Trading hours
Typically open from Sunday 22:00 to Friday 22:00 UK 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. Sydney and Wellington are already in their Monday morning. Some brokers open a few minutes later and the first minutes can have wide spreads. |
| Daily rollover | 22:00 each weekday | 17:00 | The trading day ends and overnight financing (swap) is charged. Typically there is no long break, but spreads widen for a few minutes either side. Some brokers pause quotes for one to five minutes. |
| Friday close | Friday 22:00 | Friday 17:00 | Typically. Many brokers stop a few minutes early, for example 5 minutes before the hour. Closed all of Saturday. |
| Busiest hours | 13:00 to 17:00 | 08:00 to 12:00 | London and New York are both open. Most volume and most of the big US data releases fall in this window. |
Forex hours are set by New York time: the week opens and closes at 5pm New York time. The UK and the US change their clocks on different dates, so the UK time moves for a few weeks a year. For most of the year the open and close are at 22:00 UK time. In the gap weeks, when the US has changed and the UK has not, they fall at 21:00 UK time. In spring the US moves its clocks forward on the second Sunday of March and the UK on the last Sunday of March (14 March and 28 March in 2027), so for those two weeks the close is 21:00 UK. In autumn the UK moves back on the last Sunday of October and the US on the first Sunday of November (in 2026 that was 25 October and 1 November), so for that week the close is again 21:00 UK. US data at 8:30am New York time lands at 13:30 UK time for most of the year and 12:30 in the gap weeks. Your broker's chart times follow its server clock, which many brokers set to two hours ahead of UK winter time so that each daily candle starts at the 5pm New York rollover.
What is EUR/USD?
EUR/USD is the price of one euro in US dollars. A price of 1.0850 means one euro buys 1.0850 dollars. If the price rises, the euro is getting stronger against the dollar; if it falls, the dollar is getting stronger.
It is the most traded currency pair in the world. The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) found that global currency trading reached 9.6 trillion US dollars a day in April 2025, with the dollar on one side of 89% of trades and the euro on one side of 28.9%. Because so much money flows through it, spreads are usually tight and the pair reacts quickly to US and eurozone interest rate news.
The trading sessions
Usually the quietest time for EUR/USD. Ranges are often small and price drifts around the previous day's close and the overnight high and low.
Eurozone and UK traders arrive and volume jumps. Breaks of the Asian high or low often happen in the first two hours. German and eurozone data comes out between 07:00 and 10:00 UK time.
US traders and US data join. Moves started in London are either continued or reversed. After 17:00 UK the pair usually slows down into the rollover.
The busiest stretch of the forex day. US data at 13:30 UK time often sets the direction for the afternoon, and the London 4pm fix (16:00 UK) can bring a burst of orders.
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 euros. A mini lot (0.1) is 10,000 euros and a micro lot (0.01) is 1,000 euros.
One pip on 1 standard lot is worth 10 US dollars (100,000 x 0.0001). On a mini lot it is 1 US dollar.
CME Euro FX futures (symbol 6E): 125,000 euros 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 EUR/USD
Interest rate decisions and guidance from the European Central Bank (ECB) and the US Federal Reserve. The gap between the two rates matters most.
US data: jobs, inflation (CPI), retail sales and business surveys (ISM).
Eurozone data: flash inflation, German business surveys (Ifo, ZEW) and PMI surveys.
Moves in US government bond yields. Higher US yields tend to support the dollar.
Risk mood. In a sharp sell off, money often runs to the dollar.
Energy prices, because the eurozone imports most of its energy.
Political news in the eurozone, such as elections and budget rows.
Scheduled events to watch
Published at 14:15 Frankfurt time, press conference at 14:45 Frankfurt time (13:45 UK). Eight meetings a year. Next: 17 December 2026.
Eight meetings a year. Press conference 30 minutes later. Remaining dates: 8 to 9 December 2026 (decision on the 9th). 2027: 26 to 27 January, 16 to 17 March, 27 to 28 April, 8 to 9 June, 27 to 28 July, 14 to 15 September, 26 to 27 October, 7 to 8 December (2027 dates are tentative until confirmed).
Usually the first Friday of the month. Next: 6 November and 4 December 2026.
Monthly, usually in the middle of the month.
Released by Eurostat at the start of each month.
Around the third week of the month.
What it tends to move with
Tends to move in the same direction as GBP/USD, because both are priced against the dollar.
Tends to move opposite to the US Dollar Index (DXY), in which the euro is the largest part.
Tends to fall when US two year yields rise faster than German two year yields.
These are tendencies, not rules. They can break for days or weeks around big news.
Tips for trading EUR/USD
Mark the Asian session high and low before London opens. A London break and hold above the Asian high is the idea; a close back inside the Asian range proves it wrong.
Treat round numbers such as 1.0800 and 1.0900 as places where orders cluster. A bounce idea from a round number is wrong if price closes 10 to 15 pips through it on your trading timeframe.
Avoid placing fresh trades in the minutes before 13:30 UK on US data days. Spreads widen and price can jump 20 to 40 pips in seconds. Wait for the first 5 minute candle to close.
Use the previous day high and low as reference levels. A long above yesterday's high is wrong if price falls back below that high and closes there.
Size your stop in pips from a real level, not a round amount of money. If the level needs a 25 pip stop, reduce the lot size rather than tighten the stop.
After 17:00 UK the pair usually goes quiet. A breakout late in the US afternoon often fails; a close back inside the day's range proves it wrong.
Connect your cTrader account once and EUR/USD appears on WickSpeak at your own broker's prices. Trades are placed only from a Playbook play where you switch live trading on; otherwise WickSpeak just reads the chart. Every chart carries key levels (pivots, previous day high and low, average daily range levels, round numbers), each with how many pips away it is, and every indicator writes a plain-English reading on the live candle.
Related markets
Sources: bis.org, cmegroup.com, ecb.europa.eu, ecb.europa.eu, 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 time does EUR/USD open on Sunday in the UK?
Typically at 22:00 UK time on Sunday, which is 5pm in New York. During the short gap weeks in March and late October or early November, when only one country has changed its clocks, it opens at 21:00 UK. Check your broker's server clock, because chart times follow it.
What is the best time to trade EUR/USD?
For most traders it is 13:00 to 17:00 UK time, when London and New York overlap. Volume, movement and spreads are usually best then. The first two hours of London, from about 07:00 to 09:00 UK, are also active.
How much is one pip on EUR/USD?
One pip is 0.0001. On 1 standard lot of 100,000 euros it is worth 10 US dollars, on a mini lot 1 dollar and on a micro lot 10 cents.
Why is EUR/USD called Fibre?
It is a trader nickname. GBP/USD is called Cable after the transatlantic telegraph cable, and EUR/USD became Fibre after the newer fibre optic cables. It means the same pair.
Does EUR/USD trade at weekends?
No. The market closes on Friday at 22:00 UK time and reopens on Sunday at 22:00 UK time (typically). News over the weekend can make Monday open at a different price from Friday's close, which is called a gap.