Year: 2026

  • TRU – ICT 4/8 Livestream Follow Through | April 8, 2026

    Summary:

    – Event horizon / Octa: Michael taught using an event horizon located between the lower cell side and the low of the daily suspension block. Bodies not touching an event horizon (or Octa) is an algorithmic signature; if price then goes above the consequent encroachment (CE) of a premium wick, close the position.

    – Daily suspension block behavior: If price exits the suspension block downward, any retracement must remain below the block’s lower quadrant to remain bearish; a retracement above the lower quadrant suggests a likely move to intraday highs.

    – First-presented fair value gap (FPFVG) and entries: FPFVGs can be used as inversion entries—wait for price to clear the old high/low, then enter from the consequent encroachment to the gap low (or equivalent structure). Lower timeframes can provide more precise entry/fair-value-gap structure when needed.

    – Volume imbalances / suspension blocks:
    High-timeframe volume imbalances and suspension blocks are important PD arrays in 2025–26; analyze them on the continuous contract so rollovers and gaps remain visible.
    – Regular trading hours (RTH) vs electronic hours (ETH): The algorithm “redelivers” inefficiencies seen overnight into RTH. Neither is inherently greater; use them together (ETH shows continuous structure that RTH revisits).

    – Tape reading & practice plan: Learn to draw likely direction, watch open/high/low/close in real time (avoid market replay). If you can’t watch live, record sessions (OBS recommended) and review. Do at least 6–8 weeks of focused live tape reading, then 6–8 weeks of paper trading.

    – Journaling & psychology: Keep private journals tracking concrete KPIs (e.g., how specific setups perform at specific times), contract sizes that make you nervous, and the internal voice. Awareness and control of emotion improves trading.

    – Risk management and market environment guidance: Given current extreme volatility and manipulation, return to basics—lower leverage, smaller goals (single high-probability moves), and preserve capital rather than chasing big windfalls. Be nimble: close trades when your pre-defined market-signature conditions change. – Instruments caution: Michael advised caution on gold (and similar highly manipulated instruments); many students are recommended to avoid it given current conditions.

    – Community / session conduct: Michael asked listeners to provide concise, structured feedback about what they observed in price action (so he can build models). He requested less chit-chat and more focused answers to make sessions efficient and more useful to everyone. Overall takeaways: focus on simple, repeatable PD arrays (suspension blocks, volume imbalances, FPFVGs, quadrants/octas), practice disciplined tape-reading and journaling, use ETH and RTH in combination, manage risk tightly in the current volatile market, and contribute concise, structured feedback in live sessions

    Quiz

    .1) What did ICT say about the relationship between regular trading hours and electronic trading hours?
    A. Regular trading hours are greater than electronic trading hours
    B. Electronic trading hours are greater than regular trading hours
    C. They work together, and one is not greater than the other
    D. They should never be used together

    2) According to ICT, what should traders do in the current high-volatility market?
    A. Use the most aggressive leverage possible
    B. Focus on simplicity, lower leverage, and basic trading
    C. Hold for the daily high and low every day
    D. Trade for long periods until a full move completes

    3) When ICT discussed the wick near the consequent encroachment, why did he say he chose that wick?
    A. It was the highest wick in the session
    B. It was the lowest wick in that price run ahead of his target
    C. It was the first wick of the opening range gap
    D. It was the wick with the biggest volume imbalance

    4) What did ICT say about the first presented fair value gap in today’s market conditions?
    A. It should always be traded with full size
    B. It only works on gold
    C. It is a useful tool, but precision is harder right now because of volatility
    D. It should be ignored in all cases

    5) What did ICT say about trading gold? A. Gold is the best instrument to trade right now
    B. He recommends everyone trade gold for volatility
    C. He does not think anyone should be trading gold right now
    D. Gold is only good for swing trading, not intraday trading

    Answer key:

    1) C Evidence: “[26:18] ICT: The emphasis is on redelivery and redelivery is accomplished in regular trading hours… whatever inefficiencies or P.D arrays exist in electronic trading hours… it’s a dance between the two… One’s not greater than the other.”

    2) B Evidence: “[01:10:10] ICT: …just going back to the, the lowest of required elements to a trade and lower leverage… “ and “[01:11:05] ICT: …I’m proud of it… It’s giving you the inspiration to think pres preservation, not capital increasement.”

