The forex market is open 24 hours a day, 5 days a week, from Sunday 5:00 pm EST to Friday 5:00 pm EST. However, trading activity and liquidity vary throughout the day due to the overlapping of different sessions. The most active sessions are the London and New York sessions, which overlap from 8:00 am EST to 12:00 pm EST, while the Asian session is less volatile. Traders should consider the market time when developing their trading strategy, as certain currency pairs and trading styles may be more effective during specific sessions. It's also important to be aware of news releases and events that can cause volatility outside of regular trading hours.