Hours during which forex market participants are able to buy, sell, exchange and speculate on currencies are called forex market trading hours.The forex market is open 24 hours a day, five days a week. Because this market operates in multiple time zones it can be accessed at almost any time. The international currency market isn't dominated by a single market exchange but involves a global network of exchanges and brokers around the world. Forex trading hours are based on when trading is open in each participating country.

It is no secret that the forex market is open 24 hours a day, five days a week. In fact, international currency markets are made up of banks, different commercial companies, central banks, hedge funds, investment management firms. Since this market operates in multiple time zones it can be accessed at nearly any time of the day. Moreover, the international currency market is not actually dominated by a single market exchange but instead entails a global network of exchanges and brokers throughout the world. Forex trading hours are based on when trading is open in every participating country.

It is important for the trader to know the times when the major markets are active and how this can be implemented in their trading. As a general rule, a specific currency will usually be most active when that particular market is open. For example, the GBP and its related pairs, while active and tradable 24 hours per day, tends be most active and widely traded during the hours when the London market is open. Meanwhile the JPY and its related pairs will be more widely traded during the Tokyo business day.

Forex trading is conducted around the clock every day except weekends and local holidays. The forex trading day is divided into three major global sessions with regional spikes in trading activity. Forex trading starts at the conclusion of each weekend with the opening of the Asia session, Sydney, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Moscow. Just before the Asian session closes, the European session takes over London, Zurich, Frankfurt, Paris. Halfway through the European trading day the Americas session comes online New York, Toronto, Chicago. These global business handoffs allow the foreign exchange market to remain open 24 hours per weekday.

When trading forex, a market participant must first of all define whether high or low volatility will work best with their individual trading style. If price action is more important, trading the session overlaps or just ordinary economic release times might be the preferable option. The following step would be to decide what the best forex market trading hours or times to trade are, given the bias for volatility. Those wanting high volatility, will need to identify what time frames are most active for the currency pair they are looking to trade.