Category: ICT X Space

  • Shotgun Saturday: Beneath The Surface | October 15, 2022

    Summary — key points from ICT

    – Opening/setting: ICT ran late due to personal errands (taking dogs out) and uses casual anecdotes to introduce the talk.

    – Liquidity voids explained: A true “liquidity void” is an actual gap (no price data) or micro-gaps inside large imbalance candles. These micro-gaps are visible only on ultra-short, time-based charts (1s, 5s, 15s) and matter for short-term price delivery and stop-run/rebalance moves.

    – Time-based charts defendend: Time (time-of-day) is primary in his algorithmic approach — price delivery is time then price. Time-based charts reveal hidden micro-structure that other chart types (Renko, Heikin-Ashi, range bars) or higher time-frame candles can smooth out.

    – Use of TradingView: He uses TradingView because it offers ultra-short time frames needed to teach and see these micro-fractures.

    – Relationship to Chris Lori: He looked at Lori’s early work and borrowed the term “liquidity void” for clarity with BabyPips users, but he did not learn his trading method from Lori. Their approaches differ substantially; the speaker spent only a short time in Lori’s Pro Traders Club and later advised Lori on course structure.

    – History with BabyPips: He taught freely there, drew a following, sparked jealousy/drama, and left after conflicts; he emphasizes he never worked on their payroll and has always credited influences when appropriate.

    – Teaching ethos and warnings: He’s proud of building precise, algorithmic Smart Money Concepts (SMC). He warns students not to “weaponize” his teachings to bully or troll others online; humility, practice, and real trading performance matter more than online clout.

    – On influencers and fraud: He criticizes shallow/orchestrated online content (demo/rented servers, cherry-picking) and urges verification — he provides live TradingView proof of trading results and is not partnered with brokers or funded-account promoters.

    – Practical trading message: Small, low-risk intraday moves (a few points/handles) are real profit opportunities if you understand liquidity/imbalance. Many people overcomplicate or misapply SMC; learning his core concepts will improve most traders’ edge.

    – Closing: He reiterates he’s focused on students and results, asks the community to stop toxic behavior, and issues a final warning to young SMC practitioners to clean up their act.

  • Volatility Romance | October 14, 2022

    Summary — ICT Twitter Space

    – Market update: ICT describes extremely unusual intraday volatility in the S&P—more extreme than in 30 years—driven by liquidity gaps and rapid moves. He expects continued wild swings into year-end and thinks many retail traders will suffer large losses.

    – Technical read: He expected the daily equal lows to be taken out (target 3570) and saw price hit weekly fair-value gaps (he notes ~3400 remains in play as a possible next leg lower). He warns that the recent dip is not necessarily a lasting bottom and that such moves are often traps used by market makers to harvest liquidity.

    – Trading actions today: He almost took bigger, aggressive positions but resisted, exited with only the trades he showed, and is thankful he avoided overtrading. He reports modest position sizes (largest ~12 contracts) and is satisfied with his monthly result so far.

    – Risk management rule he stresses: after a losing trade, drop risk (e.g., to half) on the next trades until you recoup half the loss; then reset to your prior risk. Repeat scaling down if losses continue. This is to control drawdown and emotional pressure.

    – Psychology and personal disclosure: ICT candidly discusses his own emotional volatility (including bipolar tendencies), how life stress (notably a fraught house purchase) impacted him, and why that made him almost take revenge trades. He strongly advises avoiding the market when emotionally compromised—turn off charts, walk away, and don’t chase feel‑good wins.

    – On other traders/content: He praises honest traders who share struggles (mentions “Corbs”) as valuable learning tools on trader psychology, and criticizes gurus who push quick fixes.

    – Broader views: He warns that crypto/blockchain developments are being repurposed for central bank digital currencies and that individuals cannot “beat” central banking—advice is to align with reality rather than oppose it.

    – Closing: Reiterates caution about upcoming economic prints (mentions 8:30 and 10:00) and encourages disciplined risk control, routine, and self-awareness over impulsive, ego-driven trading.

  • Friday Night ICT & Chill | September 24, 2022

    Summary — key points ICT

    – Recent live trading: ICT recounts several big, profitable live trades this week but says he was blocked from closing positions by his broker (AMP Futures). He says orders were rejected at the CME level and interprets this as intentional interference to prevent large consistent wins.

    – Brokerage criticism and challenge: he strongly criticizes AMP Futures (and FXCM), says he’ll close accounts and leave them, and challenges public critics (named traders/YouTubers) to prove their results by posting one real account number on a public broker leaderboard. He promises to trade one publicly disclosed account (one contract) to settle claims of demo/rented-server fraud.

    – Markets are rigged: he argues markets and brokers actively manipulate retail outcomes when traders become consistently profitable, so traders must accept operating in a constrained, adversarial environment and adapt their approach.

    – Practical trading advice: don’t rely on tiny demo/white‑label MT4 setups or underfunded “cheap” accounts. Be properly funded, trade markets you know (he favors stock-index futures — S&P, Nasdaq, bonds — over thin Forex pairs), and expect occasional technical or institutional resistance.

    – Mentorship and transparency: he stresses he records and publishes live examples and core‑content lessons publicly; he intends to continue releasing guided video content and minute-marked references for students.

    – Personal reflections: he talks at length about family, past marriages, mental health (anxiety, bipolar traits), the importance of removing toxic relationships, and how spousal support helps trading performance.

    – Geopolitical/economic warnings and prepping: he believes we’re approaching major disruptive events (mentions Russia/Iran alliances, potential attack on Israel, broader global instability) and urges listeners to prepare — stockpile food, water, heat sources, generators — because supply, energy and food systems may be stressed, especially in Europe/UK.

    – Views on crypto and other markets: skeptical of Bitcoin/crypto infrastructure, concerned about custody/tax/risk; warns that once futures and institutional control arrive, prices can be manipulated downward.

    – Tone and intent: the speaker is combative and unfiltered, repeatedly calling out opponents and trolls, but frames his anger as frustration at industry hypocrisy. He emphasizes he doesn’t need the money or publicity but wants to protect students and prove his methods.

    – Actionable takeaways: verify live performance (real broker accounts), fund accounts appropriately, prefer liquid, professionally traded markets, prepare personally and materially for systemic disruptions, and be cautious about trusting demo/white‑label performance claims.

  • September 2022 FOMC discussion | September 22, 2022

    Summary of the ICT talk — key points and takeaways

    – Main warning: don’t trade high‑impact news days (FOMC, non‑farm payrolls) unless you’re highly experienced. These are two‑stage, fast, liquidity‑sweeping events that “clean” both sides of the market and quickly wipe out inexperienced traders.

    – Personal history: ICT blew multiple accounts early in his career trading news and learned the hard way to avoid those environments until he had the skill, discipline and experience.

    – Live execution/context: ICT showed a live FOMC execution to demonstrate his methods, but stressed that seeing him do it is not an instruction for novices — most students would have lost money trading the same day.

    Trade discipline & risk management:
    – Use stops, manage leverage, split positions (pyramid cautiously), take partials.
    – Prefer simple, repeatable setups and modest targets (example: 4–5 points = steady gains).
    – Aim for consistent small wins rather than chasing one “make‑it” transaction.
    – Paper/demo trade big‑range days to gain tape‑reading experience without real risk.

    – Funded accounts: treat them like real money. Don’t chase the maximum allowed withdrawals or targets; aim low and consistent (e.g., modest weekly/monthly goals, withdraw what you can) to avoid blowing accounts and creating toxic behavior.

    Psychology & journaling:
    – Trading is won or lost “between your ears.” Negative thoughts, ego, need for validation, impatience and trauma all bleed into trading decisions.
    – Keep a journal, don’t record negative thoughts, learn to disengage after hitting your rules, and resist impulse “one more” trades.
    – Losing trades are learning transactions—own mistakes, follow rules, and manage drawdown with patience.

    Social media & community cautions:
    – Beware of fake or cherry‑picked posts, rented demo servers, and people faking live fills. Don’t chase social proof.
    – Avoid toxic chat rooms/Telegram/Discords; they encourage herd mentality and impulsive behavior.
    – ICT provides core content free (YouTube series, mentorship material); use it, study, and prove results rather than seeking applause.

    Lifestyle, privacy & security:
    – Don’t broadcast wealth or lifestyle; it attracts predatory people and creates problems.
    – Balance trading with family life; excessive obsession costs relationships and mental health.
    – He plans to reduce public activity by year‑end to focus on private life and core content completion.

    – Mentorship stance: he is blunt because he wants students to avoid the painful mistakes he made. He emphasizes discipline, daily study, humility, and incremental goals — and offers proof that his concepts work if applied properly.

    – Encouragement: despite admitting personal struggles and early errors, he believes most people can learn this with sustained effort. Small consistent gains compound into freedom; tangible results are the best “thank you.”

