Forex Trading Sessions in Australia: Best Times to Trade and Session Overlaps (AEST)
BY TIOmarkets
|March 19, 2026The forex market is open 24 hours a day, 5 days per week, but not all trading hours are equal. Activity, liquidity, and spread behaviour vary significantly depending on which major financial centres are open at any given time. For individuals interested in forex trading in Australia, understanding how the three global forex sessions align with local time is one of the most practical steps you can take before developing a trading routine.
How the Forex Market Works Around the Clock
The forex market does not have a central exchange. It operates as a network of banks, institutions, and brokers across multiple time zones. As one major financial centre closes, another opens, creating a continuous cycle of trading activity from Monday morning in Sydney to Friday afternoon in New York.
The three major forex trading sessions are the Asian session, the London session, and the New York session. Each session has its own liquidity characteristics, and the periods where two sessions overlap tend to produce the highest trading volumes and tightest spreads.
A Note on Australian Time Zones
Eastern Australia observes two time offsets depending on the time of year. Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) is UTC+10 and applies during winter (roughly April to October). Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT) is UTC+11 and applies during summer (roughly October to April), when clocks move forward by one hour.
Because the major European and North American markets do not follow the same seasonal schedule as Australia, the local times at which London and New York sessions open and close shift by one hour depending on whether Australia is on AEST or AEDT. All session times in this guide are presented in both AEST and AEDT so you can apply whichever is current.
Queensland does not observe daylight saving and remains on UTC+10 year-round. Traders in Queensland can use the AEST column at all times.
The Three Major Forex Sessions
The Asian Session
The Asian session is the first major session to open each week. It is centred on Tokyo, though Sydney, Hong Kong, and Singapore also contribute significant volume during this period. For Australian traders, this is the most accessible session as it opens during local business hours.
The Asian session typically runs from 09:00 to 18:00 Japan Standard Time (UTC+9). In Australian eastern time, this translates to approximately 10:00 to 19:00 AEST, or 11:00 to 20:00 AEDT.
Activity during the Asian session is generally most pronounced in pairs involving the Japanese yen, Australian dollar, and New Zealand dollar. The overall range of price movement is often narrower than during the European or North American sessions, and spreads on major pairs can be somewhat wider outside of peak Asian liquidity hours.
The London Session
The London session is the largest forex trading session by volume. It opens as European markets come online and generates the highest levels of liquidity across a wide range of currency pairs, including all the major EUR, GBP, and CHF pairs.
The London session typically runs from 08:00 to 17:00 GMT (UTC+0). In Australian eastern time, this translates to approximately 18:00 to 03:00 AEST (next day), or 19:00 to 04:00 AEDT (next day). During British Summer Time (BST, UTC+1, roughly late March to late October), the London session opens one hour earlier in UTC terms, shifting the AEST equivalent to approximately 17:00 to 02:00.
For Australian traders, the London session falls in the evening and late night. Spreads on major pairs are typically at their tightest during the London session, and price movement is generally more sustained than during the Asian session alone.
The New York Session
The New York session opens as London trading is still active, creating the most liquid overlap of the trading day. It typically runs from 13:00 to 22:00 GMT (UTC+0). In Australian eastern time, this translates to approximately 23:00 to 08:00 AEST (next day), or 00:00 to 09:00 AEDT (next day).
The New York session drives significant volume in USD pairs, including EURUSD, GBPUSD, USDJPY, USDCAD, and AUDUSD. Major US economic data releases, including non-farm payrolls, CPI, and Fed announcements, fall within this session and can produce sharp short-term price movements.
For Australian traders, the New York session runs through the night and into the early morning. Traders who target high-volatility conditions during US data releases will need to plan around these unsociable hours.
Session Overlaps: The Highest Activity Periods
The periods where two sessions run concurrently are generally the most active in terms of volume and price movement. There are two key overlaps relevant to forex traders.
