Forex session times in Nigeria explained (Wellington, Sydney, Tokyo, London, New York)

1. Wellington (9 pm to 6 am)

The Wellington (New Zealand) session is usually the first forex session to open. In Nigeria, It starts by 9 pm and ends by 6 am UTC+1 the following day. This forex session is ideal for trading pacific pairs such as NZD/USD, AUD/NZD etc. Wellington is also a great forex session for trading XAU/AUD, XAU/NZD, and other commodity pairs.

2. Sydney (11 pm to 7 am)

The Sydney (Australia) forex session in Nigeria, starts from 11 pm and ends by 7 am UTC+1 the following day.

The Sydney session is great for trading AUD currency pairs such as AUD/USD, AUD/JPY etc. It is also a great time to trade XAU/AUD because Australia is one of the worlds largest gold producers. Sydney is also ideal for trading soft commodities like grains, diary etc. as Australia produces/exports these in great numbers.

3. Tokyo ( 12 midnight - 8 am)

The Tokyo forex session in Nigeria starts by 12 midnight and closes by 8 am UTC+1 the following day. Tokyo is great for trading JPY pairs such as USD/JPY, AUD/JPY, etc.

4. Singapore ( 1 am - 9 am)

The Singapore forex session in Nigeria starts from 1 am and ends by 9 am UTC+1 time. if you are into trading SGD FX pairs this will be a good time to trade. The ending of the Singapore session, overlaps with the first hour of the London session creating peak liquidity for pairs like GBP/SGD, EUR/SGD, etc.

5. Frankfurt ( 7 am - 3 pm)

The Frankfurt (German) forex session in Nigeria opens by 7 am and closes by 3 pm UTC+1. The Frankfurt session is very important if you are trading any pair that contains the Euro. Frankfurt is also an important session for those trading gold pairs.

6. London ( 8 am - 4 pm)

The London forex session in Nigeria opens by 8 am and closes by 4 pm UTC+1. London is the most consequential forex session because of its high volume making it the most active forex session.

The London session at different times, overlaps with the Frankfurt and New York sessions creating maximum liquidity. If you are trading gold, euro pairs and USD pairs; then the London session is the go to session.

7. New York ( 1 pm -9 pm)

The New York forex session in Nigeria starts from 1 pm and ends by 9 pm UTC+1 time. Between the hours of 1 pm and 4 pm, the New York session coincides/overlaps with the London session creating a burst of liquidity. New York session is best for Nigerian traders to trade XAU/USD, US Indices like Nasdaq, USD FX pairs, etc.

Thanks @yokoyi, I made this pictorial diagram to simplify it

So, the time zone must be UTC+1?

Great initiative for beginners. Here's a clear breakdown of the 4 major forex sessions (in UTC, standard times):

- Sydney: 10:00 PM – 7:00 AM UTC (quiet, good for AUD pairs)

- Tokyo: 12:00 AM – 9:00 AM UTC (Asian session, lower volatility, JPY focus)

- London: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM UTC (highest volume, best for EUR/GBP)

- New York: 1:00 PM – 10:00 PM UTC (strong USD moves)

NOTE: The London-New York overlap (1:00 PM – 4:00 PM UTC) usually offers the highest liquidity and biggest moves ideal for beginners to start with.

Wellington session kicks off the forex week and offers nice moves in NZD and AUD pairs, plus gold crosses like XAU/AUD.

When I started trading, I focused on the first 2–3 hours after open for the cleanest trends (avoiding the thin liquidity in the middle of the night).

I'm to trade this session, I usually focus mainly on AUD/USD and AUD/JPY for better liquidity and tighter spreads.

As a trader, focusing on the first 2–3 hours after open (midnight–3 AM) for best moves is a good timing for this session, as volatility often picks up then.

Focus only on the last 1–2 hours of the session (around 7–9 AM WAT) for better spreads and volume. Avoid the quiet middle part.

The Frankfurt/European session brings solid movement for EUR pairs and Gold (XAU/USD) due to ECB influence and German data.

Focus on the strong overlaps, London + Frankfurt (early London) for clean moves, and especially London + New York (around 1–4 pm UTC) for maximum liquidity and bigger swings.

the New York session (1pm–9pm WAT) is very convenient for Nigerian traders, especially the 1pm–4pm overlap with London for high liquidity.

Set your platform to UTC+1 or Berlin time so the 8:00–12:00 window lines up cleanly with high volume.

During summer it shifts to UTC+2, just adjust accordingly.

@godswill but why are you using UTC time zone? I thought Nigeria is in UTC+1 time zone?

Always use the time zone that matches that of London. From the last Sunday of March till the first Sunday of November, Nigeria & London have the same time zone which is UTC +1 due to daylight savings time coming into effect. So this makes it easier to know when each session is starting. That is why @yokoyi used UTC+1 time zone.

But, outside the periods I just mentioned above, London time will fall behind Nigerian time by 1 hour (due to daylight savings time coming to an end), so you in Nigeria should simply add 1 hour to the session open and close times.