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What Are the Inner Circle Trading Concepts? What Are the Inner Circle Trading Concepts? Inner Circle Trading (ICT) offers a sophisticated lens through which traders can view and interpret market movements, providing traders with insights that go beyond conventional technical analysis. This article explores key ICT concepts, aiming to equip traders with a thorough understanding of how these insights can be applied to enhance their trading decisions. Introduction to the Inner Circle Trading Methodology Inner Circle Trading (ICT) methodology is a sophisticated approach to financial markets that zeroes in on the behaviours of large institutional traders. Unlike conventional trading methods, ICT is not merely about recognising patterns in price movements but involves understanding the intentions behind those movements. It is part of the broader Smart Money Concept (SMC), which analyses how major players influence the market. Key Inner Circle Trading Concepts Within the ICT methodology, there are many concepts to learn. Below, we’ve explained the most fundamental ideas central to ICT trading. Structure Understanding the structure of a market is fundamental to effectively employing the ICT methodology. In the context of ICT, market structure is defined by the identification of trends through specific patterns of highs and lows. Market Structure A market trend is typically characterised by a series of higher highs and higher lows in an uptrend, or lower highs and lower lows in a downtrend. This sequential pattern provides a visual representation of market sentiment and momentum. Importantly, market trends are fractal, replicating similar patterns at different scales or timeframes. For example, what appears as a bearish trend on a short timeframe might merely be a corrective phase within a larger bullish trend. By understanding this fractal nature, traders can better align their strategies with the prevailing trend at different trading intervals. Break of Structure (BOS) A Break of Structure occurs when there is a clear deviation from these established patterns of highs and lows. In an uptrend, a BOS is signalled by prices exceeding a previous high without falling below the most recent higher low, confirming the strength and continuation of the uptrend. Conversely, in a downtrend, a BOS is indicated when prices drop below a previous low without breaching the prior lower high, signifying that the downtrend remains strong. Identifying a BOS gives traders valuable clues about the continuation of the current market direction. Change of Character (CHoCH) The Change of Character in a market happens when there is a noticeable alteration in the behaviour of price movements, suggesting a potential reversal of a given trend. This might be seen in an uptrend where the price fails to reach a new high and then breaks below a recent higher low, indicating that the buying momentum is waning and a bearish reversal is possible. Identifying a CHoCH helps traders recognise when the market momentum is shifting, which is critical for adjusting positions to capitalise on or protect against a new trend. Market Structure Shift (MSS) A Market Structure Shift is a significant change in the market that can disrupt the existing trend. This specific type of CHoCH is typically marked by a price moving sharply (a displacement) through a key structural level, such as a higher low in an uptrend or a lower high in a downtrend. These shifts can signal a profound change in market dynamics, with the sharp move often preceding a new sustained trend. Recognising an MSS allows traders to reevaluate their current bias and adapt to a new trend, given its clear signal. Order Blocks Order blocks are a central component of ICT trading, providing crucial insights into potential areas where the price may react strongly due to significant buy or sell interests from large market participants. Regular Order Blocks A regular order block is an area on the price chart representing a concentration of buying (demand zone) or selling (supply zone) activity. In an uptrend, a bullish order block is identified during a downward price movement and marks the last area of selling before a substantial upward price movement occurs. Conversely, a bearish order block forms in an uptrend where the last buying action appears before a significant downward price shift. In the ICT trading strategy, order blocks are seen as reversal areas. So, if the price revisits a bullish order block following a BOS higher, it’s assumed that the block will hold and prompt a reversal that produces a new higher high. Breaker Blocks Breaker blocks play a crucial role in identifying trend reversals. They are typically formed when the price makes a BOS before reversing and breaking beyond an order block that should hold if the established market structure is to be maintained. This formation indicates that liquidity has been taken. For instance, in an uptrend, if the price creates a new high but then reverses below the previous higher low, the bullish order block above the low becomes a breaker block. A breaker block can be an area that prompts a reversal as the new trend unfolds; it’s a similar concept to support becoming resistance and vice versa. Mitigation Blocks Mitigation blocks are similar to breaker blocks, except they occur after a failure swing, where the price attempts but fails to surpass a previous peak in an uptrend or a previous trough in a downtrend. This pattern indicates a loss of momentum and potential reversal as the price fails to sustain its previous direction. For example, in an uptrend, if the price makes a lower high and then breaks the structure by dropping below the previous low, the order block formed at the previous low becomes a mitigation block. These blocks are critical for traders because they’re also expected to produce a reversal if a new trend has been set in motion. Liquidity Liquidity refers to areas on the price chart with a high concentration of trading activity, typically marked by stop orders from retail traders. Buy- and Sell-Side Liquidity Buy-side liquidity is found where there is a likely accumulation of short-selling traders' stop orders, typically above recent highs. Conversely, sell-side liquidity is located below recent lows, where bullish traders' stop orders accumulate. When prices touch these areas, activating stop orders can cause a reversal, presenting a potential level of support or resistance. Liquidity Grabs A liquidity grab occurs when the price quickly spikes into these high-density order areas, triggering stops and then reversing direction. In ICT theory, this action is often orchestrated by larger players aiming to capitalise on the flurry of orders to execute their large-volume trades with minimal slippage. It's a strategic move that temporarily shifts price momentum, usually just long enough to trigger the stops before the market direction reverses. Inducement An inducement is a specific type of liquidity grab that triggers stops and entices other traders to enter the market. It often appears as a peak or trough, typically into an area of liquidity, in a minor counter-trend within the larger market trend. Inducements are designed by smart money to create an illusion of a trend change, prompting an influx of retail trading in the wrong direction. Once the retail traders have committed, the price swiftly reverses, aligning back with the original major trend. Trending Movements In the Inner Circle Trading methodology, two specific types of sharp trending movements signal significant shifts in market dynamics: fair value gaps and displacements. Fair Value Gaps A fair value gap (FVG) occurs when there is a noticeable absence of trading within a price range, typically represented by a swift and substantial price move without retracement. This gap often forms between the wicks of two adjacent candles where no trading has occurred, signifying a strong directional push. Fair value gaps are important because they indicate areas on the chart where the price may return to "fill" the gap, usually before meeting an order block, offering potential trading opportunities as the market seeks to establish equilibrium. Displacements Displacements, also known as liquidity voids, are characterised by sudden, forceful price movements occurring between two chart levels and lacking the typical gradual trading activity observed in between. They are essentially amplified and more substantial versions of fair value gaps, often spanning multiple candles and FVGs, signalling a heightened imbalance between buy and sell orders. Other Components Beyond these ICT concepts, there are a few other niche components. Kill Zones Kill Zones refer to specific timeframes during the trading day when market activity significantly increases due to the opening or closing of major financial centres. These periods are crucial for traders as they often set the tone for price movements based on the increased volume and volatility: Optimal Trade Entry An optimal trade entry (OTE) is a type of Inner Circle trading strategy, found using Fibonacci retracement levels. After an inducement that prompts a displacement (leaving behind an FVG), traders use the Fibonacci retracement tool to pinpoint entry areas. The first point is set at the major high or low that prompts the displacement, while the second point is set at the next significant swing high or low that forms. In a bearish movement, for example, the initial point is set at the swing high before the displacement and the subsequent point at the new swing low. Traders often look to the 61.8% to 78.6% retracement level for entries. Balanced Price Range A balanced price range is observed when two opposing displacements create FVGs in a short timeframe, indicating a broad zone of price consolidation. During this period, prices typically test both extremes, attempting to fill the gaps. This scenario offers traders potential zones for trend reversals as the price seeks to establish a new equilibrium, as well as key levels to watch for a breakout. The Bottom Line Understanding ICT concepts gives traders the tools to decode complex market signals and align their strategies with the influential trends shaped by the largest market participants. For those looking to apply these sophisticated trading techniques practically, opening an FXOpen account can be a great step towards engaging with the markets through a robust platform designed to support advanced trading strategies. FAQs What Are ICT Concepts in Trading? ICT (Inner Circle Trading) concepts encompass a series of advanced trading principles that focus on replicating the strategies of large institutional players. These concepts include liquidity zones, order blocks, market structure shifts, and optimal trade entries, all aimed at understanding and anticipating significant market movements. What Is ICT in Trading? ICT in trading refers to the Inner Circle Trading methodology, a strategy developed to align smaller traders’ actions with those of more influential market participants. It utilises specific market phenomena, such as order blocks and liquidity patterns, to analyse price movements and improve trading outcomes. What Is ICT Trading? ICT trading is the application of concepts that seek to identify patterns and structures that indicate potential price changes driven by institutional activities, aiming to capitalise on these movements. What Is ICT Strategy? An ICT strategy combines market analysis techniques to identify where significant market players are likely to influence prices. This includes analysing price levels where large volumes of buy or sell orders are anticipated to occur and identifying key times when market moves are most likely. Is ICT Better Than SMC? Comparing ICT and SMC (Smart Money Concept) is challenging as ICT is essentially a subset of SMC. While SMC provides a broader overview of how institutional money influences the markets, ICT offers more specific techniques and terms like inducements and displacements. Whether one is better depends on the trader’s specific needs and alignment with these methodologies’ intricacies. This article represents the opinion of the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand only. It is not to be construed as an offer, solicitation, or recommendation with respect to products and services provided by the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand, nor is it to be considered financial advice.
