Summarizations

  • Hotboxing With ICT | January 17, 2023

    Summary:

    – ICT explains why he didn’t call out every detail during a complex, focus-demanding PM session: the price action was very choppy and required undivided attention, and such environments are stressful and not suitable for most traders to trade in.
    – He emphasizes studying live annotated examples (screenshots/video with commentary) and journaling trades—this is the best way to learn to recognize repeatable setups and build intuition.
    – Key teaching: trade only in high-probability conditions (low-resistance liquidity runs) and avoid trading when the market is neutral/choppy. When unsure, “sit on your hands” — don’t force trades.
    – Practical workflow: mark specific price levels and candles, screenshot and annotate them, then backtest and review. Specific ES daily levels he highlighted to watch: 4030.75 (recent target), sell-side pools near 4000 / 3996.75, and a favored downside level at ~3982.50 (derived from Jan 13 wick midpoint and Fibonacci). Also track Jan 13 low and Jan 9 high.
    – Risk & position management: prefer pyramiding from a larger initial partial (example model: 6 → 3 → 1 to build to ~10 contracts; experienced traders may scale to 18). Beginners should start with one contract and learn scaling gradually.
    – Psychological guidance: recognize three roles inside a trader—analyst (model/rules), trader (manager), gambler (emotion). Suppress the gambler, follow the analyst, and refuse to trade for ego or social-media clout.
    – Critique of social media: many “gurus” post replayed/cherry-picked content; live documentation and annotated study are what actually teach repeatable skills.
    – Outcome promise: with disciplined study and practice you’ll learn to identify biases and execute profitable setups (expect to reliably find at least one meaningful setup per week), though it takes time and effort.
    – Logistics: he’ll be offline tomorrow morning and plans to reconvene in the PM session; students should study the named daily levels through London and into the next session.

    Main takeaway: prioritize annotated study and journaling, trade only when the market presents clear high-probability signals, manage risk and pyramid slowly, and cultivate discipline to sit out unfavorable, choppy conditions.

    Quiz:

    1) Why did ICT say he was not pointing out specific levels during the PM session?
    A. He forgot to prepare charts.
    B. He was engaged and it was very focus-demanding, making multitasking difficult.
    C. He didn’t want students to copy trades.
    D. The market was closed.

    2) Which method did ICT call “the highest form of journaling”?
    A. Keeping a handwritten notebook of trades.
    B. Recording yourself trading and annotating the chart (fluid entry, management and exit).
    C. Saving broker statements monthly.
    D. Relying on market replay videos.

    3) What pyramiding entry sequence does ICT describe as his common model?
    A. Start with one contract and double each subsequent entry.
    B. Start with six contracts, add three on the second entry and one on the third (three positions pyramiding to ~10 contracts).
    C. Always trade a single contract only.
    D. Use random position sizes depending on mood.

    4) What is ICT’s stance on holding positions over the daily trading break / overnight?
    A. He prefers holding overnight to capture large moves.
    B. He avoids holding overnight because of unpredictable gap risk.
    C. He holds overnight only on Fridays.
    D. He uses overnight holds only for small accounts.

    5) When the daily chart shows no clear high‑probability directional bias, what does ICT advise?
    A. Increase lot sizes to force a profitable outcome.
    B. Sit on your hands — be patient and avoid trading until probability improves.
    C. Copy whatever social‑media gurus are posting.
    D. Remove stop losses and hope for recovery.

    Answer key with evidence:
    1) Answer: B
    Evidence: “Well, obviously you can see by my recording, I was engaged and it was very focus demanding.” (0:00:34.320–0:00:42.960) and “it was very uh very hard for me to you do more than one thing at a time…” (0:00:45.040–0:00:55.120).

    2) Answer: B
    Evidence: “That fluid entry management and exit that is absolutely the highest form of journaling because you’re actually doing the process. You’re annotating the chart as it goes.” (0:03:46.400–0:03:56.319) and “Once you do it a few times … it’s a great way to journal too.” (0:03:20.640–0:03:29.760).

    3) Answer: B
    Evidence: “The one I go to for all of you most of the time is I start with six contracts and then I’ll split that for my second entry to pyramid by position. I’ll go in with three contracts dropping that down into one contract on my third partial. So, I’m pyramiding in three positions to one trade to a 10 lot or 10 contract position.” (0:16:25.040–0:16:48.720).

    4) Answer: B
    Evidence: “Admittedly, I don’t like to hold over during that break because anything can happen… And that’s what makes me love more than anything now that I am a proficient day trader in not being willing to hold overnight. I don’t I don’t want to do those types of things anymore. It’s too much risk. The gap risk in doing that…” (0:13:46.959–0:14:11.519).

