- The useful overlap is London afternoon meeting New York morning, not a guaranteed profitable hour
- On 5 October 2026 both cities are on daylight saving, so the overlap is 12:00–16:00 UTC
- From 25 October to 1 November 2026 the UK is back on GMT while New York is still on daylight time, and the usual four-hour pairing shrinks
- Cities that do not change clocks still need both tables, because London and New York do
- A session you cannot supervise is a worse plan than a quieter hour you can watch
Quick Answer#
Spot forex has no opening bell. The window most city guides mean is the overlap of London afternoon and New York morning: about 13:00–17:00 in London and 08:00–12:00 in New York, when those two cities are on the same clock setting.
On 5 October 2026 both are on daylight saving, so the overlap is 12:00–16:00 UTC.
| If you are in | That overlap is |
|---|---|
| Dubai | 16:00–20:00 |
| Riyadh, Istanbul, Nairobi | 15:00–19:00 |
| Lagos | 13:00–17:00 |
| Mumbai | 17:30–21:30 |
| Singapore, Manila, Hong Kong | 20:00–00:00 |
| New York, Toronto | 08:00–12:00 |
| São Paulo | 09:00–13:00 |
The UK puts the clocks back on Sunday 25 October 2026. The United States puts them back on Sunday 1 November 2026. Between those mornings, do not use the table above. Use the mismatch table further down.
Risk warning: A liquid hour is not an edge. Forex and CFDs are leveraged, and most retail CFD accounts lose money. This page converts clocks. It does not tell you to buy or sell. See the risk disclaimer.
For the live picture after you know your row, open the forex market-hours clock. For why the overlap is watched, and why it still fails as a strategy by itself, read the best-time guide.
Which Table to Open#
Short Answer
Three regimes cover the year: both on daylight saving, both on standard time, and the two gap weeks when they disagree.
Detailed Explanation
The UK changes on the last Sunday in March and the last Sunday in October. In 2026 those dates are 29 March and 25 October, at the times published on GOV.UK. The United States changes on the second Sunday in March and the first Sunday in November. NIST lists 8 March 2026 and 1 November 2026.
That produces three blocks:
| Regime | When in the 2026/27 season | Overlap in UTC |
|---|---|---|
| A. Both on daylight saving | After 29 March 2026 until the UK change on 25 October 2026 | 12:00–16:00 |
| C. Mismatch | 25 October 2026 until the US change on 1 November 2026, and the mirror gap in March | 13:00–16:00 |
| B. Both on standard time | After 1 November 2026 until the US springs forward | 13:00–17:00 |
The March gap runs from the US change on 8 March 2026 until the UK and EU change on 29 March 2026. London is on GMT and New York is already on daylight time, so the mismatch table applies then too.
Cities that never change clocks — Dubai, Riyadh, Lagos, Mumbai, Singapore, Tokyo, São Paulo — still move by one hour in local labels, because London and New York moved.
The BIS 2025 survey describes a global over-the-counter market with turnover measured in trillions of dollars a day. That size is why price can move while your city sleeps. It is also why there is no single official session. Broker specifications, not this table, decide when your symbol actually accepts orders. Map those hours with broker server time versus your clock and the daylight-saving note.
Example
A reader in Karachi on 5 October 2026 uses Table A: overlap 17:00–21:00 Pakistan time. On 27 October 2026 the same reader switches to the mismatch row: 18:00–21:00. After 1 November the winter row is 18:00–22:00. The city did not change its offset. London did.
Common Mistake
Saving one screenshot in April and using it in November. The error is one hour, which is enough to miss the open or to sit through the dead part of the afternoon.
Professional Tip
Put the next clock-change Sunday in the same calendar you use for the economic calendar. Recalculate once. Do not recalculate every trade.
Table A — Both Cities on Daylight Saving#
Short Answer
Use this table on 5 October 2026, and whenever London is on BST and New York is on EDT.
