CK TradeZone LIMITED
ES +1.22%
NQ +1.82%
Changez
ES +1.22%
NQ +1.82%
  • Futures Lot Size Calculator
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
    • NEWS
    LIVE
    Video Thumbnail
    32:15

    📈 ICT Core Concepts - Market Structure & Liquidity

    Learn the fundamentals of ICT methodology including market structure and liquidity

    Video Thumbnail
    28:42

    🎯 Order Blocks, FVG & Premium/Discount Arrays

    Master Order Blocks, Fair Value Gaps, and premium vs discount zones

    Video Thumbnail
    35:18

    ⏰ Kill Zones, Silver Bullet & Judas Swing

    Learn trading windows, silver bullet times, and Judas Swing patterns

    1 / 3

    📚 Trading Glossary

    Master ICT concepts and professional trading terminology

    📖 50+ Terms
    🎯 ICT Concepts
    📊 Pro Trading
    🔍
    ALL
    A
    B
    C
    D
    E
    F
    G
    H
    I
    J
    K
    L
    M
    N
    O
    P
    Q
    R
    S
    T
    U
    V
    W
    X
    Y
    Z
    ⟳ RESET
    📈 AMD ICT Concept
    ▼
    Accumulation, Manipulation, Distribution - The 3-phase market cycle where institutions accumulate positions, manipulate price to trigger stops, then distribute to retail traders.
    📌 Example: Price sweeps a low (Manipulation) then rallies to new highs (Distribution after Accumulation).
    ICTMarket StructureSmart Money
    🔨 Breaker Block ICT Concept
    ▼
    A failed Order Block that gets taken out, then acts as support/resistance in the opposite direction. When an OB is broken, it becomes a Breaker.
    📌 Example: Bullish OB gets broken → becomes Bearish Breaker Block.
    ICTOrder BlockSMC
    🔄 Change in State of Delivery (CHoCH) ICT Concept
    ▼
    A structural market shift where price breaks a swing high/low, indicating a potential trend reversal. Confirms that market direction is changing.
    📌 Example: Price breaks above previous high → Bullish CHoCH confirmed.
    ICTMarket StructureTrend Change
    💲 Discount / Premium Arrays ICT Concept
    ▼
    Discount = Lower 50% of a range (buy zone). Premium = Upper 50% of a range (sell zone). Institutions buy in discount and sell in premium.
    📌 Example: Buy at 0.618-0.705 Fibonacci retracement (Discount Zone).
    ICTFibonacciSmart Money
    📊 Expansion Market Phase
    ▼
    The impulsive move after a liquidity sweep. Price expands away from the range to hunt opposing liquidity or reach targets.
    📌 Example: After sweeping a low, price expands 50+ points to the upside.
    ICTMomentumPrice Action
    🎯 Fair Value Gap (FVG) ICT Concept
    ▼
    A 3-candle imbalance where the middle candle's wick doesn't fully overlap the surrounding candles' bodies. Represents inefficiency that price may return to fill.
    📌 Example: Bullish FVG forms → price often retraces to fill the gap before continuing up.
    ICTImbalanceSMC
    ⬜ Gap Technical
    ▼
    A price void between closing and opening prices. Common gaps: Breakaway, Runaway, Exhaustion. Often get filled.
    📌 Example: Monday opening price gaps above Friday's close → often retraces to fill the gap.
    TechnicalPrice Action
    🛡️ High Resistance Run (HRR) ICT Concept
    ▼
    Price moves aggressively through key levels without stopping, indicating institutional momentum. Often precedes a reversal.
    📌 Example: Price blows through 3 resistance levels in 5 minutes → potential exhaustion incoming.
    ICTMomentumLiquidity
    🔄 Inversion Fair Value Gap (IFVG) ICT Concept
    ▼
    When price returns to fill an FVG but fails to close beyond it, creating a rejection. Used as confirmation for reversal trades.
    📌 Example: Price enters bullish FVG but wicks out → bearish reversal signal.
    ICTFVGReversal
    🃏 Judas Swing ICT Concept
    ▼
    A false breakout that traps traders before a violent reversal. Price briefly breaks a key level then reverses sharply.
    📌 Example: Price dips below support by 2 points, then rallies 50 points higher.
    ICTLiquidityTraps
    ⏰ Kill Zone ICT Concept
    ▼
    Specific high-probability trading windows: London Kill Zone (2-5 AM EST), AM Kill Zone (8-10 AM EST), PM Kill Zone (12-3 PM EST).
    📌 Example: Best trades often occur during 8:30-10:00 AM EST (AM Kill Zone).
    ICTTimingSession
    💧 Liquidity ICT Concept
    ▼
