THE TRADING FLOOR Inner Circle Trader ICT Instructor: Arty ELEMENTS TO A TRADE SET UP Price either does 1 of 4 things ● ● ● ● Expansion - Judas Swing Retracement - New York Session Reversal - London Session Consolidations - Tokyo Session The reasons why price does this and targets to shoot for ● ● ● ● ● ● Order blocks Fair value gaps Liquidity voids Liquidity pool Stop runs Equilibrium EXPANSION Expansion is when price moves quickly from a level of equilibrium When price leaves a level quickly this indicated a willingness on the part of the market makers to reveal their intended repricing model Look for the order blocks the market makers leave at or near the equilibrium RETRACEMENT Retracement is when price moves back inside the recently created price range. When price returns inside the price range it indicated a willingness on the part of the market maker to reprice to levels not efficiently traded for fair value Look for fair value gaps and liquidity voids as areas of interest for retracements REVERSAL Reversal is when price moves the opposite direction then it was previously moving. When price reverses direction it indicated the market makers have ran a level of stops and a significant move should unfold in the new direction. Look for liquidity pools just above an old price high or just below an old price low. CONSOLIDATION Consolidation is when price moves inside a clear trading range and shows no willingness to move significantly higher or lower When price consolidated it indicates the market makers are allowing orders to build on both sides of the market. Expect expansion in the near future Look for the impulse swing in price away from the equilibrium price level that is found exactly in the halfway point of the consolidation range EXPLANATION INSTITUTIONAL ORDER FLOW Monthly Chart EUR/USD TOP DOWN ANALYSIS Create Daily Price Action Logs with Price Charts ● ● ● ● Daily chart - 12 months no less 9 months view 4 Hour Chart - 3 months view 1 Hour Chart - 3 weeks view 15 Minute Chart - 3-4 days view ● ● ● ● ● Note where price shows a quick movement from level Note recent highs and lows that haven't been re-tested Note areas on chart where price left clean high and low Note what days weekly highs and lows form Note the daily high and daily low every trading day (locate killzone) IMPULSIVE PRICE SWINGS Impulse price swings - Sharp price movements during New York and London Sessions. Retraction - When price moves opposite to essentially a fake out then impulses again in the overall trend continuation. EQUILIBRIUM VS DISCOUNT EQUILIBRIUM VS PREMIUM PD ARRAY Premium 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) Old Highs and Lows Rejection Block Bearish/ Bullish Order Blocks Fair Value Gaps Liquidity Void Breaker Block Volume Imbalance Discount FAIR VALUATION FAIR VALUE GAP LIQUIDITY VOID FAIR VALUATION Volume Imbalance A volume imbalance occurs when there is a clear gap between a candle closing price and the open price of the next candle. These gaps are usually not covered by wicks and leave an open range where a volume spike has left an imbalance in the price. LIQUIDITY RUNS High Resistance Low Resistance ORDER BLOCKS Bullish Orderblock: Definition - The Lowest Candle or Price Bar with a Down Close that has the most range between Open to Close and is near a "Support" level. Validation: When the High of the Lowest Down Close Candle or Price Bar is traded through by a later formed Candle or Price Bar. Entry Techniques: When Price trades Higher away from the Bullish Orderblock and then Returns to the Bullish Orderblock Candle or Price Bar High - This is Bullish. Defining Risk: The Low of the Bullish Orderblock is the location of a relatively safe Stop Loss placement. Just below the 50% of the Orderblock total range is also considered to be a good location to raise the Stop Loss after Price runs away from the Bullish Orderblock to reduce Risk when applicable. REJECTION BLOCK The area in between the wick and the high/low of the candle after a high/low is formed. BREAKER BLOCKS THE ATM METHOD RETAIL DAY TRADING TRAPS Retail day trading patterns like Bullish/ bearish Flags As well as head and shoulders patterns are used occasionally by smart money as traps at major swing levels to fool retail traders at those levels of liquidity THE BIG PICTURE LINK TO VIDEO BEST DAYS TO TRADE Time of Day ● ● ● ● ● ● London Session Open New York Session Open London Close New York Close Asian Session Open London Lunch Defining the daily range: ● Guidelines to follow Day of the week ● ● ● ● ● ● Sunday - opt out daily range too small Monday - can create a small range typically Tuesday - usually a good day to trade Wednesday - generally ideal day to trade Thursday - generally ideal day to trade ( can reverse) Friday - Typically small range HIGH PROBABILITY DAY TRADING SETUPS What Makes Daytrades High Probability? The Highest Importance is placed on the HTF Daily or 4h direction. ● When Daily and or 4h direction is Bullish: ○ ○ ○ ○ ● Use Previous Day's Low to High for Retracement Entries. Use Previous Day's NY Session Low to High for Retracement Entries Use Previous Day's Low for Sell Stop Raid to accumulation longs. Focusing on the anticipated move from HTF Discount to Premium PD Arrays. When Daily and or 4h direction is Bearish: ○ ○ ○ ○ Use Previous Day's High to Low for Retracement Entries. Use Previous Day's NY Session High to Low for Retracement Entries. Use Previous Day's High for Buy Stop Raid to accumulate shorts. Focusing on the anticipated move from HTF Premium to Discount PD Arrays. HIGH PROBABILITY DAY TRADING SETUPS When Do I Look To Buy Daytrades? ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Ideally in seasonally Bullish periods of the year. * Not required. When the current Quarter or new Quarter is expected Bullish. After the Daily chart has reacted positively on a Discount PD Array. When Price has a clear unobstructed path to an opposing Premium Array. The Ideal Days of the Week buying Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Refer to the CBDR and determine if it is less than 40 pips ideally. Demand the Asian Range be in a 20 pip range ahead of Frankfurt Open. Buying between 2:00 am to 4:00 am NY Time seeking LOD. Buy 1-2 STD of CBDR and or Asian Range coupled with Discount PDA. Timeframe to execute on 15 or 5 minute chart. HIGH PROBABILITY DAY TRADING SETUPS Where Do I Look To Buy Daytrades? ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Under Asian Range plus 5 pips. FVG below a Short Term low from Previous Day's NY Session. Bullish Orderblock below a Short Term low either Prev-Day or today. If I am very Bullish - 1 STD with ANY Discount PD Array in LO Killzone. Inside the Protraction lower post 12:00 am to 2:00 am with PDA. Filling of a Liquidity Void that completes under a Short Term low. If after rally post 12:00 am - Buy the 1st retrace into 15 or 5 minute +0B. 1-2 STD in Asian Range coupled with Discount PD Array. If Short Term low is taken out twice with no upside... buy Turtle Soup. HIGH PROBABILITY DAY TRADING SETUPS Placing Stop-losses In Buy Daytrades? ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Whatever you use as the initial Stoploss - Do Not Rush moving it. If you are Trading the CBDR overlap with PDA - Stop is 30 pips under. If you are Trading a Run under the Asian Range - Stop is 40 pips under. If you are Trading ANY Sell Stop Raid - 30 pips under the low/entry. If you are Trading the 1st retracement into +OB - 10 pips under LOD. If you are Trading second return for Sell Stops - 30 pips under the LOD If you are Trading any other setup not described above - use 50% ADR of the last 5 days subtracted from the Asian Range Low. HIGH PROBABILITY DAY TRADING SETUPS Taking Profits In Buy Daytrades ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Always try to take something off in gain at 20-30 pips. Always Look to Scale something off every 2 STD of the Asian Range or CBDR. Take something off at the Previous Day's High +5 - 15 pips. Take something off at 50% of the Price Range you are trading inside 60m. Take or have 60-80% off at 5 day ADR projections... Always. If trading higher than Previous Trading Week High - take something off. If trading higher than Previous Month High - take something. In Time Of Day - scale out at 5:00 am NY Time a portion. In Time Of Day - scale out at Short Term High prior to 7:00 am NYO In Time Of Day - scale out at 10:00 am to 11:00 am NY time in rally. Ideally any of the above scenarios coupled with a Premium PD Array. HIGH PROBABILITY DAY TRADING SETUPS Where Do I Look To Short Daytrades? ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Above Asian Range plus 5 pips. FVG above a Short Term high from Previous Day's NY Session. Bearish Orderblock above a Short Term high either Prev-Day or today. If I am very Bearish - 1 STD with ANY Premium PD Array in LO Killzone. Inside the Protraction higher post 12:00 am to 2:00 am with PDA. Filling of a Liquidity Void that completes above a Short Term high. If after drop post 12:00 am - Sell the 1st retrace into 15 or 5 minute -OB. 1-2 STD in Asian Range coupled with Premium PD Array. If Short Term high is taken out twice with no downside... sell Turtle Soup. HIGH PROBABILITY DAY TRADING SETUPS Taking Profits In Short Daytrades ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Always try to take something off in gain at 20-30 pips. Always. Look to Scale something off every 2 STD of the Asian Range or CBDR. Take something off at the Previous Day's Low -5 - 15 pips. Take something off at 50% of the Price Range you are trading inside 60m. Take or have 60-80% off at 5 day ADR projections... Always. If trading lower than Previous Trading Week Low - take something off. If trading lower than Previous Month Low - take something. In Time Of Day - scale out at 5:00 am NY Time a portion. In Time Of Day - scale out at Short Term Low prior to 7:00 am NYO. In Time Of Day - scale out at 10:00 am to 11:00 am NY time in decline. Ideally any of the above scenarios coupled with a Premium PD Array. KILL ZONES London : 02:00-05:00 UTC-4 (New York time) New York : 07:00-10:00 UTC-4 (New York time) JUDAS SWING SILVER BULLET London Set Up Time - 03:00-04:00 UTC-4 New York Set Up Time - 10:00-11:00 UTC-4 (UTC-4 is New York Time Zone) Price essential will create a fair value gap in this time frame. Then once price returns to that fair value gap it will reject and move toward the next available liquidity. Do not take this set up unless you can get at least 15 pips on forex pair or 10 points on Indices (bare minimum, preferably more) POWER OF THREE Power of 3 refers to the 3 components that make up price action Accumulation/Manipulation, Distribution, Range Expansion When the daily bias is bearish Confirm london session was bearish Wait for 07:00 NY time to look for short Between 07:00-09:00 NY time it will form After 07:00 NY time wait for retracement NY session will retrace from the swing low Ideally select retracement of at least 20 pip lower If no retracement of 20 pips forms by 09:00 dont trade If it does form enter on 62% fib level (expect to retest low of the day and may continue) OPTIMAL TRADE ENTRY - OTE SMART MONEY TECHNIQUE - SMT AUDUSD DAILY USD INDEX DAILY HOW TO USE THIS INFORMATION Lets jump into the charts and run through some examples CONGRATS! You may need to watch this multiple times To have these concepts memorized You only really need to use 1 and stick to it Let us know you feed back in the general chat on discord