Menu

Search brokers and articles

Home / Forex Trading Course / What Time Does the Forex Market Open in South Africa?

What Time Does the Forex Market Open in South

Africa?

In this article

1.
BROKER VERIFIED

Minimum Deposit
CCCCC
4.9 stars from 1423 ratings starting at USD 0

Welcome Bonus N/A

Sign up
BlackBull Markets is another name for Black
upBull
to Group
N/A Limited, established in 2014. The
CFD service. Your capital is at risk.
 company is based in Auckland, New
Zealand.

Sign up

CFD service. Your capital is at risk.

There are four major Forex centres worldwide: New York, London, Tokyo, and Sydney. Because of their locations, they make Forex a 24-
hour market. What time does the Forex market open in South Africa? Forex can get traded at any time of the day, 24/5, making it an
over-the-counter (OTC) market. There’s no centralised forex exchange; therefore, you can trade Forex through banks, brokers, and
market makers.

When considering this, forex trading times get offered 24/5, meaning trading is over weekdays only, 24 hours a day. This can also be
referred to as liquidity in the marketplace.

By understanding the various trading times and when the best times to trade are, you’ll get to concentrate on your trading strategies.

What Time Does the Forex Market Open in South Africa

Forex trading hours are the times when you can place Open and Close positions and exchange currencies. Trading times are when
banks, investors, and companies are open. In South Africa, this will fall between 9 AM and 5 PM.

The Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) opens on Mondays to Fridays from 9 AM to 5 PM South African Standard Time (GMT +02:00).
The JSE does not have after-hours trading or pre-market trading.

South African traders can trade currency pairs during any of the major Forex trading sessions. Trading starts in New Zealand and
continues until it closes in the United States. Here is a Forex market Time Converter to help you make the calculations easier.

The various trading sessions are in South African local time (Please note DST):

Sydney open and close – 11 PM to 7 AM

Tokyo open and close (Asia) – 1 AM to 9 AM

London open and close (Europe) – 9 AM to 6 PM

New York (NY) open and close – 2 PM to 10 PM

We found a good visual table illustration of forex market sessions in GMT (Greenwich Mean Time), making it easy to convert into any
timezone.

Broker Rating Bonus Max. Leverage

1.

C C C C C
N/A 1:500
Sign up
4.9 stars from 1423 ratings
CFD service. Your capital is at
risk.
BROKER VERIFIED

Review

Minimum Deposit

starting at USD 0

Welcome Bonus
Sign up
up to N/A
CFD service. Your capital is at risk.
The Best Times to Trade in South Africa
We can see that markets are open at different times depending on the country. How do we know when the best time is to trade Forex in
South Africa?

The best trading times get determined by the three major markets.

The Asian market: characterized by lower liquidity as it’s relatively quiet.

The European market: Has the highest trading volume and is centred around London. Currencies that are the most active are GBP,
USD, and EUR.

The United States market: Has the second-highest volume and gets centred around New York, and comprises other American states.
The most active currencies are EUR, USD, AUD, and GBP.

The middle of the day has less liquidity. The majority of trading takes place near the beginning and the end of the day—shorter trading
windows allow for reducing spreads and increasing liquidity.

When Active Markets Overlap

In South Africa, the best Forex trading hours are when the market is the most active globally. The three main trading centres market
hours overlap at specific points throughout the day, making them the busiest trading times. Here we explain what time the Forex
market opens in South Africa.
Minimum Deposit
Sydney/Tokyo:
starting at USD 0
8 AM to 10 AM (SAST)
Welcome Bonus
Sign but
If you’re trading EUR/JPY, this is the best time to be trading these currency pairs. Volatility is not as high, up it does give trades a
up to N/A
chance when there’s high pip fluctuation. If you’re in South Africa, this would be an excellent time to trade USD/JPY.
CFD service. Your capital is at risk.
London/Tokyo:

9 AM to 10 AM (SAST)

This overlap gives you trades with the highest margins of profitability. It’s unfortunately not as great as the other two overlaps.