  • CPI Reflections & Falling For False Hope | September 14, 2022

    Here’s a concise summary of ICT’s talk about the CPI release and trading lessons from the session:

    – The CPI release produced an extremely fast, violent move that occurred too quickly for real-time retail orders to get filled.
    – Market replays and demo/account screenshots can be misleading — many “perfect” fills shown after the fact are from demo or replay and wouldn’t have executed live.
    – During high-impact news (CPI, NFP, FOMC, rate announcements) liquidity and execution break down: stop losses can fail and brokers often cannot fill pending orders.
    – You should not “stand in front of” or try to predict/manipulate these reports. Trade only after the report and only when a clear, low-risk setup presents itself.
    – Chasing price after a huge intraday move is dangerous; it’s better to sit out than force an entry. Missing a move is preferable to suffering a loss or anxiety.
    – Treat missed moves as a learning opportunity with zero drawdown — they cost nothing and preserve capital and composure.
    – Emotional responses (regret, anger, ego-driven revenge trading) are the main causes of account blow-ups; discipline and patience are essential.
    – Don’t expect a mentor to hand you a replication trade you can blindly copy — you must develop your own entries, exits, partials and risk management.
    – Keep a trading journal with positive self-talk: record setups, feelings and lessons so you can learn and recover during rough patches.
    – Trading success is a long-term, repetitive process (“boring is best”). Pick your events, follow a proven model, and avoid chasing flashy or pop-culture-style trading.

    Bottom line: respect high-impact news, avoid gambling/chasing, protect capital, follow disciplined rules, and view a single big-day move as one of many opportunities in a long career.

  • Dirty Laundry – How To Remove Lipstick From Your Collar | September 10, 2022

    ICT uses this long, emotional rant to address ongoing online drama, mainly with Vinnie Emini, while defending his reputation, trading ability, and personal character.

    Key points:
    – He stresses that he is a real person with family, business responsibilities, and personal stress, including family health issues and a legal/property dispute.


    – He says he tried to handle things privately with Vinnie and even offered public discussion or livestreams to resolve issues, but believes Vinnie keeps escalating conflict for attention.


    – ICT strongly denies accusations that he or his family threatened, stalked, hacked, or harassed anyone, and says claims against him are false and damaging.


    – He apologizes for not publicly defending Vinnie in an earlier conflict with Adam Webb, but says that does not justify the ongoing attacks against him and his family.


    – He repeatedly insists he can genuinely trade, claims he has publicly shown proof through live calls, executions, and account examples, and challenges critics to compete transparently in a regulated, public setting like the Robbins Cup.


    – He criticizes social-media clout chasing, saying many detractors use his name for views rather than focusing on profitable trading.
    – He says he teaches for free now, does not need to sell courses, and plans to release books for free as well.


    – He warns that online toxicity is dangerous, especially when family gets involved, and says this kind of behavior could lead to real-world harm.


    – He also shifts into broader warnings about worsening economic and social conditions, urging people to prepare financially and materially for difficult times ahead.

    Overall, the transcript is a mix of personal defense, apology, challenge to critics, frustration with online drama, and a broader message about focusing on real trading and real-life preparedness rather than internet conflict.

  • One Framework, Two Views | July 25, 2022

    ICT explains that his teaching style is meant to build independent traders, not provide trade signals. Referring to his earlier S&P analysis, he says his framework was clearly bearish because all the key levels and fair value gaps he highlighted were below current market price. His point was to guide students toward market bias and areas of interest, not tell them exactly when to buy or sell.

    He emphasizes that he does not run a signal service, both because he wants students to learn to think for themselves and because some of his students already offer such services. His method is intentionally challenging: students must study, backtest, and learn to trust what they see in price action rather than depend on him for exact entries and exits.

    Using the day’s setup as an example, he says he waited for a second fair value gap before taking a short trade and views this as a repeatable “bread and butter” setup. He stresses that his public posts are meant to show framework, bias, and logic before price unfolds so traders can study it in real time.

    He also argues that many critics misunderstand his approach, want to be spoon-fed, or judge him unfairly. Despite his frustration with detractors, his main message is that profitable trading comes from focused study, developing one simple model, managing risk, and gaining confidence through experience—not from blindly copying someone else’s trades.

  • ICT Shotgun Saturday – Making Ends | July 23, 2022

    Summary of ICT Shotgun Saturday — key points

    – Purpose: Launching a new practical trading series aimed at students who’ve learned ICT’s price-action model, focusing on how to turn that skill into a sustainable trading business.

    – Core message: Start small, stay structured. Use low-hanging-fruit, repeatable objectives (examples: 5 handles in index futures, 25 pips/week in Forex, or a modest $250/week → $1,000/month) and increase slowly. Let money management and compounding do the heavy lifting.

    – Risk management & psychology: Trade with strict limits (preferably 1% risk or less), avoid overleveraging or chasing big wins, and beware the addictive “rush” of large, impulsive trades. Profitability without structure leads to destructive behavior.

