London session
The European morning session (~8am, 12pm, Paris): the European open, the FDAX liquidity peak and the first real flow of the day.
The London session covers the European open. On the FDAX it's the richest window: European data drops, session extremes take shape, and the book shows its first real intentions. Many traders prefer it to the US session: same order-flow patterns, less algorithmic noise, and it frees up the afternoon. It's the natural slot of our FDAX session journal.
In depth
The London session is the time window when the European financial marketplace is most active: roughly the morning (Paris time), peaking around market opens. On European indices like the FDAX, it's the period when much of the day's volume and volatility forms.
For order flow, this session has a signature: liquidity stacks readably around the opens, stops pile up below and above obvious levels, and the first moves often go to grab that liquidity before setting the day's direction. Trading the London session means catching the action early, on a window distinct from and less crowded than the US afternoon.
In practice, we prepare the London session by mapping liquidity before the open (heatmap on the FDAX around 8:55 to 9am), then watch for the first sweep: the market often reaches for stacked liquidity before revealing its true direction. The session journal breaks down these opens.
8:55am on the FDAX: liquidity stacks below the open → the first London-session move often goes to grab it.
Taking the session's first move for the day's trend. The London open frequently starts with a liquidity sweep (false direction) before the real move. Waiting for the rejection after the liquidity grab avoids getting trapped in the first minutes.
Frequently asked
What time is the London session?
Roughly the European morning (Paris time), peaking around the opens. It's the most active window on European indices like the FDAX, before the US afternoon open.
Why trade the London session on the FDAX?
Because that's where the instrument's volume and volatility concentrate, on a window distinct from and less crowded than the US session. Ideal for those who want to trade in the morning.
Does the first move set the trend?
Not always: the open often starts with a liquidity sweep that takes a false direction before the real move. We wait for the rejection after the liquidity grab to read the day's bias.
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