While technically the forex market doesn’t have “sessions” because it is 24/7, it can nonetheless be divided into several. Here is how forex investors around the world do so, to make the market more manageable.
There is undoubtedly times where the market seems like it is completely still, and then there are times where you will notice that the market appears to be moving a mile a minute. It’s important to know the reasons why more activity might be taking place. Keep in mind that as long as there is activity, there is money to be made, and this goes for both ways. One can make money when a currency goes up, or down, and smart forex traders know when to trade accordingly, and use the best of their resources to make the most informed decision.
Ultimately, since this is a global market, the forex market is divided as such: The Sydney Session, the Tokyo Session, the London Session, and the New York session. Most businesses start 7 AM to 9 AM local time in each respective country, which is important to remember. The successful forex trader is constantly keeping track of time zones, and what time it is in each respective country. Of course, it will take a lot of time to get used to this.
It is also important that there are seasonal changes (daylight savings time), as well, as the times shift in October/November and March/April. Another specific detail to remember is that Japan doesn’t observe daylight savings time.
There are also times when two markets overlap for an hour, which causes more activity than usual. For example, during the summer from 3-4 ET, the Tokyo and London exchanges overlap, which cause increased activity. In addition, from 8-12 ET, the London and NY exchanges overlap in both the summer and winter.
Here is some data that indicates how much movement occurs in the respective session. You might find that the most movement occurs during the London session:
