ICT Decoded · Killzones and key times of day
What Are ICT Killzones and Key Times of Day?
By Steve H — reads every firm’s official rulebook, checks prices and codes daily, and maintains the Enigma Score · Methodology · Editorial policy · Last updated November 1, 2026
ICT concepts were created and are taught by Michael J. Huddleston, The Inner Circle Trader (X · YouTube). This lesson is FundedEnigma’s own summary, not affiliated with or endorsed by ICT.
In short: ICT killzones (also written kill zones) are set windows of the day, in New York time, when ICT expects the larger moves: Asia 7-9 PM, London 2-5 AM and, for index futures like NQ, New York 8:30-11 AM. Inside them, price often runs the high or low that the earlier hours left behind.
ICT Killzones: When the High or Low of the Day Forms (And When It Doesn't) · 7:00 · published October 31, 2026 · part of the ICT Concepts Decoded playlist
Watch the video
The full video is embedded above this article: ICT Killzones: When the High or Low of the Day Forms (And When It Doesn't). This page is the written version, with every chart walked through step by step. Jump to any part of the video:
- 0:00 Intro
- 0:41 What a killzone is
- 1:10 The three killzones
- 2:02 Key times of day
- 2:37 How to use them
- 3:14 Example 1
- 4:24 Example 2
- 5:24 Not a promise
- 6:08 Recap
Correction, 2026-11-01: the video gives the New York killzone as 7 to 10 AM and, for that window, says about four days in ten. ICT teaches 8:30 to 11 AM for index futures like NQ, so this page uses his window, and with it the count is about one day in three.
Key facts: killzones and key times at a glance
| Term | What it is | Time (New York) |
|---|---|---|
| Asia killzone | The evening window as the new futures day gets going | 19:00-21:00 (7-9 PM) |
| London killzone | Often takes one side of the overnight range | 02:00-05:00 (2-5 AM) |
| New York killzone | Opens with the 8:30 news and covers the 9:30 stock open (ICT's index-futures window) | 08:30-11:00 (8:30-11 AM) |
| Silver Bullet | ICT's one-hour windows inside the New York day, a model of its own | 10:00-11:00 and 14:00-15:00 |
| Noon hour | Usually the quiet hour: smaller ranges, harder to read | 12:00-13:00 |
| Futures day open | The new trading day on CME futures | 18:00 |
| Midnight open | A reference price for the day ahead | 00:00 |
| News and stock open | High-impact reports, then the stock market open | 08:30 and 09:30 |
Last verified 2026-11-01. All charts below are real historical CME NQ futures data, shown in New York time.
Here is the idea on one chart. On March 2, 2026, NQ printed its low of the day at 3:24 in the morning, New York time, inside the London killzone. The New York killzone then lifted price away from that low, and at 2:47 in the afternoon it traded just above the previous day's high.
What is a killzone in trading?
A killzone is a window of the day, set in New York time, when ICT expects the bigger moves. It lines up with the hours when a major market opens and volume arrives. Inside those windows, price often runs the high or the low that the earlier hours left behind, and that run can set the high or the low of the day.
Every time on this page is New York time. Set your chart clock to New York, so daylight saving changes never move your windows.
What are the ICT killzone times?
Asia 7-9 PM, London 2-5 AM and New York 8:30-11 AM, all New York time. These are the windows ICT teaches; the New York one is his window for index futures like NQ.
Asia killzone time
The Asia killzone runs from 7 to 9 PM New York time, as the new futures day gets going.
London killzone time
The London killzone runs from 2 to 5 AM New York time. London often takes out one side of the overnight range, and on some days that is where the high or the low of the day is made.
New York killzone time
For index futures like NQ, ICT teaches the New York killzone as 8:30 to 11 AM New York time. It opens with the 8:30 news and covers the 9:30 stock market open, so it is often the most active window of the day. For forex, ICT teaches an earlier New York window, 7 to 9 AM.
Inside the New York day, ICT also narrows things down to one-hour windows called the Silver Bullet: 10 to 11 AM and 2 to 3 PM. That is a model of its own, so this page only names it. The noon hour, 12 to 1 PM, is usually the quiet one.
What are the ICT key times of day?
Key times are single opening prices you mark on the chart: 6 PM (the new futures day), midnight (the midnight open), 8:30 (the big economic reports), 9:30 (the stock market open) and 4 PM (the stock session close).
ICT uses these opening prices as references. Is price above or below the midnight open? Did the 8:30 or 9:30 move run against the day's direction first, then turn?
How do you use killzones?
Mark the earlier highs and lows before the window opens, watch which one gets run inside it, then read what comes after the run with the rest of the toolkit.
