A practical liquidity guide — the 4 daily reference levels where liquidity actually pools: NY AM Highs/Lows (9:30-11:00), Session Highs/Lows (Asia/London), the News Impact Candle Wick and the Previous Day High/Low. Mark them before every session.
You know the liquidity theory but not where to actually mark it — this article fixes that.
These are the 4 daily reference levels where liquidity genuinely pools. Mark them before every session — each is a spot price gets drawn toward, raided at, and decides direction from. Pair with our full liquidity theory guide.
1. NY AM Highs & Lows (9:30-11:00)
The 9:30-11:00 AM New York window is often the most active part of the session — US-open volume concentrates into this ninety minutes.
How to use it: once the window closes, immediately mark its High and Low. Both become reaction zones for the PM session and the next day — price frequently sweeps these levels before committing to a true direction.
2. Session Highs & Lows (Asia + London)
Asia (7:00 PM-1:00 AM) and London (2:00-5:00 AM) create the day's liquidity frame.
Price typically forms clear highs and lows during these windows; later in the day those levels get respected, raided, or swept. Mark them early — especially the Asia H/L, the raw material of the Judas Swing.
3. News Impact Candle Wick
High-impact news candles (NFP, CPI, FOMC) often leave long wicks on both sides with a small body.
The wick tip = a violent rejection = a quality liquidity pool. After the volatility settles, price often reverses toward the opposite side of the wick. It does not happen every day — but when it does, mark it immediately.
4. Previous Day High & Low (PDH/PDL)
The most classic level of all — PDH/PDL is where yesterday's liquidity concentrated.
Price reacts, pauses, or reverses around these levels almost daily. Use them as primary targets (the draw on liquidity), bias references, and entry zones when price returns.
PDH/PDL is also the backbone of the Daily Bias framework — a sweep that closes back inside is the strongest reversal signal in the system.
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Which timeframe should I mark these levels on?+
Mark on 15m-1H for clean lines, then execute on 1m-5m. All times in this article are New York time (EST/EDT).
If I can only watch one level, which matters most?+
PDH/PDL — it anchors both daily bias and the draw on liquidity. Second is the Asia session H/L (the raw material of the Judas Swing in the early NY window). NY AM H/L matters most for PM-session and indices traders.
Why does price get drawn to these levels?+
Because stop orders and pending orders stack densely there — smart money needs opposite-side volume to fill size, and sweeping the levels everyone can see is the cheapest way to find counterparties. That is the heart of ICT: price moves from one liquidity pool to the next.
- Michael J. Huddleston (ICT) — Liquidity & time-of-day mentorship
- TradingEdges ICT Concept Playbook — 500 pages