    5) Answer: B
    Evidence: “I don’t have a clean read on a directional bias… I can see no real easy directional reach … I’m neutral… I have no idea what to expect going into tomorrow.” (0:39:30.960–0:40:14.720). And: “Where am I in terms of my analysis? I’m in a position of paralysis. I can’t make a call. So if I can’t make a call, I have to sit on my hands and do nothing.” (0:50:54.000–0:51:06.800).

  • Sunday Morning Shotgun With ICT | January 15, 2023

    Summary

    – Mentorship schedule and format: official program starts February 7. There will be daily market commentary on YouTube and roughly two live streaming sessions per week (about 1–2 hours each). Streams will be raw (not heavily edited).

    – Primary markets and scope: focus is on index futures (mainly ES — S&P minis — and sometimes NQ). Also cover dollar index and major FX pairs occasionally; crypto is not a focus.

    – Purpose of live sessions: live tape-reading and price-action teaching — watching 1‑ and 5‑minute candles live to learn how price actually behaves (speed, liquidity runs, inefficiencies, fair value gaps). This cannot be fully learned from static, edited videos or market replays.

    – Do NOT use live sessions as trade signals: students must not put live/funded trades while watching. The sessions are training; trading in real money while following the stream ruins the learning process and personal discipline.

    – Trading principles taught: no indicators — use open/high/low/close + time. Emphasis on time as the deciding variable, understanding high‑resistance vs low‑resistance liquidity runs, fair value gaps, institutional order‑flow entries, precise stop placement and trade management (partials, scaling). Focus on high‑probability, quick runs rather than prolonged, risky trades.

    – Practical goal for students: learn to consistently identify small, repeatable opportunities — target five ES handles per day as an attainable, low‑risk objective; scale from there. Work from small, consistent wins to larger moves.

    – Risk management and discipline: place logical stops (not arbitrary ones from retail books), manage size, take partials, avoid over‑leveraging, don’t chase losses. Personal responsibility for trades — mentors provide teaching, not guarantees.

    – Live execution authenticity: live executions will be shown; market replay executions appear differently — ask streamers to toggle executions to verify live trades.

    – Learning method and homework: expect boring, repetitive practice. Watch live, take notes, record emotional responses, journal outcomes, review weekly — learning is experiential and cumulative.

    – Psychological preparation: trading provokes fear and impulsiveness. Advice for panic/anxiety: distraction techniques (counting a sweep second hand, controlled breathing), positive self‑talk, logging emotions, desensitizing to outcomes. Don’t bring friends/family/co‑workers into your learning — avoid outside opinions and social‑media clout chasing.

    – No promotions/endorsements: instructor will not recommend brokers, funded accounts, or do sponsored placements.

    – Expectations: this is hard, takes time, and will include losses. If you commit, follow instructions, and practice disciplined tape‑reading, you should materially improve and develop transferable, profitable skills over months/years.

    Bottom line: the mentorship is a year‑long, discipline‑focused, live tape‑reading program centered on precise, time‑based price action and risk management — designed to teach students how to find consistent, low‑risk opportunities and master the psychological and practical skills of real trading.

    Quiz – Recap and test your knowledge

    Q1: When did ICT say the 2023 mentorship would officially begin?
    A. January 1st
    B. February 7th
    C. March 1st
    D. April 15th

    Q2: Which market instruments did ICT say would be his main focus for the mentorship?
    A. Crypto tokens (Bitcoin, Ethereum)
    B. Individual stocks (tech names)
    C. Index futures (S&P and mini Nasdaq)
    D. Commodities only (gold, crude)

    Q3: How many live sessions per week did ICT tentatively schedule for the mentorship?
    A. One
    B. Two
    C. Three
    D. Five

    Q4: What instruction did ICT repeatedly give about viewers trading during his live sessions?
    A. Open a funded account and trade every example he shows
    B. Use the live session as a trade signal service
    C. Do not trade or use the live session as trade signals
    D. Only trade crypto during live sessions

    Q5: What daily target (in handles) did ICT say beginners should focus on finding consistently?
    A. 1 handle
    B. 3 handles
    C. 5 handles
    D. 20 handles

    Answer key with evidence:
    Q1 — B (February 7th).
    Evidence: “we haven’t started officially the mentorship which is February 7th” (00:01:08.159–00:01:16.799)