- Before the window. Mark the highs and lows the earlier hours left. For London, that is the Asia range. For New York, it is the London high and low. See liquidity.
- Inside the window. Watch which of those levels gets run. A run of a level inside the window is the event. Time alone is not.
- After the run. Read it with the draw on liquidity, a market structure shift and a fair value gap. The killzone tells you when to pay attention, not which way to go.
What do killzones look like on real charts?
One day where the London killzone made the low of the day and New York delivered the move away from it, and one where the New York killzone made the high of the day, both on the 15-minute chart.
Example 1: the London killzone low, NQ 15-minute, March 2, 2026
- The futures day opens at 6 PM on Sunday. In the Asia killzone, at 8:31 PM, price makes a high at 24,901.25.
- Price drifts lower, to a low of 24,528.00 at 1:51 AM.
- The London killzone opens at 2 AM. At 3:00 price trades below that 1:51 low, and at 3:24 it reaches 24,477.00. That is the low of the day.
- In the New York killzone the pullback holds above it, with a low of 24,592.75 at 8:58. After the 9:30 open, price reaches 24,898.50 by 9:50.
- The previous day's high is at 25,098.75. At 2:47 PM price trades just above it, to 25,101.00, the high of the day.
Example 2: the New York killzone high, NQ 15-minute, February 12, 2026
- The London killzone makes a high at 25,369.25 at 3:09 AM. Just after London, at 5:04, price edges a little higher, to 25,374.00.
- At 7:31, before the New York killzone opens, price already trades above both of those highs.
- The New York killzone opens at 8:30, and price runs up to 25,419.75 at 8:43. That is the high of the day, made inside the New York killzone.
- The midnight open is at 25,328.00. At the 9:30 open price trades back below it, and after 10:00 it does not get back above it that session.
- At 3:52 PM price reaches 24,721.50, about 700 points below the morning high.
Do killzones work every day?
No. We checked 577 NQ sessions, from June 2024 to September 2026: on about one day in three, neither the high nor the low of the day formed inside any of the three killzones, and on more than nine days in ten at least one of them formed outside.
So a killzone is not a clock that makes the high or the low. It is a window where a run of a level is worth more attention. Many highs and lows come later in the day. Time is ICT's framework for when to look, not a promise.
Killzone vs session: what is the difference?
The Asia high and low in our liquidity lessons come from the Asia session, 8 PM to midnight New York time. The Asia killzone, 7 to 9 PM, is only the window ICT watches inside the evening. Keep the two apart when you mark your chart.
How do you use killzones in your own charting?
Use time as a filter: it tells you when to look, and the level, the shift and the draw tell you what it means.
- Say the window. Name the killzone and the New York time whenever you describe a move.
- Say which level was run. The Asia range in London, the London high or low in New York.
- Use the opens as references. Above or below the midnight open; what the 8:30 and 9:30 moves did first.
- Expect days that do not fit. Plenty of highs and lows form outside the windows.
More concepts in the series are on the ICT Concepts Decoded hub. If you trade futures with a prop firm, you can look up a firm's rules on the challenges page or set two firms side by side on the compare page.
Frequently asked questions
Are ICT killzones in EST or New York time?
New York time, which is EST in winter and EDT in summer. Set your chart to New York and the windows stay on the same clock all year.
What is the best killzone to trade?
This page does not pick one for you. The New York killzone covers the 8:30 news and the 9:30 open, so it is often the most active window.
What is the midnight open in ICT?
The opening price at midnight New York time. ICT uses it as a reference for the day: is price above or below it?
Is the Silver Bullet a killzone?
It is ICT's narrower one-hour window inside the New York day, 10 to 11 AM and 2 to 3 PM, and a model of its own. ICT also teaches a London open Silver Bullet, 3 to 4 AM.
Do killzones work on forex and crypto too?
The windows are clock times, so they can be drawn on any chart, though ICT gives forex a different New York window, 7 to 9 AM. The examples on this page are NQ futures only.
What should I do outside the killzones?
Keep marking the levels. A killzone is a filter, and the high or low of the day often forms outside the windows.
Sources
- Concept: killzones and the key times of day as taught by ICT (The Inner Circle Trader, Michael J. Huddleston), who originated these terms. The explanation, examples and charts on this page are our own; the windows are the ones ICT teaches, with New York given as his index-futures window.
- Data: every chart and the 577-session count are real historical CME Nasdaq-100 E-mini (NQ) futures data, shown in New York time.
- Video: ICT Killzones: When the High or Low of the Day Forms (And When It Doesn't), FundedEnigma.
Last verified: 2026-11-01. Written by Steve H.
Disclaimer: This page is for education only and is not financial advice. Trading futures involves substantial risk of loss. Past price behaviour does not guarantee future results.
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