    3) B Evidence: “[01:30:00] ICT: The wick I chose because it was the lowest one in that price run ahead of my target.”

    4) C Evidence: “[01:46:27] ICT: I’m not demanding that level of precision right now… there’s a lot of chaff in the marketplace.”

    5) C Evidence: “[01:16:12] ICT: …I would personally not touch this market.” and “[01:16:30] ICT: …I don’t think any of you should be trading gold…”

  • ICT 2026 Market Review \ April 07, 2026

    ICT 2026 Market Review \ April 07, 2026

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpLCZ1Y46Yk

    Summary:

    – The speaker links recent extreme market moves to geopolitical developments (Trump’s threats to Iran, Pakistan reportedly advising a different course, Iran’s defiance and public positioning around targets). He suggests a possible tactical delay (a two‑week window contingent on reopening the Strait of Hormuz) may have been used to disperse civilians, buying time for a later strike — but he stresses this is his speculation.

    – Crude oil was highly volatile (big gap and a sharp drop from ~$109+ toward the low $90s), but he remains fundamentally bullish on oil — the recent decline may have washed out longs, not ended the uptrend. Oil remains event-driven and can spike quickly if attacks occur.

    – Markets are being driven and amplified by headlines and off‑hours moves (stock index futures jumped, crude plunged). Single‑minute candlesticks have moved by hundreds of handles, demonstrating extreme intraday volatility.

    – Trading advice and risk warning: stay out of these markets if inexperienced or thinly funded; use stop losses; treat this year as an education year rather than taking big risks. Manipulation/insider positioning can create quick, damaging moves.

    – Technical/read‑on‑the‑tape notes: dollar index slipped, euro/pound are mixed (pound showing relative strength), stock futures (MES/MNQ) show bullish structure if they hold above recent upper halves of ranges and inefficiencies; gold/silver also touched inefficiencies but are risky to trade now.

    – Because of the volatile, event‑driven environment and his responsibility as an educator, he will scale back live trading/tape‑reading streams and focus on educational content for a while to avoid influencing followers into risky trades.

    – He emphasizes the human cost of the conflict, the emotional difficulty of trading such markets, and urges prudence and humility given the high uncertainty.

    Quiz

    1. According to ICT, what was one reason he believed the announced attack on Iran may not happen immediately?
    A. The markets had already closed for the week
    B. Pakistan advised a different avenue and people were standing around the targets
    C. Crude oil had already reached its final target
    D. The Strait of Hormuz had already been opened

    2. What did ICT say the market reaction after hours suggested about crude oil and stock index futures?
    A. Crude oil rose sharply while stock indices collapsed
    B. Both markets stayed unchanged
    C. Crude oil dropped hard while stock index futures rallied sharply
    D. Gold and silver were the only markets affected

    3. What did ICT repeatedly advise inexperienced traders to do in this environment?
    A. Trade only with higher leverage
    B. Ignore stop losses and hold through volatility
    C. Stay away from the market and use the time to study
    D. Focus only on shorting crude oil

    4. What did ICT say he expected would happen if crude oil moved higher again after the drop?
    A. Crude oil would probably stay flat for months
    B. Oil prices could rise parabolically if attacks resumed
    C. The dollar would instantly collapse to zero
    D. Gold would become the only tradable market

    5. What was ICT’s view on the possibility of a ceasefire?
    A. He believed a ceasefire was fully confirmed and permanent
    B. He thought the ceasefire would definitely open the Strait of Hormuz immediately
    C. He viewed it as temporary theater and doubted it would last
    D. He said the ceasefire would eliminate all market volatility

    Answer Key:
    1. B
    Evidence: “a course of action has been suggested to the Trump administration by Pakistan and a uh They counseled him to consider a different avenue” and “they gave an a reason to to let the people go home and get away from those targets.”

    2. C
    Evidence: “we’re up 600 plus handles on stock index futures, and crude oil’s down you know, tens of thousands of dollars per contract” and “crude oil opened up on that news. Sold off.”

    3. C
    Evidence: “If you’re not experienced… this is not your year. I promise you you’re you’re you’re going to regret probably doing anything with it” and “Take this year as an education year. Spend it studying. Learn some concepts. Study. And remove yourself from the risk.”

    4. B
    Evidence: “if they come back later on and do all the attacks they said and Iran said they were going to respond by hitting everything in the area oil-related and other… that’s going to obviously cause, you know, parabolic rise in oil prices.”

