Best Time to Trade Forex in Pakistan (PKT Session Timings)

Updated October 10, 2026 in Forex Basics

The forex market is open 24 hours a day on weekdays, but it is not equally active all day. Some hours bring tight spreads and strong moves, while others are slow and choppy. For traders in Pakistan, the good news is that the busiest part of the global trading day falls in the afternoon and evening, which suits people with day jobs or studies. This guide converts every major session into Pakistan Standard Time (PKT).

Pakistan time and daylight saving

Pakistan Standard Time is UTC+5 all year. Pakistan does not currently use daylight saving time. London, New York and Sydney do, and they switch on different dates. That means session times in PKT move by one hour twice a year. To avoid working this out by hand, our forex market hours page shows live session times in your own time zone.

Below, “summer” means roughly late March to late October, when London and New York use daylight saving. “Winter” means roughly November to March.

Forex session times in PKT

Sydney’s daylight saving runs in the opposite half of the year to Europe and North America, so its PKT times shift at different points. Tokyo does not use daylight saving, so its PKT times stay the same year round. Exact opening times also differ slightly between brokers.

When the week opens and closes

The forex week opens at 5:00 pm New York time on Sunday and closes at 5:00 pm New York time on Friday. In Pakistan that is:

• Opens: Monday at about 2:00 am PKT in summer, or 3:00 am PKT in winter.
• Closes: Saturday at about 2:00 am PKT in summer, or 3:00 am PKT in winter.

From Saturday morning to early Monday, prices do not move and most brokers do not accept new orders on currency pairs.

The best time to trade: London–New York overlap

The most active period of the day is when London and New York are open together. In PKT this is roughly 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm in summer and 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm in winter.

During these hours:

• Trading volume is usually at its highest.
• Spreads on major pairs such as EUR/USD and GBP/USD are typically tight.
• Many important US economic releases come out, often at 8:30 am New York time, which is 5:30 pm PKT in summer and 6:30 pm PKT in winter.
• Gold (XAU/USD) is often very active.

For most traders in Pakistan, this window is the most convenient and the most productive time to look for trades.

The London open: another strong window

The London open, around 12:00 pm PKT in summer and 1:00 pm PKT in winter, often brings the first strong move of the day for European pairs. Price frequently breaks out of the range it built during the Asian session. Breakout traders watch this period closely. Read our breakout trading strategy for one way to trade it.

The Asian session: quieter, with exceptions

From early morning until around midday PKT, the Tokyo and Sydney sessions are active. Moves are usually smaller for EUR and GBP pairs, but this is a reasonable time to trade JPY, AUD and NZD pairs, and to plan your levels for the day. Range-trading approaches often work better than breakouts here.

Times to be careful

• Late night PKT (after about 2:00 am in summer). After New York closes and before Asia gets busy, liquidity is thin. Spreads widen, especially around the daily rollover at 5:00 pm New York time.
• Monday’s open. Prices can gap from Friday’s close if there was news over the weekend.
• Friday evenings. Moves can be erratic as traders close positions before the weekend.
• Around major news. Interest rate decisions and US jobs data can cause sudden spikes. Check the economic calendar every day before trading.
• Bank holidays. When London or New York is closed for a holiday, volume drops noticeably.

Which pairs suit which session?

A simple daily routine for traders in Pakistan

1. Around 11:00 am: check the economic calendar for the day’s high-impact events.
2. Before London opens: mark the Asian session high and low and calculate daily pivot points.
3. London open to mid-afternoon: watch for breakouts or reactions at your levels.
4. Evening overlap: your main trading window. Size every trade with the lot size calculator.
5. Before bed: close trades or make sure every open trade has a stop loss. Write your trades in a trading journal.

A note on regulation and payments

Rules on trading with overseas brokers and sending money abroad differ by country and change over time. Before you deposit with any broker, check the current rules that apply to you in Pakistan, confirm the broker is properly regulated, and make sure you understand the deposit and withdrawal methods.

Frequently asked questions

Is the forex market open on Pakistani public holidays?

Yes. Forex is a global market, so it stays open on Pakistani holidays as long as the major financial centres are trading. Activity drops instead on holidays in London, New York or Tokyo, and around Christmas and New Year, when many banks close.

Which session is best for gold (XAU/USD) in Pakistan?

Gold is usually most active from the London open through the London–New York overlap, roughly from midday to around 10 pm PKT depending on the time of year. US data releases in the early evening PKT often cause the largest moves.

Key takeaways

• Pakistan time is UTC+5 all year, so session times in PKT shift twice a year with Western daylight saving.
• The London–New York overlap, about 5–9 pm PKT in summer and 6–10 pm PKT in winter, is usually the most active window.
• The London open around midday PKT is a strong second window for European pairs.
• Avoid thin late-night hours and be careful around major news releases.