    Sets of stop losses and pending orders. Institutions hunt liquidity (sweep highs/lows) before reversing. Buy-side = above highs, Sell-side = below lows.
    📌 Example: Price sweeps a previous high (buy-side liquidity) then drops.
    ICTSmart MoneyStop Hunt
    🛠️ Mitigation Block ICT Concept
    ▼
    An Order Block that has been touched or "mitigated" but not fully broken. Still holds as support/resistance.
    📌 Example: Price touches a bullish OB and bounces (mitigated, still valid).
    ICTOrder BlockSMC
    🗽 New York Session Trading Session
    ▼
    8:00 AM - 5:00 PM EST. Most volatile session with highest volume. 9:30 AM EST open often provides Judas Swing opportunities.
    📌 Example: Best NY session trades occur at 8:30 AM (economic data) and 9:30 AM (market open).
    SessionHigh VolumeVolatility
    🏛️ Order Block (OB) ICT Concept
    ▼
    The last candle before a strong impulsive move. Represents where institutions placed large orders. Acts as support/resistance.
    📌 Example: Bullish OB = last down candle before strong up move.
    ICTSMCSupport/Resistance
    📐 Premium / Discount Arrays ICT Concept
    ▼
    Using Fibonacci retracement: Premium = above 0.705 (sell zone), Discount = below 0.5 (buy zone). Optimal entries at 0.618-0.705 for sells, 0.5-0.382 for buys.
    📌 Example: Sell at 0.705 Fibonacci retracement (Premium Zone).
    ICTFibonacciEntry Zone
    📅 Quarterly Theory ICT Concept
    ▼
    Market cycles divided into quarters: Q1 (January-March), Q2 (April-June), Q3 (July-September), Q4 (October-December). Each quarter has distinct characteristics.
    📌 Example: Q4 often has end-of-year rallies (Santa Claus rally).
    ICTCycleSeasonal
    📈 Rally Base Rally (RBR) ICT Concept
    ▼
    Bullish market structure pattern: Rally up → Base/Consolidation → Another Rally up. Indicates institutional accumulation.
    📌 Example: Price rallies 20 points, consolidates, then rallies another 30 points.
    ICTMarket StructureBullish
    🔫 Silver Bullet ICT Concept
    ▼
    Specific 1-hour window within Kill Zones where high-probability setups occur. 10-11 AM EST (AM Silver Bullet) and 2-3 PM EST (PM Silver Bullet).
    📌 Example: Best reversal trades often happen during 10-11 AM EST Silver Bullet.
    ICTTimingHigh Probability
    ⏱️ Time & Price ICT Concept
    ▼
    The convergence of key price levels and specific trading times. When a key level is hit during a Kill Zone, probability increases significantly.
    📌 Example: FVG at 18,700 hit at 10:15 AM (Silver Bullet) → high-probability setup.
    ICTConfluenceSetup
    🦄 Unicorn ICT Concept
    ▼
    A rare, high-confluence setup where multiple ICT concepts align: Order Block + FVG + Liquidity Sweep + Kill Zone timing.
    📌 Example: OB in discount zone + FVG + liquidity sweep during AM Kill Zone.
    ICTHigh ProbabilityConfluence
    📊 Volume Imbalance Technical
    ▼
    Large difference between buying and selling volume. Often indicates institutional activity. Low volume = consolidation, High volume = expansion.
    📌 Example: High volume spike on breakout = confirmation.
    TechnicalVolumeConfirmation
    📚 Wyckoff Method Classic Theory
    ▼
    Market cycle theory: Accumulation → Markup → Distribution → Markdown. ICT concepts are modern adaptations of Wyckoff.
    📌 Example: AMD (Accumulation, Manipulation, Distribution) is derived from Wyckoff.
    ClassicMarket CycleWyckoff
    📐 XABCD Pattern (Harmonic) Harmonic Pattern
    ▼
    Harmonic patterns (Gartley, Bat, Crab, Butterfly) that use Fibonacci ratios to predict reversals. Points X, A, B, C, D mark price swings.
    📌 Example: Bullish Bat pattern completes at 0.886 retracement of XA.
    HarmonicFibonacciReversal
    📅 Yesterday's High/Low Technical
    ▼
    Key liquidity levels. Price often sweeps yesterday's high or low before reversing. Used as target or stop loss placement.
    📌 Example: Price sweeps yesterday's high → potential short entry.
    TechnicalLiquidityKey Level
    📉 Zero Lag MACD Indicator
    ▼
    Modified MACD with reduced lag. Helps identify momentum shifts earlier than standard MACD. Used with ICT concepts for confirmation.
    📌 Example: Zero Lag MACD crosses above zero → bullish momentum confirmation.
    IndicatorMomentumConfirmation

