Opening and closing times of the world's stock exchanges. What time does forex open? What time does forex trading end on Friday?

Forex opening time starts on Monday, Moscow time it will be one in the morning, and ends on Friday night. The Forex currency exchange is 24/7. The forex operating mode, like half of the world's population, is a five-day work week, that is, Saturday and Sunday are non-working days for forex. The market is also closed on holidays such as New Year, Christmas, Easter.

Forex trading hours are usually measured using Universal Coordinated Time. Previously, the countdown took place in Greenwich.

The Forex market is a 24-hour currency exchange, as this exchange is global. When in one country Forex ceases its work and retires, in another it is just opening. But, despite the fact that the market is open all the time, and trading sessions are constantly taking place on it, it still has its own characteristics. At certain times, the major currency pairs slow down their movement, this time falls on the closing hours of trading on the European exchange. Below is a table of working hours for different trading sessions.

		winter time		summer time
		Moscow time (GTM +3 / GTM +4)
		Opening	Closing	Opening	Closing
Australia, Oceania
Asian session
	Singapore
European session	Frankfurt
American session

The main trading takes place on three world exchanges - Asian, European and American. The most aggressive trading session occurs at the opening of the American stock exchange, namely the New York stock exchange, and the greatest market volatility is observed on the European stock exchange, and more specifically, when the London stock exchange wakes up and starts its work.

Knowing the schedule of trading sessions on Forex means being able to rationally distribute your efforts and effectively use opportunities and time. Trading sessions are periods of time when banks are open and actively trading. As you know, Forex trading hours are not limited and it operates around the clock. When evening comes in one point of the world and trading there closes, morning comes in another point and the local foreign exchange market begins to work. Sessions follow each other or partially overlap one another, so traders can trade at a time convenient for them. By logging into Forex at any time, you will find it in working order, except for Saturday and Sunday, when the stock exchanges in all countries have a day off. Forex also does not work on holidays, such as Christmas, New Year and Easter.

Knowing the schedule of Forex trading sessions is also useful because currencies behave differently in different sessions. Thus, the yen usually “comes to life” and begins to move actively during the Asian session, and trading in the euro intensifies during the European session. The rest of the time, sharp price movements are uncharacteristic for these currencies. The most “aggressive” of all - the American session - can greatly reduce or, conversely, strengthen its “native” dollar.

Due to the fact that the foreign exchange market involves so many countries from different time zones on Earth, Forex trading hours were previously usually calculated in Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) to eliminate confusion. Currently, the GMT standard is considered obsolete and UTC - Coordinated Universal Time is used instead. Server time in RoboForex differs from UTC by 2 hours (UTC+2). In the summer, due to the transition to daylight saving time, this indicator becomes equal to UTC+3.

Forex trading sessions schedule - Forex opening hours. Time zone UTC+2 (Eastern European Time, EET):

Region	City	Opening	Closing
ASIAN (Asia)	Tokyo	2:00	10:00
	Hong Kong	3:00	11:00
	Singapore	2:00	10:00
EUROPEAN (Europe)	Frankfurt	8:00	16:00
	London	9:00	17:00
AMERICAN (America)	NY	15:00	23:00
	Chicago	16:00	24:00
PACIFIC	Wellington	22:00	6:00
	Sydney	22:00	6:00

Each regional Forex market has its own characteristics.

Asian market - Forex opening hours

During this trading session, the most active transactions are in the exchange market of the American dollar against the yen (USDJPY), euro against the yen (EURJPY), euro against the dollar (EURUSD) and Australian dollar against the American dollar (AUDUSD).

European market - Forex trading hours

The trading schedule in Europe is much different from that in Asia due to the difference in time zones. Frankfurt opens at 8:00 CET, London at 9:00. At this time, trading is held in European financial centers. The volatility of the most popular currency pairs increases significantly after the start of the Forex trading session on the London market. Trading activity decreases somewhat towards lunch, but in the evening players are again actively making transactions. Changes in rates during the European trading session can be significant, since the bulk of funds are concentrated in Europe.