    – Practical business mindset: Treat trading like a storefront business with defined hours (e.g., market windows), goals, and measurable targets. Define your personal “ends” (monthly bills, mortgage, etc.) and aim to cover those gradually.

    – Journaling & discipline: Keep a trading journal, learn from mistakes, own responsibility for losses, and focus on consistent process over outward validation or social-media noise.

    – Funded accounts caution: Don’t pursue large funded accounts until you can reliably manage smaller account equity and the psychological pressures that come with growth.

    – Mentorship & learning curve: Expect years to become truly proficient (5–10 years). A year of guided mentorship is valuable to experience different market conditions and build resilience.

    – Community & distractions: Ignore flashy influencers without proof. Study the charts, do the work, and follow a modest, repeatable plan rather than trying to match others’ hype.

    – Logistics: Series will be released weekly (target Fridays), first episode longer with slides, subsequent episodes short (≈15 min). Content may be shared via SoundCloud/YouTube.

    Bottom line: With discipline, clearly defined low-threshold goals, proper risk management, and steady practice you can move from “making ends meet” to building real wealth over time — but only if you treat trading as a structured business and resist the urge to gamble for instant riches.

  • Post Holiday Trade Routine | July 5, 2022

    Summary:

    – After holidays/bank holidays ICT adopts a wait-and-see approach: treat abbreviated sessions as non‑noteworthy, review how the market closed before the break, check weekend headlines, and let the market “digest” lower volume and any large overnight moves (e.g., dollar strength) before trading.
    – Big dollar moves create a risk‑off tone that pressures other assets; look for correlated divergences and clean, symmetrical price action before engaging. The day after holidays is often noisy and prone to manipulation, so it’s rarely a high‑probability trading environment.
    – Have strict “rules of engagement”: clear, personal limits on when to trade, position size, leverage, allowable days/times (e.g., caution in non‑farm payroll weeks), and mandatory stop losses. These controls prevent emotional and repeated destructive behaviors.
    – Stop losses are essential — trading without them is gambling. Use conservative risk per trade (even smaller than typical mentor guidelines if that fits your tolerance) and treat controlled losses as part of the business.
    – Learn to distinguish signal from social noise: avoid chatrooms, hype, and opinionated strangers who often compound poor habits. Don’t seek external validation (likes/retweets) for trade decisions; become your own analyst.
    – Develop discipline via journaling, demo or small “feel” trades to learn market behavior, and by applying a consistent model tailored to your personality. Expect to lose trades; the skill is in managing and limiting those losses.
    – Mentorship philosophy: the speaker offers substantial free education, values honest, experience‑based teaching, and stresses long‑term learning — becoming a reliable trader takes time (roughly a year of focused effort).
    – Final counsel: set boundaries, know when to say no, focus effort on high‑probability market conditions, and continuously work on self‑control and risk management to survive and eventually thrive in trading.

  • Shotgun Saturday With ICT | June 25, 2022

    Summary:

    – ICT says he’s stepping back from active Forex trading (a hiatus, not permanent) because he sees rising systemic risk in currencies—especially around possible global “reset” plans, central bank digital currencies, and upcoming elections over the next ~24 months.
    – Currencies are described as faith-based “illusions” vulnerable to sudden de-pegging events (e.g., past EUR/CHF shock) that can reprice markets instantly and render stop-losses useless. For that reason he’s reluctant to risk large capital or high leverage in Forex now.
    – He prefers index futures and bond markets because they offer more systematic, repeatable setups and perceived transparency; commodities are driven by real supply/demand and seasonal factors, while equities and crypto carry different risks.
    – He is highly skeptical of crypto (including Bitcoin), arguing coins may be sacrificed or engineered lower as part of a broader financial overhaul; he expects volatile lower-lows and engineered rallies to trap buyers.
    – Practical cautions: reduce leverage, avoid large speculative positions in FX, prepare for market dislocations, and treat trading as risk management rather than get-rich-quick.
    – Education and action: he’s sharing free, practical mentorship content on YouTube (not monetized), urging people to study, journal, and commit (about a year) to develop consistent, personality-aligned trading models (timeframes, asset class, setups).
    – He criticizes market “gurus” and scammers, stresses personal responsibility (you’re the one who must do the work), and encourages aiming to cover major monthly expenses through trading rather than unrealistic luxury goals.
    – Personal notes: he speaks from long experience (trading since 1992, teaching since mid-1990s), emphasizes faith as his guiding motivation, and says he’s giving this away to help others prepare, not to profit.

    Overall: a cautionary, motivational talk urging traders to lower risk in Forex now, learn systematic methods in more stable markets, prepare for major macro disruptions, and commit to disciplined study and risk management.