Trading ES in order flow with DeepCharts, DeepDom and DeepGamma: the complete course
An ES day, Paris time
ES trades almost 23 hours a day, but it only truly lives during the US cash session, from 9:30 am to 4 pm in New York. The rest of the time, it follows Asia, then Europe, then waits. This lesson describes the day in Paris time when the gap with New York is six hours, which is the case for most of the year; the next lesson deals with the weeks when it is not.
The windows, and what the book does in each
| Window (Paris) | What happens | What it changes for you |
|---|---|---|
| 12 am to 8 am | Asia. The book is deep but volume is low: ES follows the Nikkei and the Asian futures | No trading. You let the MBO history build up |
| 8 am to 2:30 pm | Europe. European desks treat ES as a proxy for global risk. Range of 15 to 30 points, thick book, rare aggression | The window for Deep Wall and icebergs (setup S8). Reduced size, short targets |
| 2:30 pm | US data releases (jobs, inflation, GDP…) at 8:30 am New York | Never a position in the two minutes after a major release. You read the reaction, you do not guess it |
| 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm | US pre-market. The gap against the previous day's settlement forms or fills | The previous day's and overnight levels are tested a first time, often without conviction |
| 3:30 pm to 3:33 pm | Cash open. Stock opening orders are executed, ES converges toward its fair price | No trade before the convergence is over. The first 1-minute candle often lies |
| 3:33 pm to 4:30 pm | Initial balance: the first hour sets the day's frame. Volume of 5 to 10% of the session on each 5-minute bar | The window richest in setups. Opening rotation, break or rejection of the IB (setup S9) |
| 4:00 pm | 10 am New York data (ISM, confidence, housing) | A possible second shock on an IB in progress. A position opened at 3:58 pm must still have its reason to exist at 4:02 pm |
| 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm | The market digests the IB. The day's trends are confirmed or canceled here | Second good window: wall breaks, pivot exits (setups S1, S6) |
| 5:30 pm | European close. The Frankfurt and London desks unwind | Volume drops. Many "signals" from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm are nothing but noise |
| 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm | The US lull. The big players do nothing, the rebalancing algos run | Maximum selectivity: AAA only. This is the time to run the morning again in replay |
| 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm | Second wind. Fund managers adjust, at-the-money 0DTEs pick up gamma, the afternoon's trends are decided | Third window: fades on growing brakes, gamma pivots (setups S2, S3) |
| 9:30 pm to 10 pm | Last half hour. 0DTE options expire at 10 pm, MOC flows are published at 9:50 pm | Reduced size after 9:30 pm. Pin or acceleration toward the big strike (setup S10) |
| 10 pm | Cash close, ES settlement on the last seconds | No more trades. Journal |
| 10 pm to 11 pm | After-hours. Company earnings at 10:05 pm | An empty book meets news: you watch, you do not act |
The three windows that pay
On an ordinary session, this course's setups concentrate in three windows: the first hour after the cash open (3:33 pm to 4:30 pm), the hour that follows (4:30 pm to 5:30 pm), and the evening second wind (7:30 pm to 9:30 pm). The lull from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm and the last half hour have their own, stricter rules. Most profitable days count two trades, taken in these windows.
End of the free lesson
The other 72 lessons of this course, its quizzes and the completion certificate open with the Student role.
It's free: join the Discord, click the Student role, then log in with Discord here to access all courses.
→ The weeks when the clock lies