The window and what happens inside it
The London killzone covers the early London hours (in New York terms, roughly 02:00-05:00 ET — the chart draws it DST-aware so you never do timezone math). Inside it, the recurring sequence: the Asian range or yesterday's extreme gets swept, displacement appears in the opposite direction, structure shifts on the lower timeframes, and the move that often defines the entire London morning launches. The killzone is where the Judas swing lives.
The model: sweep, shift, entry
Step by step inside the window: (1) pre-mark the liquidity — Asian high/low, yesterday's high/low, any equal extremes. (2) Wait for one pool to be RAIDED — a wick through with a close back inside (M5/M15). (3) Demand the shift — displacement and a lower-timeframe structure break away from the raid (MSS rules). (4) Enter on the retrace into the displacement's origin (OB/FVG), stop beyond the sweep wick, first target the opposite side of the overnight range, runner toward the next session pool.
No sweep, no trade — the whole edge of the window is that the raid happens ON SCHEDULE.
The rules that keep it honest
One trade, maybe two, per killzone — the window produces one engineered move most days, and the third attempt is usually you fighting the new trend. Skip the window entirely when a major UK/EU release lands inside it or a red USD print looms at the US open (check the calendar). And log every killzone trade separately in the journal: the window's stats are your proof it deserves your mornings.
The live chart draws the killzone band, session extremes and sweep markers automatically — five mornings of watching is a complete education. Nothing here is financial advice.
FAQ
What time is the London killzone?
The early London hours — roughly 02:00-05:00 New York time (the chart renders it DST-aware). It brackets the London open, where the overnight liquidity raid and the morning's first real move typically happen.
What is the best setup inside the London killzone?
The sweep-and-shift: an Asian-range extreme gets raided, price closes back inside, displacement breaks minor structure the other way, and the entry is the retrace into that displacement's origin. It is the window's signature trade.
Do killzones work for everyone?
They compress opportunity into scheduled hours, which suits precision traders and anyone who cannot watch screens all day. They are not magic — inside the window you still need the sweep, the shift and the discipline.
ⓘ See these ideas on real price: open the free XAUUSD live chart.