Overseas Forex Trading Hours | Explanation of Market-Specific Trading Times and Gold Trading Hours

"What are the trading hours for overseas forex?", "Are there opportunities even at night after work?", and "Does gold (XAU/USD) trade on weekends?" -- these are the three main questions regarding trading hours.In short, overseas forex currency pairs can be traded almost 24 hours a day on weekdays, from early Monday morning to early Saturday morning. The largest price movements occur around 10 PM Japan time, and the smallest around 6 AM. Our editorial team compiled 1-hour charts of the USD/JPY pair over the past year, and found the difference to be approximately 2.3 times.

This article organizesinformation on the conversion of the start and end times of the week to server time, aggregated data on price movements by time of day, characteristics of each market, the switch between daylight saving time and standard time, trading hours for gold and CFDs, and times to avoid, based on legal provisions, official published values ​​from each company, and data compiled by our editorial department. Weekends and year-end/New Year holidays are covered inthe overseas FX weekend and holiday holiday guide, and gold broker selectionthe overseas FX gold trading guide, so this article focuses on "when you can trade and when the market moves."

*This article was created by the MoneyCharger editorial teamtheir content creation policy. Daylight saving time and standard time periods are based on US federal law (15 USC §260a) and the official schedule of the European Commission (announcement based on Article 4 of EU Directive 2000/84/EC). Trading hours for each company are based on the values ​​published on their respective official websites. Price movements by time of day are based on data compiled by our editorial team from Yahoo Finance's 1-hour charts (the period and method are specified in the text), as of September 8, 2026. Overseas FX brokers are not registered with the Japanese Financial Services Agency,the Financial Services Agencyandthe Consumer Affairs Agencyhave issued warnings about trading with unregistered brokers. This article is for general informational purposes only and does not guarantee profits at any particular time or using any particular method. Past price movements do not indicate future results.

If you are new to overseas forex trading,our complete guide for overseas forex trading beginners.

Overseas forex trading hours are almost 24 hours on weekdays | from the beginning to the end of the week

Unlike the stock market, the foreign exchange market does not have a single exchange. Banks and institutional investors around the world buy and sell over the counter, and the center of trading shifts around the globe, from Wellington to Sydney, Tokyo, London, and New York. As a result,trading is uninterrupted on weekdays, from early Monday morning to early Saturday morning. This is why overseas FX brokers advertise "24-hour trading." The Bank of Japan also publishes foreign exchange market conditions based on "17:00 New York time (7:00 AM the next day in Tokyo time, or 6:00 AM during daylight saving time)," and this time is used as the practical end of the day.

However, this doesn't mean you can trade in the same way 24 hours a day.Trading is generally unavailable on weekends, and commodities other than currency pairs (such as gold, stock indices, and crude oil) have fixed periods of downtime each day. First, make sure you know the exact start and end times of the week.

Server time to Japan Standard Time conversion | Many providers use a 6-hour summer time and a 7-hour winter time conversion

The time displayed on the official websites and MT4/MT5 of overseas forex brokers is "server time," not Japan Standard Time (JST ). Many brokers use GMT+2 during winter and GMT+3 during summer , resulting in a difference of +7 hours in winter and +6 hours in summer compared to JST (GMT+9) . For example, 0:00 on the server is 7:00 JST in winter and 6:00 JST in summer. This is why the date on MT4/MT5 charts appears to be one day behind JST.

Contractor	Server time (official notation)	Conversion to Japan Standard Time
XMTrading	Summer: GMT+3 / Winter: GMT+2	Summer +6 hours / Winter +7 hours
Exness	UTC+0 (Trading hours as shown in the help section)	+9 hours(The conversion rate differs from other companies)
FXGT	GMT+3 (as indicated in the trading session table)	Summer + 6 hours
TitanFX	Summer: GMT+3 / Winter: GMT+2	Summer +6 hours / Winter +7 hours
HFM	From the last Sunday of March to the last Sunday of October: GMT+3 / Otherwise: GMT+2	Summer +6 hours / Winter +7 hours
ThreeTrader	The default setting is GMT+2, but it automatically switches to GMT+3 during daylight saving time	Summer +6 hours / Winter +7 hours
BigBoss	Summer: GMT+3 / Winter: GMT+2	Summer +6 hours / Winter +7 hours
Axi	During the daylight saving time period in New York, the time is GMT+3	Summer +6 hours / Winter +7 hours
AXIORY	Trading hours on the official website are listed in Japan Standard Time	No conversion required
IS6FX	There is no official mention of the GMT offset (the trading hours page is displayed in Japan Standard Time)	According to our editorial team's calculations, summer is +6 hours / winter is +7 hours

*Information is based on each company's official website and official help page (checked September 7-8, 2026).Note thatExness's official help page lists trading hours in UTC+0, so converting it to "+7 hours" as you would with other companies will result in a 2-hour difference. Also,HFM, adjust their server time to match European Daylight Saving Time (last Sunday in March), while others adjust it to US Daylight Saving Time (second Sunday in March). Therefore, the time difference with the New York market will be different for 2-3 weeks in March.

[Compiled over one year] How much does the market fluctuate depending on the time of day?

It's often said that "the market moves during London hours" and "it doesn't move in the early morning," but there are very few explanations that show the actual difference in volatility (the magnitude of price movements) between different time periods using numbers. So, our editorial team compiled 1-hour charts for USD/JPY, EUR/USD, GBP/JPY, and gold for the past year and calculated the "average hourly price range (high - low)" for each time period in Japan. The results clearly showed that the difference between the most volatile time for USD/JPY (22:00, 28.4 pips) and the least volatile time (6:00, 12.5 pips) was approximately 2.3 times

Average price range by time zone (USD/JPY, EUR/USD, GBP/JPY, Gold)

The following table summarizes the four instruments. The colored rows indicate the time periods when the price range is largest for that instrument.Currency pairs peak between 10 PM and 11 PM, and gold also peaks between 10 PM and 11 PM, both concentrated in the "time period when London and New York overlap." On the other hand,the minimum price range for USD/JPY is 12.5 pips around 6 AM, and for EUR/USD it's 6.0 pips around 8 AM, indicating that the price range for major currency pairs narrows in the early morning, which is the trough of the market (GBP/JPY and gold sometimes have temporary peaks in the early morning, so 6 AM is not the minimum).