Detailed Explanation
“London open” here means 08:00 London local, a convention for when European staffing is well underway, not a bell. The overlap is 12:00–16:00 UTC. Times that pass midnight are on the following local date.
| City | Offset | 08:00 in London | Overlap, your time |
|---|---|---|---|
| London | UTC+1 | 08:00 | 13:00–17:00 |
| New York, Toronto | UTC−4 | 03:00 | 08:00–12:00 |
| Berlin | UTC+2 | 09:00 | 14:00–18:00 |
| Lagos | UTC+1 | 08:00 | 13:00–17:00 |
| Johannesburg | UTC+2 | 09:00 | 14:00–18:00 |
| Riyadh, Istanbul, Nairobi | UTC+3 | 10:00 | 15:00–19:00 |
| Dubai, Abu Dhabi | UTC+4 | 11:00 | 16:00–20:00 |
| Karachi | UTC+5 | 12:00 | 17:00–21:00 |
| Mumbai, Kolkata | UTC+5:30 | 12:30 | 17:30–21:30 |
| Dhaka | UTC+6 | 13:00 | 18:00–22:00 |
| Jakarta, Bangkok | UTC+7 | 14:00 | 19:00–23:00 |
| Singapore, Manila, Hong Kong | UTC+8 | 15:00 | 20:00–00:00 |
| Tokyo | UTC+9 | 16:00 | 21:00–01:00 |
| Sydney (AEDT) | UTC+11 | 18:00 | 23:00–03:00 |
| São Paulo | UTC−3 | 04:00 | 09:00–13:00 |
| Mexico City | UTC−6 | 01:00 | 06:00–10:00 |
Sydney uses this AEDT row from the first Sunday in October while London is still on BST. On 5 October 2026 that is the correct Sydney row. Earlier in the northern summer, while Australia is on AEST (UTC+10), Sydney’s overlap is 22:00–02:00 and London’s 08:00 falls at 17:00.
Mexico City and most of Mexico stay on UTC−6 all year. Some northern border areas follow US daylight saving. São Paulo stays on UTC−3. Istanbul stays on UTC+3. Jakarta means Western Indonesia (WIB), not the country’s other zones.
Example
A Dubai reader who can sit down at 16:30 is inside the overlap. A Dubai reader who can only trade at 09:00 is closer to the London open (11:00 local in this regime) than to the overlap. Those are different markets. Do not treat them as the same setup.
Common Mistake
Using a Gulf neighbour’s row. Riyadh is UTC+3 and Dubai is UTC+4. The overlap is an hour apart all year.
Professional Tip
Write the row into the top of the journal for the season: “October, Table A, Dubai 16:00–20:00.” When the row changes, the journal date shows why yesterday’s candle times moved.
Table B — Both Cities on Standard Time#
Short Answer
Use this after the United States leaves daylight saving, until it starts again in March.
Detailed Explanation
London is on GMT (UTC+0) and New York is on EST (UTC−5). The overlap returns to 13:00–17:00 UTC. Local labels for cities that never change clocks move one hour later than Table A.
| City | Offset | 08:00 in London | Overlap, your time |
|---|---|---|---|
| London | UTC+0 | 08:00 | 13:00–17:00 |
| New York, Toronto | UTC−5 | 03:00 | 08:00–12:00 |
| Berlin | UTC+1 | 09:00 | 14:00–18:00 |
| Lagos | UTC+1 | 09:00 | 14:00–18:00 |
| Johannesburg | UTC+2 | 10:00 | 15:00–19:00 |
| Riyadh, Istanbul, Nairobi | UTC+3 | 11:00 | 16:00–20:00 |
| Dubai, Abu Dhabi | UTC+4 | 12:00 | 17:00–21:00 |
| Karachi | UTC+5 | 13:00 | 18:00–22:00 |
| Mumbai, Kolkata | UTC+5:30 | 13:30 | 18:30–22:30 |
| Dhaka | UTC+6 | 14:00 | 19:00–23:00 |
| Jakarta, Bangkok | UTC+7 | 15:00 | 20:00–00:00 |
| Singapore, Manila, Hong Kong | UTC+8 | 16:00 | 21:00–01:00 |
| Tokyo | UTC+9 | 17:00 | 22:00–02:00 |
| Sydney (AEDT) | UTC+11 | 19:00 | 00:00–04:00 |
| São Paulo | UTC−3 | 05:00 | 10:00–14:00 |
| Mexico City | UTC−6 | 02:00 | 07:00–11:00 |
New York’s local overlap stays 08:00–12:00 in both matched regimes. London’s local overlap stays 13:00–17:00. Everyone else absorbs the UTC shift. Sydney’s winter-of-the-north row is AEDT because southern summer daylight saving is in force through the northern winter, until the first Sunday in April.
