Killzones: the hours when gold is most likely to deliver
Killzones are the heart of the time half of ICT. Rather than watch all day, you watch a few high-probability windows when delivery clusters: the London open, the New York morning, and the hour around the London close, with the Asian session mostly building the range that gets swept. This module gives the exact times in both Eastern Time and UTC and explains what to expect from gold in each. Trade the killzones and most of the dead, choppy hours simply disappear from your screen.
Why time matters
The premise from module 1 was that delivery happens on a clock. Killzones are where that clock is read. Liquidity raids, displacement and the clean setups tend to appear in tight windows around the major session opens, when volume and participation surge. Outside those windows, especially mid-Asia and the late New York afternoon, gold often drifts and chops, producing false breaks. Narrowing your attention to the killzones is the single biggest improvement most traders can make, because it removes the hours where the method does not work.
The Asian range
The Asian session, roughly 20:00 to 00:00 ET (00:00 to 04:00 UTC in one common framing, with the wider Asian window running through the night), is usually quiet and builds a range. ICT treats that range less as a trading window and more as a liquidity map: the high and low of the Asian range are obvious pools that London often raids. Mark the Asian high and low before London opens. They are frequently the first targets of the day.
The London open killzone
The London killzone runs about 02:00 to 05:00 ET (07:00 to 10:00 UTC). This is where the day often shows its hand: London frequently raids one side of the Asian range, then delivers the other way. The classic sequence is a sweep of the Asian high or low in the first hour, a displacement back through structure, and a move that runs for the rest of the London session. If you only traded one window, this would be a strong candidate on gold.
The New York AM killzone
The New York morning killzone runs about 07:00 to 10:00 ET (12:00 to 15:00 UTC), overlapping the end of London. It carries the US data releases (08:30 ET) and the New York equities open (09:30 ET), so it is the most volatile window of the day for gold. New York often either continues the London move or stages its own reversal by raiding the liquidity London left. The 10:00 to 11:00 ET hour inside this window is the silver bullet window covered in module 16.
The London close killzone
The London close killzone, about 10:00 to 12:00 ET (15:00 to 17:00 UTC), is a window for reversals and profit-taking as London books trades. Moves that ran all morning often retrace or reverse here. It suits traders looking to fade an overstretched session move back toward equilibrium rather than chase continuation. It is a more advanced window; treat it as a place to manage or fade, not to open fresh trend trades blindly.
Which killzone to trade on gold
For most people the London open and the New York AM killzones are the bread and butter on gold, because that is where displacement and clean raids cluster. Pick one or two windows that fit your timezone and trade only those. Before each window, mark the Asian range, the previous day high and low, and your daily bias from module 15. Then wait inside the window for a sweep and a displacement shift. Discipline about time does as much for results as any entry refinement.
FAQ
What are the ICT killzones and their times?
The main ones are the London killzone around 02:00 to 05:00 ET (07:00 to 10:00 UTC), the New York AM killzone around 07:00 to 10:00 ET (12:00 to 15:00 UTC), and the London close killzone around 10:00 to 12:00 ET (15:00 to 17:00 UTC). The Asian session overnight builds the range.
Why not just trade all day?
Because delivery clusters in the killzones when volume and participation surge. Outside them, gold often drifts and chops and produces false breaks. Limiting attention to the killzones removes most of the hours where the method does not work.
What is the Asian range used for?
It is mostly a liquidity map rather than a trading window. The high and low of the quiet Asian session are obvious pools that London frequently raids, so you mark them before London opens as likely first targets of the day.
Which killzone is best for gold?
For most traders the London open and the New York AM killzones, because displacement and clean liquidity raids cluster there. Pick one or two that suit your timezone and trade only those rather than watching the whole day.
Do the times shift with daylight saving?
The ET anchors stay the same locally, but the UTC equivalents move by an hour when clocks change, and London and New York do not always shift on the same date. Always confirm the current offset so your killzone boxes line up with the real session opens.