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ICT New York Midnight Open: The Reference Price That Resets Every Day
The New York Midnight Open is the price at exactly 00:00 EST — the open of the new candlestick day in the ICT framework. It is not a trade signal by itself, but it is a reference level that every ICT Trader marks before the session begins. Price above the Midnight Open favours a bullish session bias. Price below it favours a bearish bias. Used alongside the NDOG and the Asian range, it completes the daily pre-session preparation.
The Inner Circle Traders
Updated July 2026
8 min read
Cluster: Models & Sessions
Key Takeaways
- The ICT Midnight Open is the price at 00:00 EST — the exact moment the new trading day begins in the ICT framework, used as a daily pivot reference point
- Price trading above the Midnight Open at the start of the London or NY session provides a bullish intraday context; price below provides a bearish context
- The Midnight Open is closely related to the New Day Opening Gap (NDOG) — when a gap exists between the previous session close and the Midnight Open, the NDOG fill is the first early-session event to watch
- The Midnight Open should not be confused with the 6 PM EST Forex session open (the actual new trading period start) — the Midnight Open is the 00:00 EST price, marking the new calendar day
- In the ICT framework the Midnight Open often acts as a support or resistance level during the London and early NY sessions — price that returns to the Midnight Open level frequently finds institutional interest there
What is the ICT Midnight Open?
The ICT Midnight Open is the price at exactly 00:00 EST (New York midnight) — the price at which the new calendar trading day begins in the ICT framework. It is not the Forex session open (which occurs at 5 PM or 6 PM EST when the new weekly session begins) and it is not the New York equity open (9:30 AM EST). It is specifically the 00:00 EST price, marking the transition from one calendar day to the next.
In ICT Trading, the Midnight Open serves as a daily pivot reference — a neutral level from which the day’s session can be evaluated as bullish or bearish. If price is trading above the Midnight Open at the London open or New York open, the intraday context is bullish. If price is below the Midnight Open, the context is bearish. This is not the same as the daily bias (which is determined by higher timeframe analysis) but it provides a session-level orientation reference.
Simple rule
Price above the Midnight Open at session open → look for longs first. Price below the Midnight Open → look for shorts first. It is a filter, not a signal — always confirmed by the daily bias and PD array analysis before acting.
The Midnight Open in the Daily Session Structure
The Midnight Open anchors the daily structure in ICT analysis. Every trading day, the sequence of reference levels is: Midnight Open (00:00 EST) → Asian session range builds around it → London open either confirms or manipulates relative to the MO level → NY session delivers in the primary direction.
The Midnight Open level is most significant as a reference during the London session (2–5 AM EST) and the early New York session (7–10 AM EST). During these kill zones, price frequently returns to the Midnight Open level as part of the manipulation phase — the Judas Swing that precedes the true directional delivery often sweeps through the MO level before reversing.
On bullish days, the Midnight Open acts as support — price may dip to or below it briefly as the Judas Swing sweeps SSL near the MO, then reverses higher. On bearish days, it acts as resistance — price may rally above it briefly as the Judas Swing sweeps BSL near the MO, then reverses lower. Recognising these scenarios in advance prevents entering the Judas Swing as a real directional move.
Midnight Open and the NDOG
The Midnight Open and the New Day Opening Gap (NDOG) are closely related. The NDOG is the gap between the previous day’s 5 PM EST close and the next session open — which, for most purposes, is measured against the Midnight Open at 00:00 EST.
When the 5 PM close and the Midnight Open differ, a NDOG exists. The zone between the 5 PM close and the 00:00 EST Midnight Open price is the NDOG — the early-session imbalance that price will typically attempt to fill during the Asian or early London session before the primary directional move develops.
The practical combination: mark both the Midnight Open and the NDOG before the session. The NDOG fill typically brings price to the Midnight Open level. Once both the NDOG is filled and price has interacted with the Midnight Open, the early-session reference structure is complete and the true directional setup becomes clearer for the London or NY kill zone entry.
Midnight Open as a Support and Resistance Level
Beyond its role as a context filter, the Midnight Open also acts as a structural support or resistance level during the trading day. When price returns to the Midnight Open level — particularly during a kill zone — institutional participants who positioned themselves at or near the MO price will defend their positions, creating a reaction at that level.
This makes the Midnight Open a natural location to look for FVG entries or Order Block reactions. When a valid PD array sits near the Midnight Open, the confluence of the PD array and the MO level creates a higher-probability entry zone than either would independently.
The Midnight Open is also useful for stop placement assessment. A position entered in the discount zone during a bullish day can use the Midnight Open as a threshold — if price closes below the Midnight Open intraday, the bullish thesis is weakened and the position should be reassessed. The MO acts as the daily neutral line: closes above it confirm the bullish session; closes below it challenge it.