Education
by FXOpen
1
What Is ICT Turtle Soup, and How Can You Use It in Trading?What Is ICT Turtle Soup, and How Can You Use It in Trading? The ICT Turtle Soup pattern is a strategic trading approach designed to exploit false breakouts in financial markets. By understanding and leveraging liquidity grabs, traders can identify potential reversals and enter trades with relative precision. This article delves into the components of the ICT Turtle Soup pattern, how to identify and use it, and its potential advantages and limitations, providing traders with valuable insights to potentially enhance their trading strategies. The ICT Turtle Soup Pattern Explained ICT Turtle Soup is a trading pattern developed by the Inner Circle Trader (ICT) that focuses on exploiting false breakouts in the market. This ICT price action strategy aims to identify and take advantage of situations where the price briefly moves beyond a key support or resistance level, only to reverse direction shortly after. This movement is often seen in ranging markets where prices oscillate between established highs and lows. The concept behind ICT Turtle Soup trading is rooted in the idea of liquidity hunts and market imbalances. When the price breaks out, it often triggers stop-loss orders set by other traders, creating a temporary imbalance. The ICT Turtle Soup strategy seeks to capitalise on this by entering trades in the opposite direction once the breakout fails and the price returns to its previous range​. The pattern is named humorously after the original Turtle Traders' strategy, which focuses on genuine breakouts. In contrast, ICT Turtle Soup takes advantage of these failed attempts, thus "making soup out of turtles" by transforming unproductive breakout attempts into potentially effective trades​. Typically, traders look for specific signs of a false breakout, such as a price briefly moving above a recent high or below a recent low but failing to sustain the move. This strategy is particularly effective when used in conjunction with other ICT concepts, such as higher timeframe analysis and understanding of market structure​. Components of the ICT Turtle Soup Pattern To effectively utilise the ICT Turtle Soup setup, it’s essential to understand its core components: order flow and market structure, liquidity, and internal versus external liquidity. Order Flow and Market Structure Order flow and market structure are critical in analysing the ICT Turtle Soup pattern. This involves observing price movements and traders' behaviour in different timeframes. Traders can analyse higher and lower timeframe price movements in FXOpen’s free TickTrader platform. Higher Timeframe Structure This refers to the broader trend governing the lower timeframe trend. For traders using the 15m-1h charts to trade, this might mean structure visible on 4-hour, daily, or weekly charts. Higher timeframe structures help traders identify the major support and resistance levels. These levels are essential as they mark the boundaries within which the market generally oscillates. Traders use these to determine the prevailing market direction and potential areas where false breakouts (stop hunts) are likely to occur​. Lower Timeframe Structure Lower timeframe structures are examined on hourly or minute charts. These provide a more detailed view of price action within the higher timeframe’s range and account for the bullish and bearish legs that dictate a broader higher timeframe trend. Liquidity and Stop Hunts In general trading terms, liquidity represents how easy it is to enter or exit a market. However, in the context of the ICT Turtle Soup pattern, areas of liquidity can be identified beyond key swing points. Stop Hunts Stop hunts, also known as a liquidity sweep, occur when the price temporarily moves above a resistance level or below a support level to trigger stop-loss orders. This movement creates a liquidity spike as traders' stops are hit, providing a favourable condition for the price to reverse direction. ICT Turtle Soup traders seek to exploit these moments by entering trades opposite to the initial breakout direction once the liquidity is absorbed. Internal and External Liquidity Understanding internal and external liquidity is vital for applying the ICT Turtle Soup pattern effectively. Internal Liquidity This refers to the liquidity available within the range of the higher timeframe structure. It involves identifying smaller support and resistance levels within the larger range. For example, in a bullish leg, there will be a series of higher highs and higher lows; beneath these higher lows is where internal liquidity rests. This internal liquidity will be targeted to form a bearish leg as part of a higher timeframe bullish trend. External Liquidity This involves liquidity that exists outside the key highs and lows of the higher timeframe trend. To use the example of the bullish leg in a higher timeframe bullish trend, the low it originated from and the high it creates as the bearish retracement begins count as areas of external liquidity. Order Blocks and Imbalances While not directly involved in the ICT Turtle Soup setup, understanding order blocks and imbalances can provide insight into where the price might head and the general market context. Order blocks are areas where significant buying or selling activity has previously occurred, often due to institutional orders. These blocks represent zones of support and resistance where the price is likely to react. Bullish Order Blocks These are typically found at the base of a significant upward move and indicate zones where buying interest is strong. When the price revisits these areas, it often finds support, making them potential entry points for long trades​. Bearish Order Blocks Conversely, these are located at the top of significant downward moves and signal strong selling interest. These zones often act as resistance when revisited, making them strategic points for short trades​. Imbalances Imbalances, or fair value gaps (FVGs), are price regions where the market has moved too quickly, creating a significant disparity between the number of long and short trades. These gaps often occur due to high volatility and indicate areas where the market might revisit to "fill" the gap, thereby achieving fair value. In other words, when a price rapidly moves in one direction, it leaves behind an area with little to no trading activity. The market often returns to these imbalanced zones to facilitate proper price discovery and liquidity. How to Use the ICT Turtle Soup Strategy Here's a detailed breakdown of how traders use the ICT Turtle Soup pattern. Establishing a Bias Traders begin by analysing the higher timeframe trend, such as the daily or weekly charts, to establish a market bias. This analysis helps determine whether the market is predominantly bullish or bearish. Identifying this trend is crucial as it guides where to look for potential Turtle Soup setups. For instance, the example above shows AUDUSD initially moving down after a bullish movement off-screen. It eventually breaks above the lower high, indicating that the higher timeframe trend may now be bullish. Similarly, the shorter-term downtrend beginning from mid-May also saw a new high, meaning a trader may want to look for long positions. Identifying Internal Liquidity Once the higher timeframe trend is established, traders look for a move counter to that higher timeframe trend. In the example shown, this would be a downtrend counter to the bullish structure break. They mark levels of internal liquidity; in a bullish leg, these would be below swing lows and vice versa. These areas are likely to attract stop-loss orders. Looking for Liquidity Taps The next step involves waiting for these internal liquidity areas to be tapped. This typically happens when the price briefly breaks through a support or resistance level, triggering stop-loss orders before quickly reversing direction. Ideally, the price should tap into the same area or order block where the internal liquidity formed and then exhibit a quick reversal, often leaving just a small wick. This movement indicates a liquidity grab, where large players have taken out stops to facilitate their own orders. Lower Timeframe Confirmation After identifying a liquidity grab beyond this internal liquidity level, traders look for an entry. On a lower timeframe, they look for a similar pattern: internal liquidity being run and a subsequent break of structure in the direction of the higher timeframe trend. This involves price retracing back inside the range to fill an imbalance and meet an order block, which provides a precise entry point. Executing the Trade Once these conditions are met, traders typically enter the market. Specifically, they’ll often leave a limit order at an order block to trade in the direction of the higher timeframe trend. They place a stop loss just beyond the liquidity grab, either above the recent high for a short trade or below the recent low for a long trade. Profit targets are often set at key liquidity levels, such as previous highs or lows, where the market is likely to encounter significant activity​. Potential Advantages and Limitations The ICT Turtle Soup pattern is a trading strategy with several potential benefits and drawbacks. Advantages - Precision: Allows for precise entry points by identifying false breakouts and liquidity grabs​. - Adaptability: Effective across different timeframes and market conditions, including ranging and trending markets. - Risk Management: Built-in risk management by placing stop losses just beyond the liquidity grab points. Limitations - Complexity: Requires a deep understanding of market structure, liquidity, and order flow, making it challenging for less experienced traders​. - Market Conditions: Less effective in highly volatile or illiquid markets where false signals are more common. - Time-Consuming: Demands continuous monitoring of multiple timeframes to identify valid setups, which can be time-intensive. The Bottom Line The ICT Turtle Soup pattern offers traders a powerful tool to identify and exploit false breakouts in the market. By understanding its components and applying the strategy effectively, traders can potentially enhance their trading performance. To put this strategy into practice, consider opening an FXOpen account, a reliable broker that provides the necessary tools and resources for trading. FAQs What Is ICT Turtle Soup in Trading? ICT Turtle Soup is a trading pattern that exploits false breakouts. It identifies potential reversals when the price briefly moves beyond a key support or resistance level, triggering stop-loss orders before reversing direction. This strategy aims to take advantage of these liquidity grabs by entering trades opposite to the initial breakout direction​. How to Identify ICT Turtle Soup Conditions? To identify the ICT Turtle Soup pattern, traders analyse higher timeframe trends to establish market bias. They then look for counter-trend moves and mark internal liquidity areas. The pattern is identified when the price taps these liquidity zones and reverses quickly, often leaving a small wick. This signals a liquidity grab and potential trade setup in the direction of the higher timeframe trend​. How to Use the ICT Turtle Soup Pattern? Using the ICT Turtle Soup pattern involves several steps. First, traders establish a market bias based on higher timeframe analysis. Then, they look for liquidity grabs at marked internal liquidity areas, indicating false breakouts. The next step is to confirm the setup on a lower timeframe by observing a similar liquidity grab and structure break. Lastly, they enter trades in the direction of the higher timeframe trend, placing stop losses just beyond the liquidity grab and targeting key liquidity levels for profit-taking​. This article represents the opinion of the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand only. It is not to be construed as an offer, solicitation, or recommendation with respect to products and services provided by the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand, nor is it to be considered financial advice.
