Time Zones and Sessions confusion, please help (UK)

hi, I live in UK and currently am trying to get my head around the FX time zones and best times I should be watching the market, and just generally understand the diff sessions/times.

Ive just read a few websites which have left me even more confused.

If I live in UK, what is my time zone? GMT or GMT+1? Or does it alternate depending on the time of year???

Is london FX trading session a diff time compared to london stock exchange session?

FTSE session is 8am to 4.30pm, correct?

This website is saying 8am to 5pm is london FX session....
http://www.babypips.com/school/market_hours.html

New york opens at 2.30pm UK time, correct?
So why does above link say U.S. opens at 1pm??

If someone could simply break it down to me, the correct UK times which are important and relevant to me, in regards to FX. ie when sessions open and close, the overlaps of sessions....and anything else I should know.

Thanks in advance.

Hi Jon,

The easiest way is to go the calendar page of FF, on the left hand side you will see a list of the markets, Tokyo, London, New York, just click on each market and it will tell you when that market opens. These are adjusted for BST etc so if ever in any doubt just go there and it will tell you instantly.

hi, thanks.

but..calender page on this site, on the left there is only a "legend" and bank rates info.
ohh, on the homepage, got it.

but there it says tokyo opens at 1am (british time).
All the websites ive read say tokyo/asian session opens at 11pm or 12am (british time)

and it says new york opens at 1pm (british time)...?

when i was trading FTSE and uk shares, i learned that Dow and NYSE opened at 2.30pm.....
im confused.

is fx market diff to the normal stock market? eg is LSE session diff to the london FX session?

Are you joking? You really dont know what time zone you live in?

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=136

Yo, Daylight savings is a pain isn't it.

Check this out; http://www.worldtimeserver.com/.

You can download the clocks for your desktop.
I've got Tokyo and New York time up there for reference.

i know what the time is.
websites like that dont help the questions i have asked.
BST, the trading sites all talk about GMT.....

thankyou, but i am not asking about this.
I can easily find out time in other countries via google or apple mac or ipod etc, this is not where my confusion is coming from.

Im trying to understand everything as it relates to a person living in the UK trying to learn FX times, so i know about them, and can monitor the charts at important times.

Well the UK processes the most FX volume so the gretest volatility is when UK (London) traders are getting their freak on. If it's 8AM in the UK you can bet the GBP/USD is going to be moving.

Frankfurt (Deutsche Bank is the biggest individual FX processor) is important too. Obviously Germany and UK are only 1hour timezone apart so the morning volatitilty will overlap.

Notice that the volatility sometimes drops around lunchtime (peeps need to eat) then the Yankees get going in New York around our lunchtime (5hrs behind) and the market picks up again.

thankyou good info.
ive read the gbp/usd is most volatile at the overlap of london/new york session, which makes sense. (what time is the actual overlap?)

Yeah i think european session is kinda 7am onwards and fully on at 8am with London.

So the american session, is what time exactly? 2.30pm british time?
Ive also just read that really its at 12noon british time that the americans are playing.

Here is a snap of my FF Cal at the present time. I am in Chicago USA - Central Daylight Time:
See that little Clock under the word Calendar and to the right of the word date.
Make sure that time says the same time as your time. Look at your watch or chk the lower right corner of your Windows based PC.

You then compare that time (See above to note which I am talking about) and do the math - add or subtract to find what times markets close and open relative to your specific time.

mrgreen thankyou.
i have my time set up correctly on FF clock.
so we do not have to do any math anyway.
the times of sessions on the homepage are relative to our pre set up time zone.

So all my other questions still apply, and it says new york starts at 1pm, as does babypips website. So all this makes me belive that the fx sessions are a different thing compared to normal national sessions.
eg london stock exchange session is a different time to the london fx session.
new york fx session is a different time frame compared to the new york dow session?

london fx session closes at 5pm?

im very sorry, but i am still a little confused.

also does the fx market open at 11pm on sunday? british time.

