When Does the Forex Market Open?
Spot forex opens Sunday at 5:00 PM New York and closes Friday at 5:00 PM New York. In winter that is 22:00 UTC; while the US is on daylight time it is 21:00 UTC. Saturday is closed.
Sunday open and Friday close
The trading week is 120 hours. It starts when Sydney quotes the new week, which lines up with 17:00 America/New_York on Sunday, and it ends at the same New York clock time on Friday. Check whether forex is open right now if you need the live status.
- Sun 17:00New York open
- Fri 17:00New York close
- 22:00UTC in US winter
- 21:00UTC in US summer
Open and close in local time
Winter reference, when the United States is on Eastern Standard Time (UTC−5). Daylight time moves every row one hour earlier in UTC. The New York clock time stays 17:00.
| City | Sunday open | Friday close |
|---|---|---|
| New York | Sunday 17:00 ET | Friday 17:00 ET |
| London | Sunday 22:00 GMT | Friday 22:00 GMT |
| Paris, Berlin, Madrid | Sunday 23:00 CET | Friday 23:00 CET |
| Istanbul, Doha, Nairobi | Monday 01:00 | Saturday 01:00 |
| Dubai | Monday 02:00 GST | Saturday 02:00 GST |
| Mumbai | Monday 03:30 IST | Saturday 03:30 IST |
| Bangkok, Jakarta | Monday 05:00 | Saturday 05:00 |
| Singapore, Hong Kong | Monday 06:00 | Saturday 06:00 |
| Tokyo, Seoul | Monday 07:00 | Saturday 07:00 |
| Sydney (AEST) | Monday 08:00 | Saturday 08:00 |
| São Paulo | Sunday 19:00 BRT | Friday 19:00 BRT |
Broker platforms often label the same instant as Sunday 00:00 on a GMT+2 server or Monday 00:00 on a GMT+3 server. Compare the server clock with New York, not with the label on the daily candle.
The first hour is a different market
Sunday’s first prints are Sydney liquidity plus whatever gap formed while New York was shut. Spreads on EUR/USD are often several times wider than they will be at the London open. Stops placed into the gap can fill far from the chart price you saw on Friday.
A practical filter: wait until Tokyo cash equities are open (09:00 JST, 00:00 UTC) before treating Sunday price as a normal session. The Sydney session page shows that window in your timezone.
Friday after 16:00 New York
Dealers flatten risk into the 17:00 New York roll. From about 16:00 ET, depth thins, the spread on crosses such as GBP/JPY and EUR/GBP widens, and a one-minute candle can travel farther than it did at noon with less real volume behind it.
If a position must be flat for the weekend, the decision belongs before that last hour, not inside it. Holiday Fridays are thinner still — see the 2026 holiday calendar.
Frequently asked questions
What time does the forex market open on Sunday?
Sunday at 5:00 PM New York. That is 22:00 UTC in US winter and 21:00 UTC in US daylight time. Sydney is the first major center quoting the new week.
What time does the forex market close on Friday?
Friday at 5:00 PM New York (22:00 UTC in winter, 21:00 UTC in US daylight time). Saturday has no spot session.
Is the forex market open 24 hours?
It is open 24 hours from the Sunday New York open through the Friday New York close. It is not open on Saturday, and most brokers insert a short daily pause around the New York roll on weekdays.
Why do some brokers show a different Sunday open?
The instant is the New York 17:00 roll. A GMT+2 server shows it as 00:00 Monday in winter; a GMT+3 server shows 01:00 Monday. Match the server offset before you compare candles across platforms.
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