Japan time	USD/JPY (pips)	Euro/Dollar (pips)	GBP/JPY (pips)	Gold (dollars)	Mainly active markets
0 o'clock	23.6	15.7	34.2	30.5	London (late stages) + New York
1 o'clock	18.6	12.0	24.8	24.0	new york
2 o'clock	17.0	10.8	22.1	20.3	new york
3 o'clock	17.4	10.7	19.8	21.0	New York, final stages
4 o'clock	16.7	9.4	18.8	20.6	New York, final stages
5 o'clock	13.5	7.8	18.6	17.2	New York nearing the end
6 o'clock	12.5(minimum)	8.9	27.8	18.9	Market valley
7 o'clock	14.0	6.9	23.8	19.6	Wellington Sydney
8 o'clock	16.1	6.0(minimum)	19.9	21.4	Preparation time in Tokyo
9 o'clock	26.0	9.0	29.3	23.6	Tokyo (around the mid-rate)
10 o'clock	22.2	9.4	25.0	30.9	Tokyo
11 o'clock	17.5	7.7	20.2	23.0	Tokyo
12 o'clock	15.6	6.4	19.0	16.8	Tokyo (Lunch break)
13:00	17.3	6.5	20.7	13.8(minimum)	Tokyo
14:00	17.1	7.6	21.5	22.3	Tokyo Final Stage
15:00	21.9	10.9	28.4	21.4	European teams begin to enter the competition
16:00	24.4	13.0	34.7	19.7	London starts (daylight saving time)
17:00	23.7	13.1	34.2	21.2	London (start of winter time)
18:00	20.2	11.4	29.0	19.3	London
7pm	17.0	10.6	25.7	18.2	London (European daytime)
8pm	17.8	11.8	26.8	21.3	London
21:00	24.6	15.5	32.0	27.1	New York starts (Daylight Saving Time)
22:00	28.4(maximum)	16.7(maximum)	35.2	33.3	London + New York
23:00	26.0	16.5	38.1(maximum)	34.2(maximum)	London + New York

*Compiled by our editorial team. The data is an average of the "high minus low" for each hourly candlestick from September 8, 2025 to September 7, 2026, broken down by Japan Standard Time (excluding Saturdays and Sundays in Japan). This is a year-round average including both US Daylight Saving Time and Standard Time. Rates are index rates provided by Yahoo Finance (Gold is COMEX gold futures) anddo not necessarily reflect actual price movements including rates provided by individual companies or broker spreads. Please consider the figures as a guideline to understand trends. The 6-7 AM hour for GBP/JPY is a period of low liquidity, making the data prone to fluctuations, and the 6-7 AM hour for gold falls within the daily downtime described later, resulting in a smaller sample size.

The "times of movement" shift by one hour between daylight saving time and standard time

When the same data is divided into US daylight saving time and standard time periods,the peak of the price range shifts back by one hour in winter, which can be confirmed numerically. For the USD/JPY pair, the price range in the 0:00 hour is 19.7 pips in summer compared to 31.5 pips in winter, a 1.6-fold increase. This is because "the peak of the New York market in winter time falls in the 0:00 hour." Conversely, the price range in the 21:00 hour is larger in summer (26.4 pips) than in winter (21.2 pips).

Japan time	USD/JPY (Daylight Saving Time) (pips)	USD/JPY (winter time) (pips)	What can be understood
15:00	21.9	22.0	European teams participate in roughly the same number of tournaments in both summer and winter
16:00	22.3	28.5	During winter time, even though 4 PM Japan time was before the London market opened, the gains exceeded those of summer (22.3 pips). While differences in market conditions during the aggregation period may have had an impact, our editorial team was only able to confirm the price range data and has not been able to identify the cause
21:00	26.4	21.2	In the summer, New York opens at this time, but in the winter, it doesn't start until 10 PM, so it hasn't really kicked off yet
22:00	26.8	31.4	This occurs right after the start of winter trading in New York, resulting in one of the largest price swings in a single day
0 o'clock	19.7	31.5	In winter, the momentum following the release of major US economic indicators (8:30 local time = 10:30 PM Japan time) continues until this time
9 o'clock	23.6	30.7	While the mid-rate period fluctuates throughout the year, winter rates tend to follow the trends of the previous day in New York

The practical point is"the nature of the time slots you normally trade changes in November and March." If you aim for the 9 PM hour in winter while still using the daylight saving time mindset, you'll find that New York is not yet open and trading is not possible. The dates of the time switch will be explained in the next chapter.

Trading hours and price movement characteristics by market | Tokyo, London, New York

The first thing to understand is thatthe interbank foreign exchange market does not have official opening and closing times like the stock market. The Bank of Japan describes the "Tokyo Foreign Exchange Market""a foreign exchange market where trading takes place during daytime hours in Japan time, primarily by participants centered in Tokyo"(Bank of Japan "Tell Me! Nichigin," confirmed September 8, 2026), anda customary name determined by the participants and time,. When you see phrases like "Tokyo time is from 9 am to 3 pm," think of them as a rough guideline calculated backward from the operating hours of the stock market and banks in that region.

market	Japan Standard Time (Daylight Saving Time)	Japan Standard Time (Winter Time)	Characteristics of price movements	Highly volatile currencies
Wellington	Around 5 o'clock	Around 4 o'clock	It's held at the beginning of the week. There are few participants, so it's quiet. Because it's in the Southern Hemisphere, summer and winter are reversed compared to Europe and North America	NZD
Sydney	Around 7:00 AM to around 4:00 PM	Around 6:00 AM to around 3:00 PM	Reacting to Australian indicators, liquidity is gradually returning. Similarly, summer and winter trends are reversed	Australian dollar, New Zealand dollar
Tokyo	Around 8:00 AM to around 4:00 PM (the same time all year round as Japan does not observe daylight saving time)		The market is prone to fluctuations around the mid-rate at 9:55 AM. Overall, it is calm	Yen/Australian Dollar
London (European Time)	Around 4 PM to around 1 AM the following day	Around 5 PM to around 2 AM the following day	In terms of trading desk locations, the UK is the world's largest(according to a survey by the Bank for International Settlements). This makes it more likely for trades to break out of the Tokyo trading range.	Euro and Pound
New York (US time/NY time)	Around 9 PM to around 6 AM the next day	Around 10 PM to around 7 AM the next day	A concentration of US economic indicators will be released, coinciding with London's release schedule, making it the peak of the day	US Dollar Gold

