The first 15 minutes after the London open is a spread trap, not an opportunity
Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2026 8:36 am
Everyone loves the London open because the volatility is real. The part that gets skipped is that the first few minutes are also when liquidity is thinnest relative to the order flow hitting the book. Spreads on majors can be two or three times their normal size for a short stretch, and the first thrust is often a stop run of the Asian range rather than a genuine direction.
A pattern worth logging: price spikes through the Asian high or low, stalls, then snaps back inside within five to ten minutes. If you chase the spike, the entry is poor and the cost is inflated. If you wait for the snap-back, the entry is cleaner but the move is already partly gone.
A reasonable compromise is a fixed rule. No entries until the spread is back near its session norm, and only take the first pullback that holds above or below the swept level. That usually means skipping the first two or three minutes entirely, and some days skipping the whole window.
Test it on a demo log for a month. Record the spread at your entry, not just the result. Plenty of traders discover that the open trades were fine on direction and losers on cost.
Which has worked better for you on the open, waiting for the sweep to reverse or waiting for the first pullback after a clean break?
A pattern worth logging: price spikes through the Asian high or low, stalls, then snaps back inside within five to ten minutes. If you chase the spike, the entry is poor and the cost is inflated. If you wait for the snap-back, the entry is cleaner but the move is already partly gone.
A reasonable compromise is a fixed rule. No entries until the spread is back near its session norm, and only take the first pullback that holds above or below the swept level. That usually means skipping the first two or three minutes entirely, and some days skipping the whole window.
Test it on a demo log for a month. Record the spread at your entry, not just the result. Plenty of traders discover that the open trades were fine on direction and losers on cost.
Which has worked better for you on the open, waiting for the sweep to reverse or waiting for the first pullback after a clean break?