The Best Time to Trade Forex in South Africa
The Forex market operates 24/5 and has no official opening and closing times. It operates with a start to the trading week and an end to the trading week. Therefore, Forex trading starts Sunday at 22:00 GMT and ends Friday at 22:00 GMT. For South African Forex traders, it translates to Sunday 00:00 until Friday 24:00, but what are the most profitable Forex market hours in South Africa?
Top Forex Brokers
From a technical perspective, the most profitable Forex market hours in South Africa are during the most liquid trading sessions.
The reasons why liquid trading sessions are the best include:
- More liquidity results in tighter spreads
- Tighter spreads lead to higher profits
Forex Market Opening Times in South Africa
The Forex market is open 24/5 without opening and closing times, but the trading week starts Sunday 00:00 (SAST) and closes Friday 24:00 (SAST). Despite the 24/5 nature of the Forex market, four trading sessions account for 75% of global Forex trades and London and New York for over 60%. For many Forex traders, the best Forex market hours in South Africa are during those sessions.
The four major Forex trading sessions are:
- Sydney, which unofficially starts the trading weeks
- Tokyo, which injects the bulk of Asian liquidity
- London, which accounts for most of the Forex trading volume
- New York, which unofficially ends the trading week
Below is a table showing the unofficial Forex market opening hours for the four core Forex centers:
Local Opening Time | GMT Opening Time | SAST | |
Sydney | Monday 08:00 | Sunday 22:00 | Sunday 00:00 |
Tokyo | Monday 09:00 | Sunday 24:00 | Monday 02:00 |
London | Monday 08:00 | Monday 07:00 | Monday 09:00 |
New York | Monday 08:00 | Monday 12:00 | Monday 14:00 |
Forex Session Times in South Africa
When evaluating the most profitable Forex market hours in South Africa, Forex traders should consider the unofficial opening and closing hours of each core Forex center, as outlined below.
Sydney Forex trading session
Local Time | GMT Time | SAST | |
Open | Monday 08:00 | Sunday 22:00 | Monday 00:00 |
Close | Monday 16:00 | Monday 06:00 | Monday 08:00 |
Tokyo Forex trading session
Local Time | GMT Time | SAST | |
Open | Monday 09:00 | Sunday 24:00 | Monday 02:00 |
Close | Monday 18:00 | Monday 09:00 | Monday 11:00 |
London Forex trading session
Local Time | GMT Time | SAST | |
Open | Monday 08:00 | Monday 07:00 | Monday 09:00 |
Close | Monday 16:00 | Monday 15:00 | Tuesday 17:00 |
New York Forex trading session
Local Time | GMT Time | SAST | |
Open | Monday 08:00 | Monday 12:00 | Monday 14:00 |
Close | Monday 16:00 | Monday 20:00 | Tuesday 22:00 |
Overlapping Sessions
When two Forex markets operate simultaneously, the overlapping sessions increase liquidity and create more trading opportunities with lower trading fees. The London - New York overlap session is the most essential Forex trading period for Forex traders, which accounts for 60%+ of all Forex trading activity.
Sydney - Tokyo Overlapping Forex trading session
South Africa Start Time | South Africa End Time | Currency Pairs to Consider |
Monday 02:00 | Monday 08:00 | AUD/USD, AUD/NZD, NZD/USD, AUD/NZD, AUD/JPY, NZD/JPY, USD/JPY |
Tokyo - London Overlapping Forex trading session
South Africa Start Time | South Africa End Time | Currency Pairs to Consider |
Monday 10:00 | Monday 13:00 | GBP/JPY, EUR/GBP, EUR/USD, EUR/JPY, GBP/CHF, EUR/CHF, CHF/JPY |
London - New York Overlapping Forex trading session
South Africa Start Time | South Africa End Time | Currency Pairs to Consider |
Monday 14:00 | Monday 18:00 | EUR/USD, USD/CHF, USD/JPY |
Making the Most of Forex Trading Sessions
The best Forex brokers in South Africa maintain cutting-edge trading infrastructure to ensure Forex traders have an edge.
Forex traders should also consider the following:
- Forex overlap session awareness to ensure execution of the right trading strategy
- Using an economic calendar to plan for avoidable volatility spikes
- Executing appropriate risk management
- Using AI-assisted trading tools
Bottom Line
The most profitable Forex market hours in South Africa are when Forex traders can focus on executing their strategy. From a liquidity and profitability standpoint, the three overlap sessions remain superior. They account for 75%+ of global trading volumes, featuring lower spreads and increased profitability.
