TDO: True Day Open & Close
Also known as: TDO, TDC, true day open, true daily open, midnight open
What is it?
The true day open is midnight New York time, and the true day close is 4pm New York - so the ICT trading day starts and ends hours away from where your broker's daily candle does. Most retail platforms draw the daily candle from their server's midnight, which is commonly 5pm New York or a European timezone, so the candle bundles the quiet Asian session together with the London and New York sessions that actually move price.
00:00 NY - true day open
The day's reference price is set. Everything after is measured as above or below this level.
Asia builds the range
Thin two-way trade forms the session range that London will expand out of.
London expands
Direction relative to the true day open through this session is what the bias read is built on.
16:00 NY - true day close
Meaningful business ends. Later moves are thin and usually left alone.
Anchoring to midnight New York instead splits the day the way the algorithm is assumed to: Asia builds the range, London expands out of it, New York delivers, and 4pm closes the meaningful business. If EUR/USD sits at 1.0864 at midnight New York and trades to 1.0912 by the London close, that 48-pip advance is the day's real move, whatever the broker candle shows.
The practical use is bias. Price above the true day open through the London session is read as bullish delivery for that day and price below it as bearish, which gives one clean reference level instead of a candle boundary that moves with whichever broker you happen to use.
Why it matters: The true day open at midnight New York gives one fixed daily reference for bias, instead of a broker candle boundary that shifts with server timezone.
It sets the reference level daily bias is measured against, so an incorrect anchor flips the read on an entire session's direction.
Real-world example
EUR/USD opened the true day at 1.0864, held above it through London, and closed the New York session at 1.0912 - a 48-pip bullish day, while the broker's daily candle showed a red body.
How SignalBots handles it
SignalBots timestamps every signal in UTC, so you can map it to the New York midnight anchor yourself rather than trusting whatever timezone your terminal happens to display. See /risk-warning.
Pro tip
Set a permanent vertical line at midnight New York on your intraday chart - a fixed anchor beats re-reading the daily candle every morning.
Common pitfalls
Assuming your broker's daily open is the true day open. Most sit at 5pm New York, seven hours away, which puts the bias reference in the wrong place entirely.
Frequently asked questions
Why midnight New York and not the broker's daily open?
Because it separates the Asian range from the London and New York expansion. A broker candle that opens at 5pm New York merges the two, so the same day can look bullish or bearish depending on which server you are on.
Does the true day open shift with daylight saving?
Yes. It tracks New York local time, so it moves relative to UTC twice a year. If you mark it in UTC, remember to shift the line when the US changes clocks.
How do I use the true day open for bias?
As a simple reference: sustained trade above it through London points to bullish delivery for the day, sustained trade below it to bearish. It is one input among several, not a signal on its own, and capital is at risk.
What is the true day close used for?
The 4pm New York close marks the end of meaningful institutional business for the day. Moves after it are usually thin, so many traders stop taking new entries there rather than trading into the evening.
Does this apply outside forex?
It suits instruments whose liquidity is centred on New York - index futures, gold, major FX. Crypto trades continuously with no single anchor session, so the concept transfers much more loosely there.
Trading involves substantial risk of loss. Historical and backtested results do not guarantee future performance. Read the full risk warning.
