Session Timing (London, New York, Asian)
The three major trading sessions create different types of price action — Asian builds liquidity, London establishes direction, New York continues or reverses
Markets operate in three main sessions: Asian (7:00 PM - 2:00 AM ET), London (3:00 AM - 12:00 PM ET), and New York (8:00 AM - 5:00 PM ET). Each session has a distinct role in the daily price action cycle. Asian session creates tight ranges with equal highs and lows — these are liquidity pools. London opens and sweeps Asian session liquidity (taking the highs or lows), then establishes the day's directional move. New York either continues London's direction (by pulling back to London-created zones and continuing) or reverses it (when London ran into a higher timeframe zone). The London-New York overlap (8:00 AM - 12:00 PM ET) produces the highest volume and most significant moves. For part-time traders, New York continuation trades are often the safest because London has already established direction and context. Understanding session timing helps you know when to look for entries, what type of moves to expect, and how to interpret price action within the context of which institutional players are active.
✓How to Recognize
- •Mark Asian session highs and lows before London opens — these are London's liquidity targets
- •London's first move is often a fake — the sweep before the real direction
- •New York continuation of London is higher probability than NY reversal of London
- •The London-NY overlap produces the day's most reliable moves
⚡How to Avoid
- →Trading during Asian session expecting directional moves — it typically builds liquidity, not trends
- →Taking London's initial move at face value — wait for the sweep and CHoCH
- →Expecting New York to reverse London without a higher timeframe reason
- →Ignoring session context when evaluating CHoCH signals — a CHoCH during Asian session is less reliable