London session

The London session covers European business hours, broadly 08:00 to 16:30 UK time. London is the largest FX centre by volume, so this is when most currency pairs see their deepest liquidity, tightest spreads and largest share of the daily range.

The open is often the most active moment of the day. Orders accumulated during the quieter Asian hours arrive at once, which frequently produces a decisive move away from the overnight range — and equally frequently produces an initial move that reverses.

European economic releases — inflation, employment and confidence data, plus European Central Bank and Bank of England commentary — cluster in this session.

For most European-based traders the London session is the core opportunity of the day: enough movement to make a plan worthwhile, and enough liquidity for levels to behave predictably.

The Trading Plan is generated before London opens so you can prepare beforehand, and its Trading Windows normally centre on this session.

• The first move after the open often reverses — let the opening range settle.
• Expect the day's largest share of movement between the open and the New York overlap.
• European data lands early; check the calendar before the open.

Educational guidance only — never a trading signal or recommendation.