    Q2 — C (Index futures: S&P and mini Nasdaq).
    Evidence: “my main focus is going to be on index Futures that specifically is even the s p and or the mini Nasdaq futures contract” (00:02:14.819–00:02:23.640)

    Q3 — B (Two).
    Evidence: “there will be two live sessions tentatively scheduled each week” (00:02:55.560–00:03:00.300)

    Q4 — C (Do not trade / do not use as trade signals).
    Evidence: “do not trade don’t use this for a trade signal service it’s not” (00:16:15.180–00:16:27.420)
    Also: “if you’re going to be in my live sessions … and if you’re in there trying to press the button and do trades you are not going to be learning properly” (00:04:05.879–00:04:17.519)

    Q5 — C (Five handles).
    Evidence: “five handles is what I want you to focus on that’s your goal in your Journal that’s what you’re looking for” (00:56:01.020–00:56:07.260)
    Also: “five handles per day” (00:42:37.980–00:42:44.700)

  • January 2023 CPI commentary | January 12, 2023

    Summary:

    – The speaker is live-tape reading the market around a CPI release and repeatedly emphasizes: do not trade ahead of major news (CPI, rate announcements, NFP). He waits to see price reaction for 30+ minutes and only considers engaging after the initial one- to two-minute, time-based price delivery is clear.

    – He walks through his real-time process for ES/US500: identifying key levels (order blocks, fair-value gaps, wick midpoints and past highs/lows), drawing time-based levels on 5‑ and 1‑minute charts, and watching how price approaches liquidity pools. He names example levels to monitor (e.g., ~4018 on ES, downside references near 3954/3934/3927 on ES and comparable US500 levels) as possible targets depending on direction.

    – The method is algorithmic/time-based price-reading rather than indicator-driven. He stress-tests market structure (three passes, imbalance vs. balanced range), measures velocity into targets, and drops to shorter timeframes to find institutional entry drills if a level breaks.

    – Risk management is central: use stops, take partials (e.g., bank ~75–90% at early targets), roll stops to mean thresholds, and accept being stopped out as part of the process. He warns about slippage/gapping on news and that stops don’t guarantee protection during extreme moves.

    – Pedagogy: he’s intentionally live-streaming real-time readings (not cherry-picked hindsight) to teach the narrative—what price will likely do and why. Students should journal, annotate charts, and record sessions to build pattern recognition and emotional discipline. He urges patience, practice, and focusing on small repeatable objectives (five-handle moves) as building blocks.

    – He strongly criticizes retail “gurus,” hindsight cherry-picking, and range/bar-based methods for algorithmic intraday work. Time-based charts are non-negotiable for his approach.

    – Broader comments: he frames trading as hard, requiring work and emotional control, and advises preparing financially because he anticipates tougher economic conditions ahead. He invites viewers to learn by observation and practice rather than seeking quick wins or shortcuts.

    Quiz (Answer Key Below)

    Recap and test your knowledge

    1) According to ICT, how does he approach trading before major CPI releases?
    A. He regularly trades aggressively ahead of CPI.
    B. He never trades ahead of CPI and teaches students not to.
    C. He sometimes trades ahead if the setup looks good.
    D. He only trades ahead in a demo account.

    2) What minimum “low-hanging” objective (in handles) does ICT recommend beginners aim for?
    A. 1 handle
    B. 3 handles
    C. 5 handles
    D. 10 handles

    3) Which type of chart does ICT insist is required to read algorithmic/time-based price action properly?
    A. Range bars or tick charts
    B. Time-based charts (e.g., 1‑min, 5‑min)
    C. Renko or point-and-figure charts
    D. Only higher timeframe daily/weekly charts

    4) When ICT describes taking partials and protecting profits, where does he say he would roll his stop?
    A. To the original full-risk entry price only
    B. To an arbitrary round-number level
    C. To the mean threshold (midpoint) of the referenced candle / break-even area
    D. Never roll stops — leave them unchanged

    5) ICT says if the market is going down it will most likely:
    A. Go to take out an old high
    B. Go down to an old low or down into a fair value gap (an inefficiency)
    C. Immediately reverse to the upside without touching prior structure
    D. Remain rangebound forever

    Answer Key:
    1) B — Evidence: “this is a market driver that I do not trade ahead of” (0:00:33.420–0:00:45.980) and “that’s why I teach my students not to do it either” (0:01:15.659–0:01:24.420). Also: “we do not stand in front of… CPI and non‑farm payrolls” (0:05:24.000–0:05:33.780).

    2) C — Evidence: “you can easily get five handles with that easily” (0:36:51.300–0:37:04.140) and “that small little box that’s what your eye’s looking for… five handles” (0:59:02.760–0:59:35.280).

