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ICT London Close Trade: The Third Kill Zone Most Traders Ignore

Most ICT traders focus on the London Open and New York Open kill zones. The London Close — the period from approximately 10 AM to 12 PM EST when London institutions close their positions — is the third kill zone and the one most consistently overlooked. It produces a specific, reliable reversal or retracement model that is tradeable on its own terms, separate from the morning session move.

The Inner Circle Traders

Updated July 2026

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Key Takeaways

The London Close occurs between approximately 10 AM and 12 PM EST when London-based institutions close or reduce their intraday positions before the London trading day ends
The closing of London positions causes a predictable counter-move against the morning session direction — if the London and New York sessions delivered higher, the London Close typically produces a retracement lower as longs are liquidated
The London Close Trade is identified by a Morning Session high or low established during the London or early NY session, followed by a reversal or retracement during the 10–12 PM window
The London Close is the third ICT kill zone — after London Open (2–5 AM) and New York Open (7–10 AM) — and is most reliable for counter-trend retracement trades rather than new directional trades
The London Close model pairs well with the ICT Silver Bullet window (10–11 AM EST) and the 10:10 AM macro time — both fall within the London Close kill zone period

What is the ICT London Close Trade?

The London Close Trade refers to the price action model that occurs between approximately 10 AM and 12 PM EST — the window when London-based institutions close or reduce their intraday positions before the end of the London trading day. London’s financial day officially ends at approximately 4:30 PM GMT (11:30 AM EST in winter, 10:30 AM EST in summer with daylight saving adjustments), making the 10 AM to 12 PM EST window the period of active London position closing.

When London institutions close their intraday positions, they effectively reverse the transactions they opened during the London session. If the London session ran higher (bullish delivery), London institutions that went long during the session are now selling to close — producing selling pressure during the 10–12 AM window that counteracts the morning move. This is the London Close model: a predictable counter-move against the morning session direction.

The third kill zone

ICT Trading has three kill zones: London Open (2–5 AM EST), New York Open (7–10 AM EST), and London Close (10 AM–12 PM EST). Most traders focus heavily on the first two and ignore the third. The London Close is less dramatic than the NY Open but highly predictable — and it produces consistent, structured retracement moves that are tradeable with high precision.

The Daily Session Structure

Understanding the London Close requires understanding how the three sessions interact throughout the day. The London Open kill zone (2–5 AM EST) produces the first significant directional move, often establishing the day’s Judas Swing — the initial manipulation move that sweeps one side of the Asian range before reversing.

The New York Open kill zone (7–10 AM EST) produces the day’s primary directional delivery. This is when the daily bias — bullish or bearish — is most forcefully expressed. The NY Open often carries the morning move significantly in the bias direction, reaching or approaching the primary draw on liquidity target.

The London Close kill zone (10 AM–12 PM EST) then produces the predictable position-closing counter-move. If the morning was bullish, the London Close produces a bearish retracement as London longs are closed. If the morning was bearish, the London Close produces a bullish retracement as London shorts are closed. The magnitude of the retracement depends on how aggressively London participated in the morning move.

The London Close Trade Setup

The London Close trade setup follows a specific sequence:

Step 1: Identify the morning session range. Mark the high and low of the combined London Open and New York Open sessions (roughly 2 AM to 10 AM EST). These define the morning range — the directional move that the London Close will retrace.

Step 2: Note whether the morning was bullish or bearish. If price ran higher (morning high significantly above the session open), the London Close is expected to produce a bearish retracement. If the morning ran lower, the London Close produces a bullish retracement.

Step 3: Watch for the morning session high (or low) to be swept. Often the London Close trade begins with a stop hunt of the morning extreme — running the BSL above the morning high (in a bullish-morning scenario) before reversing lower. This stop hunt fires during the 10 AM to 10:30 AM window and produces the short entry for the London Close trade.

Step 4: Enter at the first premium PD array after the morning high sweep and CHoCH. The stop goes above the swept morning high. The target is the 50% level of the morning range or the morning session low (depending on the daily bias).

London Close and the Silver Bullet Window

The ICT Silver Bullet window runs from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM EST — and it sits entirely within the London Close kill zone. This makes the Silver Bullet the precision entry window within the broader London Close opportunity.

The 10:10 AM macro time also falls within the London Close window, as does the 11:00 AM macro. Both provide additional timing precision for entries within the London Close model. The hierarchy: the London Close window identifies the directional bias (counter to the morning) → the Silver Bullet or 10:10 AM macro identifies the specific 20-minute entry window → the PD array identifies the precise entry level.

Many ICT traders who use the Silver Bullet approach are effectively trading the London Close model — they are taking counter-morning entries in the 10–11 AM window targeting the reversal of the morning session’s primary move. Understanding the London Close as the macro context gives the Silver Bullet entries their structural foundation.

When the London Close Trade Works Best

The London Close trade is most reliable in the following conditions:

Strong morning session. The larger and more directional the morning move, the more London positions were accumulated and the more selling (or buying) pressure their closing will produce. A morning move of 50+ pips on EURUSD produces a more reliable London Close reversal than a 15-pip morning move.