USA/London:

2 PM to 7 PM (SAST)

This overlap is the busiest within the markets. The US dollar and the Euro are the most popular pair with which to trade. More than 70
percent of trades happen at this time. When London and the USA overlap, it becomes the best time to trade in South Africa. The market
experiences high liquidity, having the most traders during this period with solid price moves.

Just because you’re in South Africa doesn’t mean you should trade South African Rand (ZAR) when the market is open.

Trade the Forex Market with Local South African Brokers

Broker Rating Bonus Max. Leverage

1.

C C C B A
up to 100% 1:500
Sign up
3.4 stars from 84 ratings
CFD service. Your capital is at
risk.
BROKER VERIFIED

Review

2.

C C C B A
up to 200% 1:500
Sign up
3.4 stars from 259 ratings
CFD service. Your capital is at
risk.
BROKER VERIFIED

Review

3.

C C C B A
NA 1:100
Sign up
3.4 stars from 104 ratings
CFD service. Your capital is at
risk.
BROKER VERIFIED

Review

Daylight Savings Time (DST)

Forex trading hours vary during daylight savings time on various days. Daylight savings time gets observed in March/April and
October/November. Japan does not follow daylight savings time.

Different seasons get experienced during other times, and it’s important to remember this when you’re trading during these periods.
While Sydney moves forward with one hour, the United States will move back one hour to standard time.
Minimum Deposit

Always be mindful of the seasons and different time zones during these periods,atasUSD
starting it can
0 affect your trades.
South Africa
Welcome benefits from being in a time zone close to Europe. This allows you to take advantage of London’s market hours. The best
Bonus
Sign
hours to trade in South Africa are between 2 PM and 7 PM (SAST), as you will experience high volatility upthe most substantial price
with
up to N/A
moves.
CFD service. Your capital is at risk.
Final Thoughts
Besides weekends, the JSE and other markets are closed on Christmas Day and New Years Day.

It’s important to note when the various markets open globally, and not just the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. You want to be mindful
of when the highest volatility and liquidity get expected.

There’s always going to be a better time to trade than others, which depends on the currency pair you choose or your trading style.

Get a risk management strategy in place for the various forex market hours, and choose the times that work best for you.

Categories: Forex Trading Course | Author: Heinrich Le Roux | Date: 7 Jan 2022

Heinrich Le Roux
Heinrich is a forex and CFD enthusiast with a passion for writing good informative quality content. He strives to showcase the best
forex brokers in Africa. Join him on his Journey!

Content Writer | Market Analyst

Relevant Posts

Stop Loss and Take Profit – How
Do You Set It?
[top_three_brokers] As a trader, the most
important role is to manage and protect your
trading…
What are Index Points? Japanese Candlesticks
[top_three_brokers] Do you know what the Explained
index point is? A market index point is a…
[top_three_brokers] The traders use the
Japanese Candlesticks to construct charts and
analyse the price movement…

Read more Read more Read more

Traders’ #1 Broker

N/A

Sign up

CFD service. Your capital is at risk.

Minimum Deposit

Rizk warning Get In Touch starting atTradeFx

USD 0 Africa Social Links

Welcome Bonus
This website includes information about contracts Write For Us South Africa
for difference (CFDs), cryptocurrencies and other
About Us Nigeria
Sign up I J H
up to N/A
financial instruments offered by brokers,
Contact Us Kenya CFD service. Your capital is at risk.
exchanges and other entities offering such Privacy Policy
instruments.
Disclaimer
Both CFDs and cryptocurrencies are complex
leveraged instruments and carry a high level of
risk. You should carefully consider whether you
understand how these instruments work and
whether you can afford to take the risk of losing
your money. Do not risk money you cannot afford
to lose. Always seek independent financial advice.
Read our full disclaimer.

Copyright © TFX Online (Pty) Ltd 2020 - 2022 All Rights Reserved.

TradeFX South Africa is a brand name of TFX Online (Pty) Ltd (Registration No. 2021/713904/07)

Website Design & SEO done by: GOseo - GObeyond

Minimum Deposit

starting at USD 0

Welcome Bonus
Sign up
up to N/A
CFD service. Your capital is at risk.