Education
by FXOpen
1
Order Blocks and Breaker Blocks and How To Trade ThemOrder Blocks and Breaker Blocks and How To Trade Them In the intricate world of trading, especially within the forex markets, understanding the mechanics behind order blocks and breaker blocks is paramount. These concepts, rooted in the actions of institutional participants, offer a window into the potential future price movements. In this article, we’ll explore what these critical areas are and how to use them effectively. What Is an Order Block in Trading? An order block, also known as a supply or demand zone, represents a significant area on the price chart where large market participants, such as banks or institutional traders, have placed substantial buy or sell orders. They’re crucial in understanding the flow and direction of an asset, as they often precede notable movements in price. Particularly in the realm of forex, where the magnitude of transactions can be immense, identifying these zones can provide traders with a strategic edge. A bullish order block, or demand zone, is identified during a downward price movement and is the area where the last bearish candle before a substantial upward price movement occurs. This indicates that institutional buyers are stepping in, absorbing sell orders, and preparing to push the price higher. Traders eyeing bullish order blocks anticipate these areas as potential points of interest where price may find support, thus offering a strategic entry point for long positions. Conversely, a bearish order block, or supply zone, is found during an upward price movement and is characterised by the area where the last bullish candle appears before a significant downward price shift. This suggests that institutional sellers are overwhelming buyers, likely leading to a decrease in price. Bearish order blocks signal potential resistance zones, presenting opportunities to enter short positions in anticipation of a downward price trajectory. In both instances, they typically create an impulse move that breaks a nearby high or low to continue or start a given trend. When the market returns to these areas, they often prompt a reversal of the short-term trend and a continuation of a higher timeframe trend. Order blocks in forex are particularly telling due to the high market liquidity and the sheer volume of trades. Recognising these areas allows traders to align their strategies with the likely actions of major institutional players, potentially leading to more informed and effective trade decisions. Why Order Blocks Work These blocks work because they tap into the underlying dynamics of supply and demand, reflecting the actions of large institutional players whose trades can significantly impact price direction. They’re essentially snapshots of where significant buying or selling pressure has accumulated, offering clues to future price movements. When a market approaches a supply or demand zone, the likelihood of a reaction—whether it's a continuation or reversal of the trend—increases because these levels are where institutional traders have previously shown interest, either by initiating large positions or placing take-profit orders. Finding and Using Order Blocks Now, let’s take a closer look at how to identify and use order blocks for trading. Identifying Order Blocks Traders often start by analysing historical price charts to locate order blocks. Typically, these are found where there was significant trading activity, often in the form of a consolidation, followed by a strong directional price move. A bullish order block is where the last bearish candle in a downtrend occurred before a sharp rise. Conversely, in a bearish order block, traders identify the last bullish candle before a significant fall. Note that order block candles visible on a higher timeframe tend to be more probable. Similarly, a small high-low range on a lower timeframe would appear as a single candlestick on a higher timeframe, meaning that the entire range can be plotted as a supply or demand zone. To have a go at spotting your own order blocks, head over to FXOpen’s free TickTrader platform and interact with our real-time charts. Incorporating Order Blocks into a Trading Strategy Incorporating order blocks into a strategy involves observing how the price behaves as it approaches these marked areas. Traders typically watch for price reactions near these zones, using them as indicators of potential entry or exit points. For instance, a price bounce off a demand zone may signal a good opportunity to go long, anticipating upward momentum as institutional interest possibly resurfaces. Traders might also combine these areas with indicators and other analysis tools, such as moving averages or Fibonacci retracements, to validate their signals. This multi-faceted approach helps in fine-tuning entry and exit strategies, potentially increasing the likelihood of effective trades. Risk Management As with any strategy, it's crucial to practise sound risk management when trading with order blocks. Traders often set stop-losses just outside the zone with the assumption that institutional players won’t let the market trade beyond this point. However, when these zones fail, they become known as breaker blocks. Understanding Breaker Blocks in Forex In the realm of forex, understanding the concept of breaker blocks can be crucial when it comes to identifying potential reversals and continuations in trends. Breaker blocks emerge from the failure of order blocks. When these supply or demand zones do not hold, and the market structure shifts, breaker blocks are formed, marking significant levels to watch. A bearish breaker block occurs after a bullish order block fails. This typically happens when there's an upward trend, and a certain level that was expected to support the market's rise instead gives way, leading to a sharp decline. This decline indicates that sellers have overcome the buyers, absorbing liquidity and shifting the sentiment from bullish to bearish. Conversely, a bullish breaker block is formed from the failure of a bearish order block. In a downtrend, when a level that was expected to act as resistance is breached, and the price shoots up, it signifies that buyers have taken control, overpowering the sellers. In both scenarios, price often retraces to the failed zone before continuing the newly formed trend. Finding and Using Breaker Blocks To harness the power of breakers, traders adeptly identify these pivotal points and integrate them into a coherent strategy. Identifying Breaker Blocks The first step involves scrutinising price charts for significant reversals that follow the failure of established supply or demand zones. A bearish breaker block, for instance, would be marked by a sudden decline after a bullish trend fails to sustain, trading through a bullish order block, and vice versa. The most notable breaker blocks are often the order blocks that stand out visually or would need to stay intact if a given trend is to continue. When they fail, they can then be plotted as a valid horizontal level to look for a retracement before a potential move away. Strategic Application Once identified, these zones can be strategically employed as markers for potential trade entries. For a bearish breaker, traders might consider short positions, anticipating further declines as price retests and rejects the previously failed support level. Conversely, a bullish breaker suggests a potential long position as the market may continue to rise, having breached a significant resistance. Combining Order Blocks and Breakers Combining these two ideas offers a nuanced approach to forex, especially when integrating the concept of liquidity voids or fair value gaps. These gaps occur when the price makes an impulsive move away from an order block without retracing, potentially marking areas for future reversals. This strategy shines in trending assets, where the directional momentum aligns with the formation of these critical zones, offering potential entry and exit signals. Trending and Ranging Markets In a trending market, order blocks that prompt sharp price movements away can be key areas to mark for a trend reversal. These marked zones can indicate where significant buying or selling pressure originated, offering potential entry points. However, it's essential to recognise that in a ranging or consolidating market, they might not hold as expected. The Role of Breaker Blocks When institutional interests shift, leading to the failure of an order block to act as support or resistance, this is where breaker blocks come into play, becoming a critical level to watch. Particularly after a sudden move, if a supply or demand zone ripe for reversal is now too far away to see an immediate retracement, the breaker serves as a strategic entry point ahead of a trend continuation. Setting Market Direction with Breaker Blocks Breaker blocks not only signal potential entry points but also help set market direction. The breach of an order block by price action indicates a strong likelihood that the asset will continue in that direction, underscoring a shift in institutional interest. When price trades through an order block, showing no signs of halting, it suggests a path for the trend, offering traders insight into the prevailing momentum. Limitations of Order and Breaker Blocks While order and breaker blocks provide insightful strategies in navigating forex markets, they come with limitations that traders should be aware of: Market Volatility: High volatility can disrupt the reliability of these zones, leading to false signals. Institutional Disguise: Large market players may mask their activities, making it challenging to identify genuine order or breaker blocks. Lagging Indicators: These areas are based on past price behaviour, which might not always be effective when analysing future movements. Overreliance: Solely depending on these strategies without incorporating other analyses can lead to missed opportunities or misinterpretations. The Bottom Line Navigating the forex market with an understanding of order and breaker blocks can help refine your trading strategy, offering insights into institutional movements and potential market reversals. For those ready to apply these insights in real-time trading, opening an FXOpen account offers a gateway to the dynamic world of forex, connecting you with global markets and potential opportunities. FAQs What Is an Order Block in Trading? An order block refers to a price area on the chart where significant buy or sell orders were previously placed by large institutional traders. These zones are key to identifying potential support or resistance levels, providing insights into future price movements. What Is a Breaker Block in Trading? A breaker block is a concept that emerges when an order block fails, leading to a change in market structure. It signifies a pivotal point where the market shifts direction, offering traders opportunities to enter trades based on anticipated trend continuation. How to Identify Order Blocks? Order blocks can be identified by analysing price charts for areas where there was significant trading activity, followed by a strong directional movement. Traders look for the last bullish candle before a downturn for a bearish block, or the last bearish candle before an uptrend for a bullish block, indicating potential zones of interest for traders. This article represents the opinion of the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand only. It is not to be construed as an offer, solicitation, or recommendation with respect to products and services provided by the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand, nor is it to be considered financial advice.
