Good morning, traders…
I used to treat the first hour of trading like a warm-up lap.
Grab some coffee, glance at a few charts, maybe throw on a position (if something “caught my eye”).
Sometimes, I didn’t even know what I was looking for.
Spoiler Alert: It wasn’t a winning routine.
The longer I traded, the more obvious it became:
The first 60 minutes aren’t just another part of the day…
They’re the foundation for the entire session.
These days, more than 20 years later, my mornings are unrecognizable from what they used to be.
By the time you wake up, I’ve already scanned dozens of charts, done pre-market prep, and sent multiple emails pointing to trade ideas.
The market starts telling its story early.
And if you’re not paying attention, you’ll miss crucial clues that can set you up for wins later on.
There’s a reason Plato said, “The beginning is the most important part of the work.”
This is how you crush the first hour of trading…
What I Watch At The Open
There are a few key signs that help me judge whether the first hour is offering real setups:
Volume vs. average: Is the volume strong or weak?
Follow-through: Are breakouts holding, or snapping back fast?
Market internals: Are the indexes confirming moves?
Clean setups: Are patterns clear and logical, or random and messy?
If you don’t see real volume, real setups, and real follow-through, then forcing trades usually backfires.
But if you do see them, that first hour can give you some of the best risk/reward setups of the entire day…
How I Approach The First Hour
Once that bell rings, many traders feel pressure to act right away. If they’re not in a trade by 9:35 a.m., they feel behind.
That’s simple human nature. The adrenaline is real. But acting without a plan is a recipe for disaster.
Be disciplined.
You want trades with confirmation, with volume, and with structure. Not random pop-and-drops, not FOMO chases, and definitely not whatever social media is hyping.
Here’s how I break it down:
1. Pre-Market Prep
Before the open, I’ve already built a tight watchlist. I know the key levels. I know what I’m looking for to confirm the setup.
All OMEN members can use my Smart Money Radar Watchlist, which:
- Auto-identifies high-probability setups based on volume, price action, and key daily levels. No scanning or guesswork required.
- Updates in real time throughout the trading session as conditions change, keeping the most relevant trade ideas front and center.
- Filters out low-quality moves by focusing only on Smart Money stocks with clean setups and meaningful activity.
2. First 5–15 Minutes (9:30–9:45 a.m.)
I usually don’t trade much in the first few minutes. There are too many counter-moves that often reverse later in the morning.
During this short period, I’m mostly observing:
- Which stocks are attracting real volume?
- Are my watchlist names behaving as expected?
- Are the indexes strong, weak, or mixed?
3. Mid-first Hour (9:45–10:15 a.m.)
This is where the best opportunities show up.
The fake-outs burn off, and reliable trends start forming.
Now, look for:
4. Determining The Tone (10:00–11:00 a.m.)
By 10:00 a.m., I can tell whether it’s gonna be a good day to trade (or a day to sit out).
Sometimes, it’s obvious that the day is dead.
No volume, no follow-through, lots of fakeouts.
But don’t just see it as bad news. That’s useful information.
It helps you decide when the best trade is no trade.
Let the market show you where it wants to go. Then follow it.
Happy trading,
Ben Sturgill
*Past performance does not indicate future results