London open: the 12-minute checklist I actually run (not the Instagram one)
Posted: Sat Sep 05, 2026 8:19 am
Been scalping London for about a decade. Still do the same boring pre-open routine — not because it's glamorous, but because skipping it costs me more than a fat spread ever did.
Clock: I want this done by **07:58 UK**, so when liquidity wakes up I'm not still alt-tabbing into economic calendars.
**1. Calendar (60 seconds)**
Anything red/orange in the next 3 hours for USD/EUR/GBP? If yes, I note the exact print time and whether I trade *into* it or flat 5 minutes before. Half the "I got spiked" stories are just people who glanced at the calendar at 09:00.
**2. Overnight range + Asia high/low**
I mark Asia session H/L on M5. Not as holy grail — just so I know where the first liquidity grab usually sniffs. If London opens *inside* a tight Asia box, I expect either a fake break then reverse, or a delayed break after 08:15.
**3. Spread sanity check**
EURUSD / GBPUSD / XAUUSD raw spreads on my VPS feed. If EURUSD is already 0.4+ before open, something's off (broker, holiday, or my VPS routing). I don't "push through it."
**4. VPS + platform**
Ping to broker, MT5 reconnect if needed, one market-order test on micro size if I switched servers overnight. Latency spike after a Windows update has bitten me more than once. Dry humor: Windows Update at 07:40 is a personality test.
**5. Levels that matter today**
Prior day high/low, round numbers that actually printed volume yesterday, and one HTF level (H1/H4). Max 4 lines. If my chart looks like a subway map, I've already lost.
**6. Bias note (one sentence)**
Written in the journal *before* the first click. Example: "Fade first London spike on EURUSD unless NYSE futures are ripping same direction." If I can't write one sentence, I don't trade the open.
Takes ~12 minutes when I'm disciplined. Takes 40 when I "just check Twitter first."
What does your pre-London checklist look like in practice — timed steps or gut feel?
Anyone else refuse to trade the open if spreads are already elevated?
Do you flat all positions into major UK prints, or scale risk down instead?
Clock: I want this done by **07:58 UK**, so when liquidity wakes up I'm not still alt-tabbing into economic calendars.
**1. Calendar (60 seconds)**
Anything red/orange in the next 3 hours for USD/EUR/GBP? If yes, I note the exact print time and whether I trade *into* it or flat 5 minutes before. Half the "I got spiked" stories are just people who glanced at the calendar at 09:00.
**2. Overnight range + Asia high/low**
I mark Asia session H/L on M5. Not as holy grail — just so I know where the first liquidity grab usually sniffs. If London opens *inside* a tight Asia box, I expect either a fake break then reverse, or a delayed break after 08:15.
**3. Spread sanity check**
EURUSD / GBPUSD / XAUUSD raw spreads on my VPS feed. If EURUSD is already 0.4+ before open, something's off (broker, holiday, or my VPS routing). I don't "push through it."
**4. VPS + platform**
Ping to broker, MT5 reconnect if needed, one market-order test on micro size if I switched servers overnight. Latency spike after a Windows update has bitten me more than once. Dry humor: Windows Update at 07:40 is a personality test.
**5. Levels that matter today**
Prior day high/low, round numbers that actually printed volume yesterday, and one HTF level (H1/H4). Max 4 lines. If my chart looks like a subway map, I've already lost.
**6. Bias note (one sentence)**
Written in the journal *before* the first click. Example: "Fade first London spike on EURUSD unless NYSE futures are ripping same direction." If I can't write one sentence, I don't trade the open.
Takes ~12 minutes when I'm disciplined. Takes 40 when I "just check Twitter first."
What does your pre-London checklist look like in practice — timed steps or gut feel?
Anyone else refuse to trade the open if spreads are already elevated?
Do you flat all positions into major UK prints, or scale risk down instead?