Documentation menu
Session levels: Asia, London, overnight and New York
Session codes and colorsSession timesReading a labelThe XAUUSD equivalentWhat is not drawnHow to read itSettings
Gold trades almost around the clock. Each trading session leaves a high and a low that many traders watch. The SESS layer draws those highs and lows, counts how often price touched them today, and can add the XAUUSD equivalent price.
Turn the layer on or off with SESS in the MORE list on the toolbar.
Session codes and colors
Each code is followed by H (high) or L (low).
| Code | Session | Color |
|---|---|---|
ASIA | Asian session | Gold |
LON | London session | Blue |
ON | Overnight session | Purple |
NY1H | First hour of the New York session | Green |
NY | New York session | Orange-red |
PD | Prior day | Silver |
PNY | Prior New York session | Tomato red |
Session times
Session times follow the UK clock (London time, with UK daylight saving). The trading day starts at the CME reopen, 6 pm New York time, which is usually 23:00 UK.
| Code | Session window (UK time) | When the line appears |
|---|---|---|
ASIA | 00:00 to 08:00 | From 08:00 |
LON | 08:00 to 13:00 | From 13:00 |
ON | CME reopen to 13:00 | From 13:00 |
NY1H | 13:00 to 14:00 | From 14:00 |
NY | 13:00 to 21:00 | From 20:55, near the end of the session |
PD | The whole previous trading day | All day |
PNY | The previous day's 13:00 to 21:00 | All day |
Today's session lines stay on the chart until the next trading day starts. Then today's New York high and low become PNY, and today's high and low become PD.
Reading a label
Example: ASIA H 2650.1 x2 (XAU 2631.4)
| Part | Meaning |
|---|---|
ASIA H | The Asian session high |
2650.1 | The level in GC futures prices |
x2 | Price has touched this level 2 times today. A new touch counts only after price first moved a few ticks away from the level. x0 means no touch yet. |
(XAU 2631.4) | The same level converted to XAUUSD (spot gold) |
When two session levels share a price, they merge into one label, such as ON L+LON L or PD H+ASIA H.
Lines are dashed. Labels use bold text in the session color on a dark box, size 13 by default.
The XAUUSD equivalent
Gold futures (GC) and spot gold (XAUUSD) trade at different prices. The gap between them is called the basis. AK FlowBook converts each session level to an XAUUSD price using the current basis and adds it in brackets, for example (XAU 2631.4).
- The XAU part appears only when a fresh basis is available (less than 5 minutes old). If the basis is older or missing, AK FlowBook hides the XAU part instead of showing a stale number.
- The XAU equivalent is on session labels. Profile and VWAP labels show GC prices only. You can convert them yourself with the basis shown on the info line.
- CFD brokers quote slightly different prices. Treat the XAU equivalent as an area, not an exact tick.
The guide Using futures levels as a CFD trader explains the basis in detail.
What is not drawn
The SESS layer does not draw regular trading hours or initial balance lines. The initial balance appears in the market context panel (IB row) and as IB tags in the MBO Price Map.
How to read it
- The touch count shows how often the market has tested a level today. A first touch and a fifth touch are different situations.
- Merged labels show several session extremes at one price.
- At a session extreme, look at what order flow does: a sweep, a rejection or acceptance beyond it. The guide Session highs and lows as levels to watch walks through this.
Settings
| Setting | Group | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Session highs/lows | 00 Chart View | On |
| Show XAUUSD equivalent on level labels | 00 Chart View | On |
| Session label font size | 00 Chart View | 13 |
Education only. Not financial advice. Trading futures and CFDs carries a high risk of loss.