Trading The NY Session – Or Not

I’ve booked ( and I do mean booked….ie sold positions and placed the money on the “plus” side of the account ) an additional 4% here this a.m  – as per the trades outlined just yesterday.

If there is one thing I really can’t stand – it’s watching these “real profits” disappear during the NY session as the usual “POMO ( permanent open market operations ) pump job” continues to mask the true fundamentals….lurking underneath.

More often than not, an entire “weeks” worth of planning/strategy and profits  can be completely “wiped clean” during the NY session as “counter trend rallies in reality” ( as I like to call them ) play out daily.

You’ll note that Asia and the commodity currencies got absolutely hammered last night with the Japanese Nikkei down a whopping 445 points, yet today “during the con job” I don’t imagine you’ll hear a thing about it.

Do think it just might be possible that our dear friends in Asia woke up to see the NFP / employment numbers out of the U.S and said: “Holy shit – that’s crazy!! What the hell is going on over there? Are these guys seriously talking about “recovery”? Bleeep! – sell.

Left to their “own devices” U.S markets should be crumbling like a moldy ol tortilla – left to sit out on the counter too long.

I’ll tuck my pennies in my pocket and continue on “after” the gong show rolls through.

Kong…….

Gone.

 

Playing the Real Market Behind the Smoke Screen

Asia Speaks the Truth While NY Plays Pretend

The beauty of trading across multiple sessions is watching how different regions react to the same damn data. While Wall Street magicians are busy pulling rabbits out of hats during their session, Asian markets tell the real story. That 445-point Nikkei nosedive wasn’t some random temper tantrum – it was a calculated response to what’s actually happening in the U.S. economy. When you see AUD/JPY getting absolutely decimated overnight, dropping like a stone through key support levels, that’s not noise. That’s Asian money managers looking at U.S. employment data and saying “we’re not buying this fantasy anymore.”

The commodity currencies took it on the chin because smart money in Asia understands something Wall Street refuses to acknowledge: if the U.S. economy is as strong as these employment numbers suggest, why the hell is the Federal Reserve still playing games with monetary policy? AUD/USD breaking below crucial support isn’t just a technical move – it’s a fundamental rejection of the narrative being peddled during New York hours.

The POMO Pump Playbook Never Changes

Here’s what happens like clockwork: Asian session reveals genuine price discovery, London session starts to follow suit, then New York opens and suddenly everything’s sunshine and rainbows again. The permanent open market operations create this artificial floor that props up risk assets just long enough to suck in retail traders who think they’re seeing a “recovery rally.” Meanwhile, smart money is using these pumped-up levels to distribute positions to bagholders.

Watch EUR/USD during these sessions. Asia and London will often push it lower on genuine economic concerns, then boom – NY session hits and suddenly we’re seeing mysterious buying pressure that has nothing to do with actual European economic performance. Same story with GBP/USD. The pound should be getting crushed on Brexit uncertainty and U.K. economic weakness, but these artificial support levels keep appearing right when European markets would naturally be finding their true levels.

Currency Pairs That Don’t Lie

Want to know where the real money is positioned? Stop watching the major pairs during NY hours and start focusing on the crosses that don’t get the POMO treatment. EUR/JPY, AUD/NZD, and CAD/CHF will show you what institutional money really thinks about global economic health. These pairs trade on actual fundamentals because they’re not getting propped up by Federal Reserve operations.

The Japanese Yen strength we’re seeing isn’t just technical – it’s capital flowing into the ultimate safe haven as smart money positions for what’s really coming. When USD/JPY starts breaking key support levels during Asian hours, that’s not some temporary move that’s going to get reversed by NY session magic. That’s genuine fear driving institutional positioning.

Timing Your Exit Strategy

The mistake most traders make is holding positions through the manipulation circus that is the New York session. You want to be taking profits when Asia and London are giving you genuine moves based on real economic data. Don’t get cute trying to hold through the POMO pump – that’s how you turn winning weeks into breakeven disasters.

I’m talking about setting hard profit targets before NY opens and sticking to them religiously. When AUD/USD drops 150 pips on legitimate concerns about Chinese economic data during Asian hours, take the money and run. Don’t stick around hoping for another 50 pips while New York session turns your winner into a loser with some manufactured bounce.

The same goes for any short positions in the major pairs. EUR/USD breaks support in London on ECB concerns? Book those profits before American session opens and starts painting false bottoms all over the charts. This isn’t about being scared of volatility – it’s about recognizing when you’re trading in a rigged casino versus when you’re trading actual market forces.

The smart money already knows this game. They accumulate positions when prices are artificially supported and dump them when genuine price discovery happens in other time zones. Stop fighting the manipulation and start profiting from the predictable patterns it creates.

11 Responses

  1. john fuller October 23, 2013 / 8:27 am

    For the UK readers, Mr Gone Kong, when is after the Gong …. after the start or the end of the NY session??

    • Forex Kong October 23, 2013 / 9:09 am

      He he he…..hey John well….

      I’m not “gone” as much as “cautious / suspicious” of the “morning activity” there in the U.S….

      Don’t get me wrong, I sit here daily just like everyone else- only that….when it comes to taking profits / seeing the NY session come around I’ll usually take my chances in “missing a pip or two” – and put those hard earned profits in the bank.

  2. GL October 23, 2013 / 9:22 am

    Shit I just saw my pips reduced to almost 0 during the NY session… fuck fuck fuck. Do you always avoid NY session?

    • Forex Kong October 23, 2013 / 9:26 am

      It’s another one of those areas that’s difficult to teach / show people short of having as much experience “actually sitting” and viewing markets in real time but…..

      For the most part….if I’ve got “anything reasonable” sitting on the table around 6:30 a.m and am appoaching NY session – you’ve got it.

      I take it before “they” do.

  3. Franky October 23, 2013 / 9:45 am

    I took my chances with NY session ….and congratulations to everyone who did not close USD/CAD position yet 🙂

    • Forex Kong October 23, 2013 / 10:19 am

      You bet Franky – I’ve jumped back on CAD across the board as well as several others.

      We’ve actually got a continuation of trend here! I can’t believe it!

      Go man go!

  4. David October 23, 2013 / 10:52 am

    Glad I booked some profits earlier today as well, as I mentioned in the previous post about insuring gains are locked in (sometimes you’re happy, sometimes you miss a bigger move). Shorting EUR/CAD, looks good to me right now.

  5. Anonymous October 23, 2013 / 11:23 am

    Kong, good post. I’m glad someone said it. Over the past 5 or so months the US session has basically pissed me off with its divergence from other markets. Overnight flight to safety…..dip gets bought in US trade…rinse repeat. I do believe, however, it is different this week. I’m holding onto my drawers and putting my helmet on. My positions aren’t that big anyway so I can afford some sloshing about.

    • JSkogs October 23, 2013 / 11:26 am

      whoops that was JSkogs

      • Forex Kong October 23, 2013 / 11:28 am

        Gotcha.

    • Forex Kong October 23, 2013 / 11:27 am

      Exactly.

      For the most part the move has already been made overnight – then the U.S does it’s usual “rinse job” on those rushing in to get involved in the a.m

      I agree 100% this is different here today. It feels like it “should”!, and reminds me of a “not so distant time” when you could place a trade and see it go in the same direction for more than 2 days in a row!

      I’d love a break from this grind / trade environment, and get a chance to pull out on the highway for a week or two.

      Good luck to you.

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