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Futures session clock: Asia, London and US hours in ET

ES and NQ trade almost around the clock, but liquidity changes as Asia hands off to London and London hands off to New York. This clock shows which window you are in, in Eastern Time.

How to use it

  1. Read the current window (Asia, London, US, or cash close / reset).
  2. Check the countdown to the next handoff.
  3. Plan around the reference opens: Asia 8:45 PM, London 2:45 AM, US 8:45 AM ET.
Asia 8:45 PM → London 2:45 AM → US 8:45 AM → cash close 4:00 PM ET
Example. At 3:30 AM ET the clock reads London, with the US handoff (8:45 AM ET) about 5h 15m away.

About this calculator

What time do ES futures open? CME Globex equity index futures trade nearly 23 hours a day, from Sunday evening to Friday afternoon Eastern Time, with a short daily pause around 5:00 to 6:00 PM ET. The regular US cash session for stocks and SPY is 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM ET. The Asia, London and US windows on this clock are reference handoffs used by LiquidityLevels briefings, not official exchange sessions, and they do not describe liquidity or direction.

Frequently asked questions

What time does ES futures trading open?
CME Globex equity index futures open Sunday evening (6:00 PM ET) and trade nearly 24 hours through Friday afternoon, with a brief daily maintenance pause around 5:00 to 6:00 PM ET. Confirm exact hours with the CME Group calendar, especially around holidays.
What are the Asia, London and US sessions?
They are informal windows describing where most liquidity is centered. This clock uses 8:45 PM ET for Asia, 2:45 AM ET for London and 8:45 AM ET for the US pre-open as reference handoffs.
Does the clock adjust for daylight saving time?
Yes. It uses the America/New_York time zone, so Eastern Time switches between EST and EDT automatically.

Watching the overnight session?

See ES overnight levels: structure, key levels and catalysts in futures and SPY/QQQ terms, before the 9:30 ET open.

See ES overnight levelsStart free trial

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Informational calculator for reference only. Outputs are arithmetic, not quotes, recommendations or trade signals. LiquidityLevels provides educational market commentary, not financial advice.