Tokyo Time | The most volatile time is around 9:55 AM when the mid-rate is fixed

Tokyo time is from around 8:00 to 16:00 Japan time, and since Japan does not observe daylight saving time, it remains the same throughout the year. For reference, you can look at the trading hours of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (9:00 AM to 11:30 AM, 12:30 PM to 3:30 PM; the afternoon session will be extended by 30 minutes from November 2024) and the daytime trading hours of the Osaka Exchange, which handles Nikkei 225 futures (8:45 AM to 3:40 PM)

A distinctive feature of Tokyo timethe "mid-rate." The mid-rate is the exchange rate (TTM) that banksannounce to their customers around 10:00 a.m. each business day, and in principle, it is applied for the entire day(official information from Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, confirmed September 8, 2026). It may be reviewed if the market moves significantly. The time just before this announcement, around 9:55 a.m., is known as a time when real demand trading by import and export companies tends to concentrate,and the London Stock Exchange Group officially defines the Tokyo benchmark rateas being calculated at "9:55 a.m. Japan time (0:55 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time)" (LSEG official methodology). However, our editorial department has not been able to confirm any official documents that explicitly state that individual banks set the mid-rate at exactly 9:55 a.m., so this time is merely a practical guideline.

According to our editorial team's calculations,the dollar-yen exchange rate increased by approximately 60%, from 16.1 pips in the 8 o'clock hour to 26.0 pips in the 9 o'clock hour, the largest price movement during Tokyo trading hours. However, it's important to note that the direction is unlikely to last, and the price often returns to a range after 10 o'clock. While there is often an empirical rule that "prices tend to rise towards the mid-rate," there are also days when the price moves in the opposite direction, so it's safer not to rely on this as a basis too much.

London Time (European Time) | The world's largest trading volume, making it easier to break out of ranges

London time isapproximately 4 PM to 1 AM Japan time during daylight saving time, and approximately 5 PM to2 AM Japan time during standard time. The main order book of the London Stock Exchange, which can be used as a reference, is traded from 8 AM to 4:30 PM local time (LSE official parameter document, confirmed September 8, 2026).

This time slot is important becausethe UK is the global center of foreign exchange trading, and trading volume increases dramatically with the entry of European players. A survey conducted every three years by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) shows that when looking at global foreign exchange trading by the location of trading desks,the UK accounts for the largest share at 37.8%, followed by the US at 18.6%, Singapore at 11.8%, Hong Kong at 7.0%, and Japanat 3.5% (BIS "Triennial Central Bank Survey" 2025). Although this is not a breakdown by time of day, it shows that more than half of the world's trading is concentrated in London and New York. In our editorial calculations, the USD/JPY pair rose from 21.9 pips in the 3 PM hour to 24.4 pips in the 4 PM hour, and the GBP/JPY pair rose from 28.4 pips in the 3 PM hour to 34.7 pips in the 4 PM hour, clearly showing a widening of price ranges at the start of trading. A typical pattern is that the market, which had been trading in a narrow range during the Tokyo session, breaks out in one direction at this time.

Another thing to rememberthe "London Fix." The exchange rate calculated at 4 PM London time is widely referenced as an indicator used for things like the net asset value of investment trusts. The LSEG official methodologybeing determined by aggregating the values ​​for the 5 minutes before and after the calculation time (2 minutes and 30 seconds before and after), and the price tends to fluctuate around this time due to concentrated buying and selling based on actual demand. In Japan time, thisaround midnight in summer and around 1 AM the following day in winter. This tendency is stronger at the end of the month.

New York time (US time/NY time) | The time when the price range is widest in a day

New York time isapproximately 9 PM to 6 AM Japan time during daylight saving time, and approximately 10 PM to 7 AM Japan time during standard time. Regular trading hours on the New York Stock Exchange are from 9:30 AM to 4 PM local time (NYSE official), which corresponds to 10:30 PM to 5 AM Japan time during daylight saving time and 11:30 PM to 6 AM Japan time during standard time.

According to our editorial team's calculations,the average hourly price range for USD/JPY was 28.4 pips in the 10 PM hourwas the largest in 24 hours, and for EUR/USD, it was 16.7 pips in the 10 PM hour. There are two reasons for this. First, itcoincides with London time, meaning that major global participants are in the market at the same time. Second,major US economic indicators are concentrated around 8:30 AM local time, which is 9:30 PM in summer and 10:30 PM in winter Japan time. Employment statistics and consumer price indices are released at this time.

Another key timethe "New York Option Cut." Yen-denominated currency options on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange have their closing time on the expiration date set at 9:00 AM Central Time = 10:00 AM Eastern Time (CME official contract specifications). While the same time is said to be treated as a key time for over-the-counter currency options, our editorial team has not been able to find any primary source that provides a common industry definition. Around this time, trading tends to be driven by a focus on specific price ranges, and price movements can become volatile.

Wellington, Sydney | The start of the week and the early morning hours

The weekly trading week begins in Wellington, New Zealand.Because Oceania is in the Southern Hemisphere, its daylight saving time period is the opposite of that of Europe and. New Zealand observes daylight saving time from the last Sunday in September to the first Sunday in April, while Australia (including New South Wales) observes it from the first Sunday in October to the first Sunday in April. This means thatduring the months of April to October when Europe and the United States observe daylight saving time, Oceania is on standard time, and the market opens later in Japan(roughly speaking, Wellington opens around 5am during European and American daylight saving time and around 4am during standard time). However, many overseas forex brokers begin providing rates between 6am and 7am Japan time, and this marks the start of their trading week.

In the Sydney market that follows, the Australian dollar and New Zealand dollar will move, butthere are few participants globally during this time, and our editorial team's calculations show that the dollar-yen exchange ratesaw its smallest price movement in 24 hours, at 12.5 pips in the 6 o'clock hour. Immediately after the start of the week, gaps from the previous weekend can occur, making it a time when prices are prone to jumps due to thin liquidity. If you are going to start trading, it is better to wait until the Tokyo market opens in the latter half of the 8 o'clock hour or later, as the conditions will be more favorable.

