Guide · Market hours
Forex trading times: sessions and market hours in UK time
The forex market opens at 5pm New York time on Sunday and closes at 5pm New York time on Friday: 22:00 UK time for most of the year, 21:00 in the weeks when US and UK clocks change on different dates. In between, trading follows the working day from Sydney to Tokyo, London and New York. The table below converts each session to UK time through 2027.
Low Spread Brokers does not give personal investment advice.
Key takeaways
- 1Spot forex has no exchange: “sessions” are the working hours of centres such as London, which handled 38% of FX turnover in April 2025; brokers’ tables differ by up to an hour.
- 2London session: 08:00–17:00 UK time all year. New York: 13:00–22:00 UK time, except 12:00–21:00 from 25 Oct to 1 Nov 2026 and from 14 to 28 Mar 2027.
- 3The London and New York overlap runs 13:00–17:00 UK time; IG calls it the most liquid window of the day.
- 4Daily rollover is at 5pm New York, 22:00 UK time most of the year; IG marks 10pm to midnight as the hours with the widest spreads.
Quick answer
What time does the forex market open in the UK?
At about 22:00 UK time on Sunday, when the trading day begins in Sydney, and it trades around the clock until about 22:00 on Friday. Both times are 5pm in New York, so they move to 21:00 in the weeks when the US is on summer time and the UK is not. Brokers set their own hours within that window: Pepperstone UK opens forex at 00:01 on its server clock, 22:01 UK time, while IG reopens its weekday market at 9pm on Sunday.
- London session: 08:00–17:00 UK time, the same in winter and summer.
- Closed: Friday evening to Sunday evening, plus Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
- MetaTrader 5 lists each pair’s sessions in the broker’s server time, GMT+2 or GMT+3 at Pepperstone UK.
Why forex has sessions but no opening bell
Spot currencies trade over the counter, between banks, brokers and funds, not on one exchange with set hours. The BIS Triennial Survey put global FX turnover at $9.6 trillion a day in April 2025; the UK handled 38% of it, and sales desks in the UK, the US, Singapore and Hong Kong together handled 75%.
A “session” is the working day of one of those centres. The names and hours are conventions, so two brokers’ tables can disagree by an hour. What is fixed is the weekly frame: the market opens and closes at 5pm New York time, and each broker opens and closes its own platform close to that.
Forex session times in UK time, October 2026 to 2027
The table takes IG UK’s winter hours (Sydney 22:00–07:00, Tokyo 00:00–09:00, London 08:00–17:00, New York 13:00–22:00 GMT), reads them as local working hours, and shifts each one by the clock changes published by GOV.UK, NIST for the US and the NSW Government for Sydney. Tokyo moves in UK time only because UK clocks change.
| Period | Sydney | Tokyo | London | New York | Week opens Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Until 25 Oct 2026 (BST; Sydney on daylight time) | 23:00–08:00 | 01:00–10:00 | 08:00–17:00 | 13:00–22:00 | 22:00 |
| 25 Oct – 1 Nov 2026 (UK back on GMT, US not yet) | 22:00–07:00 | 00:00–09:00 | 08:00–17:00 | 12:00–21:00 | 21:00 |
| 1 Nov 2026 – 14 Mar 2027 (UK winter) | 22:00–07:00 | 00:00–09:00 | 08:00–17:00 | 13:00–22:00 | 22:00 |
| 14 – 28 Mar 2027 (US on summer time, UK not yet) | 22:00–07:00 | 00:00–09:00 | 08:00–17:00 | 12:00–21:00 | 21:00 |
| 28 Mar – 4 Apr 2027 (BST; Sydney still on daylight time) | 23:00–08:00 | 01:00–10:00 | 08:00–17:00 | 13:00–22:00 | 22:00 |
| From 4 Apr 2027 (UK summer, Sydney standard time) | 00:00–09:00 | 01:00–10:00 | 08:00–17:00 | 13:00–22:00 | 22:00 |
IG’s own table gives different summer hours for two centres: Sydney 11pm–8am and New York 2pm–11pm BST. We show the hours moved by the clock changes alone, which keeps New York at 13:00–22:00 in summer.
What time does the forex market open on Sunday and close on Friday?
IG UK writes that the market is closed between Friday at 10pm and Sunday at 10pm UK time in standard conditions, and on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Pepperstone UK publishes forex hours of 00:01 Monday to 23:55 Friday on its server clock, which runs on GMT+3 while the US is on summer time and GMT+2 otherwise. In UK time that is Sunday 22:01 to Friday 21:55 for most of the year.
In the weeks when the two countries’ clocks disagree, from 25 Oct to 1 Nov 2026 and from 14 to 28 Mar 2027, 5pm in New York is 21:00 in London, so the weekly open and close come an hour earlier in UK time.
Is forex open on weekends?
The interbank market is not. A few brokers quote their own weekend prices: IG UK offers weekend GBP/USD, EUR/USD and USD/JPY from 8am on Saturday to 8.40pm on Sunday UK time. IG calls these prices indicative, based on factors such as volatility, client activity and news flow, and positions still open at 8.40pm roll into its weekday market when it reopens at 9pm.
Prices on Monday can open away from Friday’s close. A stop-loss set over the weekend fills at the first available price, which can be worse than the stop.
Best forex trading hours in the UK: when activity is highest
IG UK describes the London session, 08:00–17:00 UK time, as having the deepest liquidity and tightest spreads, and the London and New York overlap, 13:00–17:00 UK time, as the most liquid and actively traded window. In the gap weeks the overlap starts at 12:00. Tokyo and London overlap from 08:00 to 09:00 in winter and to 10:00 in summer.