    5. C
    Evidence: “I don’t foresee the Strait of Hormuz becoming open immediately” and “I just I can’t see 2 weeks… This might be just a temporary little speed bump in what may continue going on” and “It’s all theater. It’s all It’s nonsense. There’s no easy answer to this. It’s a mess.”

  • ICT 2026 Market Review \ April 08, 2026

    ICT 2026 Market Review \ April 08, 2026

    https://youtu.be/3Uu2IB6kI28

    ICT gives a ~15-minute live review of the Micro Nasdaq (MNQ) price action, noting they may not stream tomorrow. He says viewers should also watch his earlier live stream because it explained the moves in real time.

    Key technical points: a large regular-trading-hours opening-range gap formed after geopolitical headlines, price rallied into the midpoint of a daily “suspension block,” then fell to the block’s low (his target) and spent time trading in the lower half of that block.

    He highlights a “fair value gap” (a buy-side inefficiency) and a recurring signature he uses: whether candlestick bodies — not just wicks — can touch key levels. Because the bodies failed to trade into the upper half of the suspension block (and could not touch certain levels), he interprets the structure as bearish and expects further downside unless price clears those levels at the next open.

    He warns that off-hours geopolitical developments could change the picture at the 6:00 open, so be prepared. Practical advice: use less leverage, avoid overtrading, require stronger confluence before committing, be nimble and satisfied with partial runs. He closes noting family commitments and that he’ll post if he streams later.

    Quiz

    1. According to ICT, what is the key sign of bearishness when price retraces into a premium level?
    A. The wicks must touch the level
    B. The bodies cannot touch the level
    C. Price must close above the level
    D. Volume must increase

    2. What did ICT say happens after price fails to get back up into the upper part of the daily suspension block?
    A. It becomes bullish
    B. It usually trades to consequent encroachment
    C. It immediately reverses to all-time highs
    D. It stops trading for the day

    Answer Key:

    1. B Evidence:“…if the bodies of the candlesticks can’t touch them… if the bodies can’t touch this key level while potentially being bearish… that’s bearish.”
    2. B Evidence: “When it fails to get there, is that bullish or bearish? It’s bearish… I would look for that to eventually still try to work its way down to consequent encroachment right here

  • ICT 2026 OR Tape-reading \ April 08, 2026

    ICT 2026 OR Tape-reading \ April 08, 2026

    https://youtu.be/yqBvOeOKcBM

    Summary:

    – ICT is focused on the micro NASDAQ this morning (despite FOMC minutes later) and watches one primary level: the low of a daily “suspension block” (shaded gray box) formed by a very large opening-range gap.
    – Key technical idea: price should draw to that low; if it breaks below, intraday retracements must stay in the lower quadrant (not reclaim the midpoint) for bearish continuation. Several downside targets were hit already.
    – Trading posture: be cautious — ICT would protect stops, take partial profits, and avoid overtrading. This commentary is observational, not trade advice.
    – Market context: volatility is amplified by geopolitical headlines and possible misinformation; that increases range and manipulation, so expect larger moves and be conservative.
    – Methodology emphasized: simple tape-reading (open/high/low/close, liquidity and inefficiencies) is sufficient — no complex indicators, footprint, or social-media hype needed.
    – Practice advice: watch live price action or record your screen, study individual one-minute candles, keep a study journal of expectations and emotions, and paper-trade consistently for 6–8 weeks before scaling up.
    – Psychological guidance: manage ego, fear, and overconfidence; learn to stop when you’re disciplined and “be content with enough.” Avoid chasing vanity metrics on social media.
    – Bottom line: focus on a few clear levels, practice disciplined tape-reading, protect capital, and develop emotional control — simplicity and repetition are the fastest path to consistent progress.