    3) B — Evidence: “time is the first element and price delivery… if you’re using range bars… you’re not trading algorithmically” (0:31:31.080–0:32:05.279). Also: “not a range chart… only a Time based chart” (1:55:29.460–1:55:32.520 and 1:55:52.320–1:55:58.500).

    4) C — Evidence: “then I would roll my stop… the mean threshold of that candle which would be approximately… 39.83 and 0.75 that’s where my stop would roll from” (0:37:52.079–0:38:11.700). Also: “I would hypothetically have my stop at 39.72 and a half” (1:33:24.480–1:33:32.880).

    5) B — Evidence: “are we going up or down… if it’s going down it’s going to go below an old low or it’s going to go down below market price to a fair value Gap where there’s an inefficiency” (1:43:39.480–1:44:06.119).

  • Monthly Goals & The Secret To Reaching Them | January 10, 2023

    Summary:

    – Main claim: You must set realistic monthly percentage goals. Without a target you’ll achieve nothing; critics who say “don’t have goals” are usually inconsistent traders.

    – Recommended progression: Year 1 target ~6%/month; move to ~8% after a few months into Year 2; aim for ~10%/month only after ~2.5–3 years of consistent experience. More conservative targets (e.g., 3%/month on a $250k funded account → $7,500/mo) are perfectly valid and compound well.

    – The multiplier/model: Choose one market and one repeatable setup (your “multiplier”) and trade it consistently. Your model — not flashy indicators or daily switching — creates reproducible results. Money management (small % risk per trade) does the heavy lifting.

    – Risk & position sizing: Use small risk per trade (suggested ~0.75–1% or less), limit leverage, cut size in drawdowns, use partials and sensible pyramiding. Never move stops to “rescue” trades.

    – Edge & method: Focus on price action and tape-reading (order blocks, fair value gaps, liquidity pools, time/price structure). Indicators, harmonic patterns and similar retail “gimmicks” distract from what actually moves markets.

    – Discipline & rules: Write clear rules (when to trade, daily/session stop-losses, max losses per session/day). Know when NOT to trade (e.g., noisy/stagnant conditions or ahead of major data). Accept losses as normal; don’t chase to “fix” them.

    – Practical exercise: For beginners, a daily practice is recommended — don’t open charts until 10:00 ET, observe until ~10:45 on 1–5-minute charts for stop-hunts/liquidity runs and look for ~5-handle opportunities. Tape-read and journal; no live/demo trading until you’ve learned to observe.

    – Teaching format & proof: The speaker will demonstrate real-time price calls and executions (often on Twitter/YouTube). He emphasizes that demos can teach the logic; students who apply it have made real money. He invites students to backtest, journal, and verify.

    – Warnings & psychology: Avoid social-media FOMO, influencer hype, system-hopping, and the temptation to chase large monthly flips. Trading is emotionally demanding; most early years are unprofitable. Success requires consistency, patience, and hard study.

    – Closing message: With disciplined practice, a simple repeatable model, and proper money management, realistic monthly returns are attainable and scalable. Show up, study price action/tape, journal progress, and ignore distraction.

    Quiz (Answer Key Below)

    Recap and test your knowledge

    1) According to ICT, what monthly percentage return should a new trader realistically target by the end of Year One?
    A. 3% per month
    B. 6% per month
    C. 10% per month
    D. 25% per month

    2) ICT states which one of the following is the least important factor in consistently profitable trading?
    A. Entry technique
    B. Money management
    C. Identifying liquidity (fair value gaps, order blocks)
    D. Time-of-day selection

    3) For the exercise ICT assigns next week, at what time does he tell students to turn their charts on and begin observing?
    A. 8:30 AM New York time
    B. 9:30 AM New York time
    C. 10:00 AM New York time
    D. 11:00 AM New York time

    4) By Year Three (after following his program), which monthly return does ICT say is absolutely doable and sustainable?
    A. 3% per month
    B. 6% per month
    C. 8% per month
    D. 10% per month

    5) What does ICT mean by the term “multiplier” (what should your multiplier be)?
    A. The leverage ratio you always use
    B. The number of contracts you trade per entry
    C. Your repeatable setup/model — the pattern you trade over and over
    D. The weekly pip target you set

    Answer Key with evidence (timestamped transcript excerpts)

    1) Correct: B — 6% per month
    Evidence: “your goal should be able to Target six percent per month” (01:01:34–01:01:40). Also reinforced later: “six percent per month doubles your account size… if you compound six percent every single month it’s a hundred percent return” (01:19:21–01:19:37).

