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Forex market hours in South Africa

Every session, the busiest overlap, the weekly open and close and the ICT killzones in South Africa time (SAST), with a live clock and the next US and UK holidays.

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SessionTodayStatus
ICT killzoneTodayStatus

The forex week in South Africa (SAST, UTC+2)

London–New York overlap, the busiest hours15:00–19:00 in January; 14:00–18:00 in July
Week opens (January)Monday 00:00
Week closes (January)Saturday 00:00
Week opens (July)Sunday 23:00
Week closes (July)Friday 23:00
Session (SAST)JanuaryJuly
Sydney22:00–07:00 (+1 day)23:00–08:00 (+1 day)
Tokyo02:00–11:0002:00–11:00
London10:00–19:0009:00–18:00
New York15:00–00:0014:00–23:00
ICT killzone (SAST)JanuaryJuly
Asian Killzone03:00–07:0002:00–06:00
London Killzone09:00–12:0008:00–11:00
London Silver Bullet10:00–11:0009:00–10:00
New York AM Killzone14:00–17:0013:00–16:00
NY AM Silver Bullet17:00–18:0016:00–17:00
London Close Killzone17:00–19:0016:00–18:00
New York PM Killzone20:30–23:0019:30–22:00
NY PM Silver Bullet21:00–22:0020:00–21:00
Next US holidays (opm.gov)
Wed 11 Nov 2026Veterans Day
Thu 26 Nov 2026Thanksgiving Day
Fri 25 Dec 2026Christmas Day
Fri 01 Jan 2027New Year's Day
Mon 18 Jan 2027Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Mon 15 Feb 2027Washington's Birthday
Mon 31 May 2027Memorial Day
Fri 18 Jun 2027Juneteenth National Independence Day (observed)
Mon 05 Jul 2027Independence Day (observed)
Mon 06 Sep 2027Labor Day
Mon 11 Oct 2027Columbus Day
Thu 11 Nov 2027Veterans Day
Thu 25 Nov 2027Thanksgiving Day
Fri 24 Dec 2027Christmas Day (observed)
Next UK bank holidays (gov.uk)
Fri 25 Dec 2026Christmas Day
Mon 28 Dec 2026Boxing Day (substitute day)
Fri 01 Jan 2027New Year's Day
Fri 26 Mar 2027Good Friday
Mon 29 Mar 2027Easter Monday
Mon 03 May 2027Early May bank holiday
Mon 31 May 2027Spring bank holiday
Mon 30 Aug 2027Summer bank holiday
Mon 27 Dec 2027Christmas Day (substitute day)
Tue 28 Dec 2027Boxing Day (substitute day)

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Forex hours in South Africa time

South Africa keeps SAST (UTC+2) all year, the same as many brokers' MT5 server time in winter. The rand pairs (USD/ZAR) are most active while London and New York are open.

The forex market runs from Sunday 17:00 to Friday 17:00 New York time. In South Africa that is Monday 00:00 to Saturday 00:00 in January and Sunday 23:00 to Friday 23:00 in July. The tables show both months because New York, London and Sydney move their clocks in different weeks. For about three weeks in March and one week around the start of November the US and UK are out of step, and the overlap starts an hour earlier than usual.

When to trade, when to wait

Most of the day's range in EUR/USD, GBP/USD and gold is made in the London session and the London–New York overlap (15:00–19:00 SAST in January). The Asian hours are usually quieter outside the yen and Aussie pairs. On a US or UK holiday one of the two big centres is shut, so volume is thin and spreads can be wider; check the lists above before planning a trade on those days.

Forex-markure in Suid-Afrika

Wanneer open en sluit die forex-mark in Suid-Afrikaanse tyd? In Januarie open dit maandag om 00:00 en sluit saterdag om 00:00; in Julie open dit sondag om 23:00 en sluit vrydag om 23:00 (SAST).

Wanneer beweeg die mark die meeste? Wanneer Londen en New York albei oop is: 15:00–19:00 in Januarie en 14:00–18:00 in Julie, Suid-Afrikaanse tyd.

All countries: forex market hours by country. Release times: economic calendar.

Questions

When does the forex market open in South Africa?

Monday 00:00 SAST in January and Sunday 23:00 in July (Sunday 17:00 New York time).

What is the best time to trade forex in South Africa?

The London-New York overlap: 15:00–19:00 SAST in January, 14:00–18:00 in July.

Wanneer open en sluit die forex-mark in Suid-Afrikaanse tyd?

In Januarie open dit maandag om 00:00 en sluit saterdag om 00:00; in Julie open dit sondag om 23:00 en sluit vrydag om 23:00 (SAST).

Wanneer beweeg die mark die meeste?

Wanneer Londen en New York albei oop is: 15:00–19:00 in Januarie en 14:00–18:00 in Julie, Suid-Afrikaanse tyd.

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