    Quiz:

    1. What did ICT say about using market replay instead of live recorded price action?
    A. It is better than live recording because it shows every tick
    B. It is the best method for learning order flow
    C. It is less useful because it only gives two updates per candle
    D. It should be used exclusively instead of tape reading

    2. What did ICT recommend as a starting exercise for developing traders?
    A. Trade multiple contracts in a live account immediately
    B. Watch live price action and learn where the market is likely to draw to
    C. Use Elliott Wave and footprint charts first
    D. Focus on social media trade calls and copy them

    3. What did ICT say about having a plan B in trading?
    A. Plan B is necessary for every setup
    B. Plan B helps reduce emotional pressure
    C. There should be no plan B, because it creates a scheduled exit to quit
    D. Plan B is only for demo accounts

    Answer Key:

    1. C — “market replay… it only seeing how it opens with a little bit of a flurry price action and then in the last little bit of movement. So, it’s only two updates to every new candle”
    2. B — “The first rule of engagement… is to know where it’s likely to go to… you have to submit yourself to watching these individual candlesticks”
    3. C — “There cannot be plan B. Okay? There’s no plan B… You just scheduled the exact premise why you’re going to quit and then fail.”

  • ICT 2026 Opening Range Tape Reading | April 7, 2026

    ICT 2026 Opening Range Tape Reading | April 7, 2026

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLt8kAG7noQ

    Summary:

    – ICT opened a livestream before the market open warning of unusually high risk and volatility today due to an anticipated geopolitical event tonight (creates bearish sentiment), so he’s staying neutral and observing rather than trading.
    – He repeatedly cautioned viewers not to use his real-time comments as trade signals — any winning moves today are likely chance/lottery-like; inexperienced traders should stay on the sidelines.
    – Market action: overnight and opening-range price behavior was messy (wicks, gaps, fair-value inefficiencies). The market took buy-side liquidity first (stopping shorts), then some sell-side moves — overall unclear and hard to read.
    – Technical focus: regular trading hours opening-range gap levels, liquidity pools, and recent wicks are key; price has been trading inside yesterday’s opening-range structure and lacked conviction one way or the other.
    – Teaching points: the session was treated as tape-reading practice — build anticipatory skills, learn to read market narrative (how stops and traps are engineered), and accept uncertainty rather than forcing trades.
    – Emphasis on risk management and experience: protect capital, avoid trading from fear or FOMO, don’t expect guarantees from teachers, and develop skill through disciplined observation and practice rather than rushed trading.

  • Trader Round Up – ICT Livestream Tape Read Follow Through | April 07, 2026

    Summary:

    A live trading mentorship session led by Michael (ICT) with host Kitt and several students asking questions and sharing observations. The focus was on tape reading, intraday models, and trader psychology.

    – Core trading guidance:
    – Tape reading and observing live price action are essential. Michael repeatedly recommends spending weeks/months just watching price (no trading) to build pattern recognition and emotional resilience.
    – Emphasize the first 30 minutes of the regular session (two 15‑minute intervals/opening range) as high‑value for finding expansions and trade opportunities.
    – Toggle the settlement/contract view on/off to find which setting reveals the most recent volume imbalances — use the setting that shows the relevant inefficiency.
    – Fair value gaps: only treat a fair value gap as valid after the candle that forms it closes; the gap’s presence before a high/low is the important signal.
    – Top‑down analysis is recommended (monthly → weekly → daily → shorter TFs), but most actionable intraday work can be done inside 15‑minute and lower timeframes. Lower TFs provide many practice opportunities but require faster decision-making.

    – Risk & execution advice:
    – In current elevated/uncertain markets, dial back trading frequency and leverage; adapt to greater volatility and potential manipulation.
    – Recommended progression: ~2 months of focused tape reading, then ~2 months of demo trading before taking live trades. – Favor process over money: disassociate trades from dollar outcomes, focus on consistent inputs and simple rules.

    – Psychology, consistency & journaling:
    – Patience, rule-following, and consistent daily practice are key. Many traders fail by rushing for profits, trading with emotion, or skipping deliberate observation.
    – Journal feelings and decisions; analyze emotional triggers (fear, greed, pride) to avoid repeating harmful behavior.
    – Progress over perfection — small consistent gains compound; avoid hunting for single big wins.

    – Personal reflections:
    – Michael shared candid life lessons about money, relationships, and how monetary success can distort self‑worth and attract/enable toxic dynamics. He stresses safeguarding personal values and choosing relationships not based on wealth.
    – Other students shared real examples of drawdowns and recovery, reinforcing the need to slow down, return to core protocols, and rebuild discipline.

    – Practical takeaway: simplify the workflow (top‑down to identify barriers, then focus on the opening range/first 30 minutes and tape reading), prioritize non‑monetized learning first, journal, and cultivate patience and consistent habits before increasing risk.

