Guides / ICT Kill Zones
ICT Kill Zones Explained: London, New York, and Asian Session Times
What are ICT Kill Zones?
ICT kill zones are the specific multi-hour windows within the Asian, London, and New York trading sessions — a convention from the Inner Circle Trader (ICT) trading methodology — when institutional order flow and forex price volatility are most concentrated. The term describes a recurring pattern in when the market tends to move, not an official session designation from any exchange.
What time is each ICT kill zone?
| Asian Kill Zone | 8:00 PM – 12:00 AM ET 01:00–05:00 UTC (Nov–Mar) / 00:00–04:00 UTC (Mar–Nov, US daylight saving). Covers the Tokyo session open and sets an overnight range that London and New York often react to. |
|---|---|
| London Kill Zone | 2:00 AM – 5:00 AM ET 07:00–10:00 UTC (Nov–Mar) / 06:00–09:00 UTC (Mar–Nov). Covers the London session open, when European bank and institutional liquidity first enters the market. |
| New York AM Kill Zone | 7:00 AM – 10:00 AM ET 12:00–15:00 UTC (Nov–Mar) / 11:00–14:00 UTC (Mar–Nov). Covers the New York session open and its overlap with the tail of the London session — widely cited as the highest-liquidity window of the trading day. |
| London Close Kill Zone | 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET 15:00–17:00 UTC (Nov–Mar) / 14:00–16:00 UTC (Mar–Nov). Covers the London session close, cited less consistently across sources than the three windows above. |
Why do ICT kill zones matter for forex traders?
- Institutional trading desks in Tokyo, London, and New York concentrate their own order flow around their local session open, which is what produces the volatility clustering the kill zone framework describes.
- The London and New York kill zones overlap for roughly two to three hours (around 12:00–14:00/15:00 UTC, depending on daylight saving) — widely cited as the single highest-liquidity window of the forex trading day.
- Many high-impact US economic releases are scheduled to land inside or near the New York kill zone, compounding session-open volatility with a scheduled catalyst.
Frequently asked questions
Do ICT kill zone times change with daylight saving?
The New York local time for each kill zone stays the same year-round, but the UTC clock time shifts by an hour twice a year because the US changes its clocks for daylight saving while UTC does not — the factRows above list both the standard-time and daylight-saving UTC ranges for that reason.
Is trading only possible during kill zones?
No — kill zones describe when volatility and institutional order flow tend to concentrate, not a rule that price cannot move outside them. Scheduled economic-calendar releases, which are Traderista's core focus, can create volatility at any hour, kill zone or not.
Where can I see these session times against my own local clock?
Traderista's Session Clock shows live open/closed status and countdowns for the Sydney, Tokyo, London, and New York sessions, converted to your browser's local time.
Want to see these sessions live?
Traderista’s Session Clock shows the Sydney, Tokyo, London, and New York sessions open and close in real time, in your browser’s local time.
Traderista provides educational information and historical data only. Nothing here is financial advice. Trading involves substantial risk of loss. Past performance does not indicate future results.