how long is the London and New York overlap really?
Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2026 10:47 am
Worked example, with the clock doing the work.
On paper the overlap runs from New York's 08:00 start to London's 17:00 close. In winter that's 13:00 to 17:00 GMT, so 14:00 to 18:00 WAT. Four hours.
Now look at what usually happens. Say a trader counts the busy part as the stretch from the 13:30 GMT data slot to the London fix at 16:00 GMT. That's 2.5 hours. After 16:00 GMT London desks head home and ranges start to shrink. As an illustration, a pair averaging 90 pips a day might print a big share of that range in those first couple of hours. The share changes by pair and by season, so treat the figure as a made-up example.
Summer shifts the picture. Britain moves to BST while Nigeria doesn't change its clocks, so London closes at 16:00 GMT and the overlap becomes 12:00 to 16:00 GMT. In WAT that's 13:00 to 17:00, an hour earlier on the local clock than in winter.
Which part of the overlap do you actually trade, and do you stop at the London fix or keep going into New York lunch?
On paper the overlap runs from New York's 08:00 start to London's 17:00 close. In winter that's 13:00 to 17:00 GMT, so 14:00 to 18:00 WAT. Four hours.
Now look at what usually happens. Say a trader counts the busy part as the stretch from the 13:30 GMT data slot to the London fix at 16:00 GMT. That's 2.5 hours. After 16:00 GMT London desks head home and ranges start to shrink. As an illustration, a pair averaging 90 pips a day might print a big share of that range in those first couple of hours. The share changes by pair and by season, so treat the figure as a made-up example.
Summer shifts the picture. Britain moves to BST while Nigeria doesn't change its clocks, so London closes at 16:00 GMT and the overlap becomes 12:00 to 16:00 GMT. In WAT that's 13:00 to 17:00, an hour earlier on the local clock than in winter.
Which part of the overlap do you actually trade, and do you stop at the London fix or keep going into New York lunch?