Kill Zone

A Kill Zone is a narrow time window, typically 60 to 90 minutes long, when institutional order flow is most concentrated and algorithmic setups are most reliable. The standard ICT kill zones are: London Open (2:00–5:00 AM EST), NY AM (9:30–11:00 AM EST), NY Lunch reversal (12:00–1:00 PM EST), and NY PM (1:30–4:00 PM EST).

The concept relies on the observation that session-opening liquidity is disproportionately directional. Overnight orders get unwound, new positions are established, and retail stop clusters are swept before the session's real trend emerges. Outside kill zones, the same chart patterns lose statistical edge because the underlying flow isn't there. Strategies that depend on specific kill zones (Silver Bullet, Judas Swing, London Open fade) enforce strict time filters; entries taken outside the defined window are treated as invalid even if the pattern looks textbook.