ForexVue
Level 2 · Lesson 1 of 14 · 5 min read

The 24-Hour Market: How Forex Never Sleeps

From Sunday evening to Friday night, the market is always open somewhere.

Laurent Researched and written by
Fun fact: The London-New York overlap (12:00-16:00 UTC) accounts for roughly 50% of all daily forex volume packed into just 4 hours. If forex had a prime-time slot, this is it.

Always Open, Never Closed

Unlike the stock market, which opens at 9:30am and closes at 4pm, the forex market runs 24 hours a day, 5 days a week. It opens Sunday at 5pm Eastern Time (when Sydney wakes up) and closes Friday at 5pm Eastern Time (when New York shuts down).

This is possible because forex is a global market. When one major financial center closes, another is already open or about to open. The baton passes around the world continuously:

The 24-Hour Relay
🇦🇺 Sydney 10pm - 7am UTC
🇯🇵 Tokyo 12am - 9am UTC
🇬🇧 London 7am - 4pm UTC
🇺🇸 New York 12pm - 9pm UTC
0:006:0012:0018:0024:00

One note on the clock: these UTC hours shift by one hour for part of the year, because the US and UK switch on and off summer time (daylight saving) on different dates. The structure of the relay stays the same.

The Forex "Day" and Rollover

In forex, a trading "day" starts and ends at 5pm New York time (EST). This is called the rollover point. It's when:

  • The daily candle closes and a new one opens
  • Swap/rollover fees are applied to open positions
  • The "day" counter resets for trading statistics

Why 5pm? Because that's when the New York session ends and the market transitions to the quieter period before Sydney opens. It's the natural break point in the 24-hour cycle.

Weekend Gaps

The market closes Friday at 5pm EST and reopens Sunday at 5pm EST. During this 48-hour window, the market is closed to retail trading, but the world doesn't stop. Political events, natural disasters, or unexpected news can occur over the weekend.

When the market reopens on Sunday, the opening price may be significantly different from Friday's close. This is called a gap.

Weekend gap risk: If you hold a trade over the weekend and a major event occurs, you could face a large gap against your position. Your stop-loss may not protect you at the exact price you set, because there were no available prices between Friday close and Sunday open. This is called gap risk or slippage through a gap.

When NOT to Trade

Just because the market is "open" doesn't mean it's always a good time to trade:

  • Sunday evening: Very low liquidity, wide spreads, unpredictable moves
  • Friday afternoon: Traders close positions for the weekend, liquidity drops
  • Major holidays: Christmas, New Year, and national holidays reduce volume significantly
  • Between sessions: The quiet periods when one session has closed and the next hasn't fully started
🔗 Match the pairs
Match each session to its approximate UTC hours:
✅ Check your understanding
When is the busiest 4-hour window in forex?
Risk disclosure: Trading leveraged forex and CFDs is high-risk. According to ESMA and FCA-mandated broker disclosures, 74 to 89% of retail trader accounts lose money. Only trade with capital you can afford to lose, and always use a stop-loss.

Key Takeaways

  • • Forex is open 24 hours a day from Sunday 5pm EST to Friday 5pm EST.
  • • The "day" in forex resets at 5pm New York time (the rollover point).
  • • Weekend gaps can occur when price jumps between Friday close and Sunday open.
  • • The market is always open because financial centers around the world take turns.
Best Time to Trade Forex Glossary: Forex
The Four Forex Trading Sessions: Sydney, Tokyo, London, New York