In ICT, every trading day has two magnets: the High of Day (HOD) and the Low of Day (LOD).
These are the highest and lowest prices traded during that calendar day (or your broker’s session day).
Understanding how and when they tend to form helps you align with institutional order flow and avoid retail traps.
1. Why HOD/LOD matter in ICT
- They are liquidity pools. Buy-side liquidity sits above HOD; sell-side liquidity sits below LOD.
- Institutions frequently engineer a raid on one side, then drive price toward the other side.
- HOD/LOD often form during killzones (London AM, New York AM), when real volume shows up.
2. How HOD/LOD typically form during the day as per ICT
A common intraday profile looks like this:
- Asian session: Accumulation in a tight range.
- London session: A liquidity raid on one side of the Asian range (fake break).
- Distribution move: A displacement in the true direction.
- New York session: Either extends the trend (sets the opposite extreme) or rebalances.
Often, one extreme (HOD or LOD) is printed in London, and the other is set during New York.
3. Mark these reference levels first before trading Highest and Lowest Price of the Day (HOD & LOD) in ICT
- PDH/PDL (previous day’s high/low)
- Asian Range high/low (roughly the pre-London box)
- Session opens (London open, New York open)
- Weekly highs/lows if you’re day-trading inside a clear weekly bias
These levels help you anticipate where HOD/LOD might be set or targeted.
4. Patterns to watch around ICT HOD/LOD
- Liquidity sweep (raid): Price wicks above a prior high (or below a low), tags stops, and snaps back.
- MSS/CHOCH on a lower timeframe: Structure flips after the sweep.
- Displacement: A strong impulsive candle run away from the raid.
- Entry on a retrace: Use a nearby FVG or Order Block in the direction of displacement.
5. Example 1 — Bearish day that sets HOD in London as per ICT
- Pair: GBP/USD
- Higher-timeframe bias: Bearish (daily lower highs, lower lows).
- Asian range: 1.2800–1.2820.
- London open: Price spikes to 1.2835, taking buy-side liquidity above the Asian high.
- On 1-min/30-sec chart: Structure shifts down, a small bearish FVG forms.
- Entry: Short on the retrace into the FVG around 1.2828–1.2831.
- Stop: A few pips above the raid wick (e.g., 1.2838).
- Targets:
- First: Asian low 1.2800.
- Second: 1.2760 (fresh sell-side liquidity).
- Outcome: The London raid becomes the HOD; New York extends lower to form LOD.
Why it works: London grabbed stops, confirmed bearish order flow, and distribution took price to the other side of the day’s range.
6. Example 2 — Bullish day that sets LOD in New York as per ICT
- Pair: EUR/USD
- Higher-timeframe bias: Bullish (daily higher highs/lows).
- Asian range: 1.0930–1.0946.
- London: Drifts up but doesn’t break the prior day’s high.
- New York open: Quick raid below 1.0930 to 1.0922, then immediate rejection.
- On 1-min/30-sec chart: MSS up + bullish FVG forms.
- Entry: Long on retrace into FVG at 1.0928–1.0931.
- Stop: Below the raid low (1.0919).
- Targets:
- First: Asian high 1.0946.
- Second: Prior day’s high 1.0970.
- Outcome: The NY raid prints the LOD; the afternoon rally runs to the HOD.
Why it works: NY swept sell-side liquidity, restored bullish order flow, and pulled price to buy-side targets.
7. Timing clues (without memorizing statistics) for HOD and LOD in ICT
- London AM killzone often prints one extreme (HOD or LOD) via a sweep + reversal.
- New York AM killzone often prints the opposite extreme or extends the trend.
- Late day: If ADR (average daily range) is already reached, expect consolidation or measured reversion toward a fair value gap or session mean.
8. Practical entry mechanics for ICT HOD LOD
- Confirm bias on H1/M15 (don’t fight the daily compass).
- Wait for the sweep of a meaningful level (Asian high/low, PDH/PDL).
- See displacement away from the swept side.
- Refine on 1m/30s: Enter on a retrace into an FVG or Order Block.
- Stops go beyond the sweep’s wick (tight, logical invalidation).
- Targets: session mean, opposite side of the Asian range, PDH/PDL, or the developing HOD/LOD.
9. Using HOD/LOD with other ICT tools
- Premium/Discount: Use the day’s developing range. Buy in discount; sell in premium.
- OTE (61.8–79%): If the retrace aligns with your FVG/OB, confluence improves.
- SMT divergence: If your main pair sweeps a high but a correlated pair does not, the sweep is often “real” and more likely to reverse.
- BPR/CE/IFVG: Rebalance areas near the raid often provide clean retrace entries.
10. Managing risk around ICT HOD/LOD
- Keep risk per trade small; don’t widen stops because of volatility.
- If you’re fading a sweep, let displacement confirm before entering.
- If the market keeps pushing after a sweep, don’t fight it. It may be a trend day, not a fade day.
- Take partials at the first logical draw on liquidity. Let a runner go for the other side of the day.
11. Common mistakes trading HOD/LOD as per ICT
- Chasing the first spike: The first breakout around London is often the Judas move.
- Ignoring higher-timeframe bias: HOD/LOD tactics work best when they align with the daily/weekly narrative.
- Counter-trend fading without confirmation: Wait for MSS + displacement on LTF.
- No clear invalidation: Stops must sit beyond the raid wick, not inside the noise.
12. A simple HOD/LOD playbook (checklist) as per ICT
- Is daily/HTF bias clear?
- Have you marked PDH/PDL and the Asian range?
- Did London or New York sweep one side?
- Did you get LTF MSS + displacement?
- Is there a clean FVG/OB for entry?
- Is your stop beyond the sweep wick?
- Do you have a logical draw (opposite side, PDH/PDL) for targets?
If most answers are yes, you likely have a valid HOD/LOD trade idea.
13. Final thoughts
HOD and LOD are not random points; they are intentional destinations in the daily auction.
By reading liquidity, time-of-day, and structure together, you can anticipate which side is likely to form first and how to trade the move to the other side.
Practice on replay or demo: mark the Asian range, track the sweep, wait for displacement, and execute on the retrace.
With repetition, HOD/LOD stop being mysterious peaks and troughs—and become your roadmap for intraday trades.
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