Which hours suit you depends on the pair. IG’s table points yen pairs to the Tokyo session, AUD and NZD pairs to the Sydney and Tokyo hours, and EUR/USD and GBP/USD to London and New York. It lists 10pm to midnight UK time as the hours with the lowest volume and widest spreads, with gap risk on Sunday night.
| Overlap | UK winter (GMT) | UK summer (BST) |
|---|---|---|
| Sydney and Tokyo | 00:00–07:00 | 01:00–09:00 |
| Tokyo and London | 08:00–09:00 | 08:00–10:00 |
| London and New York | 13:00–17:00 | 13:00–17:00 |
Daily rollover at 10pm UK time: swaps and wider spreads
The trading day ends at 5pm New York, 22:00 UK time most of the year. Pepperstone UK charges or pays swap on positions held past that moment and applies three days’ swap on Wednesday night for pairs that settle two days after the trade. IG UK makes its daily overnight calculation at 10pm UK time.
Around that hour activity is thin: IG’s table marks 10pm to midnight UK time as the window with the widest spreads. A stop placed close to the price can be triggered by a wider spread rather than by a move in the market.
How to check your broker’s trading hours
In MetaTrader 5, open the symbol’s Specification from Market Watch: its lower part lists the quote and trading sessions for each day of the week. The times are in the broker’s server time, so convert them. Pepperstone UK, for example, runs its server on GMT+3 while the US is on summer time and on GMT+2 otherwise.
Holidays change the hours too: Pepperstone UK lists them separately and warns of lower liquidity and potentially wider spreads around them. The brokers on this guide’s list all have an FCA-authorised company for UK residents and offer MT5; first are Pepperstone, FxPro and IG.
UK brokers with MetaTrader 5
Why this order: Only brokers whose FCA-authorised company accepts UK residents and that offer MetaTrader 5, where the symbol specification lists each day’s trading sessions in the broker’s server time, sorted by our platforms score. Ranked from our data on 8 brokers, updated 19 Oct 2026.
- 1Pepperstone8.6/10 · Minimum deposit £10 · 0.0 pipsVisit brokerUnpaid link
73.6% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider (Pepperstone Limited (UK)).
- 2FxPro7.6/10 · Minimum deposit Not published · 0.0 pipsVisit brokerUnpaid link
75% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider (FxPro Financial Services Ltd).
- 3IG8.0/10 · Minimum deposit £1 · 0.6 pipsVisit brokerUnpaid link
70% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider (IG Markets Ltd / IG Index Ltd (UK)).
Risk warning:
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Most retail investor accounts lose money. Consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford the high risk of losing your money.
Low Spread Brokers does not give personal investment advice.
FAQ
Forex market hours: questions
Short answers from the same broker data and country reference as the rest of the site, collected up to 19 Oct 2026. Terms change: check the broker’s own page before you trade.
Ask a questionWe cannot give personal investment advice.
1What time does the forex market open on Sunday in the UK?
At about 22:00 UK time, 5pm in New York. From 25 Oct to 1 Nov 2026 and from 14 to 28 Mar 2027 it is 21:00. Your broker may open a little earlier or later: IG reopens its weekday market at 9pm on Sunday.
Data collected up to 19 Oct 2026
2What time do forex markets close on Friday?
At 5pm New York time, about 22:00 UK time. Pepperstone UK closes forex at 23:55 on its server clock, 21:55 UK time, five minutes before its other days.
Data collected up to 19 Oct 2026
3Is forex open on weekends?
No, the interbank market closes from Friday evening to Sunday evening. IG UK quotes its own weekend GBP/USD, EUR/USD and USD/JPY prices from 8am Saturday to 8.40pm Sunday UK time.
Data collected up to 19 Oct 2026
4What time is the London session forex in UK time?
08:00–17:00 UK time, all year: London’s clocks and the session move together.
Data collected up to 19 Oct 2026
5What time is the New York session in UK time and GMT?
13:00–22:00 UK time for most of the year, which is 13:00–22:00 GMT in winter and 12:00–21:00 GMT in summer. From 25 Oct to 1 Nov 2026 and from 14 to 28 Mar 2027 it is 12:00–21:00 UK time.
Data collected up to 19 Oct 2026
6When are the Sydney and Tokyo sessions in UK time?
In the UK winter Sydney runs 22:00–07:00 and Tokyo 00:00–09:00; from April to early October, Sydney 00:00–09:00 and Tokyo 01:00–10:00 BST. The table on this page lists the weeks in between.
Data collected up to 19 Oct 2026
7What are the best forex trading times in the UK?
The busiest hours are the London session and its overlap with New York, 13:00–17:00 UK time, which IG UK calls the most liquid window. Busy hours bring tighter spreads but also faster moves; they do not make a trade more likely to win.
Data collected up to 19 Oct 2026
Sources
Primary sources for the hours, clock changes and broker rules on this page, with the date we opened each link. Session hours are a convention; the broker pages are the brokers’ own statements.
- IG UK: UK forex market hours, when to trade FX (session table and weekly close)Checked on 21 Oct 2026
- IG UK: weekend trading (weekend GBP/USD, EUR/USD and USD/JPY)Checked on 21 Oct 2026
- Pepperstone UK: trading hours and server timeChecked on 21 Oct 2026
- Pepperstone UK: spreads, swaps and commissions (swap at 5pm New York time)Checked on 21 Oct 2026
- MetaTrader 5 help: Market Watch and symbol specification (trading sessions)Checked on 21 Oct 2026
- GOV.UK: when do the clocks changeChecked on 21 Oct 2026
- NIST: daylight saving time rules in the United StatesChecked on 21 Oct 2026
- NSW Government: daylight savingChecked on 21 Oct 2026
- BIS Triennial Survey 2025: global FX trading hits $9.6 trillion per dayChecked on 21 Oct 2026