Trading Sessions Explained: Asian, London and New York (Free Guide)

Key takeaways

The trading day runs in three sessions, and each one has its own personality
Asian session: quiet range that builds the levels which matter later
London: the biggest session, sweeps the Asian range and starts the real trend
The London to New York overlap (about 13:00 to 17:00 UTC) is the most volatile window of the day
Want movement, trade London and the overlap. The Asian session is for patience, not action
Each session leaves a high and a low behind, and those six lines are the levels the next session hunts
After 9:30 New York price reaches for one of them, because that is where the stops sit
Once a level is taken it either reverses, or the reversal fails and you trade the continuation instead

Why the market goes quiet, then explodes

Ever notice the chart doing nothing for hours, then moving more in twenty minutes than it did all morning? That is not random. The trading day is three sessions taking turns, and each one behaves differently. Once you can see which session you are in, half the confusion disappears: you stop expecting trends from a window that only ever ranges, and you stop sitting out the window that actually moves.

A flat quiet candle range followed by two large green expansion candles, above a 24 hour session timeline — The same day, two personalities: hours of drift, then the explosion. The sessions explain it.

Every image below is a still from the video, so you can follow along frame by frame. All times are UTC; they shift by an hour with daylight saving.

Session 1: Asian, the quiet builder (00:00 to 09:00 UTC)

Tight sideways candle range inside a marked box, with the Asian band highlighted on the session timeline — Tokyo, Sydney, Singapore. Price ranges, and the range builds the levels that matter later.

While Tokyo, Sydney and Singapore are the only centres open, volume is thin and price mostly drifts sideways. If you are new, this is the session that tricks you into thinking nothing ever happens, and into forcing trades inside a range that is not going anywhere.

But the Asian session is doing a job: it is quietly building the day's key levels. The high and low of that range collect stops and pending orders, and those orders are exactly what the next session comes hunting for. Mark the Asian high and low, then be patient.

Session 2: London, the trend starter (08:00 to 17:00 UTC)

A candle sweeping below the marked Asian range then a strong green trend upward, with the London band lit on the timeline — London sweeps the Asian range first, then the real trend of the day kicks off.

Then London wakes up and everything changes. London is the biggest forex session on the planet, and when it opens the volatility comes alive. Watch what it does with the Asian range: very often the first move is a sweep, a push through the Asian high or low that collects the stops sitting there, before the real trend of the day kicks off in the opposite direction.

That sweep then reverse pattern is the same mechanic as the fair value gap entry: let the fake move happen, then trade the real one. The London open is where that setup prints most reliably.

Session 3: New York and the overlap (13:00 to 22:00 UTC)

Strong delivery candles with a glow labelled big delivery, and the gold overlap window marked where the London and New York bands cross — New York opens while London is still trading. The overlap is the busiest window of the whole day.

New York opens while London is still going, and from roughly 13:00 to 17:00 UTC both giants are trading at the same time. That overlap is the busiest, most volatile stretch of the entire day: the most volume, the tightest spreads, and the window where the big moves usually get delivered. US news releases also land in this window, which adds fuel; check the calendar before trading through them.

The six levels the sessions leave behind

Everything above is the map. This is what you actually trade off it. Each session leaves a high and a low behind, and those old edges are where the orders sit. You do not need indicators for this, and you do not need an opinion about direction. You need six lines and a start time.

A large green daily candle on the left with dotted previous day high and previous day low lines drawn from its high and low — Start with yesterday. Its high and its low are the first two lines.

Before New York opens, mark yesterday's high and low. Draw them straight off the daily candle so you know exactly where they came from. These two are the widest levels on your chart and they hold the most orders, because every trader on every timeframe can see them.

Asian session candles with Asia High and Asia Low ruled out to the right of the chart — The Asian range gives you the next two.

Then mark the high and low of the Asian session. That quiet range you read about above is not wasted time. It is the market building a box, and the edges of that box become targets once London and New York show up.

All six levels marked, previous day high and low, Asia high and low, London high and low, with a six lines badge — Six lines. That is the whole chart prepared.

Finally, the high and low of London. That is six lines: previous day high, previous day low, Asia high, Asia low, London high, London low. Nothing else goes on the chart. Those are the levels the market is actually hunting, and they are the same six every single day.

Why price goes and takes them

A nine thirty marker over New York session candles walking up toward the London high — 9:30 New York. Now you wait, and watch which line price reaches for.

After 9:30 New York, price will reach for one of those levels. Not because it is random, but because that is where the stops are. Every trader who bought near the London high has a stop just under it. Everyone who sold near the Asian low has a stop just above it. Those stops are orders, and orders are the only thing that lets a big position get filled.

A shaded band of resting stops above the London high, with the level circled and marked taken — The band above the level is not decoration. That is the fuel.

So price goes and takes the level. It runs the stops, and the candle wicks through. That moment is the one worth waiting for, because once the level is taken, only two things can happen next.

Outcome one: it reverses

A short position drawn after the level is taken, with stop loss above the raid high and take profit at the London low — Level taken, price rejects. Stop above the raid, target the next level down.

Price takes the level, rejects it, and turns straight back around. That is the classic raid and reverse. Your stop goes above the high that just got swept, because if price trades back through there the idea was wrong. Your target is the next level you already marked, which in this example is the London low. You are not guessing where to exit. The exit was on the chart before the trade existed.

