^GSPC$7,391.70-1.20%^IXIC$24,812.55-1.51%^DJI$42,354.14-1.08%^VIX$26.92+0.90%^STOXX50E$65.92-2.04%BTC-USD$79,104.51-2.44%ETH-USD$2,224.57-2.58%SOL-USD$89.32-3.05%AAPL$300.23+0.68%MSFT$421.92+3.05%NVDA$225.32-4.42%TSLA$422.24-4.75%META$614.23-0.68%GOOGL$396.78-1.07%AMZN$264.14-1.15%AMD$424.10-5.69%EURUSD$1.1625-0.01%GC$4,537.84-0.05%CL$101.14-0.84%^GSPC$7,391.70-1.20%^IXIC$24,812.55-1.51%^DJI$42,354.14-1.08%^VIX$26.92+0.90%^STOXX50E$65.92-2.04%BTC-USD$79,104.51-2.44%ETH-USD$2,224.57-2.58%SOL-USD$89.32-3.05%AAPL$300.23+0.68%MSFT$421.92+3.05%NVDA$225.32-4.42%TSLA$422.24-4.75%META$614.23-0.68%GOOGL$396.78-1.07%AMZN$264.14-1.15%AMD$424.10-5.69%EURUSD$1.1625-0.01%GC$4,537.84-0.05%CL$101.14-0.84%
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Forex

London-NY overlap

The 13:00-17:00 UTC window when both London and New York FX desks are active. Tightest spreads, deepest book, ~70% of daily FX volume.

What it means

The London FX session opens 08:00 UTC; New York opens 13:00 UTC; London closes 17:00 UTC; NY closes 22:00 UTC. The 4-hour overlap from 13:00-17:00 UTC concentrates the largest desks on both sides of the Atlantic simultaneously. Daily FX volume peaks during this window — EUR/USD trades roughly 4x its 24-hour average volume per minute during overlap.

Why it matters

Spread, slippage and execution quality are all at their best during overlap. A strategy executed at 14:00 UTC on EUR/USD pays ~0.2 pip spread; the same strategy at 03:00 UTC pays ~1.0 pip — a 5x cost difference for the same trade. For active strategies, overlap timing is one of the highest-leverage adjustments you can make.

How to use it

Time scalping and high-frequency strategies to execute during overlap. For position trades on majors, prefer entries/exits during overlap to minimise slippage. Avoid Asian-session entries on G7 pairs unless your strategy specifically targets the Asian-session range.

Take it further

Want a worked example or a deeper dive? Ask Rocky how this concept applies to your specific watchlist or trade idea.

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