Education
by FXOpen
2
ORDER BLOCK AND FAIR VALUE GAP SMART MONEY CONCEPT**Order Block**: An order block is a specific price area on a financial chart where institutional traders have placed large buy or sell orders. These areas often lead to significant price movements and are used by traders to identify potential zones of support or resistance. Order blocks represent clusters of orders from big players like banks or hedge funds, signaling where major buying or selling interest lies. When price revisits these zones, it often reacts strongly, making them valuable for predicting price reversals or continuations. **Fair Value Gap**: A fair value gap (FVG) is a price range on a chart where there is an imbalance between buyers and sellers, often created during periods of high volatility or news events. This gap typically occurs when the market moves so quickly that trades do not fully fill, leaving a visible gap on the chart. Traders use fair value gaps to anticipate potential price retracements to these levels, as the market tends to revisit and fill these gaps over time, aligning price with its perceived fair value. Both concepts are crucial in technical analysis for identifying key price levels where significant market activity is likely to occur.
Education
by FrankFx14
2
MARKET STRUCT USING ICT CONCEPTThe Inner Circle Trader (ICT) concept in trading, developed by Michael J. Huddleston, offers a comprehensive approach to understanding and navigating market structure. ICT emphasizes the importance of market structure, which refers to the organization and arrangement of various market components, such as support and resistance levels, trends, and price patterns. This approach involves identifying key levels where institutional investors might be placing orders, understanding liquidity pools, and recognizing the behavior of smart money. By focusing on these elements, traders can better predict market movements, identify high-probability trade setups, and manage risks effectively. The ICT methodology combines technical analysis with a deep understanding of market dynamics to provide traders with a robust framework for making informed trading decisions.
Education
by FrankFx14
SIMPLE ICT CONCEPTS FOR TRAADING SYNTHETIC INDICES The Inner Circle Trader (ICT) concept for trading Deriv synthetic indices involves using sophisticated market analysis techniques and proprietary trading strategies. It focuses on understanding market mechanics, price action, and order flow to make informed trading decisions. ICT strategies leverage advanced tools and ICT knowledge to predict synthetic market movements, optimizing entry and exit points for higher profitability and risk management.
Education
by FrankFx14
FAIR VALUE GAP OR ORDER BLOCK ENTRYA fair value gap (FVG) and an order block entry are concepts used in technical analysis within financial markets to identify potential trading opportunities. ### Fair Value Gap (FVG) A fair value gap refers to a price range on a chart where there is an imbalance between buyers and sellers, often resulting in a quick movement through this area without much trading activity. This gap can create a zone of interest where price may return to fill the gap, presenting a potential trading opportunity. Traders look for these gaps to predict price movements, expecting that the market will revisit these areas to achieve a fair value. ### Order Block Entry An order block is a consolidation area where significant buying or selling has taken place, often by institutional traders. These blocks are typically identified by a cluster of orders that create a strong support or resistance level. When price returns to this level, it often reacts due to the presence of unfilled orders, providing a strategic entry point for traders. Order blocks are used to predict where the price might reverse or continue its trend, offering a high-probability entry signal based on historical price action. Both concepts are used by traders to make informed decisions based on the past behavior of price and volume, aiming to identify areas where significant trading activity is likely to influence future price movements.
Education
by FrankFx14
ORDER BLOCK CONFIRMATION ENTRY PART 2Sure! Here's another description of order block confirmation with a focus on practical application and detailed examples: ### Understanding Order Block Confirmation: Order block confirmation is a technique used by traders to identify and validate significant price levels where large orders from institutional traders have been placed. These levels often act as strong support or resistance zones. Confirming an order block helps traders make informed decisions about entry and exit points in the market. ### Detailed Steps for Order Block Confirmation: 1. **Identify Potential Order Blocks:** - **Bullish Order Block:** Look for a downtrend that ends with a strong bullish reversal, marked by one or more large bullish candlesticks. - **Bearish Order Block:** Look for an uptrend that ends with a strong bearish reversal, identified by one or more large bearish candlesticks. 2. **Analyze Market Structure:** - **Trend Context:** Determine whether the market is in an uptrend, downtrend, or sideways movement. This context helps in predicting the likelihood of the order block holding. - **Key Levels:** Note the order block's alignment with significant support or resistance levels. 3. **Volume Analysis:** - High volume during the formation of the order block is a strong indicator of institutional activity. Look for volume spikes that coincide with the large candlesticks forming the order block. 4. **Price Action Confirmation:** - **Engulfing Patterns:** A bullish engulfing pattern at a potential bullish order block or a bearish engulfing pattern at a potential bearish order block can confirm the level. - **Pin Bars and Rejection Candlesticks:** Candlesticks with long wicks (e.g., pin bars, hammers, shooting stars) at the order block level indicate strong rejection and confirm the presence of significant buying or selling interest. - **Break and Retest:** Confirmation is stronger if the price breaks through the order block level and then retests it as support (for bullish order blocks) or resistance (for bearish order blocks). 5. **Indicator Confirmation:** - **RSI (Relative Strength Index):** If the RSI shows overbought conditions at a bearish order block or oversold conditions at a bullish order block, it provides additional confirmation. - **Moving Averages:** The interaction of price with moving averages (e.g., 50 EMA, 200 EMA) near the order block level can confirm its validity. A bounce off or crossover can be significant. 6. **Confluence of Factors:** - Multiple confirmations such as Fibonacci retracement levels, pivot points, and trend lines aligning with the order block increase its reliability. ### Practical Examples: 1. **Bullish Order Block Confirmation:** - Suppose the price of a stock is in a downtrend and reaches a level where it forms a large bullish candlestick, followed by increased volume. - The RSI indicates oversold conditions. - The price breaks above the identified order block and later retests this level, forming a bullish pin bar. - This confluence of signals confirms the bullish order block, suggesting a potential entry point for a long position. 2. **Bearish Order Block Confirmation:** - Consider a forex pair in an uptrend that hits a resistance level, forming a large bearish candlestick with a volume spike. - The RSI shows overbought conditions. - The price breaks below the identified order block and retests it, forming a bearish engulfing pattern. - This setup confirms the bearish order block, indicating a potential entry point for a short position. ### Trade Execution and Management: 1. **Entry:** Based on the confirmed order block, place a buy order at the bullish order block or a sell order at the bearish order block. 2. **Stop-Loss:** Set stop-loss orders just below the bullish order block or above the bearish order block to manage risk. 3. **Take Profit:** Identify potential take-profit levels based on historical price action, nearby support/resistance levels, or using risk-reward ratios. By following these detailed steps and examples, traders can effectively use order block confirmation to enhance their trading strategies and improve their chances of successful trades.