    2) Correct: A — Entry technique
    Evidence: “the entry technique is the least important factor in consistently profitable Trading” (02:14:27–02:14:38). He repeats: “the entry is the least important thing” (00:58:47–00:58:56 and 02:14:40–02:15:05).

    3) Correct: C — 10:00 AM New York time
    Evidence: “turn your charts on at 10 o’clock… only look at the market rate at 10 o’clock and only look to 10:45… look for five handles” (03:54:04–03:54:19 and 03:54:50–03:55:05). Also: “don’t start your charts or open them up before 10 o’clock… this exercise Monday through Friday of next week” (03:54:23–03:54:37 and 03:54:27–03:54:31).

    4) Correct: D — 10% per month
    Evidence: “year three… 10 per month is absolutely doable… I don’t give a [__] I’ll stand in front of the cftc and say yep you can do that too” (01:03:00–01:03:11 and 01:03:05–01:03:14). He frames 10% as an “upper echelon” target after sufficient experience (02:01:02–02:01:11; 03:23:01–03:23:06).

    5) Correct: C — Your repeatable setup/model
    Evidence: “the multiplier is your setup your model the thing that you trade over and over again” (01:26:59–01:27:06). He reiterates: “that’s your multiplier that’s your pattern that’s the thing that you’re going to do every single time” (01:33:32–01:33:38 and 01:33:34–01:33:42).

  • Why I do not trade NonFarm Payroll | January 6, 2023

    Summary — key points and takeaways

    – Main message: Non-Farm Payroll (NFP) (and other high‑impact releases like CPI or FOMC rate announcements) is not a reliably tradable event for most traders — it’s highly unpredictable, volatile, and often manipulated, so it’s essentially a gamble for retail traders.
    – Personal stance: The speaker (ICT) admits he cannot predict NFP with repeatable precision and therefore chooses not to trade it. He learned this the hard way by losing accounts early in his career.
    – Typical behavior of NFP: fast, whipsaw price moves, large slippage, stops getting run or gapped through; initial “fake” moves are common; short windows (about 8:30–9:00 ET) carry most of the risk.

    Practical rules advised:
    – Don’t trade into NFP/CPI/FOMC announcements; treat those days as “sit out / observe” days.
    – Avoid trading the afternoons of Wednesday and Thursday before NFP; stop trading after the morning session (around 10–11am) on Wednesday to be cautious.
    – If trading a news event at all, wait (e.g., ~30 minutes) after the initial reaction before considering trades.
    – Always check the economic calendar before trading.
    – Risk & money management: preserving capital is the top priority — know what your account can emotionally and financially tolerate, size positions accordingly, and test that tolerance in demo before risking real funds.
    – Funded-account warning: don’t assume large funded accounts remove psychological risk — big nominal risks can be emotionally unmanageable and lead to ruin.
    – Education and mindset: long‑term success comes from studying price behavior, recognizing when market conditions offer a measurable edge, and learning where you’re likely to fail; avoid chasing social‑media “clout” or one-off demo highlights.
    – Specific market notes: ICT mentioned short‑term ES levels he watched as likely liquidity draws near the session (3814 — Jan 3, 2023 daily low; and 3804.5 — Dec 28, 2022 daily low) as examples of how he frames expectations without trading the event.
    – Final thought: abstaining from these event days is a disciplined, protective strategy that keeps you in the game long term; there will be plenty of tradable opportunities in calmer, higher‑probability environments.

  • Final ICT Twitter Space 2022 | December 31, 2022

    Summary:

    – Shift to public teaching: ICT (Michael Huddleston) confirmed he stopped paid/private mentorships and moved all core content (lessons 1–12) to YouTube and Twitter so everyone can access it for free. He’ll continue teaching publicly rather than via paid groups.

    – 2023 intent: He calls 2023 his “victory lap” — the last year he’ll pour himself into mentoring at a high pace. He will slow down afterward for family and health reasons but will still make content and mentor publicly on YouTube/Twitter (live streams starting Feb 7).

    – What he’ll teach: Real-time, top-down market analysis focused on algorithmic smart‑money behavior: fair value gaps, liquidity pools, order-flow signatures, time-of-day macros, and how/when gaps stay open. He promises live, minute-by-minute walkthroughs and repeatable proof of concept.

    – Practical, disciplined model: He emphasizes a minimalist, repeatable approach (top-down: weekly → daily → 4H → 60m → 15m → 5m/1m). Aim for realistic targets (e.g., “five-handle” moves in ES) and strong risk management rather than chasing flashy indicators or extreme strike rates.