American market - Forex opening hours

The busiest Forex transactions begin with the opening of the New York session. During this Forex trading period, US banks begin their trading activities, and European dealers also return after their lunch break. The influence of European and American banks is approximately the same, so there are no significant changes compared to the European trading session on Forex. However, after the European market shuts down, volatility may increase. This is often observed on Friday evenings, before the weekend. The American session is more aggressive in trading than others.

Forex is interesting because it is an international currency market, the trading process of which occurs along with the change of time zones. Opening hours are limited to five days, excluding weekends and holidays. However, the schedule largely depends on the countries, because in some places the stock exchange is closed on January 1, and in others they do not actively celebrate the New Year. While people on one side of the world are having their tenth dream, on the other they are already trading stocks, securities and currency pairs.

When Forex trading begins after the weekend, the clock shows just after midnight. At 1-2 am on Monday, deals are already starting to be concluded and continue to do so with rare breaks. A beginner needs to choose the right time to work.

Over time, several trading sessions open in turn, among which 3 deserve the most attention: Asia-Pacific, American and European.

Most of the participants, as you might guess, prefer transactions at the American session, in which, in addition to the United States, Canada and Brazil are involved. This is where the main capital is concentrated. This is due to the fact that the United States has the greatest influence on the modern economy, where trading also actually originated. Legendary traders made their millions on Wall Street long before the advent of the Internet.

When does Forex trading begin after the weekend: Asia-Pacific session

Since trading takes place all over the world and time zones differ, Forex is usually based on Greenwich Mean Time - GMT. According to it, the stock exchange in New Zealand (Wellington) opens at 10 pm on Sunday. During this period it is already 2 am in Moscow. After an hour, Sydney comes into play, and after another two to four hours, the “Asian tigers” - Tokyo, Singapore and Hong Kong - join in.

When Forex trading begins after the weekend, the first thing you should pay attention to is the Australian, New Zealand, and Japanese currencies. These positions are characterized by high volatility and, under certain conditions, can bring good profits. However, much activity in Asian trading is usually not observed at first.

But when China comes into play, the trader must be extremely focused. The euro/dollar currency pair is an important indicator, and if it has increased in price, you should expect the trend to continue before the start of the American session. The reason is that Beijing has the largest dollar reserves in the world after the United States. If he suddenly decides to get rid of the dollar, giving preference to the European currency, this could significantly affect quotes throughout the day.

European exchanges

When the clock hands in Moscow show 8 am, Frankfurt, Zurich and Paris open their doors, and an hour later the largest trading platform in Europe - London. In addition to the euro, the greatest interest for a trader during this period is the Swiss franc and the British pound.

As you know, the release of economic news has a significant impact on quotes. Stay tuned for the latest data on the Eurozone, especially the UK, which will appear around lunchtime in Moscow. It is quite possible that this information will seriously shake up the market and change the situation on it.

The European trading session has some features:

• Usually during this period, a trend that arose in America and continued on Asian markets changes;
• characterized by an increase in the value of the euro;
• when concluding transactions using the British pound, there is no need to rush - you definitely need to wait for financial news on this country;
• high volatility - jumps can range from 100 to 150 points.

American exchanges

Toronto, New York, and then Chicago open trading in the most volatile and aggressive session - the American session. This happens at 16.00 Moscow time. The following currency pairs are popular here:

• euro/dollar;
• dollar/Swiss franc;
• Canadian dollar;
• pound/dollar

Within half an hour after the start, important economic news comes out and trading intensifies sharply. There is excitement for at least four hours, after which there is a decline. This is due to the break, while European exchanges stop working altogether. After 8 pm there is a lull, which can only be disturbed by a really large investor who has begun active actions. The Chicago Stock Exchange closes at one in the morning according to Moscow time - Forex stops working until Monday.

