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Forex Session Clock

Which sessions are open right now, the London–New York overlap, and countdowns to the next open — in New York time, so it lines up with every kill zone on this site.

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New York time ET
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12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM

Sessions are shown in New York time because that is the reference frame ICT uses. Everything else on this site — the kill zones, the macros, the midnight open — is anchored the same way, so keeping one clock for all of it removes an entire category of error.

The four sessions

SessionNew York timeCharacter
Sydney5:00 PM – 2:00 AMThin. The trading week opens here on Sunday evening.
Tokyo7:00 PM – 4:00 AMAsian accumulation. Builds the range London will sweep.
London3:00 AM – 12:00 PMHighest volatility on forex and gold.
New York8:00 AM – 5:00 PMIndex futures session. The 9:30 cash open drives the day.

The overlap is the part that matters

From 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM New York time, London and New York are trading simultaneously. That window carries the highest volume of the day and the tightest spreads, and it is not a coincidence that the New York Open kill zone and the Silver Bullet hour both sit inside it.

The reasoning behind ICT's session structure is that price delivery requires participation. A displacement with two financial centres behind it means something different from an identical-looking candle at 6:00 PM with neither.

Why the quiet hours are quiet

Between the Tokyo close and the London open, and again after the New York close, participation collapses. Spreads widen, moves become less reliable, and the probability that a given candle reflects genuine delivery rather than noise falls sharply.

This is the practical argument for not trading outside the kill zones. It is not that the market is closed. It is that the participants whose behaviour the entire framework describes have gone home.

Sessions and kill zones are not the same thing

A session is a several-hour block when a financial centre is trading. A kill zone is a narrower window inside a session where ICT expects the algorithm to do its work. The London session runs nine hours; the London Open kill zone is three of them, and the best part is the first two.

Use this clock to know which centres are active. Use the killzone clock to know when to watch.

ICT Kill ZonesThe narrower windows inside these sessions ICT Asian RangeWhat the Tokyo session builds ICT London OpenThe session that produces the Judas swing ICT New York Kill ZoneThe 9:30 cash open and the window around it ICT Midnight OpenThe New York reference level for the day Killzone ClockKill zones and macros, live

Frequently asked questions

What are the forex market hours?
In New York time the conventional windows are Sydney 5:00 PM to 2:00 AM, Tokyo 7:00 PM to 4:00 AM, London 3:00 AM to 12:00 PM, and New York 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The market runs continuously from the Sydney open on Sunday evening to the New York close on Friday afternoon, so the sessions describe where the volume is rather than when trading is possible.
What is the London–New York overlap?
The window from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM New York time when both centres are trading. It carries the highest volume and the tightest spreads of the day, and it covers the New York Open and London Close kill zones. If you only trade one part of the day, this is the part with the most participation behind the moves.
Which session is best for ICT trading?
It depends on the instrument. Index futures respond to the New York session because of the 9:30 AM cash open. EUR/USD, GBP/USD and gold generally produce their cleanest moves during the London session and the London Open kill zone at 2:00 to 5:00 AM. The Asian session is mostly accumulation and is more useful for the range it builds than for trades taken inside it.
Do forex session times change with daylight saving?
The session times shift because financial centres change clocks on different dates. London and New York usually move a few weeks apart in spring and autumn, so the overlap briefly lengthens or shortens. This clock reads the current New York time from your device rather than using a fixed offset, so it reflects the shift as it happens.
Why is the market quiet between sessions?
Because the participants who move size are not at their desks. The gap between the Tokyo close and the London open, and the hours after the New York close, have thin participation, wider spreads and a higher chance that a move is noise rather than delivery. ICT concepts assume meaningful volume behind price, which is part of why the kill zones sit where they do.
Is the forex market open on weekends?
No. It closes at the New York close on Friday and reopens at the Sydney open on Sunday evening. Gaps over the weekend are common, particularly when news breaks while the market is shut, and the resulting Sunday opening gap is itself something ICT treats as a level worth marking.