Markets & hours

Trading session

A trading session is the part of the day when a major financial centre, such as Sydney, Tokyo, London or New York, is open for business. Activity, liquidity and spreads usually change as sessions open, overlap and close.

Also called: market hours, trading hours, forex sessions, London session, New York session, Asian session

Hypothetical example

Hypothetically, a pair's spread is 1 pip while the London and New York sessions overlap and 3 pips in the quiet hours after New York closes.

Liquidity
Gap
Economic calendar

Used in these guides

Markets & hours8 min read
Forex market hours in Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Peru and Argentina
When the Sydney, Tokyo, London and New York sessions open and close in your local time, and how daylight saving time moves them.
Markets & hours8 min read
Daylight saving time and market hours
Who changes their clocks and when in 2026–2027, what the mismatch weeks do to the London–New York overlap, and what to check in your platform.

Previous term: TradeLocker
Next term: Trailing stop

Back to the glossary

Risk Warning: CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money.

Trading session

Hypothetical example

Related terms

Used in these guides

Forex market hours in Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Peru and Argentina

Daylight saving time and market hours