Daylight Saving Time and Standard Time | The mechanism of the time changeover and the shift of one hour

In Europe and the United States, there is a "daylight saving time" from spring to autumn, where clocks are advanced by one hour.Since Japan does not observe daylight saving time, when Europe and the United States enter daylight saving time, the opening and closing times of markets and the release times of economic indicators, as seen in Japan time, also shift forward by one hour.If you are not aware of this change, you may find yourself thinking, "I entered the market at the usual time, but the market didn't move."

The rules for switching are determined by law

The duration of daylight saving time is not merely a "vague custom," but is defined by the laws of each country.In the United States, federal law (15 § 260a) stipulates that it runs from 2 a.m. on the second Sunday in March to 2 a.m. on the first Sunday in November, while in Europe, EU Directive 2000/84/EC stipulates that it runs from 1 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time on the last Sunday in March to 1 a.m. on the last Sunday in October.The current US rule is an amendment to the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and has been in effect since March 2007 (National Institute of Standards and Technology, etc., confirmed September 8, 2026).

region	Legal basis	Daylight Saving Time Period (Rules)	Market impact
United States(New York)	United States Code Title 15, Section 260a (Uniform Time Act) / Federal Regulation 49 CFR 71.2	Second Sunday in March, 2:00 AM to First Sunday in November, 2:00 AM (local time)	New York markets and US economic indicators will be released one hour earlier in Japan time
Europe/United Kingdom(London)	EU Directive 2000/84/EC/UK Summer Time Act 1972 (revised in 2002)	From the last Sunday of March to the last Sunday of October (all times switch at 1:00 AM GMT)	London markets and European economic indicators will be released one hour earlier in Japan time
Oceania(Sydney & Wellington)	State Laws and New Zealand Time Law	Because it's in the Southern Hemisphere, the seasons are the opposite of Japan's (roughly October to April)	The market will open one hour earlier in the early morning, according to Japan time
Japan	—	none	Japan Standard Time itself remains constant throughout the year

*Even after leaving the EU, the UK's domestic law (Summer Time Act 1972) remains in effect, and the transition date is the same as in the EU. In the EU, proposals to abolish daylight saving time have been discussed since 2018, but even after the European Parliament adopted a position in 2019, the Council has not reached an agreement, andthe current directive will remain in effect as of September 2026.The European Commission published the transition schedule for 2027-2031 in the Official Journal in March 2026, and this system is expected to continue for the time being.

The transition date between 2026 and 2027

The specific dates are as follows: The US figures are based on the schedule published by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the European figures are based on the schedule published in the Official Journal by the European Commission

year	United States (New York)	Europe/United Kingdom (London)
Summer time starts in 2026	Sunday, March 8th	Sunday, March 29th
Daylight Saving Time ends in 2026	November 1st (Sunday)	Sunday, October 25th
Summer time starts in 2027	Sunday, March 14th	Sunday, March 28th
Daylight Saving Time ends in 2027	Sunday, November 7th	Sunday, October 31st

*The 2026 dates for the United States are based on data published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the 2027 dates are calculated based on legal rules (second Sunday in March and first Sunday in November). The European dates are specified in the Official Journal of the European Commission (published in 2021/C 149/01 and 2026)

The easily overlooked "period of discrepancy between the US and Europe"

This is a point that most explanations don't mention.Because the US and Europe switch to daylight saving time on different dates, there are two periods each year when only one of them is on daylight saving time.In 2026, this would be approximately three weeks in spring, from March 8th to March 28th, and one week in autumn, from October 25th to November 1st.

Before and after the switchover, you will receive notifications from your broker regarding the change in server time.During the first and second weeks of March and November, be sure to check the time display on your trading platform and the time zone settings of your economic calendar.Since the MT4/MT5 economic calendar allows you to change the displayed time zone, fixing it to Japan Standard Time will minimize the impact of the switchover.

Gold (XAU/USD) trading hours | Closed on weekends, with a 1-hour break daily

Gold is the next most traded asset in overseas forex trading after currency pairs. It's also known as "FX Gold" or "Gold FX," and the instrument name varies depending on the broker, such as "XAUUSD," "XAU/USD," "GOLD," or "Gold Dollar" (all refer to the same thing: the price of gold in US dollars).The trading hours for XAUUSD are not the same as for currency pairs. Generally, XAUUSD cannot be traded on weekends, and even on weekdays, there is a one-hour break (maintenance) once a day in the early morning Japan time.This break time varies from a few minutes to 10 minutes depending on the broker, and some brokers only allow "closing positions (no new orders)" before and after the break. Many people are unaware of this and try to place orders in the early morning, only to find that they "cannot be processed due to an error."

Gold trading hours (XAUUSD) and daily break times for the top 10 companies

We have compiled the trading hours for XAUUSD from the top 10 major brokers, converted to Japan Standard Time from the values ​​published on each company's official website.The suspension begins between 5:55 AM and 6:00 AM, and resumes between 7:00 AM and 7:05 AM, with variations of up to 10 minutes depending on the broker.Please also note that there will be a 1-hour difference due to daylight saving time and standard time.

