ICT Kill Zones: When to Trade and When to Stay Out

Why Timing Is Everything

In ICT methodology, the question isn't just "where will price go?" — it's "when will price go there?" Kill zones are specific time windows when institutional participants are most active, creating the volume and volatility needed for real price delivery. Trading outside these windows dramatically reduces your probability of catching a clean move.

Institutions don't trade randomly throughout the day. They concentrate their activity around session opens, macroeconomic events and specific time windows that have been consistent for decades. ICT kill zones capture these windows.

The Three Main Kill Zones (EST/New York Time)

London Kill Zone: 2:00 AM – 5:00 AM EST

The London session open is where the daily narrative often begins. European banks and institutional desks come online, liquidity surges, and the market frequently runs stops set during the Asian session. London KZ often establishes the high or low of the day.

New York Kill Zone: 7:00 AM – 10:00 AM EST

The overlap between London and New York is the most liquid period in forex. US data releases land here, and the combined activity of European and American institutions creates the day's largest moves. If you can only trade one kill zone, this is it.

Asian Kill Zone: 8:00 PM – 12:00 AM EST

The Asian session is typically the quietest, establishing a range that London will later sweep. In ICT terms, Asia sets the "trap" — creating liquidity above and below the range that the London session targets.

The Daily Cycle: How Kill Zones Connect

ICT teaches that each trading day follows a predictable cycle. Asia builds a range. London sweeps one side of that range (creating the daily high or low). New York may continue London's direction or reverse it (creating the opposite extreme). Understanding this cycle means you can anticipate what's likely to happen in each kill zone based on what happened in the previous one.

For example: if London swept the Asian session low and rallied, you'd look for continuation long setups during the NY kill zone — buying into retracements toward order blocks and FVGs that formed during the London rally.

Additional Time Concepts

Midnight Open (00:00 EST): The "true day" open in ICT methodology. A key reference level that price often returns to during the day. If price is above the midnight open, the daily bias leans bullish; below, bearish.

Hourly Opens: Each hourly candle open creates a micro-reference level. Institutional algorithms often react to these levels, creating micro-rejection or micro-displacement patterns that align with larger setups.

Silver Bullet (10:00 – 11:00 AM EST): A specific one-hour window after the NY kill zone where a final "silver bullet" setup often appears — a late-morning FVG entry that continues the kill zone's established direction.

CBDR (Central Bank Dealer Range): The range established between 2:00 PM – 8:00 PM EST (after NY close, before Asia). This range often gets swept early in the next London session.

Kill Zone Trading Rules

• Only enter trades during kill zones — moves that start outside these windows are lower probability
• Have your bias before the kill zone starts — analyse HTF structure before the session, not during it
• Wait for a sweep then displacement — the classic pattern is a stop hunt followed by an impulsive reversal
• Be done after the kill zone ends — don't hold trades into the dead zone expecting more movement
• Respect the daily cycle — if London already made the daily high, don't fight it during NY

When to Stay Out Entirely

• NFP / FOMC days — the chaos around major US data releases makes clean setups rare
• Public holidays — when one major centre is closed, kill zones are unreliable
• Between kill zones — the periods between sessions (roughly 10 AM – 2 PM EST and 5 AM – 7 AM EST) tend to produce choppy, directionless price action
• Fridays after 12 PM EST — institutions reduce exposure ahead of the weekend