What time do Forex sessions open and the periods (times) of their work is very important information for those who want to rationally distribute their efforts and devote themselves to trading to the maximum.

The Forex market is quite complicated for beginners, and in order to clearly understand the principles of its operation - where activity is higher, where lower, where to expect sudden movements, and where to fade, and simply what time lunches take place on the leading exchanges of the world, you need to know what time trading sessions open (for those living in the Russian Federation, preferably in Moscow), their opening and closing times.

Types, characteristics, as well as features of the opening time of trading sessions in Moscow on Forex

As you know, the Forex currency market operates around the clock throughout the work week. And, of course, it would be very strange if time zones were not taken into account in this work. Today, global trading is guided in its work by GMT - Greenwich Mean Time, where the prime meridian passes.

All other time zones form their own time by either subtracting or summing the hours to/from Greenwich.

So, for example, Greenwich is located at a distance of three time zones from Moscow, so the time in Moscow will be as follows: GMT+3.

And time zones are directly related to the opening of Forex sessions, and as a result, their operating time. By and large, a trading session is a time during which active trading occurs in a certain region, that is, financial institutions operate, and most traders speculate.

For error-free trading on Forex, traders should definitely know the types of trading sessions and, of course, their working hours, what time they close and what the specifics of each one are.

Today, depending on the regional location, there are four types of trading sessions:

• then American;

Forex trading begins with the opening of the Asian session at 23:00 GMT, when the Tokyo exchanges begin to work, and ends at 22:00 GMT, when the Chicago exchanges close and the American session ends.

Everywhere, traders, of course, use their own local time by setting the appropriate settings in their trading terminals.

In the European part of Russia, speculators mainly work in Moscow. Below you can see a summary table, which includes the opening of Forex sessions and their expiration (their closing time) in GMT and in Moscow.

It should be noted that the differences between Forex sessions lie not only in what time they open and close, but also in the trading features during their work. The working period of each trading session is influenced by its own factors (economic, fundamental), and also differs in volatility, popularity of traded instruments, and so on.

Opening of the Asian session on Forex in Moscow (MSK), as well as its working hours

The Asian session involves trading processes on the markets and exchanges of Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore. It opens at 2:00, when Tokyo trading floors begin to work. After this, exchanges open in Hong Kong itself, and then in Singapore. This trading session ends at 12:00 Moscow time.

Its distinctive feature is that it starts working early on Monday morning, for this reason, most traders begin to use the presence of gaps (gaps) that arise during the weekend in trading at these hours.

It is during this period of time that the market makes attempts to fill the voids that have arisen and traders who use gaps in their trading systems make good profits. In general, during the active work of the session, a relatively calm trend is observed.

European session - its opening time in Moscow (MSK) and duration of work on Forex

After the Asian trading session, the European trading session begins - from 9:00 Moscow time. During this period of work for Forex traders, the largest number of trading transactions occurs. The reason for this is simple - the working hours of three trading sessions at once intersect here, directly European, as well as Asian and American.

It should also be noted that the capital of Great Britain is one of the major financial centers; a huge number of investors of various sizes (funds, exchanges and other financial institutions) are concentrated here, which accordingly makes adjustments to the operation of the foreign exchange market.

The main players of the European session are German, French, and English exchanges, with their headquarters in Zurich, Paris, Luxembourg, London, Frankfurt. Their opening hours end at 18:00 and 19:00 Moscow time.

The peak of activity in the European session occurs around 11:00 Moscow time, when the world's largest financial groups located in London join in the work.

Since European countries have a lot of different monetary units, during the session in question, currency fluctuations can reach large amplitudes. The most actively traded during this period are the Euro, the British pound, the Swiss franc, the Danish krone and some others.

American session - opening time, as well as duration of work on Forex

The American Forex trading session is represented by the world's two largest exchanges, initially located in New York and Chicago. Their opening hours begin at 16:00 and 17:00 Moscow time, respectively. On these exchanges, USD is the main currency, and news that comes out in the US has an impact on the dynamics of almost any currency pair.

