London kill zone times (UK) and how to trade the London open
If you're a UK trader, you're in the best time zone in the world for forex. The London session is the busiest of the day, and its first three hours, the London kill zone, are where many of the day's biggest moves start.
London kill zone times in UK time
| Window | UK time | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Asian range | 00:00 to 06:00 | Quiet, ranging price. Mark its high and low. |
| London kill zone | 07:00 to 10:00 | European traders arrive. London often runs one side of the Asian range, then sets the day's direction. |
| London session | 08:00 to 17:00 | The official session. Highest volume of the day. |
| New York kill zone | 12:00 to 15:00 | US data at 13:30, US stocks open at 14:30. London's move continues or reverses. |
Clock changes: the UK changes its clocks on the last Sunday of March and October; the US on the second Sunday of March and the first Sunday of November. In those gap weeks (about three in March, one around the end of October), US data comes out at 12:30 UK instead of 13:30. The London times above don't change for UK traders.
Why the London open moves so much
Overnight, price drifts in a narrow Asian range and stop orders build up just above and below it. When London opens, a wave of new volume arrives, and the easiest orders to fill against are those stops. That's why the first move of the London session so often runs the Asian high or low, a liquidity sweep, before the real direction of the day shows itself.
Three London open setups
1. The Judas swing
The first London move goes against the daily bias, breaks the Asian range, traps traders, then reverses. You enter as price comes back through the middle of the Asian range, with your stop beyond the false move and your target at the other side of the range and beyond.
2. The London kill zone reversal
London runs the Asian high or low in line with a higher-timeframe level and the daily bias. You wait for a structure break back toward the bias, then target the opposite side of the Asian range, then the previous day's high or low.
3. The London breakout
When the Asian range is unusually tight, there's sometimes no fake-out at all: London breaks it with a strong candle close and keeps going. The cleanest entry is the first retest of the range edge, targeting 1 to 1.5 times the range height.
| You see at 07:00 to 08:00 | Likely model |
|---|---|
| First move goes against the daily bias, then stalls | Judas swing: wait for the reversal |
| First move goes with the bias from a tight range, with strong closes | London breakout: trade the retest |
| A very wide Asian range, or big news between 07:00 and 09:00 | Neither. Sit it out. |
A simple London open routine
- 06:45: check the economic calendar for high-impact news (UK CPI is often at 07:00).
- 06:50: mark the Asian high, low and midpoint, plus the previous day's high and low.
- 06:55: write down your daily bias from the H4 chart, and the one setup you're looking for.
- 07:00 to 10:00: trade only what you wrote down. Two trades maximum.
- 10:00: stop, log your trades, and close the platform.
Log every London trade, and see which model pays you
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Get The Trader's LedgerOn MetaTrader, TTL London Session Pro draws the Asian range and tracks all three London models live on MT4 and MT5.
Frequently asked questions
What time is the London kill zone in UK time?
07:00 to 10:00 UK time. It starts an hour before the official 08:00 London open, when European traders arrive.
Does the London kill zone change when the clocks go back?
Not for UK traders: it stays at 07:00 to 10:00 UK time all year. What shifts is the timing of US data and the New York open, for a few weeks in March and around the end of October.
Which pairs are best for the London open?
GBPUSD, EURUSD and gold (XAUUSD) have the most activity. GBP pairs react strongly because it's their home session.
What is the Asian range?
The high and low of price during the quiet Asian session, commonly marked from 00:00 to 06:00 UK. London often runs one side of it first.
Educational content only, not financial advice. Trading carries a high level of risk and you can lose more than you expect. Examples use illustrative prices.