The first major phase of the overnight session is the Asian session — Tokyo's Nikkei, Hong Kong's Hang Seng, and the broader region trading while the US sleeps. Though typically thinner than the later European hours, the Asian night often seeds the overnight tone that US index futures carry toward the open.
What happens overnight in Asia
As Asian markets react to the prior US close and any fresh news (regional data, China developments, geopolitical headlines), US index futures trade alongside them and can drift or move on the risk sentiment coming out of the region. A strong or weak Asian session establishes an early directional lean and part of the overnight ES range. China-related news in particular — given its global economic weight — can move risk sentiment meaningfully during these hours.
How it feeds the US map
The Asian session is often the quieter part of the overnight, so its moves are lighter-volume and can be overwritten by the more liquid European open. But it sets the initial tone and helps build the overnight range that becomes reference structure at the US open. A big overnight move originating in Asia (a China shock, a Japan surprise) can drive a significant US gap before Europe even opens.
The day's first vote is cast in Tokyo. It's a quiet one, often revised by London — but when Asia moves big, the US gap is already written before dawn.
Using it as a scalper
Like the European session, the Asian night is context, not a trade: it helps explain the overnight lean and the character of the pre-market map you inherit. Note whether the overnight move originated in Asia (lighter conviction) or was confirmed by Europe (heavier), as that affects how much to trust it. NoVo incorporates the full overnight structure into the live map, so the levels built across the Asian and European sessions are on your chart at the open.