    Quiz

    1) According to ICT, what is the main reason he toggles the chart setting on and off when looking at continuous contracts?
    – A. To hide expired contract data from students – B. To find the setting that shows the most recent volume imbalance
    – C. To reduce chart clutter for presentation
    – D. To compare daily and weekly moving averages

    2) What did ICT say is the best way to learn before taking live trades?
    – A. Jump straight into live trading with small size
    – B. Spend at least a month tape reading, then two months demo trading
    – C. Use market replay until you can predict every candle
    – D. Trade only during news events to gain experience quickly

    3) When discussing fair value gaps, what did ICT say matters most? – A. The gap must appear after the high is taken
    – B. Candle three must close to confirm the fair value gap
    – C. The gap must be on a weekly chart to be valid
    – D. Only wick-to-wick gaps count, not body gaps

    4) What did ICT say about lower timeframes versus higher timeframes?
    – A. Lower timeframes always move faster in price – B. Higher timeframes are the only valid way to trade
    – C. Lower timeframes require more decisions and adjustment, but are useful for learning
    – D. Lower timeframes should never be used by new traders

    5) What advice did ICT give about relationships and money?
    – A. Money should always be shared immediately to prove trust
    – B. You should use money to test whether someone really loves you
    – C. You cannot buy love or pay for friendship
    – D. Being wealthy guarantees healthier relationships

    Answer Key:

    1) B Evidence: “I’m looking for those volume imbalances… What I’m looking for is the one setting that has the volume imbalance is showing in most recent price action.” [00:13:00-00:14:00]
    2) B Evidence: “For at least a month minimum. But I think two months is, is appropriate. Not even trying to take a demo account… Then you gotta do about two months of demo trading…” [00:39:36-00:40:30]
    3) B Evidence: “Candle three has to close for you to have the fair value gap there.” [00:16:38-00:17:00]
    4) C Evidence: “The lower the timeframe, the more requirement for you to make decisions and, and move and, and adjust.” [01:06:43-01:07:30]
    5) C Evidence: “You can’t pay for friendship and you can’t buy love.” [01:37:00-01:37:30]

  • ICT 2026 Opening Range Tape Reading \ April 07, 2026

    ICT 2026 Opening Range Tape Reading \ April 07, 2026

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLt8kAG7noQ

    Summary:

    ICT is hosting a live market-watch on a high-risk “D‑day/T‑day” with a major geopolitical event expected later. He issues a strong disclaimer: he’s neutral, likely to be wrong today, and anyone using his commentary as trade confirmation should avoid risking real money. Price action this morning is messy and dangerous — the market opened, ran buy‑side first (likely stopping out shorts and breakout buyers), then showed weak/uncertain selling, lots of wicks, gaps and inefficiencies around the regular‑trading‑hours opening‑range levels. That makes reads difficult and trading hazardous.

    Key takeaways:
    – Today is high‑risk and not a day for confident trading; sideline if you’re uncertain.
    – The market appears engineered to create stops/traps (ran the buy side first despite bearish sentiment).
    – Focus on observing price, tape, and levels (opening range gap, wicks, inefficiencies) rather than forcing trades.
    – Developing anticipatory price‑action skills takes hands‑on experience and discipline; no teacher can guarantee profitability.
    – If you must trade, be very conservative with stops and acknowledge the elevated chance of randomness/“lottery” outcomes.

    Quiz

    1. What did ICT say about taking trades during this morning’s live stream?
    A. He encouraged viewers to trade aggressively
    B. He said it was a good day to scalp quickly
    C. He warned viewers not to use his commentary as confirmation to take a trade
    D. He said the market was too predictable to avoid trading

    2. How did ICT describe the market conditions for the morning?
    A. Clean and highly predictable
    B. Dangerous and likely to be messy
    C. Calm with low risk
    D. Strongly bullish with clear conviction

    3. What was ICT’s overall bias for the morning?
    A. Strong bullish bias
    B. Strong bearish bias
    C. Neutral bias
    D. No opinion because he was not watching the market

    4. What did ICT say the market did first after the opening bell?
    A. Took sell-side liquidity first
    B. Took buy-side liquidity first
    C. Broke down and stayed below the opening range gap
    D. Consolidated without taking any liquidity

    5. What did ICT say new traders should do in a difficult environment like this?
    A. Trade every move to gain experience quickly
    B. Wait for a better setup and protect themselves by observing
    C. Use higher leverage to maximize returns
    D. Focus only on news headlines

    Answer Key:
    1. C Evidence: “please don’t do that today. I’m probably going to be wrong today. I’m probably going to get all wrong today. So, just bear that in mind.”
    2. B Evidence: “I just don’t expect it to be clean price action. It’s probably going to be dangerous.”
    3. C Evidence: “So, I have no bias this morning.”
    4. B Evidence: “So far, we have taken a buy side and a sell side. Buy side’s taken first.”
    5. B Evidence: “you have to learn what it is that’s going to hurt you” and “just sit and watch. Take the information in. Read the price action. Read the tape.”