Contractor	Week start (summer/winter)	End of week (summer/winter)	Daily breaks (daylight saving time)	Daily break (winter time)	Time display on the official website	remarks
XMTrading	Mon 7:02/8:02	Saturday 5:58/6:58	5:58〜7:02	6:58〜8:02	Server time (Summer GMT+3, Winter GMT+2)	The price information will be released at 7:00, but trading will be possible from 7:02, a 2-minute delay
Exness	Mon 7:05/8:05	Saturday 5:58/6:58	5:58〜7:02	6:58〜8:02	UTC+0(different from other companies)	Immediately after reopening, the time period during which "payment only" would be possible was announced down to the second (see below)
FXGT	Mon 7:05	Saturday 6:00	6:00〜7:05	The official schedule only includes daylight saving time	Server time (GMT+3 notation)	Price information will be available from 7:00, and trading will begin at 7:05
TitanFX	Mon 7:01/8:01	Saturday 5:55/6:55	5:59〜7:01	6:59〜8:01	Server time (shows two columns: GMT+3 and GMT+2)	Friday's service ends about 4 minutes earlier than other days
HFM	Mon 7:05/8:05	Saturday 5:54/6:54	5:57〜7:05	6:57〜8:05	Server time (Summer GMT+3, Winter GMT+2)	The official table is displayed in seconds (23:57:59 to 01:05:00)
AXIORY	Mon 7:00/8:00	Saturday 6:00/7:00	6:00〜7:00	7:00〜8:00	Japan time(no conversion required)	There is an official "trading suspension period" designated, during which only rate displays are available and neither market nor limit orders can be executed (it is not specified whether the daily suspension falls under this category)
ThreeTrader	Mon 7:05/8:05	Saturday 5:55/6:55	5:59〜7:05	6:59〜8:05	Server time (generally GMT+2, GMT+3 during summer)	On Fridays, the program ends approximately 4 minutes earlier
BigBoss	Mon 7:00/8:00	Saturday 6:00/7:00	6:00〜7:00	7:00〜8:00	Japan time(no conversion required)	The end time on Fridays may be moved up in official announcements
Axi	Mon 7:01/8:01	Saturday 5:58/6:58	5:59〜7:01	6:59〜8:01	Server time (GMT+3 during New York Daylight Saving Time)	The server time is being switched to align with US Daylight Saving Time
IS6FX	Mon 7:05/8:05	Saturday 5:55/6:55	5:55〜7:05	6:55〜8:05	Server time (no official GMT offset specified)	It will be the first of the 10 companies to go on hiatus. (Japan time conversion is an estimate by our editorial team.)

*Values ​​published on each company's official website and official help page (confirmed September 8, 2026) have been converted to Japan Standard Time. "Summer" refers to the period when the US is on daylight saving time, and "Winter" refers to the rest of the year.AXIORYandBigBossdo not require conversion as their official websites display times in Japan Standard Time. XM allows you to switch the displayed time zone to Japan Standard Time using their official tool. The remaining 7 companies display times in server time.Exness's official website cannot be accessed from Japan without logging in, the information is based on the official help page (English, updated March 2026) obtained from the Internet Archive.FXGTandIS6FX's server time could not be officially confirmed. Values ​​may change, so please check the latest information from each company before trading.

There are periods before and after the suspension when only payment can be made

One often overlooked pointsome brokers, immediately after a suspension of service, will have a period of several minutes where "new orders cannot be placed, only payments can be made."that officially states thisExness, and it defines the following regarding gold:

HFMhas also officially announced that during the server downtime from 11:55 PM to 12:05 AM the following day, spreads will widen, and orders may not be executed or may experience delays.While other companies don't explicitly state this, it's common for prices to jump and spreads to widen immediately after service resumes. If trading in the early morning, it's safer to wait a few minutes after the downtime ends and confirm that spreads have returned to normal levels before entering a trade.

Why is only the gold version suspended every day?

The reason is that the market on which gold prices are referenced has daily downtime . Gold futures on COMEX (New York Mercantile Exchange), one of the centers of international gold price formation, are traded electronically on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange from 5 PM to 4 PM the following day (US Central Time), Sunday through Friday, with a one-hour maintenance period starting at 4 PM each day (CME official contract specifications). 4 PM US Central Time corresponds to 6 AM in summer and 7 AM in winter Japan time , which roughly coincides with the downtime for gold trading at various companiesにあたり、各社のゴールドの休止時間とほぼ一致します。

This structure is also reflected in the data compiled by our editorial department. When we compiled one year's worth of 1-hour data for COMEX gold futures, we foundthat there were over 240 samples during daytime hours (8am to 11pm), while there were only 66 samples in the 6am hour and 166 in the 7am hour Japan time. Thismeans that the trading time is shorter due to the periods of inactivity.

The busiest time for gold trading is between 10 PM and 11 PM, which is about 2.5 times more active than the 1 PM hour

When the price range of gold is aggregated by time of day,the largest price was around 10 PM ($33.3) and 11 PM ($34.2), which was about 2.5 times larger than the smallest price around 1 PM ($13.8). Gold reacts to the US dollar and US interest rates, sothe price range is concentrated around the time when US economic indicators are released and London and New York are trading simultaneously.

Time zone (Japan Standard Time)	Average range per hour	What happens at this time
22-23:00	$33.3 to $34.2(maximum)	The release of US economic indicators coincides with the full opening of the New York market, overlapping with London's market
0-1 o'clock	30.5/24.0 dollars	Continuing with the New York market. During winter hours, momentum tends to linger until this time
10 o'clock	$30.90	The only peak in Asian time. This is the time when real demand in Tokyo and Shanghai overlaps
21:00	$27.1	Daylight Saving Time begins at the start of the New York market
12-13:00	16.8 /$13.8(minimum)	Low participation rate in Asia during the daytime
6 to 7 o'clock	$18.9/$19.6 (small sample size)	During the daily downtime, the trading period is short

*Compiled by our editorial team. This data is an average of the "high minus low" for each hourly chart of COMEX gold futures (GC) from September 8, 2025 to September 7, 2026, broken down by Japan Standard Time (excluding Saturdays and Sundays in Japan).XAU/USD, traded by overseas FX brokers, is a spot transaction referencing the spot price, and therefore does not perfectly match the price or price range of futures.Please use this as a guide to understand trends for each time period. The values ​​will also change depending on the price level of gold.

The fact that a peak appears in the 10 o'clock hour is an exceptional movement during Asian trading hours, and this is likely due to the combination of Tokyo's actual demand and the opening of the Shanghai gold market. However, our editorial team was only able to confirm data on price ranges and has not identified the underlying factors. Information on choosing brokers based on trading hours and comparing spreads can be found in our guide to gold trading with overseas forex brokers

Gold has a larger price volatility per hour than currency pairs, and the fluctuations in profit and loss when leveraged are also larger. Do not judge solely on the length of the trading period or the magnitude of price movements; calculate the lot size in reverse from the amount of loss you can tolerate in a single trade

CFD and cryptocurrency trading hours differ from those of currency pairs

With overseas forex brokers, you can also trade stock indices, crude oil, and cryptocurrencies in the same account.Unlike currency pairs, the trading hours for these are determined according to the time of the market they reference, so the schedules vary from instrument to instrument."Forex is open, but the Nikkei 225 is not moving" is the expected behavior according to the specifications.

merchandise	Estimated trading hours (Japan Standard Time / Daylight Saving Time)	Features
Currency pairs (FX)	Monday around 6:00 AM to Saturday around 6:00 AM (almost continuous)	Many companies do not have daily downtime
Gold and Silver	Monday around 7am to Saturday around 6am.There is one break per day in the early morning for about an hour.	The next chapter will provide a detailed breakdown by vendor
Stock market indices (Nikkei 225, US30, etc.)	Generally from around 7 AM to around 6 AM the following day. The suspension time varies depending on the index	The Nikkei 225 is traded from morning to the following morning Japan time for many brokers. European indices start later
Crude oil (WTI, Brent)	From around 7 AM to around 6 AM the next day. Some Brent companies start several hours later	Because futures contracts are referenced, there is a change in the contract month
Individual stocks	US stocks trade from 10:30 PM to around 5:00 AM the following day (daylight saving time)	Only during the trading hours of the listed market. Many brokers are limited to MT5
Cryptocurrencies (such as Bitcoin)	Almost 24 hours a day, including weekends(365 days a year depending on the provider)	One of the few stocks that moves on weekends. Liquidity tends to decrease and spreads tend to widen on weekends

*These are estimates based on data published on each company's official website (confirmed September 7-8, 2026). For accurate times for each instrument, please refer to each company's "Contract Specifications." A comparison of leverage and the number of tradable instruments by category is summarized in the Overseas FX CFD Trading Guide

There are two practical points to note. First,"some brokers do not accept new orders at the end of trading hours." Because they switch to a state where only settlements are possible (close-only), entries made just before closing may not go through. Second,"for instruments that reference futures, the price jumps on the day the contract month changes,"and on this day, stop-loss orders may be executed unexpectedly.

Time zones with high price volatility and how to use them depending on your trading style

Based on the aggregated data from the previous chapter, the time periods with the largest price fluctuationsinto three: "9-10 AM (around the Tokyo mid-rate)", "4-5 PM (London trading begins)", and "9 PM-12 AM (overlap of London and New York trading)". While larger price fluctuations increase opportunities for profit, they also mean faster losses, so it's practical to choose the time period that best suits your trading strategy.

Time slot	Average price range (USD/JPY)	Characteristics of the market	Compatible trading styles
9-10 AM Tokyo - Around the mid-rate	26.0 / 22.2 pips	Real demand-driven buying and selling causes rapid fluctuations in a short period. Direction is unlikely to persist, and prices often return to a range	Day trading that is completed in a short time. Don't be greedy about price fluctuations
Tokyo afternoon, 11:00-15:00	15.6–21.9 pips	The number of participants decreases, and price movements calm down. European traders begin to enter from around 3 PM	Counter-trend trading within a range, waiting with limit orders. Practicing market analysis
London starts between 4 PM and 6 PM.	24.4 / 23.7 / 20.2 pips	Trading volume has increased dramatically, making it more likely for the price to break out of its range during Tokyo trading hours. The GBP/JPY pair has moved more than 34 pips	Breakout, Trend Following
European midday break between 7 PM and 8 PM	17.0 / 17.8 pips	It's midday in Europe, so things calm down for a bit. Time to wait for New York	Organizing positions, creating scenarios
9pm-12am London + New York	24.6 / 28.4 / 26.0 pips	The most volatile day. A concentration of US economic indicators makes it easier to identify trends.	Trend following, trading in the direction of the trend after economic indicators are released
0:00-4:00 AM New York (late segment)	16.7–23.6 pips	During winter hours, the momentum continues until around midnight, gradually diminishing	Settlement and profit-taking with the assumption that the position will not be carried over

*Price ranges are based on our editorial team's calculations (September 8, 2025 - September 7, 2026, weekdays). The larger the price range during a given period, the greater the loss when the market moves against your expectations. It'snot the case that "you're more likely to win during periods of price movement"; rather, it's essential to design your lot size and stop-loss range according to the periods of price movement.

How to choose the right time for scalping, day trading, and swing trading

• Scalping– Primarily focused on the 4-5 PM and 9-11 PM timeframes, when price swings are large and liquidity is high. During periods with smaller price swings (6-8 AM and 12-2 PM), even with the same spread, the potential profit is smaller, making it easier to lose money due to costs. For detailed information on the method, please refer to thescalping guide on overseas forex websites.
• Day trading– This timetable makes it easy to set up a strategy of entering a trade when London opens around 4 PM, taking advantage of the gains between 10 PM and midnight, and closing the position before midnight. If you don't hold positions overnight, swaps and gaps at the start of the week are irrelevant.
• Swing trading – the swap payment time and weekend holding are more important than the entry time (see below). Since the daily chart closes at 0:00 server time (6-7 AM Japan time), it's a good habit to check the chart in the morning if you're developing a trading strategy based on the daily chart.
• Automated trading (EA)– If there are parameters to narrow down the time zone, be careful not to confuse specifying the server time with Japan Standard Time. Also, be aware that the time zone will shift when switching between summer and winter.

The swap will be credited between 6 and 7 AM Japan time

One often overlooked aspect of trading hoursthe timing of swap points (interest rate adjustments). Many overseas forex brokersaccrue a full day's worth of swap points if you hold a position at 0:00 server time, which is 6:00 AM (daylight saving time) or 7:00 AM (standard time) Japan time. Since the points are credited even if you cross this time by just a few seconds, be mindful of this time when trading across midnight.

Contractor	Grant time (official notation)	Days when three days' worth of payments are added together
XMTrading	Server time 0:00 (based on GMT+2; please note daylight saving time)	Currency pairs are released on Fridays, while gold and silver are released on Wednesdays
AXIORY	MT4/MT5 time is 24 hours (7:00 AM Japan time, 6:00 AM during daylight saving time)	Wednesday (Stock CFDs and Battle CFDs are available on Fridays)
BigBoss	At the end of the session (6:00 AM JST during daylight saving time, 7:00 AM JST during standard time)	Wednesday
ThreeTrader	—	Wednesday
HFM	—	Currency pairs are released on Wednesday, and stock indices on Friday
IS6FX	MT4/MT5 0:00	Weekend bonuses are credited at 0:00 on Saturday (cryptocurrency is credited four times a day at 0:00, 6:00, 12:00, and 18:00)

*Based on information from each company's official website (confirmed September 7-8, 2026). Items marked with "-" were not officially specified. Days when three days' worth of swaps are applied together are due to a system that shifts the two days of weekend swaps to weekdays . For instruments with negative swaps on long positions, the cost on these days will be tripled . For the swap levels themselves, please refer to the overseas FX swap point comparison

Time periods and times to avoid

The times you can trade and the times that are suitable for trading are two different things. There are two main types of times when you should avoid trading FX:times when liquidity is low and costs are high, and times when prices jump and stop-loss orders are less effective.Specifically, these include early morning hours (6-8 am), immediately after the release of economic indicators, the gap at the start of the week, and the Christmas and New Year period.