Education
by FrankFx14
ORDER BLOCK CONFIMATION ENTRYOrder block confirmation is a concept used in technical analysis, particularly in the context of trading financial markets like forex, stocks, and cryptocurrencies. An order block is a significant price level where institutional traders have placed large orders, resulting in a concentration of buying or selling activity. Identifying and confirming these order blocks can help traders understand potential future price movements. ### Key Elements of Order Block Confirmation: 1. **Identification of Order Blocks:** - **Bullish Order Blocks:** These occur when price action suggests strong buying interest. Typically, they are identified after a downtrend when a large bullish candlestick or a series of bullish candlesticks emerge, signaling strong buying pressure. - **Bearish Order Blocks:** These are identified after an uptrend, marked by a large bearish candlestick or a series of bearish candlesticks, indicating strong selling pressure. 2. **Market Structure Analysis:** - **Trend Analysis:** Determine the prevailing trend to contextualize the order block. In an uptrend, look for bullish order blocks; in a downtrend, look for bearish order blocks. - **Support and Resistance Levels:** Order blocks often align with key support and resistance levels. Confirming these levels adds to the validity of the order block. 3. **Volume Analysis:** - High trading volume at the order block can confirm the presence of institutional activity. Spikes in volume during the formation of the order block signal strong interest from large market participants. 4. **Price Action Confirmation:** - **Engulfing Patterns:** A bullish or bearish engulfing pattern near the order block can confirm its validity. - **Rejection Candlesticks:** Pin bars, hammers, or shooting stars at the order block level indicate strong rejection, confirming the order block. - **Break and Retest:** Price breaking through the order block and then retesting it can serve as a confirmation. For a bullish order block, the price should break above and then retest the order block as support. For a bearish order block, the price should break below and then retest it as resistance. 5. **Indicator Confirmation:** - **Relative Strength Index (RSI):** An overbought or oversold RSI at the order block can provide additional confirmation. - **Moving Averages:** Crossovers or bounces off moving averages near the order block can corroborate the signal. 6. **Confluence Factors:** - The more factors aligning with the order block (e.g., Fibonacci levels, pivot points, trend lines), the stronger the confirmation. ### Practical Steps for Traders: 1. **Identify Potential Order Blocks:** - Look for significant price movements and areas where the price has previously shown strong support or resistance. 2. **Wait for Confirmation:** - Use price action, volume spikes, and technical indicators to confirm the validity of the order block. 3. **Plan Your Trade:** - Once confirmed, use the order block as an entry point, setting stop-loss orders below the block for bullish trades or above the block for bearish trades. 4. **Monitor and Manage:** - Keep an eye on market conditions and be prepared to adjust your strategy if the order block is invalidated by new price action. By carefully identifying and confirming order blocks, traders can gain insights into potential areas of strong market activity and make more informed trading decisions.
Education
by FrankFx14
ORDER BLOCK trading strategyThe order block trading strategy is based on the concept of smart money, focusing on identifying specific zones where institutional traders previously executed their orders. Once we have successfully identified these zones, we patiently wait for the price to revisit these levels. By using a suitable strategy, we then enter our trades in the anticipated direction. -What is an Order Block in Forex: Order blocks are special zones within the market where significant buy or sell orders from major market participants, like institutional traders, have been previously executed. These order clusters, situated in specific price regions, hold considerable influence over price action, market sentiment, and liquidity. Order blocks serve as a specialized methodology to determine crucial support and resistance levels, derived from the trading behavior of institutional traders. These levels are subsequently employed as strategic points for initiating or concluding trades. -Understanding Order Block in Trading: In Forex or any other market, ict order block represent crucial price levels where we observe significant and aggressive price movements. These levels are characterized by large firms strategically placing their orders, which often results in the market moving forcefully from those points. To influence the market in a specific direction, smart money or hedge funds execute orders worth billions of dollars at particular price levels. However, not all of their orders are immediately filled. As a result, smart money revisits these levels to execute the pending orders, leading to further movement in the desired direction. -ICT Order Blocks Definition: Order blocks can indeed be identified on any time frame, ranging from small time frame like 15m,30 m and m5 to larger time frames like daily or weekly charts. Order blocks can be classified into two main types: Bullish Order Blocks and Bearish Order Blocks. 1. Bullish Order Block: A Bullish Order Block is recognized as the last downward candle before the price experiences a significant and aggressive upward movement. It represents a key level where institutional traders placed substantial buy orders, causing the market to rally strongly from that point. 2. Bearish Order Block: On the other hand, a Bearish Order Block is characterized by the last upward closing candle before the price undergoes a sharp and forceful downward movement. It signifies a critical level where large market participants, such as institutional traders, positioned significant sell orders, resulting in a significant decline in the market. By identifying and analyzing these Bullish and Bearish Blocks, traders can gain insights into a potential reversal or continuation patterns and utilize them as entry or exit points for their trades. Trading order blocks go beyond solely identifying the last up or down closing candle. To effectively trade order blocks, it is essential to consider several contextual factors, including: 1. Liquidity Hunt: Market participants, especially institutional traders, may strategically place their orders to trigger stop losses or create a liquidity imbalance. Understanding liquidity patterns and how they can influence price action is crucial. 2. Daily Bias: Evaluating the overall market sentiment and bias for the day is important. This involves considering factors such as news events, economic releases, and geopolitical developments that may impact the market and influence order-block behavior. 3. Interest Rates and Fundamentals: Fundamental factors, including interest rates, economic indicators, and central bank policies, can significantly influence market conditions. Understanding how these factors interact with order blocks can provide valuable insights for trading decisions. By taking these contextual factors into account, traders can enhance their understanding of order blocks and make more informed trading decisions. To identify order blocks, price action traders typically examine historical price movements on the chart to locate areas where the market has shown strong reactions. -How to identifying order blocks: 1. Look for strong price reactions: Analyze the chart to identify areas where the price has displayed significant and notable reactions, such as sharp reversals, extended consolidations, or breakouts. 2. Mark potential order block levels: Once you identify these areas of strong price reactions, mark them as potential order block levels on your chart. These levels represent key price zones where institutional traders may have executed large orders. 3. Assess support and resistance characteristics: Consider how the price behaves with the marked order block levels. If the price bounces off a specific level multiple times, it indicates a robust level of support or resistance, depending on whether the price approached the level from above or below. 4. Watch for role reversal: When an order block level is breached, its role as support or resistance can reverse. For instance, a broken resistance level may transform into a support level, and vice versa. In such cases, traders often wait for a retest of the broken level before entering trades in the direction of the breakout. By following these steps and considering the principles of support and resistance, traders can effectively identify and utilize order blocks in their trading strategies. However, it’s important to note that order block analysis is just one tool among many in a comprehensive trading approach. -How To Trade Order Blocks: The steps you’ve mentioned provide a general guideline for trading order blocks in forex. Here’s a breakdown of each step: 1. Point of Interest (POI): Start by identifying potential order blocks on higher time frames, such as daily and 4-hour charts. These could be areas of consolidation or strong price reactions. Once you’ve marked these POIs, move to the next step. 2. Optimization: Switch to lower time frames like 1-hour, 15-minute, or 5-minute charts to refine and optimize your POIs. By zooming in on these lower time frames, you can better analyze the price action within the identified areas. 3. Price Observation: Keep an eye on the price action in the higher time frame. Monitor how the price behaves as it approaches your POI. This observation helps you determine the strength of the order block and potential trading opportunities. 4. Rejection Analysis: When the price reaches your POI, switch to the lower time frame to examine how the order block reacts to the price. Look for signs of rejection, like fair value gap 5. Entry on Lower Time Frame: Once you’ve observed a rejection or a significant reaction at the order block on the lower time frame, you can plan your entry. Look for suitable entry signals, such as a breakout, pullback, FVG price Imbalance, and more 6. Stop Loss Placement: To manage risk, it’s important to place a stop loss order. Consider setting your stop loss 1 to 5 pips below the order block ict to allow for potential market noise and fluctuations. This helps protect your trading capital in case the trade doesn’t go as planned. Remember, these steps provide a general framework for trading ict order blocks, but it’s crucial to develop a trading strategy that suits your risk tolerance, trading style, and market conditions. It’s recommended to thoroughly back test and practice your strategy before applying it with real money. Additionally, staying updated with market news and having proper risk management practices are essential for successful trading.
Education
by Golden_Star1994
21
How to trade Smart Money Concepts (SMC)This trading strategy was initially popularized by an infamous trader who is also the founder of the Inner Circle Trading (ICT) method which is claimed to be the evolved version of the SMC. Let’s first take a look at the building blocks of this trading strategy and compare it with the well-known trading concepts by industrial titans (Dow, Wyckoff, Elliott). Essentially, SMC puts forth the notion that market makers, including institutions like banks and hedge funds, play a deliberate role in complicating trading endeavours for retail traders. Under the Smart Money Concepts framework, retail traders are advised to construct their strategies around the activities of the "smart money," denoting the capital controlled by these market makers. The core concept involves replicating the trading behaviour of these influential entities, with a specific focus on variables such as supply, demand dynamics, and the structural aspects of the market. Therefore, as an SMC trader, you'll meticulously examine these elements when making trading decisions, aligning your approach with the sophisticated techniques of prominent market figures. By embracing this perspective and closely monitoring the actions of market makers, SMC traders endeavour to establish an advantageous position in their trading activities, aiming to capitalise on market movements driven by smart money. When you initially dive into the Smart Money Concepts (SMC), the technical vocabulary can be a bit overwhelming. To help demystify it, here's an overview of some common terms used by SMC traders. 1. Order Blocks These are used to discuss supply and demand. Some SMC traders consider order blocks as a more refined concept than standard supply and demand, although not everyone agrees on this. An order block signifies a concentrated area of limit orders awaiting execution, identified on a chart by analysing past price movements for significant shifts. These zones serve as pivotal points in price action trading, influencing the market's future direction. When a multitude of buy or sell orders cluster at a specific price level, it establishes a robust support or resistance, capable of absorbing pressure and triggering price reversals or consolidation. 2.Fair Value Gap You should clarify whether your current trading style suits you. If you don't have time to look at charts during the day, you should not focus your strategy on intraday trading using 1 5-minute or 30-minute charts. It is definitely better to develop an approach that works on a 4-hour or daily chart so that you have enough time to analyze the charts before or after work. Ideal time and timeframe This phrase describes an imbalance in the market. It occurs when the price departs from a specific level with limited trading activity, resulting in one-directional price movement. In the case of a bearish trend, the Fair Value Gap represents the price range between the low of the previous candle and the high of the following candle. This area reveals a discrepancy in the market, which may indicate a potential trading opportunity. The same principle applies to a bullish trend but with the opposite conditions. 3.Liquidity Liquidity plays a pivotal role in SMC. It pertains to price levels where orders accumulate, rendering an asset class "liquid." Essentially, these are price points with available orders ready for transactions. Liquidity can manifest in various forms, such as highs and lows or trend line liquidity. How liquidity is handled varies depending on the trader. One of the most common approaches is to use a pivot high or pivot low. For better understanding, a pivot high or low is formed when several adjacent candlesticks have a higher low or lower high. In the picture, we can see the pivot low. The candlestick has the lowest low compared to its three neighbours to the right and left. 4.Break of Structure (BOS) Once you become familiar with this terminology, you'll realize that many SMC concepts are consistent with traditional trading ideas. A fundamental element of SMC market analysis is the emphasis on the "break of structure" (BOS) in the market. 5.Change of Character (ChoCH) For instance, in a chart illustrating breaks of structure, each time the price surpasses the previous high, a break of structure occurs. Conversely, when the price drops below previously established lows, it signals a change of character (ChoCH). SMC traders leverage their understanding of these patterns to make informed decisions based on the market's behaviour.
