Trading hours
Typically open from Sunday 22:00 to Friday 22:00 UK time (5pm to 5pm New York time), with a short pause around the 22:00 rollover each weekday at some brokers. Times on your chart follow your broker's server clock.
| When | UK time | New York time | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly open | Sunday 22:00 | Sunday 17:00 | Typically, at most CFD brokers. The first minutes after the open can have wide spreads. |
| Daily rollover | 22:00 each weekday | 17:00 | The trading day ends and overnight financing (swap) is charged. Spreads widen for a few minutes either side, and some brokers pause quotes for one to five minutes. |
| Friday close | Friday 22:00 | Friday 17:00 | Typically. Many brokers stop about 5 minutes early on Fridays. Closed all of Saturday. |
| Underlying market | Sydney working day about 22:00 to 07:00 (UK winter) | 17:00 to 02:00 | Sydney is 11 hours ahead of the UK in the UK winter and 9 hours ahead in the UK summer, because the two countries change clocks in opposite seasons. |
| Busiest hours | 13:00 to 17:00, and 22:00 to 03:00 | 08:00 to 12:00, and 17:00 to 22:00 | Two peaks: the Sydney and Tokyo morning, when Australian and Chinese data come out, and the London and New York overlap. |
Forex hours are set by New York time: the week opens and closes at 5pm New York time. For most of the year that is 22:00 UK time. The UK and the US change their clocks on different dates, so for a few weeks a year it is 21:00 UK instead. In 2026 the UK went back on 25 October and the US on 1 November, so the week of 26 to 31 October closed at 21:00 UK. In 2027 the US moves forward on 14 March and the UK on 28 March, so those two weeks also close at 21:00 UK. US data at 8:30am New York time lands at 13:30 UK for most of the year and 12:30 in the gap weeks. Your chart times follow your broker's server clock, which many brokers set two hours ahead of UK winter time so each daily candle starts at the 5pm New York rollover. Australia changes its clocks in the opposite season (forward on the first Sunday of October, back on the first Sunday of April), so Australian news moves in UK time: an 11:30 Sydney release is 00:30 UK in the UK winter and 02:30 UK in the UK summer, with other times in between during the change weeks.
What is AUD/USD?
AUD/USD is the price of one Australian dollar in US dollars. A price of 0.6500 means one Australian dollar buys 0.65 US dollars. If the price rises, the Aussie is strengthening; if it falls, the US dollar is strengthening.
Australia is a large exporter of iron ore, coal, gas and gold, and China is its biggest customer. That is why the Aussie often reacts to Chinese news and commodity prices, and why traders treat it as a gauge of global risk appetite.
The trading sessions
The home session. Australian jobs and inflation data and RBA decisions land here, so moves of the day can start overnight UK time.
Often continues or reverses the Asian move. Volume rises but the Aussie is not at home.
The busiest window. US data at 13:30 UK moves the dollar side.
Usually quieter, then activity returns as Sydney opens.
Contract facts
One pip is 0.0001 (the fourth decimal place). Most brokers quote a fifth decimal, a tenth of a pip, often called a pipette or point.
1 standard lot = 100,000 Australian dollars. A mini lot (0.1) is 10,000 and a micro lot (0.01) is 1,000.
One pip on 1 standard lot is worth 10 US dollars (100,000 x 0.0001). On a mini lot it is 1 US dollars. Your broker converts that into your account currency at the current rate.
CME Australian dollar futures (symbol 6A): 100,000 Australian dollars per contract, traded on CME Globex Sunday to Friday 5:00pm to 4:00pm Chicago time, with a 60 minute break each day (Sunday 23:00 to Friday 22:00 UK time for most of the year).
How far it usually moves
Varies; check the Average daily range indicator. It averages the distance from each day's high to its low (by default over the last 14 days) and draws the expected high and low for today. We do not quote a fixed number because the range changes with news and volatility.
What moves AUD/USD
Reserve Bank of Australia rate decisions and the gap between Australian and US rates.
Monthly jobs figures and inflation released at 11:30 Sydney time.
Chinese growth, trade and factory data, because China buys a large share of Australian exports.
Iron ore, coal and gold prices feed into Australia's export income.
The Aussie tends to rise when shares rally and fall when they sell off.
US jobs, inflation and Federal Reserve decisions move the dollar side.
Scheduled events to watch
Released at 14:30 Sydney time, eight meetings a year; next on 8 December 2026, then 9 February 2027.
Monthly, published at 11:30 Canberra time by the Australian Bureau of Statistics; a key input for the RBA.
Published at 11:30 Canberra time; inflation drives RBA expectations.
The US rate sets the price of the dollar side of the pair; next decision 9 December 2026, then 27 January 2027.
Usually the first Friday of the month (next: 6 November and 4 December 2026) and often the biggest dollar mover of the month.
What it tends to move with
Tends to move in the same direction as NZD/USD, because the two economies are closely linked.
Tends to rise with gold, as Australia is a major gold producer.
Tends to rise with NAS100 and US30 in calm markets and fall in sharp sell offs.
These are tendencies, not rules. They can break for days or weeks around big news.
Tips for trading AUD/USD
Plan around 11:30 Sydney
Australian data lands overnight UK time. If you hold a position through it, set the stop beyond a real level; the idea is wrong if price closes beyond that level after the release.
Use the Asian range
Mark the Asian session high and low. A London break that holds outside it is the idea; a close back inside the range proves it wrong.
Check gold and indices
A long AUD/USD idea while gold and NAS100 are falling is swimming against the tide. It is wrong if price closes below the low of the candle that set it up.
Use yesterday's levels
Previous day high and low are common turning points. A long above yesterday's high is wrong if price closes back below it.
Size from the level
Put the stop in pips beyond a real level and cut the lot size if the stop is wide, rather than moving the stop closer.
Connect your cTrader account once and AUD/USD appears on WickSpeak at your own broker's prices, with key levels (pivots, previous day high and low, average daily range levels, round numbers) each showing how many pips away it is, and a plain-English reading on the live candle from every indicator. A Playbook play on this pair can send an alert, draw a trade plan, paper trade, or place a live trade inside guardrails you set, but only if you switched live trading on for that play.
Related markets
Sources: rba.gov.au, abs.gov.au, cmegroup.com, bis.org, federalreserve.gov, bls.gov, pepperstone.com. Checked 2026-11-05. Broker hours follow your broker's server clock and can differ.
Questions traders ask
What is the best time to trade AUD/USD from the UK?
The busiest window is 13:00 to 17:00 UK time, when London and New York overlap. The Sydney and Tokyo morning, about 22:00 to 03:00 UK, is also active because Australian data and RBA decisions come out then. The UK morning is often a continuation or reversal of the overnight move.
What time is the RBA decision in UK time?
The Reserve Bank of Australia announces at 14:30 Sydney time. That is 03:30 UK in the UK winter and 05:30 UK in the UK summer. The next decision is on 8 December 2026.
How much is one pip on AUD/USD?
One pip is 0.0001. On 1 standard lot of 100,000 Australian dollars it is worth 10 US dollars, on a mini lot 1 dollar and on a micro lot 10 cents.
Why is AUD/USD linked to China and gold?
Australia sells large amounts of iron ore, coal, gas and gold abroad, and China is its biggest customer. Stronger Chinese demand and higher commodity prices tend to support the Australian dollar. It is a tendency that can break around local news.
Does AUD/USD trade at weekends?
No. AUD/USD typically closes on Friday at 22:00 UK time and reopens on Sunday at 22:00 UK time. News over the weekend can make Sunday's first price differ from Friday's close, which is called a gap.