Market Hours (UTC +1)

The online forex market in Australia, opens before all other forex markets elsewhere in the world.

Australia is 14 hours ahead of New York and 9 hours ahead of London so when it is day time in Australia it is probably night in most countries.

The best time to trade forex in Australia is during the evening/night time because that is when it will be day time in London & New York which are major forex liquidity sources

There are 4 forex sessions in Australia

The London FX Session in Australia

The London session is when it is daytime in the UK and major banks are open for business. These UK banks also trade forex on a large scale, so they contribute to market volume and provide the needed liquidity, so we don't have a sluggish market.

In Australia, the London session starts from 5 pm & ends at 7 am but the busiest London hours are the first hour (5 pm - 6 pm) and the London/NY overlap hours (11 pm to 12 midnight).

The London session is the best time to trade currency pairs that contain the Euro & GBP (currency pairs like EUR/USD, GBP/USD, etc.

The London session is also the best time to trade UK indices such as FTSE100, as well as UK stocks; because Stock Exchanges in the UK are open during the session.

The New York FX Session in Australia

The New York session is when American banks & Stock Exchanges are open for business resulting in more market activity & better liquidity.

In Australia, the New York session starts from 11 pm & ends at 7 am.

The NY session is the best time to trade pairs that contain the US Dollar ( EUR/USD, USD/JPY, XAU/USD, etc.

The NY session is also best for trading American Indices like NAS100, US30 etc.

The New York session is high risk & prone to sudden price surges because a lot of economic news is usually released during the session.

U.S. Nonfarm Payroll News, CPI News, PCE News, etc. are example of some market moving news releases that occur during the New York session so you must always use a stop loss when trading NY.

When trading the New York session from Australia, there is a tendency to fall asleep since the session extends into the midnight. To manage your risk of falling asleep during the NY session, you should always set a Take Profit order or use a Trailing Stop Loss to secure profits.

The Asian FX Session in Australia

The Sydney and Tokyo sessions are jointly referred to as the Asian session since they are just 1-hour apart. The time difference between Syndey & Tokyo is just 1-hour.

In Australia, the Sydney session starts by 8 am till 2 pm while the Tokyo session starts by 9 am till 3 pm.

The Asian session is not ideal for trading major forex pairs, because most of the mega banks in America & Europe would have closed for business, so spreads will be wide.

Volatility is also low during the Asian session with price moving just a few pips every hour.

For example if EUR/USD price moves 100 pips during the New York session, it could move just 20 pips during Asia. This means you cannot make as much profit during Asia as would have made during New York or London sessions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best time to trade forex in Australia?

11 pm to 12 midnight is the best time to trade forex in Australia because New York & London sessions are open at this time so more market participants will be online, and you get tighter spread.

Another good time to trade forex is at the start of the London session between 5 pm and 6 pm , because London banks will just be opening and sending their orders into the market..

What is the best time to trade nas100 in Australia?

New York session (11 pm to 7 am ) is the best time to trade nas100 in Australia because that is when the Nasdaq stock exchange is open for business, so you will get tighter spread & faster price movement.

What is the best time to trade XAU/USD in Australia?

New York session (11 pm to 7 am ) is the best time to trade XAU/USD in Australia because that is when major American banks/liquidity providers are open for business, so you will get tighter spread & faster price movement.

What is the most profitable time to trade?

The London/NY overlap hours (11 pm to 12 midnight) is the most profitable time to trade in Australia because both London & New York Banks are open at that time, so spreads will be tighter and price movement will be faster.

What is the best time to trade AUD

The Asian session (8 am to 3 pm ) is the best time to trade AUD pairs such as AUD/USD, AUD/NZD, etc.

What is the best time zone to trade in?

The London GMT time zone is the best for trading because at a point during the London Time zone, the New York time overlaps resulting in more liquidity.

What is the perfect time for trading?

The nighttime is the perfect time for trading in Australia, because London & New York sessions will be active, and you will get tighter spread & more volatility.

The Sydney/Tokyo sessions (Asian session) is also a bad time to trade forex because New York & UK banks will be closed causing spreads to be wide.

When is the worst time to trade forex?

During or immediately after news releases is a really bad time to trade forex because the market will become disorganized. Resistance/support levels will no longer hold, price will move so fast that you will not have the chance to set a stop loss or even react; and all these could result in losses.

Can I trade forex on public holidays?

No, you cannot trade forex on major public holidays like Christmas & New Year. However, you can trade forex on other public holidays like Easter Good Friday, Easter Monday, Australia Day, Anzac Day, U.S. holidays, etc.

However, note that if you decide to trade forex during country-specific public holidays, the forex market may be very sluggish especially if it is a U.S. or U.K. holiday.

This is because during U.K. & U.S. holidays, their major banks will be closed, so liquidity in the forex market will be limited; causing brokers to widen their spread and you may witness slow price movement.