Education
by Golden_Star1994
2
Order Blocks - The only explanation you will ever needHere's the only guide on order blocks you're ever going to need 😎✏️ Order blocks may seem scary and difficult to find - Once you know what you're looking for, it's like taking candy from a baby 🍭 The key elements you need to have in place before getting the hang of this basic SMC application is as follows - 🟢 Trend spotting 🟢 Market structure Those are the 2 greatest tools a trader could ever have at their disposal. Make sure you know how to identify trend and market structure well - The rest will fall in place. Happy hunting! 🦁🐯🦈 Apex out ✌️ OANDA:GBPUSD OANDA:EURUSD
Education
by Apexfx_Alpha
A Comprehensive Guide to Order BlocksOrder Blocks Explained Now we'll look at one of the important concepts we utilize to find our precise entry points: order blocks. So, what exactly is an order block? An orderblock is a visible spot on the chart where a large order is being placed on the market. You'll notice the order being placed, followed by a quick move from that region, leaving behind imbalances and a structures would be broken The candle before that impulsive move is what we call an "order block," but I want you to remember that order blocks are essentially areas of supply and demand in the markets, and we'll go over that later in an other idea. Essentially, an order block is the fingerprint that market makers and institutions leave behind on the charts that informs us of their activity and intent which we can capitalise on. Unlike retail traders, the capital available to market makers and institutions is enough to move the market and affect price. For this reason, there are differences in the ways that market makers and retail traders go about trading in the financial markets. The first difference to understand is that market makers and institutions cannot simply place a buy or a sell trade. Due to the high amounts of volume behind each trade they place (millions of lots), a single buy or sell from institutions would crash the market. For this reason, they have to hedge each position. In other words, each time they place a buy, they have to place a sell at the same price, and vice versa. For example, if a buy is placed at 1.34610, and price moves up 100 pips, the buy trade will be 100 pips in profit, whereas the sell trade from the same price will be 230 pips in loss. Essentially there is an equal floating profit and loss. The second difference between retail traders and market makers is that market makers and institutions do not trade with a stop loss, therefore, the floating loss in the sell trade from the example above won’t close itself. Therefore, once the market is at a desirable high, market makers will close the buy positions in profit, let the price trickle back to their entry point, and close the sell trade at breakeven. Bullish Orderblock (Demand) Looking at this textbook example, we can see that the red block was the last bearish candle before the impulsive move, the candle would normally consist mostly body with very minimal wicks, This is what we call our bullish order block. To mark out our OB we draw a zone from the top of the candle to the bottom, but you may also include the wicks. Bearish Orderblock (Supply) Looking at this textbook example, we can see that the red block was the last bearish candle before the impulsive move, the candle would normally consist mostly body with very minimal wicks, This is what we call our bullish order block. To mark out our OB we draw a zone from the top of the candle to the bottom, but you may also include the wicks. Looking at this textbook example, we can see that the grey block was the last Bullish candle before the impulsive move, the candle would normally consist mostly body with very minimal wicks, This is what we call our Bearish order block. To mark out our OB we draw a zone from the top of the candle to the bottom, but you may also include the wicks. HOW TO TRADE USING ORDERBLOCKS First stage is identifying your higher time frame directional bias. Whether you are looking for intraday or Swing entries you still need to understand which way the market is moving for the pair that you are focusing on. Essentially you want to identify Order blocks from weekly down to the hourly and work off there. However, the more experience you gain, you may find that you can trade intraday moves by having a short term directional bias from lower time frames and finding entries on an even lower time frames. Either way, the concept is exactly the same. From above we can see a clear break of structure, this is the first thing we look for before looking for OBs. Reason for this, we want to find the candle that created this move, this candle is our OB. The OB is generally the last opposing candle before the move. So if its a bearish break, the OB is a Bullish candle. However, we need to understand what kind of BOS we look for and how to refine our OBs. HOW TO REFINE ORDER BLOCKS There are a few ways to refine the OB. The easiest would be moving left from the OB until you find the candle before the impulse which is still within the OB candles range. Example: As we can see above, the green candle following the OB hasn't overly moved or broken the range of the OB. This is now our refined OB. You can do this on all time frames. Alternatively, you can locate your OB, and you can refine down the time frames and find a clear open OB within the OB. So here on the picture, that little candle with big wicks is our OB, however within that candle on a lower time frame, there is a clear OB and this is now our refined OB. You can go down by as many time frames as you like. TIP: If you are happy with the RR from a particular time frame OB, then Simply use that one. Don't get greedy and don't use lower time frames if it makes you anxious. UNDERSTANDING BREAK OF STRUCTURE (BOS) There are two types of BOS, we prefer a full body break. This is very simple to understand as shown below: HOW TO TRADE USING ORDERBLOCKS Safer entry Identify your Point of interest on the higher time frame. In this example it was the hourly, however as mentioned, this concept can be applied to any time frame. The higher time frames such as 4 hourly or daily are more more swing entries with hourly and lower being intraday. So here we can see our higher POI. Now from here, you can look deeper into that OB so you have an idea as to where price could potentially go before reversing. Once you find your OB, you can set an alert at the Open of your OB. This frees up your time, meaning you dont need to sit and stare at the screen. The reason we trade is to for our free time, so why waste time staring and waiting. Once price taps your higher time frame OB, go to a lower time frame. This is up to you and what you are comfortable with, some prefer 1 min some prefer 15 min its up to you. But what we look for is a BOS and an OB on the lower time frame. Once we find our OB we set a limit order at either THE OPEN of the OB or 50% of the OB. This again is up to you. Once we set the order and set our target to our higher time frame High in this example. The benefit of using a safer entry over a risk entry: - More confirmation for the trade - May get a better RR for the trade Cons: - More time consuming - Sometimes it may not form a BOS on the lower time frame and price may just shoot from the higher time frame OB. So you may miss trades. Risky entry This method is very simple. Once you locate your Higher time frame OB, you simply go down the time frames till you find an OB within the higher time frame OB which is clear. Once you find your OB, mark it out. Use an OB which gives you and RR you are comfortable with. Same as before you can set a limit order at the OPEN or the 50% mark of the OB with your stop loss below the low of the OB or the overall low and target the recent high or low depending on if you are buying or selling. With this style of entry, it is of course riskier. This method is ideal when there is high momentum in the direction you are aiming for. If its more within a consolidation period, it is not worth trying a risk entry. Either way you go about, you get similar results and its all dependent on your risk appetite and how you are comfortable trading. Trading is personal to you, you dont need to follow what everyone else is doing. You need to what you are comfortable with doing and how you are happy about going about it. PSYCHOLOGY This way of trading is all about precision and finding the market at the perfect time of reversal. However, don't get too greedy with the RR, there is nothing wrong with sacrificing a few PIPS and rr for a safer trade. having a pip stop loss, is not the goal, having a safe trade and saving capital is the main goal. Our percentages are always gonna be crazy even with a 10 pip stop, so dont always look for a smaller stop if there isn't one available. Focus on yourself and what you are comfortable with. Don't trade time frames that you are not happy trading. the goal is not to be replicas of Vertex traders. The goal is to be you and be yourself as a trader. Be selfish and think about yourself and your own growth. FAQ When do we delete orders? When TP is hit or if there is a new BOS leaving another OB Best timeframes? Any that makes you comfortable . if lower time frames make you anxious, don't use it. You want to be calm and relaxed when trading, not on edge. Best pairs? Main indexes or pairs.
