Forex, gold and index markets trade almost 24 hours from Monday to Friday, but volume is concentrated in three sessions: Tokyo, London and New York. This guide converts them to South African Standard Time (SAST, UTC+2) and suggests how to use them in a prop firm challenge.
Session times in South Africa
- Tokyo session: about 02:00–08:00 local time.
- London open: 09:00 in the northern summer, 10:00 in winter.
- New York stock market open: 15:30 in the northern summer, 16:30 in winter.
- London–New York overlap (most liquid): about 14:00–18:00 in summer, 15:00–19:00 in winter.
South Africa stays on SAST all year. That makes Johannesburg one of the most convenient time zones in the world for trading both Europe and the US.
Which markets move when
- EURUSD and GBPUSD: from the London open through the overlap.
- Gold (XAUUSD): London open and especially the New York session, when US data is released.
- Nasdaq, S&P 500 and US30: the first 90 minutes after the New York open.
- USDJPY: the Tokyo morning and the New York session.
- Crypto: 24/7, with more volume during London and New York hours.
A realistic schedule
A morning session around the London open for EURUSD and gold, and an afternoon session at the US open for indices, both fit within normal working hours.
Paying for a challenge
Card payments usually work from South Africa; crypto (USDT or USDC) is also available, and payouts are made in crypto.