What is the London Kill Zone? ICT London Open Explained
The London Kill Zone is one of the four ICT Kill Zones and one of the most powerful trading windows of the day. It marks the opening of the European trading session and is characterized by sharp, directional moves that frequently set the tone for the New York session that follows. Understanding what happens during the London Kill Zone gives futures traders a significant edge.
When is the London Kill Zone?
The London Kill Zone runs from 2:00 AM to 5:00 AM Eastern Time. This corresponds to the opening of the London Stock Exchange and the activation of European institutional traders. For US futures traders this means setting an alarm or trading overnight — but the setups it produces are among the cleanest of the entire day.
What Happens During the London Kill Zone?
The London Kill Zone is where the majority of daily manipulation occurs. European institutions look at the Asian session range — the highs and lows built during the quiet overnight hours — and frequently engineer a move to sweep Asian session liquidity before reversing in the true direction for the day.
The Classic London Sequence
- Asian session builds a range with identifiable highs and lows
- London open sweeps the Asian low (or high) — triggering stop losses of retail traders
- Price reverses sharply after the sweep — confirming the manipulation is complete
- The true directional move begins, often continuing into the New York session
How to Trade the London Kill Zone
Mark Asian session highs and lows
Before the London open, mark the high and low of the Asian session (8:00 PM to 12:00 AM ET). These are your key liquidity levels. Price will frequently target one of these levels at the London open.
Wait for the sweep
Do not enter at the Asian high or low. Wait for price to breach the level — the liquidity raid — and then look for a reversal confirmation. A displacement candle back above/below the swept level, a Fair Value Gap forming, or a Change of Character on the 5-minute chart are all valid confirmations.
Enter in the opposite direction
After confirmation, enter in the direction opposite to the sweep. If London swept the Asian low and reversed, enter long. Stop goes below the swept low. Target the Asian high or the next session's liquidity.
London Kill Zone and the New York Session
The direction established during the London Kill Zone frequently carries into the New York Open Kill Zone (8:30 AM-11:00 AM ET). A bullish London sequence — where Asian lows were swept and price reversed higher — sets up bullish bias for the New York open. Aligning both sessions dramatically increases confluence.