What are the forex sessions right now in Dubai time?
The converter below shows today's four sessions in UAE time, adjusted for whatever daylight-saving rules apply this week. It runs in your browser, so it stays correct when the UK and US change their clocks.
What are the forex market hours in Dubai?
Sydney opens the week just after midnight on Monday, Tokyo covers the UAE morning, London starts at midday and New York in the late afternoon. Each session moves by an hour with its own country's daylight saving; Gulf time never does.
| Session | Local hours | UAE, Nov–Mar | UAE, Apr–Oct |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | 07:00–16:00 | 00:00–09:00 | 01:00–10:00 |
| Tokyo | 09:00–18:00 | 04:00–13:00 | 04:00–13:00 |
| London | 08:00–17:00 | 12:00–21:00 | 11:00–20:00 |
| New York | 08:00–17:00 | 17:00–02:00 | 16:00–01:00 |
| London–New York overlap | NY 08:00–12:00 | 17:00–21:00 | 16:00–20:00 |
Session hours are market conventions, not exchange rules; brokers may quote slightly different times. Sydney runs on daylight time from early October to early April, the opposite of Europe.
What is the best time to trade forex from Dubai?
For most traders, the London and New York overlap: 17:00 to 21:00 in winter and 16:00 to 20:00 in summer, when liquidity in the majors and gold is usually highest. In Gulf time it fits around a normal working day.
- London morning (12:00–17:00): a full session across the UAE afternoon. Good for EUR and GBP pairs.
- The overlap (17:00–21:00): the most movement and the US data releases, finished by 21:00 in winter.
- Tokyo (04:00–13:00): mostly before the working day starts; JPY and AUD pairs move most.
Few cities line up with London and New York this well. How Dubai compares with Bangkok, Bali, Da Nang and Kuala Lumpur, including cost, is in the best places in Asia to trade London and New York.
What time are NFP, CPI and FOMC in Dubai?
US data such as NFP and CPI comes out at 17:30 UAE time in winter and 16:30 in summer. The FOMC statement lands at 23:00 in winter and 22:00 in summer, before midnight all year.
| Event (source time) | UAE, winter | UAE, summer |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly open (Sun 17:00 NY) | Mon 02:00 | Mon 01:00 |
| London open (08:00 London) | 12:00 | 11:00 |
| LBMA Gold Price AM (10:30 London) | 14:30 | 13:30 |
| US data: NFP, CPI (08:30 NY) | 17:30 | 16:30 |
| US stock open (09:30 NY) | 18:30 | 17:30 |
| LBMA Gold Price PM (15:00 London) | 19:00 | 18:00 |
| London close (17:00 London) | 21:00 | 20:00 |
| FOMC statement (14:00 NY) | 23:00 | 22:00 |
| Gold daily break (17:00–18:00 NY) | 02:00–03:00 | 01:00–02:00 |
Every NFP date to April 2027 is in NFP time in Asia, and gold's full evening is in XAUUSD trading hours. If you trade a funded account, its daily loss limit often resets at the 17:00 New York close, 02:00 in Dubai in winter; see prop firm rules when trading abroad.
When do the session times change in 2026–27?
Four dates move your afternoon: the UK changes on 25 October 2026 and 28 March 2027, the US on 1 November 2026 and 14 March 2027. Between them, London and New York are out of step for a week or two.
| Period | London open | New York open | Overlap (GST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26–30 Oct 2026 | 12:00 | 16:00 | 16:00–21:00 |
| 2 Nov 2026 – 12 Mar 2027 | 12:00 | 17:00 | 17:00–21:00 |
| 15–26 Mar 2027 | 12:00 | 16:00 | 16:00–21:00 |
| 29 Mar – 29 Oct 2027 | 11:00 | 16:00 | 16:00–20:00 |
During those odd weeks the overlap stretches to five hours. Set alerts in New York or London time rather than Gulf time and they'll stay right. More on this autumn's change in US clocks go back on 1 November.
What are Dubai Financial Market (DFM) hours?
DFM trades Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 15:00 UAE time, with a pre-open from 09:30 and continuous trading usually ending at 14:45 before a closing auction. It moved to a Monday-to-Friday week in January 2022.
Since the UAE switched to a Saturday–Sunday weekend, local and global markets share the same working week. DFM closes before New York opens, so a local stock session and a forex evening fit in one day. Check the DFM website for the current schedule, holidays and the shorter hours during Ramadan.
Is Dubai a good place to trade forex from?
On schedule alone, it's one of the best: London at midday and the overlap finished by 21:00. The trade-offs are cost and summer heat. Traders who move east to Southeast Asia swap early evenings for free mornings and a lower cost of living.
In Vietnam (UTC+7) every session lands three hours later than in Dubai: London at 15:00, New York at 20:00 and the overlap until midnight in winter. That's later nights, but the whole morning is yours and a week costs far less. Our Vietnam session guide has the same tables in UTC+7, and trading from Vietnam covers internet and power. For South Asia, see forex market timings in India.
FAQ
What time does the forex market open in Dubai?
The forex week opens at 02:00 on Monday morning UAE time from November to mid-March, and 01:00 for most of the rest of the year, when the Sydney session starts. It closes at the same time on Saturday morning.
What time does the London session open in Dubai?
12:00 UAE time from late October to late March, and 11:00 from late March to late October, when the UK is on summer time. The UAE does not change its clocks.
What time does the New York session open in Dubai?
17:00 UAE time from early November to mid-March, and 16:00 from mid-March to early November. From Monday 2 November 2026 it opens at 17:00.
What is the best time to trade forex in Dubai?
For most traders it's the London and New York overlap, 17:00 to 21:00 UAE time in winter and 16:00 to 20:00 in summer, when liquidity is usually highest. In Dubai that window ends before most people have dinner.
What time is NFP in Dubai?
17:30 UAE time from November to mid-March and 16:30 in summer, because US data is released at 08:30 New York time. CPI lands at the same time. The FOMC statement comes at 23:00 in winter and 22:00 in summer.
Does the UAE have daylight saving time?
No. The UAE stays on Gulf Standard Time (UTC+4) all year, as does Oman. Forex session times move only when the UK, US or Australia change their clocks.
The bottom line
In UAE time, London is 12:00 and New York 17:00 all winter, an hour earlier in summer, and the overlap is done by 21:00. Bookmark this page: the converter at the top always shows this week's times.
Next: every NFP date to April 2027, or how to take a week off trading.
Session times are conventions and exchange hours can change. Nothing here is financial advice. We sell travel, not signals.