What are the Best Forex Market Hours?

Forex markets are known for their endless reservoir of profits and this is mainly because of the extremely flexible business hours. You can capitalize on the best bullish or bearish phase, given that you are in the right place at the right time. You, as a trader, can open positions anytime you want but there are certain time slots that are much more preferable than others.
Before we get into a detailed discussion on the best hours to make profits, it will be better if you were aware of the following basics regarding Forex markets and their functionalities –

• There are three main trading sessions which constitute actual Forex market trading hours:
• US Session, which begins at 0800 hrs and ends at 1700 hrs (EST);
• London Session, which begins at 0300 hrs and ends at 1200 hrs (EST); and
• Tokyo Session, which begins at 1900 hrs and ends at 0400 hrs (EST), on the next day.
• The weekend always starts a bit early and only half the Friday is active while the other half is more or less inactive.
• The Forex market hours calm down by 1200 hrs and the market closes by 1700 hrs.
• The best time to trade, as proven by many analysts, is the middle of the week.

Now that you are familiar with the basics, you must be wondering what the phrase ‘best time’ actually means. The main characteristic of the Forex market is its volatility or its ability to swing to extremes in a given period of time. Sometimes the shifts are so drastic than a moment’s profit can turn into loss the next moment. This volatility ensures that the possibility of making profits stays but you must understand that when the market is stagnant, so is the possibility of making any profit.
In order to make maximum profit, you should trade when multiple sessions overlap.

• London and US, between 0800 hrs to 1200 hrs (EST);
• London and Tokyo, between 0300 hrs to 0400 hrs (EST).

This does not mean that you cannot function beyond the time slots mentioned; it simply means that these would be the preferred slots to trade.

If you don’t want your trade period to extend beyond the day, you should open your position at the volatile hours and because of the fluctuations, you will be able to close it before the day ends. Although, it is true that higher risk entails a higher reward, it can sometimes work the opposite way too.  If Forex market opens an opportunity to make endless profits, it can also cause endless losses. You must always be careful and cautious.