Our Daily Standard Operating Procedure, Step by Step
The exact checklist we run before the New York open, every single day, no exceptions.
Before you start: Assumes you're already familiar with the core concepts and models this checklist sequences together.
Part of the My Edge Official framework — refined through thousands of hours of chart study.
No opinions. No predictions. Follow the process. That's the only guidance you need every trading day, and the Daily Trading SOP is the hour-by-hour breakdown of that process — from 4:59–6:00 PM NY time (the new day forming) all the way to entering a trade.
- 4:59–6:00 PM NY time — New Day Opening Gap
- 7:00 PM — Asia Kill Zone
- 8:00 PM–12:00 AM — Asia session
- Liquidity event
- Every PD Array must include
- Narrative alignment — before every entry
- Why the schedule is built this way
- Common deviations and how to fix them
No opinions. No predictions. Follow the process. That's the only guide you need every trading day — a precise hourly schedule, from the start of the new day to the entry itself.
Every hour in this schedule isn't arbitrary — it follows the actual structure of how the market delivers price: first the new day's gap, then the Asia Kill Zone (where the liquidity London will later target starts building), then the full Asia Session, then a liquidity event, and finally checking alignment with the story before every entry.
Traders who use this schedule inconsistently lose exactly that sequential build-up of context — every next step assumes the previous one was already done.
Advanced explanation⌄
Here's the full sequence at a glance before the hour-by-hour detail:
4:59–6:00 PM NY time — New Day Opening Gap
Mark the NDOG, previous day's high and low, weekly equilibrium, previous day's equilibrium, 3-day equilibrium, IPDA 20/40/60, daily highs and lows, and 4H and 1H PD Arrays.
Priority: (1) relative equal highs/lows, (2) fair value gaps. Rule: the nearest PD Array carries the highest priority.
7:00 PM — Asia Kill Zone
Watch the relationship to the NDOG, the relationship to the previous day's liquidity, and the relationship to the RTH opening gap. Expectation: the market is building PD Arrays on both sides — wait for liquidity delivery.
8:00 PM–12:00 AM — Asia session
Watch liquidity being built, new PD Arrays forming, and the Asia FVGs (5m/15m). Important: the Asia FVG can become a draw on liquidity or an inversion.
Liquidity event
Once liquidity is reached, wait for an MSS, displacement, and candle-close confirmation.
Bullish entry: enter above the close of the previous bearish candle, stop below the swing low. Bearish entry: enter below the close of the previous bullish candle, stop above the swing high.
A trade is only valid if price enters a PD Array.
Every PD Array must include
Type, timeframe, session, time of formation, context of formation (which liquidity was taken, whether displacement was present, whether an MSS was present), current role (draw on liquidity, inversion, entry, target, support, resistance), and status (active, mitigated, failed).
Narrative alignment — before every entry
What is my primary target? Does this trade support that target? Am I trading a reaction? Was that reaction actually confirmed? If this trade fails, does my higher-timeframe narrative remain valid?
Why the schedule is built this way
Every hour in this SOP isn't arbitrary — it follows the market's actual institutional structure:
- 4:59–6:00 PM NY is chosen because that's when the NDOG forms (see NDOG) — the day's first reference must be marked before you analyze anything else.
- 7:00 PM (Asia Kill Zone) comes right after, because it's the first window where liquidity that London will later target actually starts to build.
- 8:00 PM–12:00 AM (Asia session) is deliberately separate from the Kill Zone, because the session range only fully forms across the entire session, not just the first three hours.
Traders who use this schedule inconsistently (e.g., only on occasional evenings) lose exactly this sequential context-building — every subsequent step of the SOP is built on the assumption that the previous step has already been done.
Common deviations and how to fix them
- Skipping the NDOG marking because "it's not important today" — the NDOG is never an optional step; its (un)importance is assessed only after it's marked, not before.
- Entering without a confirmed PD Array just because the timing "looks right" (e.g., inside a Kill Zone) — timing is necessary, but not a sufficient condition.
- Skipping the "Before every entry" checklist on the day's second or third trade, once confidence is already built from the first successful trade — this is exactly the moment discipline most often slips.
⚠️ Skipping the "Before every entry" checklist on the day's second or third trade — once confidence is already built from the first successful trade — is exactly the moment discipline most often slips.
How to Use It
In practice:
- Use this document as a literal hourly agenda — set alarms for 6:00 PM, 7:00 PM, and 8:00 PM NY time until the rhythm becomes automatic.
- Before every entry, work through the "Before every entry" checklist: the scenario still holds, the draw on liquidity is unchanged, timing supports execution, confirmation is complete, risk is acceptable. All five, no exceptions.
- Combine with the Trade Preparation Checklist for a more detailed, step-by-step preparation before entry, and with the Decision Engine for the broader decision-making sequence.
Don't stop here — see how this fits with the rest of the framework.
Continue to Trade Preparation Checklist →Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Daily Trading SOP?⌄
It's the hour-by-hour daily routine, from marking the NDOG at 4:59-6:00 PM New York time through the Asia Kill Zone and Asia session, to entering a trade only after a confirmed liquidity event, MSS, displacement, and candle close.
How do I follow the Daily Trading SOP in real time?⌄
Use it as a literal hourly agenda — set reminders for 6:00 PM, 7:00 PM, and 8:00 PM New York time until the routine becomes automatic, and never skip the NDOG marking step just because it "doesn't look important" that day.
Why does the SOP start at 4:59 PM rather than at the New York open?⌄
Because that's precisely when the NDOG forms — the day's first reference has to be marked before anything else is analyzed, and every later step in the SOP assumes that step already happened.
What's required before actually entering a trade under this SOP?⌄
A confirmed liquidity event followed by a market structure shift, displacement, and candle-close confirmation, entering above/below the close of the prior opposite-direction candle with the stop beyond the swing — timing alone is never sufficient.