Outcome two: the reversal fails

The failed reversal, price pushes back through the level and a long position runs to a target above — No rejection. Price pushes straight back through, and the continuation is the trade.

Sometimes the rejection never comes. Price takes the level, hesitates, then drives straight back through it and keeps going. That is a failed reversal, and it is usually the bigger move of the two, because everyone who shorted the raid is now trapped and has to buy their losses back.

Most traders only ever learn the first outcome. They see the sweep, take the reversal, and when it fails they call it a bad setup. It was not a bad setup. It was the other half of the same setup, and it pays better.

The whole method on one page

Before New York opens, mark six lines: yesterday's high and low, Asia's high and low, London's high and low
Wait for 9:30 New York. Do not trade the build-up
Watch which level price reaches for, and let it take the level properly
If it rejects and turns, short or buy the reversal with your stop beyond the sweep
If the reversal fails and price drives back through, take the continuation instead
Either way, your target is the next marked level, not a number you invented

Same levels, same time, every day. That is the entire edge, and it is why this is a routine rather than a prediction.

Watch the full breakdown

The takeaway: match the session, lose the confusion

A full day of candles from flat range to trend, with Trade here marked over London and the overlap, and Patience over the Asian band — Trade London and the overlap for movement. Treat the Asian session as preparation time.

Want movement: trade the London session and the London to New York overlap
Asian session: preparation, not action. Mark the range, set your levels, wait
Late New York (after 17:00 UTC): volume fades, moves get choppy, be selective
One habit: before any trade, ask which session am I in, and is this window known for trends or ranges

One honest exception: synthetic indices

Sessions matter on forex, gold and index CFDs because they follow real-world volume. Deriv's synthetic indices do not: Volatility 75, Boom and Crash run on a random number generator 24 hours a day, so there is no session pattern to trade there, whatever anyone on YouTube claims. On synthetics, trade the chart pattern, not the clock.

Put it to work

Convert the session times to your own timezone once and write them down. Then open a free demo, pick one session-driven market, and just watch the handover for a week: Asian range, London sweep, overlap delivery. Pair what you see with the opening range strategy, run every setup through the pre-trade checklist, and if candles and structure are still new, start with the free beginner course.

Try trading free, $10,000 virtual demo →

Frequently asked questions

What are the three main trading sessions?

The Asian session (Tokyo, Sydney, Singapore), the London session and the New York session. Together they cover the full 24 hour day. In UTC terms: Asian roughly 00:00 to 09:00, London 08:00 to 17:00 and New York 13:00 to 22:00. Exact hours shift by an hour with daylight saving.

Which session is the most volatile?

The London to New York overlap, roughly 13:00 to 17:00 UTC, when both centres are trading at the same time. It is the busiest, most liquid window of the day and where the biggest moves usually get delivered.

What time is the London session in my timezone?

London runs roughly 08:00 to 17:00 UTC. That is 09:00 to 18:00 in Lagos and Harare (UTC+1 and UTC+2), 10:00 to 19:00 in Johannesburg area time, 11:00 to 20:00 in Nairobi, and 03:00 to 12:00 in Jamaica. Check once for your own clock and write it on your desk.

Why does the market go quiet during the Asian session?

Volume. The big London and New York desks are offline, so price drifts sideways in a range while orders build up above the high and below the low of that range. That quiet range becomes the fuel for the London move: those levels are exactly where stops and pending orders sit.

Do sessions matter on Deriv synthetic indices?

No, and that is the honest answer. Synthetics like Volatility 75 and Boom and Crash run on a random number generator 24/7, so there is no London desk waking up and no session pattern to trade. Session logic applies to forex, gold and index CFDs. On synthetics, trade the chart pattern, not the clock. See the synthetic indices guide for the details.

Can I practise session-based trading for free?

Yes. Open a free Deriv demo with $10,000 virtual funds, pick one instrument that follows sessions, like a US index CFD or gold, and watch how the Asian range, the London sweep and the New York delivery repeat. Twenty observed sessions will teach you more than any indicator.

How do I mark the six session levels?

Before New York opens, draw yesterday's high and low, the Asian session high and low, and the London session high and low. Six lines total, drawn straight off the candles that made them. Nothing else goes on the chart.

Why does price keep taking out session highs and lows?

Because that is where the stop losses are. Traders who bought near a session high put their stops just under it, and traders who sold near a session low put theirs just above. Those stops are resting orders, and large positions need resting orders to get filled, so price reaches for them.

What do I do after price takes a session level?

Only two things can happen. Either price rejects the level and turns around, which is the reversal, or the reversal fails and price drives back through, which is the continuation. Take whichever one the chart gives you, put your stop beyond the sweep, and target the next level you already marked.

Which session level is the most important?

Yesterday's high and low, because every trader on every timeframe can see them, so they hold the most orders. The London high and low come next, and the Asian range matters most on quieter days when nothing else has been taken.

What time do I start watching?

9:30 New York. The six lines get marked before that, and the build-up is not traded. You are waiting for New York to reach for one of the levels the earlier sessions left behind.

Written by Tony: AA Global FX
Tony runs a live trading desk on Deriv synthetic indices and index CFDs and has published 116+ free trading tutorials on YouTube since 2022. About · YouTube
Last updated: 2026-07-30

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