London vs New York Trading Sessions: When to Trade Major Currency Pairs
The global forex market operates 24 hours a day, but trading volume is concentrated during specific institutional session overlaps.
Asian Session (Accumulation Phase)
During the Asian session (Tokyo/Sydney hours), price typically consolidates within a narrow range, accumulating liquidity above and below the Asian high and low.
London Session (Manipulation & Judas Swing)
When the London interbank market opens (1:30 PM IST), liquidity injections frequently drive a false breakout (the Judas Swing) to sweep Asian session stop-losses before reversing into the true trend direction of the day.
London-New York Overlap (Distribution & Expansion)
The overlap between London and New York sessions (5:30 PM – 9:30 PM IST) produces the highest volatility and volume of the trading day. This is the optimal window for executing high-probability trend continuation setups across EUR/USD, GBP/USD, and XAU/USD.
