Complete CET and EET session times for London, New York, and Asia — with overlap windows, spread conditions, and which hours actually matter for EU retail traders.
The forex market never truly closes between Monday and Friday — but activity, spreads, and volatility vary enormously depending on which global financial centres are open. For EU-based traders, knowing which session you are trading in determines your spread costs, price movement, and the pairs worth watching.
This guide gives you every session time in CET (Central European Time) and EET (Eastern European Time), explains where the sessions overlap, and tells you which hours are worth trading versus which to avoid.
Global forex trading is divided into three main sessions, named after the financial centre that dominates each window. All times below are for the active trading core of each session — not when the market technically opens or closes, but when volume and liquidity are meaningful.
The table below shows trading session open and close times for EU-based traders, broken out by winter and summer clocks. Note that because both EU and UK clocks shift simultaneously in spring and autumn, the London session time in CET stays essentially constant year-round for EU traders.
| Session | CET (winter) open | CET (winter) close | CEST (summer) open | CEST (summer) close | EET (winter) open | EET (winter) close | EEST (summer) open | EEST (summer) close | Volume | Active pairs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asia (Tokyo + Sydney) | 00:00 | 09:00 | 00:00 | 09:00 | 01:00 | 10:00 | 01:00 | 10:00 | USD/JPY AUD/USD NZD/USD AUD/JPY | |
| London (+ Frankfurt) | 09:00 | 18:00 | 09:00 | 18:00 | 10:00 | 19:00 | 10:00 | 19:00 | EUR/USD GBP/USD EUR/GBP USD/CHF EUR/JPY | |
| New York | 14:00 | 23:00 | 14:00 | 23:00 | 15:00 | 00:00 | 15:00 | 00:00 | EUR/USD USD/CAD GBP/USD USD/MXN | |
| London–NY overlap ★ | 14:00 | 18:00 | 14:00 | 18:00 | 15:00 | 19:00 | 15:00 | 19:00 | EUR/USD GBP/USD USD/CHF All majors |
★ London–NY overlap is when both sessions are active simultaneously. This is the highest-volume, tightest-spread window of the trading day.
London handles approximately 38% of global daily forex volume — more than any other financial centre. For EU traders, it is the most important session for several reasons:
The New York session opens at 14:00 CET / 15:00 EET year-round — because both EU and US clocks shift in the same direction each season, the time difference stays constant at 6 hours between CET and Eastern Time.
From 14:00 to 18:00 CET, both London and New York are simultaneously open. This four-hour window is the highest-volume period of the entire trading week. Spreads on EUR/USD drop to their tightest levels. Price movement is strongest. News out of the US (non-farm payrolls, Fed statements, CPI releases) lands during this window and can produce rapid, sustained moves.
After 18:00 CET, London closes and volume begins declining. The New York-only session (18:00–23:00 CET) is still active — especially for USD pairs — but liquidity is lower and movements are less sustained.
For EU traders, the Asia session runs from approximately 00:00 to 09:00 CET (01:00–10:00 EET). Tokyo is the dominant market, with Sydney active from around 23:00 CET the night before.
The Asia session is less relevant for most EU retail traders for two reasons:
If you do trade during Asian hours, be aware that spreads on EUR/USD are typically wider during this window. A broker that offers EUR/USD at 0.1 pips during the London-NY overlap may show 0.8–2 pips during the thin Asian session.
EU-regulated brokers typically use variable spreads — meaning the spread you pay reflects real-time liquidity. Understanding this is critical to accurate cost calculation.
Indicative spread ranges. Actual spreads vary by broker, account type, and market conditions. Always check your broker's live spread data.
For most of the year, EU clocks and UK clocks move at the same time, so the London session stays at 09:00 CET for EU traders regardless of the season.
The exception is a brief window in March and November when EU and US clocks change on different weekends. During this transition week, the New York session temporarily shifts to 13:00 CET instead of 14:00 CET — the overlap window extends by one hour.
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09:00 CET (10:00 EET) year-round. The London session time in CET stays constant because both EU and UK clocks shift simultaneously each spring and autumn.
The London–New York overlap: 14:00–18:00 CET (15:00–19:00 EET). Both major sessions are simultaneously active, producing the highest volume, tightest spreads, and strongest price movement of the day.
The forex market is open 24 hours Monday–Friday, but activity varies significantly. The quietest period is approximately 22:00–01:00 CET. The most active is the London–New York overlap (14:00–18:00 CET).
For most of the year: no. EU and UK clocks shift together, so London stays at 09:00 CET. The exception is a brief window in March and November when EU and US clocks change on different weekends — during that week, NY opens at 13:00 CET instead of 14:00.
Approximately 23:00 CET Friday. Trading resumes around 00:00–01:00 CET Sunday evening (Sydney open). Positions held over the weekend carry gap risk — price can open significantly different from Friday's close.