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AI Analyst
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When the market moves: the Asia range, the London and New York sessions, and the hours that matter.
Illustration, not real market data.
Session and killzone times
Market sessions
Sydney
07:00–16:00 Sydney time
—
Tokyo (Asia)
09:00–18:00 Tokyo time
—
London
08:00–17:00 London time
—
New York
08:00–17:00 New York time
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US stock market (cash open)
09:30–16:00 New York time · ES and NQ move most around the 09:30 open
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CME futures daily break
17:00–18:00 New York time · Globex reopens at 18:00 New York time
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ICT killzones
Asia killzone
20:00–00:00 New York time · some sources end it at 22:00
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London killzone
02:00–05:00 New York time
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New York killzone (forex)
07:00–10:00 New York time
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New York killzone (indices)
08:30–11:00 New York time · edges vary by source
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London close killzone
10:00–12:00 New York time
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New York lunch (usually avoided)
12:00–13:30 New York time
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New York PM session
13:30–16:00 New York time · edges vary by source
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Silver Bullet windows
London Silver Bullet
03:00–04:00 New York time
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New York AM Silver Bullet
10:00–11:00 New York time
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New York PM Silver Bullet
14:00–15:00 New York time
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Each window follows its own city's clock, so around the daylight-saving changes the times in other zones move by an hour.
What it is
The trading day is split into sessions: Asia, London and New York. Volume and volatility are low in Asia and highest around the London open and the New York open, especially where London and New York overlap.
'Killzones' are ICT's windows for when moves most often start. ICT quotes them in New York time; the usual forex set is Asia 20:00–00:00, London 02:00–05:00, New York 07:00–10:00 and London close 10:00–12:00. In UK time that is 01:00–05:00, 07:00–10:00, 12:00–15:00 and 15:00–17:00.
Index futures traders usually shift the New York window later, to around 08:30–11:00 New York time (13:30–16:00 UK), to cover the 08:30 data releases and the 09:30 stock market open, and some add a New York afternoon window. Sources disagree on the exact edges. For a few weeks each spring and autumn the UK and US change clocks on different dates, and the gap to London shrinks from five hours to four.
How to spot it
Mark the Asia session's high and low; it is often a tight range.
Watch how London treats that range: a sweep of one side often comes before the real move.
Note where New York opens relative to London's high and low.
How to use it
Do most of your trading in the killzones, when moves are cleaner, and avoid the quiet middle of the session.
Use the Asia high and low and the previous session's high and low as liquidity targets.
Use the backtester's session boxes to see these ranges on any day.
Common mistakes
Trading the New York lunch hours (about 12:00–13:30 New York time) and the late session, then blaming the setup.
Using UK times all year round and missing the weeks when the clock gap is four hours, not five.
Forgetting that high-impact news can make the open much more volatile than usual.
