Forex markets open Sunday at 5 p.m. Eastern Time, when trading begins in Wellington, New Zealand

The forex market does not have a single opening bell. Instead, it opens in waves as the business day arrives in each major financial center around the world. On Sunday evening in North America, the first major trading session begins in Wellington and Sydney, which is already Monday morning in that part of the world. This means Sunday at 5 p.m. ET is when you can start trading most major currency pairs if you have an account with a broker.

The exact time varies slightly by broker and by which currency pairs you want to trade. Some brokers open at 4:50 p.m. ET on Sunday; others wait until 5:15 p.m. Check your broker's website or trading platform to see their specific Sunday opening time. The difference of a few minutes matters if you plan to trade right when the market opens, because price movements can be sharp in those first moments.

Sunday opening is also when liquidity — the ease of buying and selling without moving the price — is thinnest. Fewer traders are active, so bid-ask spreads (the gap between buy and sell prices) are wider than during the busy London and New York sessions. If you trade at Sunday's open, you may pay more to enter a position than you would during peak hours.

Key Takeaways

  • Forex trading on Sunday begins at 5 p.m. Eastern Time when the New Zealand and Sydney markets open, though some brokers start a few minutes earlier.
  • The market does not close on weekends; it straightforward moves from one region to the next as the business day progresses around the globe.
  • Sunday evening trading has wider spreads and lower liquidity than the London and New York sessions, so transaction costs are higher.
  • Your broker's platform will show you their exact Sunday opening time, which may differ from the market's official opening by a few minutes.

How the 24-Hour Forex Session Works

The forex market operates continuously from Sunday evening through Friday evening because it is decentralized — there is no central exchange. Instead, banks, brokers, and traders in different time zones trade directly with each other. As one region's business day ends, another region's begins, so the market never truly closes.

The sequence runs: New Zealand and Sydney open Sunday evening (ET), followed by Tokyo and Hong Kong on Sunday night (ET), then London on Sunday night into Monday morning (ET), and finally New York on Monday morning (ET). Each session overlaps with the previous one for a few hours, creating periods of higher and lower trading volume. The overlap between London and New York, roughly 8 a.m. to noon ET, is the busiest time of the week.

This structure means you can trade forex at almost any hour, but the market conditions change dramatically depending on which session is active. A currency pair might move 50 pips in an hour during the London session but only 10 pips in an hour during the Sunday evening session, straightforward because fewer traders are active.

Why Sunday Opening Time Matters for Your Trading

If you trade forex, the Sunday opening time affects three practical things: when you can enter a position, how much it costs you to do so, and what news or events might move the market.

First, you cannot trade before your broker opens on Sunday, even if the market technically has opened in New Zealand. Your broker controls when you can place orders on their platform. If your broker opens at 5 p.m. ET and you want to trade at 4:45 p.m., you will not be able to until 5 p.m.

Second, the Sunday opening often comes with wider spreads. Because fewer traders are active, the difference between the bid price (what buyers offer) and the ask price (what sellers want) is larger. On a major pair like EUR/USD, the spread might be 2 to 3 pips on Sunday evening but only 0.5 to 1 pip during London hours. That difference adds up if you trade frequently.

Third, economic news from Asia often arrives during the Sunday evening session. If Japan releases employment data or Australia releases inflation figures, the market can move sharply even though overall volume is low. A thin market with sudden news can create fast, unpredictable price swings.

The Difference Between Market Open and Broker Open

The forex market and your broker are not the same thing. The market opens in New Zealand at a specific time, but your broker may open a few minutes before or after that, or may not offer trading on all currency pairs at the Sunday opening time.

Some brokers open their platforms at 4:50 p.m. ET to get ahead of the official market open. Others wait until 5:15 p.m. ET. A few brokers that cater to retail traders may not open until 6 p.m. ET or later on Sunday. Check your broker's trading hours page or call their support line to confirm when you can actually place trades on Sunday.

Additionally, some brokers restrict which pairs you can trade during the Sunday evening session. Major pairs like EUR/USD, GBP/USD, and USD/JPY are almost always available, but exotic pairs or crosses might not be tradeable until the London session opens. Your platform will show you which pairs are available at any given time.

What Happens Between Friday Close and Sunday Open

The forex market closes on Friday evening in New York, typically at 5 p.m. ET. It then remains closed for roughly 48 hours until Sunday at 5 p.m. ET when New Zealand opens. During that gap, no forex trading occurs on the interbank market.

However, news and economic data do not stop over the weekend. If a major geopolitical event or economic announcement happens on Saturday or Sunday, the market will react when it reopens. The Sunday opening price may be significantly different from Friday's close. This is called a gap, and it can work for or against your positions if you held trades over the weekend.

Some brokers offer limited weekend trading through alternative platforms or cryptocurrency-linked products, but these are not the same as the standard forex market. The official forex market does not trade on weekends.

Planning Your Sunday Trading Strategy

If you plan to trade on Sunday evening, account for the thinner market conditions. Spreads are wider, so your entry and exit costs are higher. Price movements can be more erratic because a smaller number of traders can move the market more easily. Stop-loss orders may fill at worse prices than you set them for.

Many traders avoid Sunday evening altogether and wait for the London session to open on Monday morning (ET), when liquidity improves and spreads tighten. If you do trade Sunday, consider using limit orders instead of market orders — a limit order lets you set the exact price you will accept, rather than accepting whatever price is available right now.

Also check your broker's policy on gaps. If the market gaps up or down at the Sunday open, some brokers will honor your stop-loss at the price you set, while others will fill it at the gapped price. Knowing this in advance prevents surprises.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I trade forex on Saturday?

No. The forex market is closed on Saturday and does not reopen until Sunday at 5 p.m. Eastern Time when New Zealand's market opens. Some brokers offer weekend trading in cryptocurrencies or other products, but not in the standard forex market.

Why does my broker open at a different time than 5 p.m. on Sunday?

Brokers set their own opening times based on their business model and the liquidity they can access. Some open a few minutes early to capture early movers; others wait until more volume is available. Check your broker's trading hours page for their exact Sunday opening time.

Is Sunday evening a good time to trade forex?

Sunday evening has lower liquidity and wider spreads than the London and New York sessions, so transaction costs are higher. Many traders wait for the London session to open on Monday morning (ET) when conditions improve. If you do trade Sunday, be prepared for thinner markets and larger price swings.

What if I want to hold a position over the weekend?

You can hold a position from Friday close through Sunday open, but the market will be closed during that time. The Sunday opening price may be very different from Friday's close if major news occurred over the weekend. Check your broker's policy on gaps and stop-loss orders before holding positions over the weekend.

Do all currency pairs open at 5 p.m. on Sunday?

Major pairs like EUR/USD, GBP/USD, and USD/JPY open at the standard time, but some brokers do not offer trading on exotic pairs or crosses until the London session opens. Your trading platform will show you which pairs are available at any given time.