Early morning hours (6-8am): The least volatile time of day, and spreads are widest

The period between 6 and 8 AM Japan time, when the New York market is closed and the Tokyo market is not yet fully operational , is considered a "market trough." Our editorial team's calculations show that the average hourly spread for USD/JPY was 12.5 pips in the 6 AM hour, the smallest in 24 hours, while for EUR/USD it was 6.0 pips in the 8 AM hour. In addition to the small price range, spreads tend to widen during this time.HFMofficially states that spreads widen from 11:55 PM server time to 12:05 AM the following day (5:55 AM to 6:05 AM Japan time in summer, 6:55 AM to 7:05 AM Japan time in winter) due to daily bank rollovers, which may result in orders not being executed or experiencing delays. However, our research has not confirmed any brokers that publicly disclose hourly spread figures, and our editorial team does not measure hourly spreads .

There are three reasons why this time slot is disadvantageous

• There are fewer trading participants globally—with major participants from Europe and the US absent, orders are thin. Prices are more likely to move even with small orders.
• multiple processes span across midnightmidnight server time (6-7 AM Japan time) is when swaps are applied and rollovers occur.HFM, officially warn that "spreads may widen around this time" because
• Gold trading will be suspended—as explained below, many brokers will have daily maintenance on gold during this time.

Low liquidity during Asian trading hours has been pointed out by market participants. The Tokyo Foreign Exchange Market Committee, which has its secretariat within the Bank of Japan, has warned that liquidity during Asian hours may decrease significantly, especially during long holidays . If you want to get up early to trade, it is easier to find favorable conditions if you avoid the 6-7 AM hour and wait until the late 8 AM hour or later, after the Tokyo market has opened . For spread levels from different brokers, please refer to the overseas FX spread comparison

Immediately after the release of economic indicators | Prices jump and stop-loss orders are misplaced

US employment statistics and the Consumer Price Index (CPI) are released at 8:30 AM local time, which9:30 PM in summer and 10:30 PM in winter Japan time. The FOMC policy interest rate is announced at 2 PM local time, which is 3 AM in summer and 4 AM in winter Japan time. At the moment of the announcement, the market can move by tens of pips in just a few seconds, and the following three things happen simultaneously.

• A rapid widening of the spread—which can become several times wider than normal—can cause unrealized losses to temporarily swell and trigger a stop-loss.
• Slippage– a discrepancy between the order price and the execution price. Stop-loss orders may be executed at a less favorable price than expected.
• Temporary leverage restrictions– Some brokers increase the required margin before and after economic indicator announcements (e.g., 15 minutes to 90 seconds after the announcement) and reduce the leverage on new orders.

For beginners, it's best to avoid taking positions immediately before an announcement and to wait until the initial volatility subsides before confirming the direction . The mechanism of forced liquidation is explained in detail in the section on stop-loss mechanisms in overseas forex trading

Carryover over the weekend | A gap opening on Monday is unavoidable

Trading is closed on weekends, butglobal events continue. When major news breaks over the weekend, a "gap" occurs when trading opens on Monday, with the price significantly different from Friday's closing price. Because the price jumps over the gap, anystop-loss orders you've set will not be executed at that price, but rather at the price beyond the gap.

This is a major difference from domestic FX brokers. Many overseas FX brokers employ a zero-cut system (exemption from negative balances), so even if your account balance goes negative due to a gap in trading, losses are limited to your initial deposit if you are trading within the terms and conditions . Domestic FX brokers are prohibited by Cabinet Office Ordinance from continuing trading without requiring a deposit to cover any shortfall when the margin falls below the required amount (Article 117 of the Cabinet Office Ordinance concerning Financial Instruments Business, etc.), and any shortfall is claimed according to the terms and conditions. However, you will still lose your initial deposit, so it's generally advisable to reduce your lot size if you're trading over the weekend, or to close your positions and start over instead of hedging. The conditions for zero-cut are explained in the section on the zero-cut system for overseas FX brokers

Christmas and New Year's Holidays | Fewer participants make price movements harder to predict

From late December to early January, market participants in Europe and the US go on holiday, resulting in a significant drop in liquidity.Many markets are closed on December 25th and January 1st, and trading hours are shortened before and after these dates. With fewer participants, large orders can easily cause the market to swing in one direction, making technical analysis less effective.

Each company will announce changes to their trading hours for the year-end and New Year period via their official website and email between November and December each year. The shortened dates vary depending on the broker and the securities, so if you have open positions, be sure to check the announcements in your account. Details on holidays, including weekends and public holidays, are summarized in the Overseas Forex Weekend and Public Holiday Guide

How to choose trading times that fit your lifestyle and allow you to continue without difficulty

The ability to trade 24 hours a day on weekdays also means that you have to decide for yourself when to trade. It's morestable to narrow down your trading time to one or two periods and adapt your trading strategy to the market characteristics during those times, rather than trading at different times every day. Here's a breakdown of practical choices based on your lifestyle.

Lifestyle patterns	Recommended time	reason	Points to note
Office worker during the day	9 PM to 12 AM	This is the time of day with the largest price fluctuations (24.6-28.4 pips for USD/JPY), and it's possible to trade after returning home. There are many traders and high liquidity	It coincides with the release of US economic indicators. Since extending it into the late night would affect the next day, we'll set an end time in advance
Returning home early / Working from home	4 PM to 6 PM	The start of London trading is likely to cause a breakout from the range seen during Tokyo trading hours (USD/JPY 24.4 pips, GBP/JPY 34.7 pips)	European indicators are concentrated in the 5-6 PM time slot. The start time differs by one hour between summer and winter
I have free time during the day	9:00 AM to 11:00 AM	The price fluctuates quickly around the mid-rate, making it easy to learn price movement patterns (USD/JPY 26.0 pips). Japanese information is readily available	The direction is unlikely to last, and the price tends to return to its range. Don't chase after the upward movement too much
Early morning type	Late 8:00s to 10:00s	The time when the Tokyo market starts to move. Avoid the dip in the 6-7 o'clock hour	Spreads are wide between 6 and 7 AM, and gold trading is suspended during this time. Do not attempt to trade during this period
Irregular hours	Decisions are made using daily and 4-hour charts without specifying a time frame	You don't have to be glued to the charts. You make decisions based on the price level rather than the entry time	Manage swap accrual times (6-7 AM) and weekend carryovers

What all these patterns have in common"deciding on times when you won't trade." It's more advantageous to wait until the market is active than to keep paying costs during periods of small price fluctuations. If you trade late at night, it's equally important to decide in advance on an end time that won't affect your life the next day in order to continue trading.

