Sessions & Timing — when the market actually moves
Not every hour is equal. Three sessions drive 80% of daily volatility. Trading the right pair in the right session = half the battle.
The three sessions (UTC)
🌏 Asia (Tokyo + Sydney) — 22:00 to 08:00 UTC
Lower volume. Often range-bound. JPY pairs and AUD/NZD see most action. BTC sometimes makes overnight moves on Asian exchange flow.
Best for: ranges, fades, JPY pairs. Avoid: breakouts (often fake-out before London).
🇬🇧 London — 07:00 to 16:00 UTC
The big one. London opens with momentum, often sets the day's range. EUR/GBP/CHF/XAU all spring to life.
Best for: EUR/USD breakouts, XAU momentum, GBP/USD swings. The 8:00-10:00 UTC window is the most active.
🇺🇸 New York — 13:00 to 22:00 UTC
The closer. NY opens at 13:30 UTC overlap with London — that's the magic hour. Stocks open 14:30 UTC. Volatility peaks 13:30-16:00 UTC.
Best for: US indices (US500, USTEC), USD pairs, BTC during stock hours.
The killzones (ICT terminology)
Within sessions, specific 1-2 hour windows produce most of the daily moves:
- London open killzone: 07:00-09:00 UTC
- NY AM killzone: 12:30-14:30 UTC
- London close killzone: 15:00-16:00 UTC (often fake-outs)
- Asia killzone: 23:00-01:00 UTC (low quality, skip unless JPY)
Forex weekend
Forex closes Friday 22:00 UTC and reopens Sunday 22:00 UTC when Sydney opens. Weekend = crypto only.
Why our bot rests on Sunday
Most weekend BTC moves are thin-liquidity noise. We scan but emit fewer POSTs. When Sydney opens Sunday night, real flow returns and the engine wakes up.
Signal frequency by session
- London + NY overlap (13:00-16:00 UTC): peak signal density
- Pre-NY (10:00-13:00 UTC): consolidation often
- Asia: 1-2 quality setups per session if any