What Are ICT Kill Zones?
Kill zones are specific time windows during the trading day when institutional order flow is at its highest. These periods align with major market opens and overlaps, and they represent the best opportunities for retail traders to follow smart money direction.
The Four Main Kill Zones
- Asian Kill Zone: 20:00–00:00 New York time — sets the range for London to target
- London Open Kill Zone: 02:00–05:00 New York time — highest volume, most manipulation
- New York AM Kill Zone: 07:00–10:00 New York time — follow-through from London or reversal
- New York PM Kill Zone: 13:30–16:00 New York time — lower volume, avoid unless clear setup
The London Open Kill Zone in Detail
This is the most important session for Forex traders. During the Asian session, price tends to consolidate and build a range. London institutions then target the liquidity above or below that range — sweeping highs or lows to hunt stops before committing to the real directional move.
Your job is to identify which side of the Asian range is more likely to be swept based on the daily chart bias, then wait for that sweep during the London open window and enter in the opposite direction.
Step-by-Step London Open Strategy
- Identify the daily bias (bullish or bearish) from the D1 chart
- Mark the Asian session high and low
- During London open (02:00–05:00 NY time), watch for a sweep of the Asian low (if bullish bias) or Asian high (if bearish)
- After the sweep, wait for a 15M break of structure in the direction of the daily bias
- Enter on the retest of the 15M order block that formed after the structure break
New York Kill Zone
The 07:00–10:00 NY window often continues the London move or sets up a reversal. The 08:30 news release (US economic data) frequently creates a false spike that is immediately reversed — this is the "Judas swing." Wait for the spike, let it reverse, then follow the real institutional direction.
Time is more important than price in ICT trading. The right setup at the wrong time is still a losing trade.