Morning move reached or approached the primary DOL. If the morning move has already hit the day’s primary draw on liquidity target, institutions are more likely to close positions aggressively. A morning move that approached but did not quite reach the DOL may see less forceful position closing.

Daily bias supports the London Close direction. If the daily bias is bullish and the morning ran higher, the London Close retracement is a pullback within a bullish day — the retracement should not exceed the morning session 50% level. If the London Close retracement exceeds 50% of the morning range, reconsider the daily bias.

The London Close model does NOT apply on news days. On high-impact news days (NFP, FOMC), the morning move may be driven by the news rather than London institutional positioning. London institutions may hold rather than close if the news changes the macro picture. On these days, the London Close model is suspended and the news-driven delivery takes precedence.

London Close Trade: Practical Session-by-Session Execution

The London Close Trade requires pre-session preparation completed before 9:00 AM EST. By 9:00 AM, you should know: the daily bias, the London session high and low (marked after London has been running for 2-3 hours), whether a significant liquidity sweep occurred during London, and the direction of the expected London Close delivery. All of this is pre-defined before the 10:00 AM EST window opens.

During the 10:00-12:00 PM EST window: watch for the reversal of the London session’s direction. If London ran up (bullish delivery), the London Close often reverses that move, pushing lower as European institutions close out their London longs. If London ran down, the Close may reverse higher. The entry is from the first FVG that forms in the London Close direction — typically appearing within the first 15-30 minutes of the 10:00 AM window.

London Close vs New York Open: Which to Trade

Traders sometimes face a choice between the New York open (9:30-11:00 AM EST) and the London Close (10:00 AM-12:00 PM EST) — they overlap significantly. The distinction: the New York open is the primary session for US equity indices (NQ, ES) and is driven by US institutional order flow. The London Close is the primary session for European currencies (EURUSD, GBPUSD) and is driven by European institutional close-out activity.

For equity index futures traders (NQ, ES): prioritise the New York open setup. For forex traders (EURUSD, GBPUSD): the London Close trade in the 10:00-12:00 PM window is often the cleaner opportunity because it captures the mechanical close-out activity of European banks rather than competing with the directional US institutional flow that dominates NQ and ES during the same window. Choose the session appropriate for your instrument rather than trying to trade both simultaneously.

Watch: ICT London Close Trade: The Third Kill Zone Most Traders Ignore

Original ICT teaching on this concept from the Inner Circle Trader YouTube channel.

Frequently Asked Questions

How exactly do I know when the London Close is happening?+

The London trading day ends at approximately 4:30 PM GMT. In EST: 11:30 AM in winter (when the US is on EST) and 10:30 AM in summer (when the US is on EDT). The position-closing activity typically begins 30–60 minutes before the official close, so the window is approximately 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM EST across both seasonal schedules. This window is consistent enough that ICT Teaching uses 10 AM–12 PM EST as the standard London Close kill zone.

Can the London Close produce a new directional trade rather than just a retracement?+

Yes, but less commonly. On days where the morning session move was weak or the daily bias shifts during the London Close window, the LC can initiate a new directional move rather than just retracing the morning. This is more likely on days where the primary morning DOL was not reached, leaving the day's directional potential incomplete. The default expectation, however, is a counter-morning retracement.

How deep does the London Close retracement typically go?+

The London Close retracement typically targets the 50% level of the morning session range as the first target. On strong reversal days, it can retrace to the morning session open (the NY open price) or even the London session open. Retracements that exceed 61.8% of the morning range suggest a deeper structural move rather than a routine position-closing retracement.

Should I trade the London Close on NFP day?+

No. NFP (Non-Farm Payrolls, the first Friday of each month at 8:30 AM EST) drives the morning move through a news event rather than routine London institutional positioning. The news-driven nature of the move means London institutions may hold or add to positions rather than closing them at 10 AM. The London Close model is suspended on NFP days and most other high-impact news days.

Is the London Close trade available on all instruments?+

It is most reliable on instruments with significant London institutional participation: EURUSD, GBPUSD, EURGBP, USDJPY, and XAUUSD. US equity indices (NQ, ES) also show London Close dynamics because many US equity institutions participate during London hours. The model is least reliable on instruments with low London participation (AUD/NZD pairs, most cryptocurrency pairs during Asian-dominated hours).

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The Inner Circle Traders

Educational Content Team

This article is part of the free ICT Trading education programme — 118 articles written from scratch covering the complete Inner Circle Trader methodology. All content is for educational purposes only. This site is independent and is not affiliated with Michael Huddleston or the Inner Circle Trader.

ICT London Close Trade ICT London Close Kill Zone ICT 10 AM Trade ICT Third Kill Zone ICT Session Reversal ICT Silver Bullet

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Contents

—What is the ICT London Close Trade?
—The Daily Session Structure
—The London Close Trade Setup
—London Close and the Silver Bullet Window
—When the London Close Trade Works Best
—Watch: ICT Teaching
—Frequently Asked Questions
—Test Your Knowledge

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