Education
by algoat
1
Market Microstructure: An Extensive AnalysisI. Introduction Market microstructure, a specialized area within finance, explores the intricate mechanisms involved in trading within financial markets. It focuses on how trades occur, the interplay between prices and information, and how these interactions collectively shape market dynamics. Understanding market microstructure enables investors, traders, financial institutions, and regulatory bodies to comprehend the process of price formation, make informed trading decisions, design effective trading strategies, and develop sound financial regulations. II. Theoretical Foundations Three fundamental theories underpin market microstructure: The Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH), the Random Walk Hypothesis, and the theory of Information Asymmetry. Each theory provides a unique perspective on the functioning of financial markets. Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH): The EMH, introduced by Eugene Fama, posits that financial markets are "informationally efficient," with asset prices instantaneously reflecting all available information. According to the EMH, consistently outperforming the market is impossible without assuming additional risk, since every piece of information that could potentially affect the price of an asset is already factored into the current price. There are three forms of market efficiency according to the EMH: weak, semi-strong, and strong, each reflecting the extent of the efficiency. Random Walk Hypothesis: The Random Walk Hypothesis suggests that price changes in securities are independent and identically distributed, meaning that past movements or trends cannot predict future price movements. In essence, securities prices follow a 'random walk', making it futile to predict future prices based on historical data. Information Asymmetry: This theory points to the situation where one party has more or better information than another. In financial markets, information asymmetry creates a dynamic where informed traders (insiders) can potentially exploit their information advantage over uninformed traders, disrupting market efficiency. III. Role of Market Makers Market makers play a pivotal role in financial markets, facilitating transactions by constantly quoting bid (buy) and ask (sell) prices for financial instruments. Their constant presence in the markets helps maintain liquidity and market efficiency. Market makers are compensated for their services through the bid-ask spread - the difference between the bid price and the ask price. This spread represents the market maker's profit and compensates them for the risk they undertake in holding a particular security in their inventory, which might decrease in value. IV. Order Flow and Price Discovery Order flow, the process by which buy and sell orders are executed in the market, is integral to price discovery - the mechanism that determines the price of an asset in the marketplace. Analyzing order flow can provide valuable insights into trading activity and market sentiment. When a large order hits the market, it can significantly impact a security's price, creating price volatility. Understanding order flow is therefore essential for managing risk, providing liquidity, and effectively navigating the market. V. High-Frequency Trading (HFT) High-frequency trading (HFT) employs advanced algorithms to execute large volumes of trades in microseconds. HFT can improve market efficiency and liquidity by reducing bid-ask spreads, rapidly processing new information, and providing additional liquidity to the market. However, HFT also has potential drawbacks. Its speed can raise issues around fairness, with HFT firms potentially exploiting their speed advantage to the detriment of slower market participants. It may also increase market volatility and contribute to market instability, as evidenced by instances of 'flash crashes.' VI. The Impact of Information Flow Information plays a pivotal role in financial markets. Two categories of information that impact trading and investment decisions are public and private information. Public Information: This includes macroeconomic data, corporate earnings reports, policy changes, and other marketnews that are equally accessible to all market participants. When this information is released, markets adjust as participants process and respond to the new information, causing immediate and often significant price changes. Understanding the dynamics of how public information impacts price can provide traders with an edge in predicting and navigating market reactions. Private Information: This refers to non-public or unequally distributed information among market participants. Informed traders, who might have access to private information, can use it to their advantage, resulting in potential profits. However, this leads to information asymmetry, which can disrupt market efficiency and fairness as it creates an imbalance of knowledge among market participants. The impact of information flow on market prices is significant. Rapid adjustments to new information keep the markets efficient, but they also introduce volatility. Information asymmetry can lead to market distortions and manipulative practices like insider trading. Therefore, understanding the flow of information is key to comprehending market microstructure. VII. Market Microstructure Models Several market microstructure models have been developed to better understand the relationship between information asymmetry, price determination, and market participant interaction: The Sequential Trade Model: This model, also known as the "dealer model," posits a single dealer who trades with many customers. Dealers, who are assumed to be less informed than their customers, adjust their prices based on the order flow. For instance, an unexpected surge in buy orders would lead the dealer to infer that customers might have positive private information, and therefore, they increase the price to offset potential adverse selection risk. The Strategic Trade Model: This model focuses on traders who tactically time their trades to maximize their expected profit. They consider the potential impact of their trades on future prices and act accordingly. For instance, a trader with private information about a forthcoming price rise might initially trade smaller quantities to prevent any significant price impact that could reveal their information. The Market Making Model: In this model, multiple market makers compete for customer orders, and prices are determined based on this competitive dynamic. The market-making model allows for a more realistic market scenario where competition, rather than a single monopoly dealer, drives price adjustments. These models offer valuable insights into the complex process of trading and price formation in financial markets. VIII. Regulatory Implications Understanding market microstructure is crucial for financial market regulators. They must ensure that markets remain fair and efficient while also being conducive to innovation and competitive market making. With the growing complexity and speed of financial markets—especially with the rise of algorithmic and high-frequency trading—regulators face the challenge of managing the delicate balance between allowing market innovation and preventing practices that might lead to market instability or unfair advantages. IX. Future Directions As technology continues to transform financial markets, market microstructure's importance in comprehending these changes cannot be overstated. The rise of digital assets like cryptocurrencies, the growing use of machine learning and artificial intelligence in trading, and the proliferation of decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms all necessitate a deep understanding of market microstructure. New theoretical and empirical models will likely emerge to explain phenomena that are not well understood today, further deepening our understanding of market dynamics. Similarly, the regulatory landscape will continue to evolve in response to these changes, making the study of market microstructure crucial for informed policy-making. X. Conclusion Market microstructure is a crucial field in finance that examines the intricacies of trading in financial markets. Understanding how market makers function, the strategies of high-frequency traders, the impacts of information asymmetry, and how asset prices are formed is essential for participants across the financial landscape. As technological advancements continue to transform the financial industry, insights offered by market microstructure will be of vital importance in navigating these changes. The field will continue to grow in relevance, contributing to more efficient, fair, and resilient financial markets. I hope that you find this information valuable, if you have any questions feel free to drop them in the comments. Enjoy!
BITSTAMP:BTCUSDEducation
by BiggWigg
📊 Smart Money Concepts: A Market Structure Showcase 📍What Is Smart Money? Smart money is the capital that is being controlled by institutional investors, market mavens, central banks, funds, and other financial professionals. Smart money was originally a gambling term that referred to the wagers made by gamblers with a track record of success. 📍Principles of Smart Money Market Structure in Order Block Trading Price moves within a structural of support and resistance. A breakout of the structural of support or resistance will lead to price movement in the next area of the support or resistance. When the price broke market structure was high the low point becomes a strong low. Strong Low is The Low that caused Manipulation and Break Structure (resistance). Fresh high in an uptrend and fresh low in a downtrend. Weak Low/High is the Low that fails To Break Structure 🔹For every strong LOW, there is a weak High 🔹For every strong High, there is a weak Low After a zone is tested many times or during a strong move, Supply and Demand levels eventually break. Due to the remaining orders being triggered and gradually removed, or an overwhelming number of orders in the opposite direction breaking the level. 👤 @AlgoBuddy 📅 Daily Ideas about market update, psychology & indicators ❤️ If you appreciate our work, please like, comment and follow ❤️
Education
by QuantVue
10
A loss for me a lesson for you- Trading a bearish FVGReview this first to see the fair value gap: (1)Trades inside the -FVG (2) Rejects -FVG(MT) (3) Holds -FVG(L) Note: This is a high probability sign for moves higher, price trades inside the 4H-FVG. Once price is inside, the price trades to the 4H-FVG(MT) and trades back down to the 4H-FVG(L) and price holds for a continuation inside. (4) Prices trades through -FVG(MT) (5) Trades and rejects the -FVG(H) and -OB Note: This is where, and only where I should have entered for the sells that I attempted near the midpoint. We had already traded pass 4H-FVG(MT). After the failed entry, you should wait for price to reach the 4H-FVG(H) and in this case the -OB as well.