You are correct that the FX markets open/close times do not adhere to the local (NY/London) stock market open/closes. I read something about this recently - but I cannot remember if online or in a book. IF I run across it again I'l post it up.

Hi jonboy123,

Attached here a post by Geppyg in FF. Sorry, don't remember which thread I got it from.

Also, I attached image of major session open and close.

Hope this will help.

Cheers,
~profi~


~Post By Geppyg~

For Any Newbies---Times to Trade
Times To Trade
Look for Entry points between 24:00 GMT through to 14:00 GMT on new Signals. Outside of those times the market historically offers very little in the way of opportunity to catch momentum. Full momentum normally does not hit before the European markets open around 06:00 GMT. Market sentiment runs in waves, 24:00 GMT (Japan), 06:00 GMT (Germany), and 11:00 GMT (Chicago), and outside of those times a forex trader is unlikely to see too much sustainable movement.


Global Forex Order Flow Times, And Regional Percentages:
U.K. and Euro-zone 52.6% (05:00 GMT-15:00GMT)
Asia 21.1%. (22:00 GMT-07:00 GMT)
U.S. 16.6% (11:00 GMT-20:00GMT)
Other 9.7%.
The above is the International Bank for Settlement numbers that analyze the global flow of forex trade. It reveals the reason that we do not expect too much to happen, (and we are usually correct), from 14:00 GMT until at least 23:00 GMT. It also reveals why the European futures market open, from around 05:00 GMT through until the Chicago reversal at 11:00 GMT are the main times to expect sustainable moves.

New Orders
For maximum forward momentum look to place/instigate new orders around the following times:
03:00 GMT (Tokyo return from lunch)
06:00-07:00 GMT (European Open)
09:00-11:00 GMT (U.S. futures reaction to London oil, gold, and Libor fixings)15:00 GMT (European close)

Bonds, equities, futures, commodities, all dominate in the U.S. session and as a result forex values are pulled from pillar to post as major global markets wind down their trading day just as the largest commodity, bond and stock markets get go from 11:00 GMT. That is the reason that we do not expect too much to happen, (and we are usually correct), from 14:00 GMT until at least 23:00 GMT.

18:30 GMT (Nymex oil market close) The 18:30 GMT time-frame is the exception to the rule, most days anything placed at this time will not follow through too far, and will very likely drift aimlessly through until swap interest at 21:00 GMT. If traders are looking to get involved in this period it should be done with reduced lot and only if the S&P market is moving hard. 20:00 GMT through to 24:00 GMT is a an absolute no-man's land of forex movement. Anything new that is loaded outside of these times may not follow through with great momentum.

~~~~~

Really the major issue for profi4554 maybe the DST/BST one.

BTW - Can anyone confirm as it is shown on the chart if NY Forex open is really 12.00 GMT? That seems off to me by about 2 hrs. Whats your view?

Thank you !

Confusion here seems to be that both the UK & the USA have DST (daylight saving time) and does not always happen on the same weekends. Clocks are put forward or backward for Summer & Winter respectively.

EST (Eastern Standard Timeused by NY) is always -5 GMT and this realtionship remains when clocks go forward or backwards in each country.

Therefore, UK Open 8.00am is 3.00 am New York, and UK 13.00 is New York 8.00 am. Apply this principal to other time zones and apart from the DST timngs you will be correct.

Here is timezone indicator for MT4 that might be of some help. I don't remember who I got it from.

http://www.forexfactory.com/

http://forex.timezoneconverter.com/

https://www.oanda.com/forex-trading/...s/market-hours

all using the right gmt + 8 time setting, but why the opening time and closing time not same?

Hi there, every time I return to the FF Calendar, I have to recalibrate my clock.

I 'Save Settings', but it always drifts off.

It's set on the right timezone but remains static ... until I update it again.

Is it because I'm on a Mac - or does anyone else have the same issue?