Example
In January, a Lagos reader who was trading 13:00–17:00 in October is now early for the overlap. The matched winter window is 14:00–18:00.
Common Mistake
Assuming “New York open is always 8 a.m. my time” because it is 8 a.m. in New York. It is 8 a.m. in New York. It is not 8 a.m. in Karachi.
Professional Tip
If you annotate charts in UTC, you only change the session box twice a year. If you annotate in local time, you change the box even when your country never touches the clocks.
Table C — The Mismatch Week#
Short Answer
In 2026 the autumn gap is 25 October to 1 November. The usual four-hour pairing becomes three hours: 13:00–16:00 UTC.
Detailed Explanation
During both gap fortnights, London is on GMT and New York is on EDT. The familiar local labels — 13:00–17:00 London and 08:00–12:00 New York — only share 13:00–16:00 UTC.
The 2026 gap mornings, from the official change times:
- Autumn: after 02:00 BST on 25 October (01:00 UTC) until 02:00 EDT on 1 November (06:00 UTC).
- Spring: after the US change on 8 March until the UK change on 29 March.
| City | Offset | 08:00 in London | Shared window |
|---|---|---|---|
| London | UTC+0 | 08:00 | 13:00–16:00 |
| New York, Toronto | UTC−4 | 04:00 | 09:00–12:00 |
| Berlin | UTC+1 | 09:00 | 14:00–17:00 |
| Lagos | UTC+1 | 09:00 | 14:00–17:00 |
| Johannesburg | UTC+2 | 10:00 | 15:00–18:00 |
| Riyadh, Istanbul, Nairobi | UTC+3 | 11:00 | 16:00–19:00 |
| Dubai, Abu Dhabi | UTC+4 | 12:00 | 17:00–20:00 |
| Karachi | UTC+5 | 13:00 | 18:00–21:00 |
| Mumbai, Kolkata | UTC+5:30 | 13:30 | 18:30–21:30 |
| Dhaka | UTC+6 | 14:00 | 19:00–22:00 |
| Jakarta, Bangkok | UTC+7 | 15:00 | 20:00–23:00 |
| Singapore, Manila, Hong Kong | UTC+8 | 16:00 | 21:00–00:00 |
| Tokyo | UTC+9 | 17:00 | 22:00–01:00 |
| Sydney (AEDT) | UTC+11 | 19:00 | 00:00–03:00 |
| São Paulo | UTC−3 | 05:00 | 10:00–13:00 |
| Mexico City | UTC−6 | 02:00 | 07:00–10:00 |
Both 2026 mismatch windows fall while Sydney is on AEDT. Economic releases stated in “Eastern Time” also shift relative to London during this week. Convert the release through UTC. Do not add a memorised five hours.
Example
A New York reader who always reviews at 08:00 local will, during the mismatch week, be one hour earlier than London’s 13:00. The shared window that week starts at 09:00 New York time, not 08:00.
Common Mistake
Blaming the broker for “stolen” volatility in the last week of October. The hour moved. The platform did not.
Professional Tip
For that one week, trade the demo schedule you already wrote, shifted to Table C. Do not invent a new strategy to fill the missing hour.
If the Good Hour Is at Work or Asleep#
Short Answer
Pick a window you can watch. Do not pick the overlap and then click from a meeting or from bed.
Detailed Explanation
The overlap is often more two-sided in major USD pairs, and spreads on those pairs are often tighter than in the late Asian lull. News can remove that advantage in seconds. None of this matters if you cannot see the ticket. A sustainable hour beats a famous hour.