BLACKBULL:SPX500Education
by Cory4rex
How to trade Smart Money Concepts:Smart Money Concepts is a more sophisticated way of trading price action, while taking advantage of where institutions are likely to place their orders. This makes Smart Money Concepts a usable tool whenever you are dealing with hedge funds. What you are about to read is an elaborate tutorial explaining a lot about this trading strategy, including some trading strategies (NOTE: there are many SMC indicators and the one I’ll be using is the one by LuxAlgo since I believe is the most “complete” out of all). Let's start. 1) Order Blocks: Order Blocks are, in my opinion, the most important feature in SMC trading, as it shows where these institutions are likely to place their orders. In order for an order block to form, look at where the market is consolidating, creating an area of volume price is likely to be attracted to (some order blocks are formed due to imbalances in the market). In this image, you can see how order blocks are formed right after a ranging market has been broken. Because of this unique feature, order blocks are not the same as support/resistance zones. In order for us to trade using order blocks, look for where an order block has been formed recently, as the longer an order block survives, the weaker it becomes. Buy when the candle that hit the order block closes and set your stop loss under that order block. In this example it worked since the volume wasn’t too high and the order block had formed a few candles before the retest. You can do this for shorts as well (NOTE: the more retests the order block gets, the weaker it becomes) 2) BOS & CHoCH: Supports and resistances usually apply on Price Action, but they can be applied in Smart Money Concepts as well. The difference is that in Smart Money Concepts, you these supports and resistances when the price breaks through them. However, in many occasions these signals can be false and it’s only a retest of the support/resistance. In order to understand what BOS/CHoCH means, we need to look at the graph: This is an example I made. From the graph, a BOS or a Break of Structure is whenever the price breaks the most recent support/resistance in the direction of the trend direction(bullish/bearish). A CHoCH or a Change of Character is whenever the price breaks the most recent support/resistance in the direction opposite of the trend direction. What I mean by this is that in the example I have shown, the trend was bullish until it was not. Normally a bullish trend breaks the resistances instead of the supports, and vice-versa. This is why the name Break of Structure since the price continues going the direction it wants while solving any “issue” in its path. If this “issue” is big enough to break the support/resistance maintaining the trend intact, then it’s known as a Change of Character , since it changes the character of the trend. When this happens, there is a chance for a trend reversal to happen, which is the case for the example I’ve shown. Now I’ll show how to trade BOS/CHoCH in a real graph. As you can see from the chart, there are a lot of Breakthroughs of Structure and Changes of Character, but this indicator actually shows which of these BOS/CHoCH are major. The trick is that if the indicator shows a BOS/CHoCH marked by a straight line instead of a bunch of lines, this means that it is more accurate. In this example, we ignore the smaller BOS/CHoCH and just look at the 2 important ones. We know they are important because they are marked by a straight line. You buy after the CHoCH/BOS label appears and when the candle that retested the broken resistance/new support closes and the volume doesn’t increase before that (unless the market is ranging after it broke). Same thing with shorts. You short after the BOS/CHoCH label appears when the candle that retested the broken support/new resistance and the volume doesn’t increase from the candle before that. 3) EQH/EQL: In Price Action , there are chart patterns. One of the most known ones are the double top and the double bottom . Smart Money Concepts refers to these double tops/bottoms as Equal Highs and Equal Lows (EQH/EQL for short). Here’s an example: As you can see, there is a double top (EQH) which came after an uptrend, meaning that there is a chance that the price will break the necklace (the support line made in the middle of the double tops), causing a change of character, which it did. Due to the nature of double tops and bottoms, this rarely happens. You should use this tool in confluence with other SMC tools like Order Blocks and BOS/CHoCH. Personally, I don’t use them much. I just use them to identify strong supports and resistances, as well as double tops and bottoms. They could also be used to identify trend reversals on major areas of support and resistance. 4) Premium and Discount zones: Premium and Discount zones are ranges that form in the market when a recent major support and resistance has been established. In this example, you can see when did the premium and discount zones form. The price made a major support and resistance. The equilibrium zone is the 50% line in the Fibonacci Retracement tool if you pay close attention. This means that price can react off of the Equilibrium zone, and if you pay close attention, you can see it was ranging for a while. For a trading strategy, wait for the price to reach the Premium or Discount zones, and, if the market's volume decreases, enter a trade and set your take profit at the equilibrium zone. The reason why you should set your take profit at the equilibrium zone is because there is a chance the price rejects off of the equilibrium zone. 5) Fair Value Gaps: Fair Value Gaps are imbalances that form in the market and can be good support/resistance areas. They usually form when the market is volatile and when a breakout or retest just happened. In order to identify what a fair value gap is, look for a huge candle body like the one shown in the picture, then, draw a rectangle with its base being at the highest point of the previous candle's upper wick and with its top being the lowest point of the following candle's lower wick. Now, extend the rectangle to the right and now you have a fair value gap. For a trading strategy, look for the line in the middle which is shown in the fair value gap. This line acts as a support, and the price can bounce off of it. For an entry point, wait for the price to react to the fair value gap, and, if the volume decreases while the reaction is happening, enter. 6) Liquidity Grabs: Even if you think your trading strategy is amazing, you will always have to deal with scams. No matter how good your trading strategy is, all trading strategies fail to deal with hedge funds and whales. They sometimes act when the price is very close to a support or resistance, and when the people expect a bounce, they place their stop losses under the area of confluence. These hedge funds then act, and end up manipulating the market, forcing the people to panic buy or panic sell, depending on the area of confluence. One major example of market manipulation is in the Crypto Exchange. Trading Crypto is almost like gambling. Liquidity grabs perfectly reference the scam. You can spot them if, on a ranging market, there is a sudden increase or decrease in price. Always pay attention to traps like the ones in these examples shown below: For a trading strategy, wait for the scam pump or dump to stagnate and then enter your trade in the opposite direction that the candle was going to. In conclusion, Smart Money Concepts is a fascinating trading strategy for me, and it could be for you too. There are many aspects of it, and it is another way of trading Price Action, which itself is already fantastic. This tutorial took me 3 hours to make, so please make sure to heart and comment your opinion on this. Thank you for reading through all of this.
BITSTAMP:BTCUSDEducation
by lorinstocksinvesting
15
Everything you need to know about order block 5 RULES | TUTORIALToday we're going to talk about orderblocks. Very simply, an orderblock is the support and resistance of big players. It is stronger and more important than what you draw on a chart expecting a price reaction by classical technical analysis. This works absolutely everywhere in cryptocurrency, forex, and the stock market. I have deduced for myself 5 rules of confirmation, and now we will go over each of them. Let's start with schemes and end with an example on a chart. Orderblock is a candlestick that shows purchases or sales of large capital. When a bullish orderblock is formed, an accumulation or reaccumulation takes place in order to further markup the asset. When a bearish orderblock is formed, a short position is accumulated or reaccumulated. With the purpose of further asset markdown. The first rule is liquidity. We have a zone from which the price gets a reaction and goes in the opposite direction. This forms a support zone for those who trade classic technical analysis. Traders place their orders in this zone, which is what the big capital hunts for. Accordingly, this level is pierced by the flow of orders, which activates these stops. This is how liquidity is removed from the area. The last bearish full-body candle will be our orderblock. It is important that it updates past lows. An analogy would be the wicks of candle, which removes liquidity from past lows. The wick of a candle in this case is an orderblock on a lower TF. The second rule is confirmation After withdrawal of liquidity we expect confirmation of this orderblock - that is absorption and movement in the opposite direction. The confirmation should be impulsive. That is, we should not see how the price is stuck in this confirmation. It concerns the absorption (updating) of the order block. It is possible inside the candle (orderblock). But personally, I try to take the "book variant". Local consolidations can indicate the weakness of the movement. It doesn't mean that the orderblock will not work out in the end, but the probability decreases. The third rule is structure breaking (bos) One of the key points is the breakdown of structure that this orderblock provides. This is how we can understand the mood of the market and the intentions of big capital. In this example, we can highlight the main structure with the yellow line. It is after updating a significant structural element that we can be almost sure of the truth of our orderblock. If we don't see a break in structure, then this movement may just be a correction within a downtrend. So keep an eye on this one. The fourth rule is the law of force (momentum) After confirming our orderblock, we can see a prolonged correction in the OTE (make a Fibo). That is, we should see an impulse and after it a slow sluggish movement downwards, which will also form liquidity behind each local high. This is not a necessary factor, but if it is present, the probability of a trend reversal will increase many times over. The fifth rule - the volume and spread of candles The candlesticks should be full-bodied with increased volumes. It will be important to monitor the "distance" that the price has done. All these factors will also indicate the veracity of the movement. This recommendation concerns more about swing trading, moments when the price is in a trend for a long time without a serious correction and test of the formed order block. Examples on the chart On the daily TF I marked a Sell to Buy move. I marked it this way because there were no warrant blocks to satisfy me on the higher timeframe. This area will act as a zone of interest. The structure on the Hourly TF looks like this. Consequently, we expect a confirmation of our orderblock through a break of the structure. The price entered the sell to buy zone and tested the order block, which was formed from the wick of the candle. We saw an impulse exit and watch the price go up sluggishly, forming liquidity behind each low. Therefore, we expect an orderblock test. I recommend backtesting on chart history to better understand how order block works. Thank you for your attention, I hope it was useful
Education
by Patronofbargain
5