Gold Killzones Clock: Live ICT Killzones for XAUUSD
Which killzone gold is in right now, when the next one opens in your local time, and where today's Silver Bullet hours, gold fix auctions and news releases fall.
Builds the overnight range. Its high and low become the first liquidity targets.
First raid on the Asian range. A false move here is the classic Judas Swing.
US data lands at 08:30 New York. The main delivery leg of the gold day.
European desks square positions. Retracements against the day are common.
Rebalancing after the COMEX settlement. Follow through usually fades.
- LBMA Gold Price AM09:30
- US data releases13:30
- LBMA Gold Price PM14:00
- COMEX settlement18:30
- Daily rollover22:00
- London Silver Bullet08:00 to 09:00
- AM Silver Bullet15:00 to 16:00
- PM Silver Bullet19:00 to 20:00
No high impact gold relevant releases scheduled today.
All windows follow the New York clock and adjust for daylight saving automatically. Educational timing context, not a trade signal.
ICT killzone times for gold
Reference table in New York time with the UTC equivalent for each half of the year. Winter runs from early November to mid March.
| Window | New York | UTC (winter) | UTC (summer) | Liquidity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asian Range | 20:00 to 00:00 | 01:00 to 05:00 | 00:00 to 04:00 | Low |
| London Killzone | 02:00 to 05:00 | 07:00 to 10:00 | 06:00 to 09:00 | High |
| New York AM Killzone | 07:00 to 10:00 | 12:00 to 15:00 | 11:00 to 14:00 | Highest |
| London Close | 10:00 to 12:00 | 15:00 to 17:00 | 14:00 to 16:00 | Moderate |
| New York PM | 13:30 to 16:00 | 18:30 to 21:00 | 17:30 to 20:00 | Declining |
| London Silver Bullet | 03:00 to 04:00 | 08:00 to 09:00 | 07:00 to 08:00 | One hour |
| AM Silver Bullet | 10:00 to 11:00 | 15:00 to 16:00 | 14:00 to 15:00 | One hour |
| PM Silver Bullet | 14:00 to 15:00 | 19:00 to 20:00 | 18:00 to 19:00 | One hour |
What a killzone is, and what it is not
A killzone is a window when large participants are most active, so price is more likely to reach for resting liquidity and then deliver a directional leg. Outside these windows gold tends to drift, range and reverse without follow through.
Time is a filter, not a trigger. A killzone raises the probability that a setup forms, but the setup still needs a liquidity sweep, displacement and a candle body close beyond structure. A wick through a level inside a killzone is still only a sweep.
The Asian range: where London finds its liquidity
From 20:00 to midnight New York time gold usually compresses. Retail stops accumulate above the range high and below the range low. Mark both levels before London opens. They are the first external liquidity of the new day.
London killzone and the Judas Swing
Between 02:00 and 05:00 New York time London takes control. A common sequence is a run through one side of the Asian range, a stop raid, then a reversal with displacement. That false first move is called the Judas Swing.
The pattern is only visible once the reversal leaves a fair value gap and closes beyond structure. Read the daily sequence in the AMD pattern in gold daily cycles.
New York AM killzone: the main delivery window
From 07:00 to 10:00 New York time both centres are open, futures volume peaks and US data lands at 08:30. Gold often either continues the London leg or reverses it here. Plan entries from premium and discount zones rather than chasing the release candle.
CPI, NFP and FOMC can move gold sharply in seconds. The clock shades each high impact release from 15 minutes before to 30 minutes after. See the history in US CPI and gold and NFP and gold.
ICT Silver Bullet hours
The Silver Bullet narrows the search to three single hours: 03:00, 10:00 and 14:00 New York time. Inside each hour the model looks for a sweep of a nearby high or low, displacement away from it and a fair value gap to rebalance into.
On gold, the AM Silver Bullet overlaps the London close and the LBMA afternoon auction, so moves can be fast. A one-hour window does not justify a tight stop. Size from structure with the position size calculator.
Gold-specific reference times
LBMA Gold Price: the London benchmark auctions run at 10:30 and 15:00 London time. Physical, central bank and OTC flow concentrates around them.
COMEX settlement: gold futures settle at 13:30 New York time. Participation thins after it, which is why the New York PM window usually fades.
Daily rollover: at 17:00 New York time the trading day rolls and spreads widen for about an hour. Avoid new entries and tight stops around it.
Daylight saving and killzones
The US and UK change clocks on different weekends in March and in late October or early November. For those two to three weeks the London killzone sits an hour differently against London time. Because the clock reads the New York definition directly from the time zone database, it stays correct without manual adjustment.
Plan the trade around the window
Sydney, Tokyo, London and New York sessions in your time zone.
Measured gold range for every weekday and hour from 90 days of data.
Turn your stop distance into the correct XAUUSD lot size before the killzone opens.
How much of today's typical range gold has already used.
The clock tells you when. Structure tells you whether.
Every published setup on the desk is qualified inside liquid hours and paused around high impact releases. The verified record shows how that discipline performs over time.
Frequently asked questions
What are killzones in trading?
Killzones are recurring time windows when institutional order flow is concentrated, so price is more likely to raid liquidity and deliver a directional move. The term comes from ICT teaching. The main windows are the London killzone and the New York AM killzone.
What time is the London killzone?
02:00 to 05:00 New York time. That is 07:00 to 10:00 UTC in northern winter and 06:00 to 09:00 UTC in summer. The clock above converts it to your local time automatically.
What time is the New York killzone?
The New York AM killzone runs from 07:00 to 10:00 New York time, which is 12:00 to 15:00 UTC in winter and 11:00 to 14:00 UTC in summer. US data such as CPI and NFP is released at 08:30 New York time inside this window.
What is the ICT Silver Bullet?
Three one-hour windows in New York time: 03:00 to 04:00, 10:00 to 11:00 and 14:00 to 15:00. Traders look for a liquidity sweep followed by displacement and a fair value gap inside the hour. The window narrows when to look, it does not create a setup on its own.
Why are killzones measured in New York time?
ICT defines every window on the New York clock. Because the US and UK change clocks on different dates, the London killzone in UTC or London time shifts by an hour for a few weeks each spring and autumn. The clock follows the New York definition, so it stays correct through those weeks.
Which killzone is best for gold?
The New York AM killzone usually carries the largest gold ranges because London and New York are both open and US data lands inside it. The London killzone is the second strongest window and often sets the high or low of the day.
What is the Asian range in gold?
The range gold builds from 20:00 to 00:00 New York time while participation is thin. Its high and low hold resting stops, which makes them the first liquidity target for London.
What is a Judas Swing?
A false move near the London open that runs one side of the Asian range, takes the stops resting there, then reverses. It is only identifiable after displacement in the opposite direction confirms it. Never assume the first move must reverse.
What time is the London gold fix?
The LBMA Gold Price auction runs twice a day, at 10:30 and 15:00 London time. Physical and OTC flow concentrates around both auctions, so short-term volatility can rise near them.
Should I trade every killzone?
No. A killzone tells you when a setup is more likely to form, not whether one exists. Without a liquidity sweep, displacement and a body close beyond structure, the correct decision inside a killzone is to stand aside.
What funds, banks and producers did in COMEX gold this week, in plain terms.
Official US inflation readings next to gold's monthly move, with release context.
US payrolls, unemployment and wages next to gold's monthly move.
How XAUUSD performed in each calendar month over the last 10 years.