| Where you live | What the overlap usually does to a day job | A more honest alternative |
|---|---|---|
| New York, Toronto, São Paulo, Mexico City | Falls in the morning | A short pre-work or early-session review, then flat |
| London, Lagos, Berlin, Johannesburg | Falls in the work afternoon | Higher-timeframe decisions outside meetings, or no intraday trades |
| Riyadh, Istanbul, Nairobi, Dubai | Falls in the late afternoon and evening | After the day shift, if you are still alert |
| Karachi, Mumbai, Dhaka | Falls in the evening | A defined evening block with a hard stop time |
| Jakarta, Singapore, Tokyo | Falls at night | Tokyo morning instead of a 1 a.m. overlap |
Tokyo does not use daylight saving. A simple Asian block is 09:00–12:00 Japan time, which is 00:00–03:00 UTC all year: 08:00–11:00 in Singapore, 07:00–10:00 in Jakarta, 05:30–08:30 in Mumbai, and 04:00–07:00 in Dubai. That is a different market from the London–New York overlap. Study it as its own session in the Asian session guide, not as a cheaper version of London.
Gulf readers have a second calendar. The local weekend is not the FX weekend. Friday can still be a full trading day on the platform while Sunday is shut. Check the symbol sessions before you plan around prayer, office hours or a Friday close.
Example
A nurse in Manila who gets home at 22:00 can see the last part of the summer overlap and should not “make up” the missed hour at 02:00. Two supervised nights a week, same pair, same risk, will teach more than seven exhausted ones.
Common Mistake
Quitting sleep because a video said the overlap is where money is made. Fatigue increases size errors, and a unit error on the ticket is already easy. If the ticket language is still confusing, fix pips versus points before you add a bad hour.
Professional Tip
For one month, log the session name next to each demo trade and do not increase size in the “best” hour. If you cannot explain pip, lot, spread and stop in one sentence each, stay on the readiness scorecard and the how to start path. The clock comes after that, not before.
What the Clock Does Not Tell You#
Short Answer
The tables do not show spread, news, holidays or your server time.
Detailed Explanation
Four things override a neat row:
- Your symbol’s session in the contract specification, including holidays and early closes.
- Server time, which stamps candles and the swap cutoff. It can be UTC+2 or UTC+3 regardless of your city.
- The economic calendar, converted through UTC. A New York 08:30 release is not 08:30 in Dubai.
- Your risk limit. A liquid hour still loses money if the lot is too big. Read risk management before you fund anything because a table cell looks convenient.
Spreads, slippage and gaps are covered in market hours, liquidity and slippage. Use that piece when a row is active and the price is still expensive to trade.
Example
Table A says Singapore’s overlap starts at 20:00. If the broker’s gold specification is already closed, or the spread is several times its usual point count because of a speech, the row does not oblige you to click.
Common Mistake
Treating 20:00 as a signal. It is a time when other people are also at work in two financial centres. That is all.
Professional Tip
Five minutes before the window, read the spread in pips and the next red-flag release. If either one breaks your rule, the correct trade is no trade. The economic calendar should be set to the same zone you used in the table.
Checklist#
- I know which regime applies today: summer, winter or mismatch.
- I used my city’s offset, not a neighbouring country’s.
- I converted 08:00 London and the overlap into local time and wrote them down.
- I know the next clock-change date that affects London or New York.
- I checked server time against local time through UTC.
- I checked the symbol’s own trading sessions.
- I can sit the window without breaking sleep or the job.
- I am not increasing size because the hour is famous.
Glossary#
- UTC: The reference used to convert clocks. It is not a trading session.
- Overlap: In this article, the shared part of London afternoon and New York morning.
- Daylight saving: The seasonal clock shift in the UK, Europe and most of the US. Many of the cities in these tables do not use it.
- Session convention: A teaching label such as “London open.” It is not an exchange bell.
- Server time: The broker platform clock that timestamps deals and daily rollover.
- Mismatch week: A fortnight when London and New York are not on the same daylight-saving status.
What to Read Next#
Use the row as a timetable, then learn the market that actually trades in it: market hours and slippage, Asian session behaviour, and the pre-trade checklist.
Two follow-ups that would extend this page: a worked week of demo trades restricted to one city row and one pair, and a field-by-field guide to the symbol specification so session times, stops level and swap cutoff come from the ticket rather than from memory.
Qualified next step: Rehearse your city’s row on demo across one clock change before you treat it as a habit. If you later open a live account, the timetable still does not justify a larger deposit. ForexTradeLab may earn a commission from a qualifying partner account. See the affiliate disclosure.
Risk warning: You can lose money in the most active hour of the week. Never trade funds you need for living costs.
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