Know when the major forex sessions open and close in your local time. This tool converts UTC session times to your timezone and highlights the best overlap periods for trading.
How it works
Forex trading happens across four major sessions: Sydney, Tokyo, London, and New York. Each session opens and closes at fixed UTC times. This calculator converts those times to your local timezone and identifies when sessions overlap — periods with higher liquidity and tighter spreads.
Sessions: Sydney 22:00-07:00 UTC; Tokyo 00:00-09:00 UTC; London 08:00-17:00 UTC; New York 13:00-22:00 UTC
The conversion uses your browser's timezone offset. No account currency conversion or lot-size calculations are needed here — this is purely about time. The result shows each session's local open/close and the three overlap periods (Sydney/Tokyo, London/NY, and the brief London/overlap window).
Worked example
Example: Australia/Sydney (AEST UTC+10)
- Your timezone: Australia/Sydney (AEST, UTC+10)
- Sydney session UTC: 22:00-07:00 UTC
- Tokyo session UTC: 00:00-09:00 UTC
- London session UTC: 08:00-17:00 UTC
- New York session UTC: 13:00-22:00 UTC
We add 10 hours to each UTC time to convert to AEST. Sydney opens at 08:00 AEST and closes at 17:00 AEST. The Sydney/Tokyo overlap runs from Tokyo's open (10:00 AEST) to Sydney's close (17:00 AEST). The London/NY overlap runs from London's close (03:00 AEST next day) to New York's close (08:00 AEST next day).
Result: Sydney session 08:00-17:00 local; Sydney/Tokyo overlap 10:00-17:00 local; London/NY overlap 23:00-02:00 local
The Sydney/Tokyo overlap (10:00-17:00 AEST) offers the best liquidity for AUD/JPY and AUD/JPY cross pairs during Australian business hours.
Edge cases
- Daylight saving time: The calculator uses your current timezone offset. If your region observes DST, the displayed times will shift by ±1 hour when DST starts or ends.
- Weekend gaps: Sessions don't run on weekends. The calculator shows Monday-Friday only — Friday's NY close to Sunday's Sydney open has no trading.
- Half-hour timezones: Some regions (e.g., India UTC+5:30, Nepal UTC+5:45) use non-integer offsets. The calculator handles these correctly.
- Session overlap precision: Overlaps are calculated to the minute. A 1-minute overlap window is technically valid but offers minimal liquidity benefit.
Glossary
- Liquidity — The ease of entering/exiting a trade without significant price movement. Highest during session overlaps.
- Majors — The most traded currency pairs (EUR/USD, USD/JPY, GBP/USD, USD/CHF). Most liquid during London/NY overlap.
- Volatility — The rate of price movement. Typically highest at session opens and during overlap periods.
FAQ
How accurate is this Forex Market Hours calculator?
The time conversion is mathematically exact — it uses your browser's UTC offset to the minute. Session times are fixed and don't change. The only variable is your timezone's DST status, which the browser provides.
Does it work for any broker?
Yes. Session times are universal across all brokers. The calculator doesn't use broker-specific data — it's pure UTC-to-local time conversion.
What if my pair isn't in the dropdown?
The calculator shows all four major sessions regardless of pair. Session times apply to all forex pairs. For exotic pairs, liquidity patterns follow the same session rules.
Why does the result differ from my broker's panel?
Brokers may display session times in their own timezone or use different session definitions (e.g., some include Frankfurt as a separate session). This calculator uses the standard 4-session model.
If you don't have a broker yet and want to test these calculations on a demo, FxPro accepts Australia residents. We are FxPro affiliates — see [disclosure](/disclosure/).
[Open FxPro demo →](https://fxpro-direct.com/en/partner/23urpSLhK)
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