Scalping 6J Futures: Ideal Tick Targets and Best Hours
If you want to scalp 6J futures, stop thinking like an ES trader. 6J has its own rhythm—clean in some windows, dead in others. If you don’t know when liquidity hits, you’re just feeding the market free commissions.
The Only Hours Worth Scalping
Most of 6J’s scalping opportunities come from real yen flow—not random volatility. These are the windows where scalping actually works:
- Tokyo open – first burst of yen liquidity
- Tokyo + Singapore overlap – best trending micro-moves
- BOJ announcement windows – rare but explosive
- U.S. data that hits yields – CPI, PPI, NFP
This matches what you already saw in 6J volatility patterns.
Realistic Tick Targets for 6J Scalping
6J is not a one-tick instrument like ZN, and it’s not wild like NQ. Reasonable tick targets depend entirely on the window you’re trading.
| Window | Typical Target |
|---|---|
| Tokyo open | 8–20 ticks |
| Tokyo–Singapore overlap | 10–30 ticks |
| U.S. yield-driven events | 20–50 ticks |
| Dead zones | 0 ticks — don’t trade |
If your broker offers tiny margins and you think that makes scalping easier, go re-read your contract specs — leverage cuts both ways.
The Setup 6J Responds To
Because 6J trends cleanly when liquidity enters, the best scalps come from simple structure:
- liquidity grab → fast reclaim → continuation
- micro BOS patterns during overlap
- imbalances created by BOJ comments
All of this ties into your market structure article.
Where Scalpers Get Destroyed
- Trading U.S. lunch hour
- Trying to force trades in the late NY session
- Entering inside micro consolidations
- Ignoring yield-driven volatility shifts
6J is clean during its windows and trash outside them. Respect that or pay for it.
Final Thoughts
Scalping 6J works only when real yen flow hits the tape. Trade the Tokyo open, the overlap, BOJ windows, and major U.S. yield events. Everything else is chop, noise, and wasted trades.