    – Trading routine and timing: Key trading windows are the morning session (~08:30–10:30 ET) and the last hour (approx. 15:40–16:00 ET). If you don’t find a setup in the morning, don’t chase — wait for the afternoon. Extend levels through the day and trade internal-range liquidity on inside days.

    – Asset-class guidance: Futures (ES, NASDAQ / ES, bonds) are his preferred, most precise markets. Forex are less precise and prone to broker/server differences — one‑pip/one‑tick stop models are unrealistic in FX with real size.

    – Student responsibilities: Success requires chart time, journaling, backtesting, patience, and owning personal weaknesses. He will not hold hands or sell ongoing subscriptions; students must do the work to become independent traders.

    – Warnings: Beware of gurus, cherry-picked screenshots, fake backtests and MT4/MT5 manipulation, signal-sellers, and social-media hype. Avoid trading ahead of CPI/FOMC and other violent manual interventions. Don’t trade impulsively from live streams.

    – Psychology & character: Mastering yourself is central — trading amplifies existing personal flaws. Keep journal entries constructive, avoid public venting that anchors negative emotion, and build discipline to stop trading when your plan is met.

    – Proof & challenge: He insists his public analyses (tweets/videos) are verifiable in real time (cites a recent example calling 3864) and invites skeptics to reproduce similar public, timestamped analysis. He says the method is teachable and transferable.

    – Personal notes: He shared personal stories (past mistakes, growth), family priorities, travel plans (RV/mobile command center), and a desire to help students succeed. He’s motivated by seeing students make money and wants people to use the skills to build multiple income streams, help others, and live purposefully.

    Bottom line: ICT will provide free, public, hands-on mentorship in 2023 focused on algorithmic price structure, disciplined execution, and real-time demonstrations — but students must do the hard work, show up, and become independently responsible traders.

  • Post Christmas 2023 Preview | December 28, 2022

    Summary:

    ICT outlines his teaching and content plan for 2023 and delivers strong guidance about how to learn to trade properly.

    Main plans and format
    – Daily short public market reviews on YouTube (Mon–Fri): concise pre/post-market notes explaining setups and next-day expectations.
    – Two planned live tape‑reading sessions per week (morning, ~90–120 minutes): real-time chart annotation, commentary, and prompts to take screenshots. These will be observational—he will not place trades live to avoid front-running accusations or encouraging viewers to trade impulsively. Pre‑market analysis will be shared the night before. Sessions resume Feb 7, 2023.
    – Focus markets: e‑mini S&P and e‑mini NASDAQ (he will comment on Forex but is no longer trading FX actively). Content is free; the “price” is the time and effort the student invests.

    Teaching philosophy and goals
    – Emphasis on mentorship, tape‑reading, and building experience. The objective is to make students independent: by the end of the year you should be able to read price, find the right market, and trade without relying on him.
    – Quality over quantity: look for one high‑probability setup per week rather than overtrading. Beginners should not pursue daily high‑frequency trading—expect 1.5–2 years of development before attempting that.
    – Use the economic calendar to frame opportunities; avoid trading ahead of major releases like CPI/FOMC (too one‑sided and dangerous).
    – Core concepts to focus on: liquidity runs, fair value gaps, order blocks/breakers, market structure shifts, and multi-factor confluence—trade only when there is statistical/probabilistic support.
    – Strong emphasis on risk management, discipline, and psychological control. Avoid impulsive “button‑pushing,” chasing funded‑account leaderboards, or copying social‑media hype. Small consistent gains (e.g., one contract, modest weekly handles) are preferable to risky overleveraging.

    Behavioral warnings and industry critique
    – He criticizes short‑cut courses, showmanship, and influencers who prioritize performance theater over transparency. He encourages recording full trade activity, honest live streams, and independent study rather than chasing fame.
    – Personal anecdotes underline the cost of impatience, social‑media influence, and past mistakes; he urges humility, persistence, and realistic expectations.

    Longer‑term plan
    – 2023 will be his last major instructional year before scaling back in 2024. He plans to publish four books (three instructional, one fiction) and then reduce public content to focus on family and personal life.

    Bottom line: commit time to tape‑reading, prioritize one strong setup per week, master risk and discipline, and use his live sessions to learn—not to copy trades.

  • How To Win Trades: An Interactive Love Story | December 3, 2022

    Summary — key points and actionable takeaways from ICT’s talk

    Big picture
    – Winning in trading is a long, personal process. There are no shortcuts: know yourself, identify your weaknesses, and remove or manage them so they don’t wreck your decisions.
    – Consistency beats flashy one-off wins. The mentor’s objective is to teach you a repeatable process so you become independent, not dependent on someone else’s calls.

