L3.3 — New York Session: Continuation vs Reversal Decision Points

The New York session for gold (13:30-20:00 UTC) typically either continues the London session direction or reverses it. High-impact USD news events — particularly CPI, NFP, FOMC statements — frequently occur during NY session and can produce 300-800 gold pip moves in seconds. Do not hold gold positions through these events without explicit risk management: either close before the event or accept that the news may spike through any structural stop.

The New York continuation setup: if London produced a clean directional BOS with a strong close, the NY session often provides a second entry opportunity at the retracement level before continuation. This is typically within the first 60-90 minutes of NY (13:30-15:00 UTC) before the session mid-point drift begins.

After 17:00 UTC, liquidity on gold begins to thin and the spread can widen. Setups initiated after this time carry higher transaction cost overhead and lower follow-through probability. The optimal gold trading window across all three sessions is: London open and early New York. Honour that window and your execution quality will concentrate in the highest-probability periods.