Forex trading sessions and the London–New York overlap
By Aiobot · Oct 6, 2026
The forex week is a relay of regional sessions, not a single 24-hour pit with equal activity. Asia (Tokyo/Sydney) typically leads, then London, then New York. The London–New York overlap is the stretch when both centres are open and many USD, EUR, and GBP pairs see more volume. Quote hours in one reference (New York local or UTC) and convert to your wall clock. Promax paints Asia, Frankfurt/FFO, London, and New York boxes on MT5 after Broker GMT is set. Killzones are shorter windows inside these sessions.
Session times in your timezone
Four teaching sessions, plus the stretch when London and New York are both open. Not a buy or sell signal.
Now
London and New York overlap
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Reference:
In your timezone:
Reference hours are exchange-local civil times: Sydney 08:00–17:00 Australia/Sydney, Tokyo 09:00–18:00 Asia/Tokyo, London 08:00–17:00 Europe/London, New York 08:00–17:00 America/New_York. Daylight saving follows that zone on today’s date. The converted column uses the timezone you pick. This is not the broker server clock. Promax paints a separate frame on the broker server clock; it reads the broker’s GMT offset, DST included, automatically.
Weekday session hours only. This clock does not model the Friday close or the Sunday open.
When is the forex market open?
Spot FX is quoted around the clock on weekdays, but activity is not even. Traders group the day into Asia, London, and New York. Exact open/close labels differ by textbook; what matters is using one reference clock.
A widely taught New York–local sketch (not a broker warranty):
| Session | Typical New York local window |
|---|---|
| Sydney | 17:00–02:00 |
| Tokyo | 19:00–04:00 |
| London | 03:00–12:00 |
| New York | 08:00–17:00 |
| London–New York overlap | 08:00–12:00 |
These are teaching clocks. Some textbooks start Sydney at 18:00. Activity is still uneven inside each block.
The clock on this page converts today. Its reference is exchange-local time: Sydney 08:00–17:00 Australia/Sydney, Tokyo 09:00–18:00 Asia/Tokyo, London 08:00–17:00 Europe/London, New York 08:00–17:00 America/New_York, with that zone’s daylight saving. In the usual case the overlap is still about 08:00–12:00 New York. When the UK and the US change clocks on different weekends, use the overlap row, not this table. The table is not broker server time. Pick Asia/Kolkata in the clock for IST; do not add 5:30 to a server that is already GMT+2 or GMT+3.
How do you convert to IST (or another wall clock)?
Name the source clock first. EST New York 08:00 = 18:30 IST. EDT New York 08:00 = 17:30 IST. Never add +5:30 onto a broker server that is already GMT+2 or GMT+3 — convert from this named clock or from UTC, not from an unlabeled server.
Why does the overlap matter?
While London and New York are both open, USD, EUR, and GBP names often see thicker books. That is not a buy/sell signal. It is a liquidity observation. Quiet Asia hours can still move JPY and AUD names.
How does this differ from a killzone?
A session is the full regional block. A killzone is a short ICT window inside it (for example the first hours of London). Keep those URLs separate so each query has one home.
Is gold the same clock?
Spot XAUUSD uses the same weekday relay, but metal liquidity, US data, and rollover spread are a different page: best time to trade gold.
How does Promax draw sessions on MT5?
The Promax panel shades Asia (22:00–04:30), FFO/Frankfurt (06:00–07:00), London (07:00–15:00), and New York (12:00–20:00) in broker GMT after you set Broker GMT and DST. Those numbers are the product’s GMT frame, not a second New York-local table. Align GMT so the box matches the session you meant. Session high/low and midline (Asia and FFO) are drawings. You still choose the entry.
Aiobot is not a signal service and does not guarantee profit from a session.