Midnight Open in the Pre-Session Preparation Routine
The Midnight Open is marked as part of the daily pre-session routine — a horizontal line at the 00:00 EST open price, drawn before the London session begins. This takes less than one minute and gives the session a structural anchor that almost every ICT model references.
Combined with the PDH, PDL, PWH, PWL levels and the NDOG, the Midnight Open completes the pre-session map: you know the daily pivot (MO), the daily session extremes (PDH/PDL), the weekly extremes (PWH/PWL), and the opening gap (NDOG). These four inputs, combined with the daily bias from higher timeframe analysis, give a complete session orientation before price moves a single tick.
Midnight Open in Practice: Pre-Session Routine
The pre-session routine for ICT traders begins at midnight New York time — or at the start of the next trading day for those not monitoring overnight. The first task: mark the midnight open price on the chart as a horizontal line. This single line becomes one of the most referenced levels of the entire trading day.
Next, compare the midnight open to the prior day close. If midnight opened above the prior close: a bullish NDOG exists. This gap zone (prior close to midnight open) is an imbalance the algorithm will address — typically by retracing into the gap at some point during the session. If midnight opened below the prior close: a bearish NDOG exists. Mark both boundaries of the NDOG zone (prior close and midnight open price) as the zone to watch for price to fill during the session.
Then compare the midnight open to the prior week open and prior week close. If midnight is above the prior week close and above the prior week open — the weekly context is clearly bullish. If it is below both — clearly bearish. If midnight sits between the two (above the weekly close but below the weekly open, or vice versa) — mixed weekly context requiring caution. This five-minute pre-session comparison of midnight open to prior day close, prior week close, and prior week open provides a complete macro context for the day before a single London candle has printed.
Midnight Open Intraday Signals Throughout the Session
During the session, the midnight open price acts as a dynamic reference that generates signals throughout the day — not just in the pre-session analysis. These intraday signals are subtle but consistent once you know what to look for.
Signal 1 — Reclaim: if price has been below the midnight open during the Asian session and then reclaims it (closes a 15M candle above it) at the London open, this is a bullish reclaim signal. The algorithm has returned to the daily algorithmic anchor and is now trading above it — a change in the session’s delivery posture from bearish to bullish.
Signal 2 — Rejection: if price is above the midnight open and then produces a bearish displacement candle that closes below it during the London or New York kill zone, this is a bearish rejection signal. Price has rejected the midnight open from above — the algorithm is now delivering below the daily anchor, suggesting bearish session intent.
Signal 3 — Consolidation around: when price oscillates above and below the midnight open repeatedly without establishing a clear direction, the session is in equilibrium — the algorithm has not yet declared a directional intent. This consolidation around the midnight open often precedes a strong directional breakout when the kill zone opens. The direction of the first decisive move away from the midnight open during the kill zone is the session direction confirmation.
Watch: ICT New York Midnight Open: The Reference Price That Resets Every Day
Original ICT teaching on this concept from the Inner Circle Trader YouTube channel.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Midnight Open the same as the daily open on a candlestick chart?+
In most charting platforms using New York close (5 PM EST) as the session boundary, the daily candle opens at 5 PM EST — not midnight. The ICT Midnight Open is specifically 00:00 EST, which falls at the midpoint of the 5 PM–5 PM daily candle. Mark it manually with a horizontal line at the price where the 00:00 EST candle opens, not the daily candle open.
How do I find the Midnight Open price on my chart?+
Switch to a 1-hour chart. Find the candle that opens at 00:00 EST (midnight New York time). The open price of that candle is the Midnight Open. Draw a horizontal line at that price. It resets to a new level at 00:00 EST every day. Some traders use a custom indicator or session lines tool that automatically marks this level.
Does the Midnight Open apply to all instruments?+
It is most relevant to instruments that trade continuously through midnight EST: Forex pairs (EURUSD, GBPUSD, XAUUSD) and futures contracts (NQ, ES, GC). For US equities (stocks), which do not trade at midnight EST, the concept is less applicable. The Midnight Open is most useful for the instruments ICT Trading focuses on — Forex and US index futures.
Can the Midnight Open be in the premium or discount zone of the dealing range?+
Yes. The Midnight Open is simply a price level — where it falls within the dealing range depends on the structure of the dealing range that day. If the MO is in the premium zone, the bullish context (price above MO) coincides with being in premium — but bullish entries in premium are against the dealing range filter. Always reconcile the MO context with the dealing range analysis.
What is the significance of the Midnight Open being swept vs closed through?+
Like any ICT reference level, a wick through the Midnight Open followed by a close back above (for a bullish context) is a test and rejection — bullish. A candle that closes below the Midnight Open on a bullish day is a warning signal that the bullish daily bias may be weakening. Use candle closes, not wicks, to evaluate whether the MO is holding as a support level.
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