  • ICT 2026 Market Review \ April 07, 2026

    ICT 2026 Market Review \ April 07, 2026

    https://youtu.be/zpLCZ1Y46Yk

    Summary:

    – ICT: giving market interpretation after a major geopolitical move (Trump/Pakistan/Iran) that jolted markets after U.S. hours.
    – Geopolitical thesis: Administration reportedly delayed strikes (two-week pause/ceasefire conditional on Iran opening the Strait of Hormuz). ICT speculates this may be a deliberate tactic to let civilians leave announced targets, then strike later — a temporary lull, not a true de-escalation.
    – Market reaction: massive volatility overnight — crude plunged (quoted ~$109 to ~$91), stock index futures spiked, enormous single-minute price swings in futures (hundreds of handles). These moves occurred in off-hours and surprised many traders.
    – Primary warning: markets are now highly event-driven and manipulable. If you’re inexperienced, undercapitalized, over-leveraged, or trade without stop losses, you risk catastrophic losses. Treat this year as an education year if unsure.
    – Trading stance: speaker remains structurally bullish on crude long-term but expects continued violent, unpredictable swings. He is personally hands-off for now and plans to stop live tape-reading/streaming and shift to educational content to avoid influencing others into risky trades.
    – Technical notes (brief): many instruments show price inefficiencies/volume imbalances and potential reclaimed fair-value gaps; watch whether retracements respect the “upper half” of those ranges. Dollar, EUR, GBP, indices, gold, and silver are all disorganized and sensitive to events.
    – Practical advice: remove risk (demo/training), use stop losses, don’t chase highlight reels or social-media bragging. Expect more volatility tied to news cycles and overnight sessions; be cautious about trading around geopolitical headlines.
    – Personal/ethical note: market moves are tied to real human suffering; this makes trading emotionally difficult. The speaker urges prudence and empathy, and will return to live trading only when conditions make sense.

    Summary: acute, event-driven volatility from geopolitical developments has created high-risk trading conditions. The speaker cautions inexperienced traders to stay out or study, uses technical observations to outline possible scenarios, and will step back from live trading to focus on education.

    Quiz:

    1) What did ICT believe was happening with the two-week ceasefire idea?
    A. It was guaranteed to end the conflict immediately
    B. It was mainly a way to buy time and let people move away from target areas
    C. It was meant to lower gold prices
    D. It was only about reopening stock exchanges

    Answer Key:


    1) B Evidence: “Think about what 2 weeks does. 2 weeks can lull someone into thinking that they got plenty of time.” and “they gave an a reason to to let the people go home and get away from those targets.”

  • ICT 2026 Market Review \ April 06, 2026

    ICT 2026 Market Review \ April 06, 2026

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ycp9oGKPms

    Here’s a concise summary of the ICT livestream:

    – Logistics: Host apologized for oversleeping, noted YouTube translation delays, and joked about dogs distracting him during the stream.

    – Trading approach and tools: He emphasizes trading visual order-flow concepts—inefficiencies, fair value gaps (FVGs), wicks, PD arrays, octants/quadrants—and prefers watching bodies vs. wicks, using higher timeframes (5-min vs 1-min) to clear “time distortion.” He criticizes black‑box indicators and level‑2/footprint reliance, urging traders to learn real price mechanics.

    – Short-term trading stance: Current market conditions are volatile and manipulated; he recommends surgical, short-duration trades or sitting out. He won’t teach aggressive “one-shot, one-kill” approaches until conditions return to being more predictable.

    – Macro calendar and risk: CPI/PPI and Fed minutes are imminent and likely market-moving. He warns these events produce quick, violent moves and advises strict risk management and low leverage.

