The number of forex trading days each year is a critical consideration for both novice and experienced traders. With the forex market operating on a global scale, understanding its trading calendar helps optimise strategy planning, manage risk, and align with market volatility cycles.

This article explains how many forex trading days exist in a year, how sessions differ by region, and how professional traders make the most of each opportunity.

What Are Forex Trading Days?

Forex trading days refer to the days when the foreign exchange market is actively open for trading. Unlike stock markets, the forex market is decentralised and operates 24 hours a day during the trading week. However, it does close for weekends and certain public holidays, which affects the number of active days available annually.

Total Number of Forex Trading Days in a Year

The forex market is open from Monday to Friday, 24 hours per day across various time zones.

• Total weeks in a year: 52
• Trading days per week: 5
• Maximum possible trading days: 52 × 5 = 260 days

However, some of these days are impacted by global holidays like:

• Christmas Day
• New Year’s Day
• Good Friday
• Easter Monday
• Thanksgiving (U.S.)
• Labour Day (varies by country)

After accounting for these, the realistic number of forex trading days per year is approximately 252.

This number may vary slightly based on your location, broker, and whether you count days with extremely low liquidity as viable trading days.

Forex Trading Sessions by Day

Each trading day is made up of four major sessions:

• Sydney Session: Opens the forex week (10 PM GMT Sunday)
• Tokyo Session: Follows Sydney, overlapping briefly
• London Session: The most active market session
• New York Session: Second most active, overlapping with London for peak volume

The London-New York overlap (1 PM–4 PM GMT) is often considered the most volatile and opportunity-rich time window.

Using the Forex Calendar Strategically

Traders use the trading calendar to:

• Align trades with major news releases (e.g. NFP, CPI, central bank meetings)
• Avoid trading on holidays with low volume and higher spreads
• Adjust strategies based on seasonal volume trends (e.g. December holidays, August slowdown)

Traders enrolled in structured programmes like our Forex Course learn to align their strategies with optimal trading days and session overlaps for better risk-adjusted returns.

Key Takeaways

• There are approximately 252 forex trading days in a year, after removing public holidays.
• The market is open 24 hours per day, five days a week, from Monday to Friday.
• Forex trading sessions (Sydney, Tokyo, London, New York) create overlapping volatility windows.
• Understanding these trading days can improve strategy timing, risk management, and capital allocation.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many forex trading days are there in a year?

There are typically around 252 forex trading days in a year, excluding weekends and major holidays.

Is forex trading open every weekday?

Yes, forex trading is open continuously from Monday morning to Friday evening in most time zones.

Do all brokers offer access to all 252 trading days?

Most reputable brokers offer access to the full trading week, but some may limit access around global holidays.

Is the number of forex trading days the same every year?

It can vary slightly depending on how public holidays fall in the calendar year.

Which forex trading days are most profitable?

Days with major economic releases or overlapping sessions (like London-New York) tend to offer higher volatility and profit potential.