires during the first 90 minutes of London session (08:00-09:30 GMT) or New York session (13:00-14:30 GMT). Opening hours produce the most reliable momentum signals because institutional orders enter the market at session open.