    – Market views (selected instruments):
    – EUR/USD and GBP/USD: Trading within daily inefficiencies; bias to lower if price remains in the lower half of ranges, but chop could persist.
    – NASDAQ / MNQ: Shows intra‑day manipulation signatures; opening‑range midpoint and FVGs are key reference levels.
    – Crude oil: Bullish bias; expects event-driven volatility and possible stop‑cleaning moves before strong upward continuation.
    – Gold/silver: Neutral-to-down until key PD arrays are taken out; would need clear breaks above specific levels to turn bullish.
    – Grains/agricultural commodities: He expects these to be a major bullish theme later (months ahead) due to fertilizer/supply shocks—important to study as they affect real demand.
    – Bitcoin/crypto: He is skeptical of crypto’s long-term value and states a personal bearish view (even extreme calls like “to zero”) and is not actively trading it.

    – Broader themes & warnings: Expects 2026 to be a particularly difficult trading year with increased manipulation and severe drawdowns for ill-prepared traders. Recommends preparing households (supplies) as macro shocks could be severe. Cautions against hyped social-media traders and easy-money narratives.

    – Tone and closing: Stern, precautionary advice—protect capital, be selective, study institutional order‑flow logic. He hopes to be wrong about the worst-case scenarios but insists traders must plan for them.

    1) What did ICT say about trading around CPI and PPI news?
    A. He likes to predict the exact move before the reports
    B. He avoids being ahead of the marketplace on those reports and waits for the market to reveal its direction
    C. He ignores the reports completely and never trades afterward
    D. He says CPI and PPI are always bullish for all markets

    2) What did ICT say about crude oil’s likely direction?
    A. He expected crude oil to go lower immediately
    B. He thought crude oil was likely to go higher
    C. He said crude oil had no clear technical setup
    D. He said crude oil would remain flat for months

    Answer Key:
    1) B Evidence: “I don’t care about the data. I don’t care where it’s going to go. I’m just thankful it’s going to go somewhere. And then after a few minutes, then I’ll go in and I’ll start looking for setups…”the market will continue moving lower.”

    2) B Evidence: “So we have higher prices in order for crude oil. I think it’s it’s very tricky for like doing short-term trading… I’d be looking for a lot of shenanigans, a lot of manipulation… but I would like to see it… go higher.”

  • ICT 2026 Market Commentary \ April 06, 2026

    ICT 2026 Market Commentary \ April 06, 2026

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_ND0oO67cU

    This was a market-focused live commentary. Main points:

    – Dollar index: currently consolidating. ICT is short-term bullish as long as the “suspension block” (key support/volume-imbalance area) holds; a break below it would invalidate that view and point lower.
    – Euro: stuck in a tight range and struggling; bodies remaining in the lower half would favor a move toward prior lows. Pound: showing stronger downside behavior; a daily close above its recent high would negate the bearish bias.
    – Indices (MNQ/NQ/MES): watching opening-range behavior, gaps, buy/sell-side liquidity and fair-value gaps. The presenter is re-acclimating after time away, so will watch price action for a few days rather than force trades. Emphasis on tape-reading, not chasing breakouts, and using specific levels (opening price, gap midpoints, consequent encroachment) to judge direction.
    – Crude oil: could rally sharply (targets discussed up to $175–$200/bbl) if upcoming geopolitical/news actions occur.
    – Metals: gold is bearish while below its key level; silver is in “no-man’s land”—neither a clear buy nor sell; advised to avoid trading it.
    – Overarching theme: markets feel manipulated right now (“Tomfoolery”) with political/social-media-driven catalysts creating skittish, messy price action. Advice: be cautious, avoid heavy leverage or forced trades, and inexperienced traders should consider sitting out until price action cleans up.
    – Operational notes: speaker was off-market for a week, will ease back into live analysis, and flagged time/translation constraints on the stream.

    Bottom line: pay attention to the highlighted support/resistance, volume imbalances and fair-value-gap levels; stay cautious and observe opening-range signatures before trading in this volatile, manipulated environment.

    Quiz

    1. What did ICT say he would do if he were a brand-new trader with less than a year or two of experience?
    A. Trade every market aggressively
    B. Take the first half of the year off, and avoid summer trading
    C. Increase leverage to learn faster
    D. Focus only on silver futures

    Evidence: “If your experience level is less than a year or maybe even two, maybe maybe take the first half the year off… don’t do anything in the summertime.”

    Answer Key:
    1. B