    Self-knowledge & psychology
    – Traders must honestly assess personal frailties (impulsiveness, substance use, codependency, anxiety). These show up in trading (bailing early, re‑entering impulsively, overleveraging).
    – Don’t broadcast failures on social media. Keep a private, positive trading journal—your best learning resource and encouragement.
    – Treat losses as “taxes” of the business; don’t let them create emotional spiral or impulsive “fix-it” trades.

    Process & skill development
    – The path: backtest (min. 3 months, ideally 6) → tape‑reading (watch live price without trading) → demo trading (min. 3 months; 6 months preferred) → consider live. Rushing to live trading causes failure.
    – Tape‑reading and logging screenshots/annotations of what you think is happening trains your narrative and improves pattern recognition.
    – Journal entries should be constructive: document what you saw, why you traded (or didn’t), and what happened.

    Market structure, narrative and bias
    – Market structure + seasonality + narrative determine high‑probability bias.
    – Seasonality: spring tends to form a high and bias lower into summer; fall tends to form lows and bias higher into year‑end (Santa Claus rally window ~ mid‑Sept to mid‑Nov).
    – Detect quarterly shifts by divergence between the big averages (SPX, NASDAQ, Dow). Once one average fails to make a high/low, look for structure shifts on H4/1H and trade with that bias.
    – Narrative = how liquidity/order flow will be delivered (algorithms, manual interventions). Bias = directional expectation. Know both before taking entries.
    – After big news (NFP, CPI, FOMC) expect one‑sided, whip‑saw moves that sweep liquidity both sides. Wait for the volatility to settle, then trade inefficiencies (imbalances, fair value gaps, order blocks).

    Tactics & entries
    – Use smart‑money concepts: fair value gaps, order blocks, liquidity draws, stop runs—identify where algorithmic repricing will invite retail participation.
    – Pyramid entries are individual, repeatable entries; manage stops to reduce risk as price moves in your favor (not increasing risk). Partials are practical: take money off the table.
    – Low‑hanging fruit approach: target small objective per trade/session (examples: 3–6 handles per session in E‑mini S&P; 10 handles as a simple target is a reliable “enough”). For FX, think in pips (e.g., ~20–30 pip intraday thresholds).

    Risk & money management
    – Stop losses are mandatory. Trading without stops is a path to ruin.
    – Personalize risk per trade; industry “two percent” rules aren’t one‑size fits all. Many traders do better with far smaller per‑trade risks (e.g., 0.5%).
    – When using funded accounts or large implied buying power, only use ~30% of that equity as your working capital (so you don’t overleverage the platform’s nominal balance).
    – Money management and compounding beat reckless leverage. Small consistent gains compound into large returns; preserving capital is the top rule.

    Competition (Robins/FTMO) advice
    – Competitions reward discipline, not YOLO leverage. Use industry margins and stop losses—don’t rely on inflated offshore margins.
    – Strategy: pick a simple, repeatable daily/sessional target (e.g., small fixed handles/pips), hit it, stop for the day. Let money management compound results.
    – Example math: aiming for ~11–12.5% per week via steady, repeatable small gains is far more achievable and sustainable than chasing massive one‑offs.

    Practical reminders & warnings
    – Prefer index futures for cleaner, more predictable action (ES/NQ). Be careful with FX and crypto—structural risks (CBDC, pegging) and extreme, sudden volatility make them riskier.
    – Avoid system‑hopping and trying to mix every teacher’s ideas; pick a model/cookie‑cutter and apply it consistently until proven in your journal/demo.
    – Trading can have severe personal consequences. If you have debilitating emotional responses to money lost or gained, address that before trading live.

    Concrete action checklist
    1. Do 3–6 months of backtesting; then 3–6 months tape‑reading/demo trading.
    2. Keep a private, positive, detailed trading journal (screenshots + quick narrative).
    3. Identify personal weaknesses (impulsivity, substances, emotional triggers) and mitigate them.
    4. Learn market‑structure + seasonality (watch SPX/NQ/DOW divergences) to form bias.
    5. Use fair value gaps/order blocks/imbalances for entries; always use stop losses.
    6. Personalize risk; consider trading against only 30% of funded buying power.
    7. Target small, repeatable objectives (low‑hanging fruit) and let compounding/money management do the rest.

    End note
    – The speaker emphasizes discipline, humility, and sustained effort. If you commit to the process—backtesting, journaling, tape‑reading and conservative risk management—you can achieve consistent results.

