In short
Forex, metals and energy trade 24/5. Indices and shares follow their exchange. Crypto trades every day.
Trading when a market is most active gets you tighter spreads and faster execution, and keeps you out of thin periods where volatility is unpredictable. All times below are in server time, which is UTC+2 in winter and UTC+3 in summer. Your platform clock shows the same time.
Forex trading sessions
| Session | Main markets | Active hours (server time) |
|---|---|---|
| Sydney | Australia | 22:00 to 07:00 |
| Tokyo | Japan | 00:00 to 09:00 |
| London | United Kingdom | 08:00 to 17:00 |
| New York | United States | 13:00 to 22:00 |
Forex trading runs continuously five days a week, opening Sunday evening and closing Friday evening in New York terms. The market is most active when two sessions overlap, particularly London and New York, and that is where you usually find the most volume and the tightest spreads.
Everything else
| Market | When it is open |
|---|---|
| Metals and energy | 24/5 |
| United States indices | 23:00 to 21:15 server time, nearly around the clock on weekdays |
| European and Asian indices | Their own regional exchange hours |
| United States shares | 09:30 to 16:00 New York time, on the NYSE and Nasdaq |
| European shares | London, Euronext and Xetra hours |
| Exchange traded funds | The hours of the exchange they list on |
| Crypto | Every day, all day, weekends included |
Public holidays
Markets close or run shorter hours on public holidays, and the effect differs by asset:
- Forex. The market only fully closes on major global holidays such as Christmas Day and New Year's Day. On a regional holiday, trading continues but liquidity in the affected pairs drops and spreads can widen.
- Indices. Each one follows its home exchange, so United States indices close on United States holidays, the DAX follows German ones and the Nikkei follows Japanese ones. Some sessions close early.
- Shares and funds. They follow the holiday calendar of the exchange they list on, and may close early on the day before or after a holiday.
- Commodities. They follow the schedules of the exchanges where the underlying futures trade. Energy and metals often shorten a session rather than closing entirely.
- Crypto. No holidays at all.
What to expect around a holiday
| Effect | What it means |
|---|---|
| Closed markets | You cannot open or close a position in a closed instrument, and stop loss and take profit orders will not trigger until trading resumes |
| Price gaps | When a market reopens, the first price can be a long way from the last close |
| Reduced leverage | Maximum leverage may be temporarily reduced ahead of a holiday. See When leverage is reduced |
| Swaps | Overnight fees keep accruing on positions held over a holiday |
| Payments | Deposits and withdrawals may process more slowly |
Updated holiday trading hours are published ahead of each major holiday period by email and platform notice. Always check the live hours for the instrument you want to trade in your Personal Area.