Midnight Opening Price (Daily Open)
The Midnight Opening Price (also called the ICT 'Midnight Open') is the price level printed at 00:00 New York time that ICT traders treat as the intraday reference for bullish/bearish bias. Price trading and closing above it tends to support bullish intraday expectations; trading and closing below it tends to support bearish expectations. It is used as a directional filter and a reaction level, not a standalone entry signal.
Definition
Midnight Opening Price is the open price of the 00:00 (New York time) candle for the current trading day. In ICT-style analysis, it is treated as a key intraday benchmark level: above = bullish context, below = bearish context, with common behaviors including early deviation away from the level and later reclamation or rejection.
Why It Matters
It provides a consistent, time-based reference level that can help frame intraday bias, identify likely manipulation/deviation phases, and define where price is trading in premium/discount relative to a known daily anchor. This reduces randomness and improves alignment with session-based execution models (Asia/London/NY).
How to Identify
- Convert your chart/session time to New York time (EST/EDT) and locate 00:00 NY for the current trading day.
- Record the OPEN price of the candle that begins exactly at 00:00 NY time (this is the Midnight Opening Price).
- Project that price horizontally across the rest of the day as a reference level for intraday bias and reactions.
- Track whether subsequent candles CLOSE predominantly above or below this level to frame bullish vs bearish intraday context.
How to Trade
- Context first: determine higher-timeframe bias (e.g., 1H/4H/D) and identify nearby liquidity targets (prior day high/low, equal highs/lows, session highs/lows).
- Use the Midnight Opening Price as an intraday filter: prioritize longs when price is holding above it; prioritize shorts when price is holding below it (especially after a sweep/deviation and reclaim/rejection).
- Common playbook: allow an early-session deviation (inducement) away from the level, then look for reclaim (bullish) or rejection (bearish) during London or NY kill zones using confirmation (MSS/BOS, displacement, PD arrays).
- Risk placement: for longs, place invalidation below the most recent swing low formed after reclaim; for shorts, place invalidation above the most recent swing high formed after rejection.
- Targets: the Midnight Open itself on first return, then external liquidity (prior day high/low, session range extremes) in the direction of the established intraday bias.
Common Confusions
IF timestamp_in_ny == 00:00 THEN use that candle.open as Midnight Open; IF timestamp_in_ny == 17:00 THEN that is broker daily candle open and should be treated as a separate level unless your system explicitly maps them.
IF price is above midnight_open_price BUT there is no confirmation (no displacement/MSS/PD-array reaction) THEN do not treat it as an entry; use it only as a bias filter until confirmation appears.
IF only wicks cross midnight_open_price AND closes remain on the opposite side THEN bias is not confirmed; require consecutive closes (e.g., N=3) to confirm holding above/below.
IF chart timezone != America/New_York THEN convert timestamps; handle EST/EDT automatically (DST) so the 00:00 NY candle is always correctly identified.
Pre-Trade Checklist
- Daily open marked at 00:00 NY (or consistent platform open)?
- Intraday context determined (above = bullish, below = bearish)?
- Early deviation from open observed (inducement)?
- Open reclaimed or rejected with displacement?
- First retest of open level observed?
- Session timing supportive (London/NY)?
Explore this concept in Aurora X
Interactive visual examples, AI-powered explanations, and a full library of 90+ ICT concepts.
Try Aurora X FreeRelated Concepts
More Structure Concepts
Educational resource only. Not financial advice. Trading involves substantial risk of loss.