The accessibility of the foreign exchange (forex) market entails its appeal to investors, traders, and speculators alike. As the market is open all weekdays (except holidays), anyone who wishes to exploit the volatile currency market can easily do so.
However, this accessibility benefit often blinds traders – it’s so easy to think that any time is the best time to execute a trade.
They forgot that the forex sessions are not created equal. Some indeed bring the volatility needed for big price swings, but most of the time, it’s inactive that trading it is counterproductive and costly.
In this TRU Insight, we’ll cover the Asian session in the forex market – the market window that welcomes the new trading week. Explore whether this trading session can provide the environment you need to stay profitable and safe in the forex market.
Quick Overview: The 24-by-5 Forex Clock Operation
The forex market operates 24 hours during weekdays. As it considers all time zones, it’s safe to say it’s only closed for a day and a half.
And the logic behind this almost around-the-clock market accessibility is the simultaneous operation of the major financial centers in the world. Remember, the forex market comprises all international monetary exchanges (buying, selling, or borrowing).
This international money exchange provides an avenue for online traders to access the financial market – wherein they can invest or speculate on a currency pair movement.
Thanks to the strategic locations of the major financial centers (North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia), as one center closes, the other one opens. This simultaneous operation continuously brings liquidity to the market, making continuous operation possible.
Now, let’s look at the trading session that starts off the forex week after it closes on the weekend.
Deeper Look into the Asian Session
| Asian Session | South Africa Standard Time | Coordinated Universal Time |
| Start | 10:00 pm SAST | 8 pm UTC |
| End | 11:00 am SAST | 9:00 am UTC |
The Asian session is among the three major forex sessions, joining the London and New York sessions.
Related:Beginner’s Guide: Trading London Session Time in South Africa [2025 Update]
Guide to New York Session Time in South Africa [2025 Update]: Ultimate Guide to Asian Session Forex Time
However, forex traders – especially the active ones – often overlook this session due to its relatively lower market activity. And when the market is inactive, it fails to bring the needed volatility for big price swings – you’ll have difficulty running into profits when the price doesn’t move.
But you need to remember that the Asian session is not unprofitable. Let’s remove that misconception from our minds. While it’s true that it’s less active than the London or New York session, several financial centers operating during this session have immense influence on the global economy. Ultimately, this contributes to the activeness of the session.
Several big market participants are in the forex market during this period. Some commercial traders aim to export their goods to China, Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore – some of the world’s biggest trade countries.
Additionally, central banks who wish to trade Japanese Yen create liquidity that makes the session active. Remember, Japan has the world’s largest economy, so investing in the country’s currency and equity markets is strategic.
Sydney Financial Center
| Sydney Session | South Africa Standard Time | Coordinated Universal Time |
|---|---|---|
| Start | 10:00 pm SAST | 8:00 pm UTC |
| End | 7:00 am SAST | 5:00 am UTC |
Australia’s Sydney financial center is the first to open in this forex session.
While Australia is not part of the Asian continent, it’s considered as part of the Asian forex session as the Sydney financial center significantly overlaps with the majority of Asian financial centers.
It generally starts 4 hours earlier than in Asian countries. Thus, the Asian session is 4 hours longer than the New York and London sessions.
Tokyo Financial Center
| Tokyo Session | South Africa Standard Time | Coordinated Universal Time |
|---|---|---|
| Start | 2:00 am SAST | 12:00 am UTC |
| End | 11:00 am SAST | 9:00 am UTC |
The Tokyo financial center is considered at the forefront of the Asian continent in the forex market. Why?
Simply because Japan is the largest financial center in the continent and the third in the world. Additionally, the country has the world’s largest economy.
As many central banks and foreign investors are positive about Yen’s outlook, it’s only natural it will be among the most actively traded currencies in the world.
Additionally, Tokyo has a long history as a financial hub. It’s home to leading global banks and trading houses. Its innovative technological approach boasts the country’s participation in the global economy.
Other Major Financial Hub
Aside from Tokyo and Sydney, the financial hubs of economically competitive countries like China, Hong Kong, and Singapore operate during this session.
These countries are some of the largest trading countries in the world. Thus, the overlapped operation entails increased forex transactions and volumes.
| Financial Hubs | Local Time | UTC | Tokyo Overlap |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 9 am to 5 pm CST | 1 am to 9 am | Same as Tokyo |
| Hong Kong | 9 am to 5 pm HKT | 1 am to 9 am | Same as Tokyo |
| Singapore | 9 am to 5 pm SGT | 1 am to 9 am | Closes an hour earlier than Tokyo |
| South Korea | 9 am to 6 pm KST | 12 am to 8 am | Same as Tokyo |
Is the Asian Forex Session Profitable?
The Asian forex session is profitable, especially if you know the optimal trading approach to ensure you earn despite the relatively slower market movement in this period.
Most traders correlate profitability to large price swings and fluctuations. Remember that it’s only true for active traders who aim to profit from a trending market. However, some traders thrive on a ranging market like those in the Asian session.
The market that trades within the established range of support and resistance levels can offer market clarity, allowing you to spot entry and exit points easily as a trend reversal develops a potential new trend movement.
Related: Guide to the Four Major Forex Trading Sessions in 2025 : Ultimate Guide to Asian Session Forex TimeBeware – Asian Session Welcomes the New Trading Week
The potential lower volume is not the risk of an Asian session. Again, the lack of volatility may not bring large price swings, but it could surely give you the trend clarity you need when speculating on the exchange rate movement.
Instead, the risk here is when the new trading week starts.
As discussed above, the Asian session opens the forex market after it closes during the weekends. And when the market is close, so does your chart. It wouldn’t show you any price action that happens during its closing period.
Thus, for the first few hours of the Asian session in a new week, expect a lot of surprises and significant price gaps. This is why many traders avoid the forex market, as it opens the new forex week, and they still gauge and monitor the price actions during the weekend.