    Tuesday, May 6, 2025

    Buy Zone: Monthly Open Rejection NQ

    NASDAQ 100 (NQ) Analysis - ICT Perspective

    NASDAQ 100 (NQ) Analysis - ICT Perspective

    When the NASDAQ 100 (NQ) futures are just a few points away from the monthly open, ICT (Inner Circle Trader) would analyze this scenario through the lens of his core concepts, particularly focusing on market structure, liquidity, and time-based price action.

    ICT's Perspective on Price Near Monthly Open

    Monthly Open as a Magnet

    ICT emphasizes that the monthly open (19,713.5 in this case) acts as a key reference level. Price tends to revisit this level during the month to "balance" or "test" it before deciding the next direction.

    If price is hovering near the monthly open, it suggests a potential inflection point where traders (especially institutional players) may reassess value.

    Liquidity and Stop Hunts

    The proximity to the monthly open increases the likelihood of a liquidity run—price may briefly sweep lows (or highs) near this level to trigger stops before reversing.

    In the chart, the NDOG LOW (19,923.1) and NDOG HIGH (19,951.2) are recent liquidity points. A drop toward the monthly open could target stops below these levels before reversing.

    Double Wicks as Rejection Signals

    The mention of "41 double wicks" at 19,675.0 suggests repeated price rejection at that level (a sign of accumulation/distribution). If price approaches this zone again, ICT would watch for:

    • Bullish reversal candles (e.g., hammers, engulfing patterns).
    • Divergence on lower timeframes (e.g., RSI or MACD).
    "Price returns to the monthly open to seek balance before the next move."

    Reversal Analysis Steps (ICT Framework)

    Bullish Reversal Scenario

    Key Levels:

    • Support: Monthly open (19,713.5), double wicks (19,675.0)

    Entry Signal:

    Price holds above monthly open with a higher low and shows bullish reversal patterns (hammer, engulfing) with confirmation from lower timeframe RSI/MACD divergence.

    Targets: NDOG LOW (19,923.1), NDOG HIGH (19,951.2)

    Stop Loss: Below recent swing low (19,658.3)

    Bearish Continuation Scenario

    Key Levels:

    • Resistance: NDOG LOW (19,923.1), NDOG HIGH (19,951.2)

    Entry Signal:

    Price rejects at resistance levels with bearish reversal patterns (shooting star, bearish engulfing) and breaks below monthly open (19,713.5) with momentum.

    Targets: 19,658.3 (recent low), 19,500.0 psychological level

    Stop Loss: Above NDOG HIGH (19,951.2)

    Time-Based Confirmation

    ICT aligns reversals with New York Session (8 AM–12 PM EST) or London Close (11 AM EST). The chart shows activity at 03:00 AM, 06:00 AM, and 09:00 AM—watch for reversals around these times.

    "Liquidity runs precede reversals—trade the trap, not the trap itself."

    Summary

    ICT would wait for price to test the monthly open (19,713.5), look for a liquidity sweep below it, and then watch for bullish reversal patterns to enter long. The 19,658.3–19,675.0 zone would be critical for a potential bounce. Conversely, a break below 19,658.3 could signal further downside.

    "Double wicks show institutional rejection; they're your roadmap."
    at
    SHARE
    🔗 Link copied to clipboard!
    Back to Top