Frequently Asked Questions about Trading Hours for Overseas Forex Brokers

What are the trading hours for overseas forex?

Currency pairs can be traded almost 24 hours a day on weekdays. Most brokers open around 6:00 AM (daylight saving time) or 7:00 AM (standard time) Japan time on Mondays and close around 6:00 AM (daylight saving time) or 7:00 AM (standard time) on Saturdays. Other instruments besides currency pairs, such as gold, open about an hour later, around 7:00 AM in summer and 8:00 AM in winter. Trading is not available on Saturdays and Sundays. However, please note that most brokers' server time is GMT+2 (winter) / GMT+3 (daylight saving time), and the time displayed on their official websites is not Japan Standard Time. Some brokers, likeExness, display trading hours in UTC+0 in their official help sections

What are the trading hours for gold (XAU/USD)? Can I trade on weekends?

The standard XAUUSD cannot be traded on weekends. Like currency pairs, it is traded from early Monday morning to early Saturday morning, but unlike currency pairs , there is a one-hour break (maintenance) once a day in the early morning Japan time . The timing of the break varies from a few minutes to 10 minutes depending on the broker, and some brokers make it so that only settlements are possible (new orders are not allowed) before and after the break. Cryptocurrency CFDs are the main ones that operate on weekends, but some brokers offer a separate symbol that is advertised as 24-hour (e.g.,HFM's XAUUSD247), so please check the specifications of the instrument you use. Broker-specific trading times are grouped together with gold trading hours

When is the time of day when gold (XAUUSD) moves the most? What are the times of day when volatility is highest?

Our editorial team's analysis over the past year shows that the highest price was between 10 PM and 11 PM Japan time (averaging $33.3 to $34.2 per hour) , followed by 10 AM ($30.9) and 12 AM ($30.5). The lowest price was around 1 PM ($13.8), a difference of approximately 2.5 times. Gold reacts to the US dollar and US interest rates, so price fluctuations are concentrated during the release of US economic indicators and during New York market hours. For a comparison of trading methods and brokers, please refer to our overseas forex gold trading guide

What is the most volatile time of day for FX trading?

For the USD, the biggest movement occurred around 10 PM Japan time (an average of 28.4 pips per hour), followed by 11 PM and 9 AM (26.0 pips each) (compiled by our editorial team over the past year). This is because London and New York trading hours overlap, and it coincides with the release of major US economic indicators. The EUR/USD pair also saw its biggest movement around 10 PM, and the GBP/JPY pair around 11 PM. Conversely, the least volatile period was around 6 AM for the USD/JPY pair (12.5 pips).

What are the start and end times for London time and New York time?

Unlike exchanges, the interbank foreign exchange market does not have official opening times; these are customary designations. As a general guideline for Japan Standard Time,London time (European time) is approximately 4 PM to 1 AM the next day in summer and 5 PM to 2 AM the next day in winter. New York time (US time) is approximately 9 PM to 6 AM the next day in summer and 10 PM to 7 AM the next day in winter. Note that there is a one-hour difference between summer and winter time. The period between 9 PM and midnight (summer), when both time zones overlap, is the busiest time of day.

When does the time change between daylight saving time and standard time?

In the United States, daylight saving time runs from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November, while in Europe and the UK, it runs from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October.In 2026, the US will observe daylight saving time from March 8th to November 1st, and Europe from March 29th to October 25th. In 2027, the US will observe daylight saving time from March 14th to November 7th, and Europe from March 28th to October 31st. Because the switch dates differ between the US and Europe, in 2026, the period from March 8th to 28th and October 25th to November 1st will be periods where only one side observes daylight saving time, resulting in a change in the time difference between London and New York.

Why is it better not to trade in the early morning hours, between 6 and 7 AM?

because it's a "market trough" between the New York market closing and the Tokyo market not yet open, resultingin the smallest price range of the day (12.5 pips for USD/JPY around 6am), while also beinga time when spreads tend to widen. Furthermore, at 0:00 server time (6-7am Japan time), swap accrual and rollovers coincide, causing gold to enter a period of inactivity. While trading isn't impossible, the cost-to-price range ratio is highest during this time, so it's best to avoid it unless there's a clear reason.

What are the trading hours for overseas forex brokers during the year-end and New Year holidays?

Many markets will be closed on December 25th and January 1st, and trading hours will be shortened before and after these dates. The dates and times of the shortened hours vary depending on the broker and the instrument, and each company will announce this on their official website or via email in November or December each year. During this period, the number of market participants decreases, liquidity drops, and spreads may widen, making unexpected price movements more likely. For more information on market closures, please refer to the guide on weekends and holidays for overseas forex brokers

Summary | Remember trading hours as "time to move" and "time to avoid"

While overseas forex currency pairs can be traded almost 24 hours a day on weekdays, they don't move the same way at all times.Our editorial team compiled a year's worth of 1-hour charts and found that the price range was about 2.3 times wider in the 10 PM hour than in the 6 AM hour, when it was smallest.In practice, it's more useful to understand the characteristics of the market during the time you can comfortably trade than to focus on the length of time you can trade.

The next step is to decide on one or two time slots during which you can trade and choose a broker with narrow spreads during those times. If you mainly trade gold, the Gold Trading Guide is helpful ; if you also trade stock indices and crude oil, the CFD Trading Guide is useful. Opening an account through MoneyChat will give you cashback based on your trading volume (eligible instruments and cashback amounts vary by broker).

Find an overseas forex broker that suits your trading style and open an account through MoneyChat, where you can earn cashback