London and New York Overlap
This is the most significant overlap in the forex trading day. It occurs when both London and New York are open simultaneously, typically from 13:00 to 17:00 GMT. In Australian eastern time, this falls at approximately 23:00 to 03:00 AEST, or 00:00 to 04:00 AEDT.
During this overlap, liquidity in major pairs is at its highest, bid-ask spreads are typically at their tightest, and the largest single-day price moves most often occur. For Australian traders prepared to trade late at night, this window represents the most active conditions available in the forex market.
Asian and London Overlap
There is a brief period each day when the tail end of the Asian session runs alongside the opening of the London session. This typically occurs between approximately 08:00 and 09:00 GMT, which translates to around 18:00 to 19:00 AEST, or 19:00 to 20:00 AEDT. This overlap is shorter and less pronounced than the London/New York overlap but can produce a pickup in activity in EUR/JPY and GBP/JPY pairs as European traders react to Asian session price action.
Session Times Summary (Eastern Australia)
The Asian session runs from approximately 00:00 to 09:00 UTC, which is 10:00 to 19:00 AEST or 11:00 to 20:00 AEDT. The London session runs from approximately 08:00 to 17:00 UTC (GMT), which is 18:00 to 03:00 AEST or 19:00 to 04:00 AEDT, extending into the following calendar day. The New York session runs from approximately 13:00 to 22:00 UTC, which is 23:00 to 08:00 AEST or 00:00 to 09:00 AEDT, also extending into the following day. The London/New York overlap runs from approximately 13:00 to 17:00 UTC, which is 23:00 to 03:00 AEST or 00:00 to 04:00 AEDT.
All London and New York times above are given for GMT (UTC+0). During British Summer Time (BST, UTC+1, roughly late March to late October), London opens one hour earlier in UTC, which shifts the AEST and AEDT equivalents for the London session and the London/New York overlap one hour earlier.
What This Means for Australian Traders
Australia's time zone places traders in a genuinely different position from traders in Europe or North America. The Asian session aligns with Australian business hours, making it the most convenient session to access without disrupting a normal daily schedule. However, the Asian session tends to produce narrower ranges and less sustained directional movement in major pairs than the London and New York sessions.
The most liquid and active periods, which correspond to the London session and the London/New York overlap, fall in Australian evening and late-night hours. Traders who are willing to work later in the evening can access the tightest spreads and highest liquidity windows.
For longer-term trading styles such as swing trading or position trading, the specific session timing matters less, as trades are held for multiple days and entered on higher timeframe analysis rather than intraday activity. For shorter-term approaches such as scalping or intraday trading, session timing and the liquidity conditions it produces become more important to consider.
Spreads and Volatility Across Sessions
Spreads on variable-spread accounts widen and tighten in response to market conditions. During high-liquidity periods, particularly the London session and the London/New York overlap, spreads on major pairs are typically tighter. During low-liquidity periods, such as late in the New York session or during the quieter parts of the Asian session, spreads can widen.
High-impact economic data releases can cause spreads to widen sharply in the moments immediately before and after the announcement, regardless of session. This is worth noting for traders who use pending orders or trade around scheduled news events. Orders are executed at the best available market price, which may result in positive or negative slippage, particularly during fast-moving or low-liquidity conditions.
Trading Forex in Australia with TIOmarkets
Forex traders in Australia can access MT4 and MT5 on desktop, web, and mobile, with over 70 currency pairs available across major, minor, and exotic categories. All accounts support hedging. An Islamic (swap-free) account is available for eligible traders; contact TIOmarkets directly for requirements. Copy trading is also available for traders who wish to follow strategy providers or offer their own strategies to followers.
The Standard account is created automatically when you register. Raw and VIP Black accounts can be opened separately through the client area. The minimum deposit for a Standard account is A$20 (or USD 20 equivalent). You have 14 days to trade after funding before full verification is required for withdrawal.
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