IC's trading hours in server time (GMT+2, or GMT+3 in US summer).

IC's trading hours in server time (GMT+2, or GMT+3 in US summer).

IC Markets' trading hours are set in server time, which is GMT+2, or GMT+3 while US daylight saving is in effect. That keeps IC's daily candles aligned with the 5 pm New York close. Currency pairs open at 00:01 server time on Monday and close at 23:57 on Friday, trading from 00:01 to 23:59 each day in between. Gold trades from 01:02 to 23:57, and every other market has its own session.

The hours matter for more than convenience. Spreads are widest around the daily rollover and at the weekly open, swaps are charged at midnight server time, and leverage changes around closes and weekends.

Server timeGMT+2 (GMT+3 during US daylight saving)
Forex weekMonday 00:01 to Friday 23:57 server time
Forex daily00:01 to 23:59 (23:57 on Friday)
Gold01:02 to 23:57 server time
Rollover00:00 server time
Crypto7 days a week, not 24/7

Trading hours by market

MarketHours (server time)Notes
Currency pairs00:01 to 23:59 daily; opens Monday 00:01, closes Friday 23:57Continuous through the week apart from the daily rollover
Gold (XAU)01:02 to 23:57Leverage 1:200 for new positions from 3 hours before Friday's close
Silver (XAG)01:00 to 23:59 (23:57 Friday)
Platinum, palladiumOpen 01:02 Monday; close 23:59 daily (23:57 Friday)
Indices and stocksFollow each underlying market's sessionSee the Specification window per symbol
24-hour US stocks (.24)Normal 16:30 to 21:55; pre-close to 22:40; extended 22:40 to 16:30Leverage 1:20, then 1:10, then 1:5
Crypto7 days a week, with session breaksSome symbols unavailable at weekends

Exact sessions can change around holidays. IC says trading hours are subject to change and that the most accurate details are the ones shown in your platform.

How to check any instrument's hours

  1. Open MetaTrader and find the instrument in Market Watch.
  2. Right-click it and choose Specification.
  3. Read the session times in the window that opens; they are in server time.

If you try to trade outside a session, the platform shows a "market is closed" message. IC also publishes holiday trading schedules on its blog before public holidays in the markets it offers.

Converting server time to your time

Because server time follows US daylight saving, it is GMT+3 from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November, and GMT+2 for the rest of the year. The table converts IC's forex week into common time zones for the winter period (GMT+2).

Server time (GMT+2)GMTNew York (EST)Dubai (GST)Dhaka (BST)Singapore (SGT)
Monday 00:01 (forex opens)Sunday 22:01Sunday 17:01Monday 02:01Monday 04:01Monday 06:01
00:00 (rollover)22:0017:0002:0004:0006:00
Friday 23:57 (forex closes)Friday 21:57Friday 16:57Saturday 01:57Saturday 03:57Saturday 05:57

During daylight saving, subtract one more hour from the GMT column. Our forex market hours tool shows the live sessions in your own time zone.

Rollover, swaps and the Wednesday triple

IC's rollover happens at 00:00 server time, when overnight positions are charged or paid a swap. Spreads usually widen for a few minutes either side, so avoid opening trades right at midnight server time. Forex and metals positions held through Wednesday's rollover pay three days of swap, covering the weekend; for energies and indices the triple night is Friday. Our spreads guide explains swaps in more detail.

Hours that aren't about trading

  • Withdrawals are processed on business days only, with a 12:00 Sydney-time cut-off for same-day processing.
  • Support is available 24/7 by live chat, email and phone.
  • Leverage drops for new trades around closes, weekends and major news (Higher Margin Requirements).

See our withdrawal guide for the payout timetable.

The best times to trade

IC's Help Centre describes the forex market as open from Sunday 22:00 to Friday 22:00 GMT, moving from Wellington to Tokyo, London and New York as each business day begins. Liquidity is deepest, and spreads tightest, when London is open, and especially in the few hours when London and New York overlap. The quietest stretch is late in the US afternoon and around IC's rollover.

SessionApproximate hours (GMT, winter)What to expect
Sydney and Tokyo22:00 to 09:00Active yen and Australian dollar pairs; quieter majors
London08:00 to 17:00Deepest liquidity for euro, pound and gold
London and New York overlap13:00 to 17:00Busiest window; biggest moves on US data
Late New York17:00 to 22:00Thinning liquidity into the rollover

Our forex market hours tool shows which sessions are open right now.

Holidays and early closes

Public holidays in Australia, Europe, the US and Asia can shorten sessions or close individual markets. IC publishes holiday trading schedules on its blog before each one, and its Order Execution Policy says holidays are also announced through the platform's internal mail. Check both before trading around a holiday, especially on indices and stocks, which follow their home exchanges.

Server time and your charts

IC's Help Centre says the time shown on the platform can't be changed, because server time is set to align daily candles with the New York close. That has knock-on effects worth knowing. Daily and weekly candles, and any indicator built on them, close at 5 pm New York time, not at midnight where you live. Expert advisors that trade at set times work in server time too, so an EA scheduled for 08:00 runs at 08:00 server time, which moves by an hour relative to your clock when daylight saving starts or ends. Set session filters in server time and check them twice a year.

Write your trading hours down in your own time zone once, including the rollover and the weekly close. Most avoidable losses on the open and at rollover come from traders who never converted server time.
Jannatul FerdaushWriter, FX Recap
Illustrative case: Lucas, 23, Guayaquil

Lucas kept opening EUR/USD trades just after 16:00 local time and was puzzled by wide spreads and odd fills. Converted, that was midnight server time: IC's daily rollover. He moved his entries to the London and New York overlap, earlier in his day, and his average spread cost fell noticeably.

Frequently asked

What time zone is IC Markets server time?

GMT+2, or GMT+3 while US daylight saving is in effect (from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November). This aligns daily candles with the 5 pm New York close.

When does IC Markets open and close for forex?

Currency pairs open at 00:01 server time on Monday and close at 23:57 on Friday, trading from 00:01 to 23:59 on the days in between.

What are IC Markets' gold trading hours?

Gold trades from 01:02 to 23:57 server time. From three hours before Friday's close, new gold positions get reduced leverage of 1:200.

Can I trade crypto on weekends at IC Markets?

IC offers crypto trading seven days a week, but not 24/7: there are session breaks, and some symbols may not be available at weekends. Check each coin's hours in the platform.

When is the IC Markets rollover?

At 00:00 server time. Swaps are applied then, and forex and metals positions held through Wednesday's rollover are charged three days of swap.

Why does my platform say market is closed?

You are trying to trade outside that instrument's session. Right-click the symbol in Market Watch and open Specification to see its trading hours in server time.