ICT Macro Times
Also known as: macro times, ICT macros, algorithmic macro windows, macro window
What is it?
ICT macro times are short, fixed windows within a session - typically the last ten minutes of one hour and the first ten of the next - when price is expected to make a decisive run toward liquidity. The best-known windows sit at 09:50-10:10 and 10:50-11:10 New York time, with further ones through the New York session. The reasoning is that algorithmic execution concentrates around these boundaries, so the move that takes out a high or fills an imbalance tends to happen inside them rather than spread evenly across the hour.
Before 09:50 - mark the level
The high, low or imbalance you expect price to run must already be on the chart.
09:50-10:10 - the window
Watch for the run into that level. Twenty minutes, one pre-decided idea.
10:10-10:50 - stand down
Outside the window there is nothing to act on. This is the part most traders skip.
No level, no trade
An open window with nothing marked is not a setup. Most windows pass without one.
A trader watching the 09:50-10:10 macro on EUR/USD is looking for the twenty-minute window to deliver the run into a level already marked, not for a new idea to appear. Macro times are a filter on when, never a reason for what. The setup, the level and the direction all have to exist before the window opens; the macro only narrows the clock.
Used the other way round - waiting for 09:50 and then hunting for something to trade - it produces forced entries in twenty-minute bursts, and your capital is at risk on every one of them.
Why it matters: Macro times narrow the hours you watch to short windows where liquidity runs cluster, so you wait for a marked level instead of screen-watching all session.
It changes when you act rather than what you take, concentrating exposure into short windows where moves are faster and slippage is more likely.
Real-world example
EUR/USD sat 8 pips under a marked 1.0894 high through the 09:00 hour, then ran through it to 1.0901 and reversed inside the 09:50-10:10 macro window.
How SignalBots handles it
SignalBots timestamps every signal in UTC to the second, so you can check whether an entry landed inside a macro window or in the quiet stretch between them. See /risk-warning.
Pro tip
Have the level marked before the window opens. A macro time is a clock, and arriving at it without a level already chosen turns it into a guess.
Common pitfalls
Forcing a trade because the window is open. Most macro windows pass without a setup, and taking one anyway is how a timing filter becomes an overtrading habit.
Frequently asked questions
What are the main macro windows?
The two most cited are 09:50-10:10 and 10:50-11:10 New York time, with additional windows later in the New York session. They are conventions from ICT material rather than published exchange schedules.
Do macro times work on every instrument?
They are built around New York equity and futures hours, so they apply most naturally to index futures, gold and the major FX pairs. On instruments whose liquidity peaks elsewhere the windows carry much less meaning.
Is there evidence behind them?
There is a real clustering of activity around hourly and half-hourly boundaries, driven by scheduled execution and fixings. Whether the specific twenty-minute windows carry an edge is not something a trader can verify with a broker feed alone, so treat them as a heuristic.
Should I only trade during macro windows?
That is one way to use them, and it does cut screen time sharply. It also means missing moves that develop outside the windows, so it is a trade-off between focus and coverage rather than a strict improvement.
Why do the windows straddle the hour?
Because the idea is that positioning builds into the hour boundary and the run happens across it. Marking the window from ten minutes before to ten minutes after keeps both halves of that move inside your watch period.
Trading involves substantial risk of loss. Historical and backtested results do not guarantee future performance. Read the full risk warning.