This session is considered the “hottest” trading period on Forex. From the very opening of the session, you can see how the market is actively saturated with liquidity, and trading is carried out in fairly large volumes.

The reason for this is the layering of European and American trading sessions on top of each other. This is also facilitated by the intersection of the release times of important reports and news (in Europe in the afternoon and in the morning in the USA). During such hours, significant fluctuations in major currency pairs and trend reversals can be observed on Forex. In general, the American session is very unpredictable and has increased aggressiveness.

Opening of the Pacific session and its activity (working hours) on Forex

The quietest time on Forex is considered to be during the moderate, Pacific session, which is why some speculators do not consider it a session at all. This session does not stand out from others as anything special, except very much.

It is for this reason that most experienced speculators from the moment the opening of this session (23:00 Moscow time in Wellington and 01:00 Moscow time in Sydney) prefer not to take risks, but take a wait-and-see position.

The Pacific session is generally characterized by very low trading volumes and the absence of any trends. The main currency pairs traded during this period of time are those that include the New Zealand dollar and the Australian dollar.

We looked at when sessions open in Forex trading, then their operating time and some features, but at the same time we want to emphasize that no matter how any of them differs (aggressiveness, like the American one, or calmness, like the Pacific one), you should always remember the rules money management and risk management.

Thus, having received a large profit during the activity of the European or American session, thoughtlessness and imprudence in decision-making during the calm on Forex in the Pacific session can lead to the loss of the deposit.

Opening, activity time and other moments of trading sessions

In order to better understand the economic processes taking place in the world and respond to important changes in a timely manner, it is necessary to monitor daily the movement of quotes on world stock markets, and for this a trader needs to know stock exchange opening hours in different countries of the world.

Exchange opening hours in winter and summer is structured in the tables below, the data is presented relative to Moscow time.

Exchange opening hours in winter

Exchange opening hours in summer

Previously, Russia annually switched to summer mode, moving the clock hands back by one hour, but in the summer of 2011 this procedure was canceled. A similar situation is observed in Japan and China - these countries also do not change their clocks all year.

Autumn in Europe and the United States is marked by the transition to winter time (clocks are set back) and, thus, trading sessions in Germany, France, Great Britain and other European countries, as well as the United States, take place one hour later than the trading session in Russia, Moscow time.

In the spring, the same countries move their clocks forward, as a result of which the trading sessions of Europe and the United States overlap an hour more with Russian trading.

US clock change schedule

In America, the summer regime begins in March (the second Sunday - an hour ahead), the winter regime - in November (the first Sunday - an hour ago).

Transition schedule in Europe

European countries also switch to the summer schedule in March (the last Sunday in March - forward by one hour), and in October - to the winter schedule (the last Sunday in October - back by one hour).

How does the clock change affect the Russian trading session?

As a result, during the summer time period, the American session “overlaps” the Russian session for 1 hour and 15 minutes, thus, Russian traders have time to win back some of the overseas trading. Trading in the US closes at 00:00 Moscow time, which coincides with the close of the Russian evening FORTS session.

During winter time, the obvious disadvantages of canceling the clock change in Russia are obvious.

1. The US trading session overlaps with the Russian one for only 15 minutes, resulting in the strongest volatility in the final 15 minutes. before closing (from 18:30 to 18:45).
2. Europe will open later, i.e. at 12:00, which means that there will be no additional drivers of movement from 10:00 to 12:00 for the Russian Federation (as a result, the first two trading hours are marked by low volatility).
3. The release of significant US macro statistics will now occur at 19:00 Moscow time - this is the time when the FORTS evening session begins after the main clearing. The result is increased activity in the first minutes of evening trading.
4. During the winter period, the American session closes at 01:00 Moscow time, and the FORTS market is traded until 00:00 Moscow time. As a result, the last trading hour will be ignored in the evening and won back in the form of a gap in the morning session.