  • Morning Routine Before Trading | November 27, 2022

    Summary — key points from the ICT

    – Morning routine (practical): hydrate (20 oz water), eat a half banana for potassium, stretch. Then review your market prep (economic calendar, weekly analysis) and have a pen/pad for notes.

    – Pre-session checklist: always consult an economic calendar (filter medium/high-impact events and relevant pairs/instruments). Revisit your prior (weekend) weekly analysis to see if anything changed while you were away.

    – Weekly-bias framework: pick a weekly bias on the weekend by asking whether the coming weekly candle’s largest expansion is likely up or down (not predicting the weekly close). That bias becomes your primary “buy model” or “sell model” for intraday sizing and trade selection.

    – Institutional flow and liquidity: markets are driven by large, slow institutional flows. Trade setups are often the result of engineered moves (opposite, short-term drops or spikes during news) that draw retail liquidity — these are the opportunities to trade into (e.g., runs for sell-side liquidity when you want to go long).

    – Entry concepts: look for runs into: (a) lows that draw liquidity, or (b) fair value gaps / imbalances (SIBI/CBI concepts). Use intraday timeframes (15m as a bellwether, down to 1m for execution examples) but always frame trades within the weekly/daily context.

    – Position sizing & leverage rules: use maximum leverage for trades that align with your weekly bias. If you trade against the weekly bias, reduce size to ~50% (or less). Build positions in the direction of institutional flow; avoid large leverage on counter-bias trades.

    Trade-management rules (practical discipline):
    – Use stop losses (you can’t know outcomes).
    – Two-trade morning rule: if you lose two specified trades (first larger, second ≤50% size), stop trading for the day (or PM session). After a losing day, reduce risk on next trading day (e.g., trade 2 contracts if prior losses were 10 & 5 until you recover a set percentage).
    – Take partials, leave a small runner to target liquidity; don’t overstay positions or turn intraday guesses into long swing exposures.

    – Loss & drawdown mindset: losing trades are inevitable; manage how you lose, log every trade, and rebuild systematically. Backtesting, journaling and repetitive practice create “pseudo-experience” and pattern recognition.

    – Market choice & study advice: concepts transfer across asset classes (Forex, indices, commodities), but for real-time examples study US index futures (ES/NQ) since data and examples are easy to observe. Forex can be highly manipulated and less consistent; trade what fits your location, regulation and comfort.

    – Career / lifestyle advice: don’t quit your job until you have consistent profitability for ~2 years, two years of living expenses saved, and recommended minimum trading equity (~$100k). Avoid trying to hurry success for social media or funded-account fame.

    – Teaching philosophy: develop your own adapted model — don’t blindly copy. Specialize in one (or two) markets and timeframes that suit your personality. Embrace the discipline of backtesting and journaling; patience and repetition are required.

    – Current environment & final cautions: markets have become tougher and more event-driven recently; expect choppiness and false moves. Be conservative, stick to rules, and avoid chasing hype or “get-rich-quick” bootcamp promises.

  • How To Study ICT Properly | November 26, 2022

    Summary — How to study ICT (Michael J. Huddleston)

    – Start with a clear mission statement and a study journal. Write why you’re studying, which market/instrument and time frame you’ll specialize in, and record questions, trades, wins and losses.

    – Follow a defined study order — begin with the 2022 mentorship (one video per day), then the core content, then the Market Maker Primer. Don’t cherry‑pick videos from algorithms or social media.

    – Build a single, simple trading model (the 2022 model is the recommended baseline). Apply a limited set of tools (fair value gaps, breakers, order‑flow entry drills, turtle‑style ideas) rather than forcing every tool on every trade.

    – Practice in demo/paper first. Only you decide when to go live — start tiny, low leverage, and expect psychological changes when real money is involved (flip a coin for your first tiny live trade if needed to get past fear).

    – Accept that losses happen. Log mistakes honestly, learn from them, and avoid selective sharing of wins on social media. Consistency and boring discipline beat flashy, risky behavior.

    – Manage risk and position sizing carefully: excellent charting without risk control can still blow your account.

    – Mindset and personal life matter. Resolve personal issues, control impatience and emotional motivations (wanting to prove people wrong, escape pain, or chase instant results) — these commonly sabotage traders.

    – Be patient and diligent: disciplined daily chart study (review ranges, weekly/daily context) and sustained practice — often months to a year — are required to become consistently profitable.

    – Final note: ICT emphasizes practical, no‑nonsense teaching, wants students to succeed, and will be offline until February 7, 2023.