Tag: ict

  • 2025 Storytellers Series – Dollar & EurUsd June 05, 2025

    2025 Storytellers Series – Dollar & EurUsd June 05, 2025

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08d62cZDXUk

    – Context: Storytellers Series (episode 3), June 5, 2025 — focused on the dollar index and EUR/USD (not covering other FX pairs). The presenter is not actively trading Forex and treats it separately from his index-futures work.

    – Big-picture view: Global trade friction, tariffs and geopolitical risk are creating chaotic fundamentals. The presenter believes this environment is broadly negative for the U.S. dollar and that a softer dollar (higher EUR/USD) is the more likely outcome.

    – Market stance: Not bullish on the dollar index; expects lower dollar levels over time unless major geopolitical tensions unexpectedly resolve. He sees the broader market as risk-on (stocks can still rally), which supports a weaker dollar.

    – Technical approach: Analysis relies on technical constructs across timeframes—weekly, daily, hourly, 15-min, and 5-min—using concepts like fair value gaps, inversions, buy/sell-side efficiency, liquidity pools and order blocks. Key higher-timeframe sell-side liquidity and inversion gaps are focal points for downside targets.

    – Near-term triggers and risks: Employment and upcoming nonfarm payroll (NFP) data can change the picture; recent employment data caused short-term moves. Heavy manipulation and wide, unpredictable ranges are possible, making FX trading riskier now.

    – Practical cautions: He warns inexperienced or undercapitalized traders not to over-leverage or trade impulsively—profitability is difficult in the current FX climate. This commentary is opinion, not trading advice.

    – Frequency: He plans to post daily-ish EUR/USD and dollar-index updates when relevant, but remains cautious and will keep precise trade-levels private until warranted.

  • Welcome Colorblind | May 24, 2025

    ICT uses the metaphor of a love letter unfolding to describe the journey from beginner excitement to disciplined trading. Early on traders are romantic about quick profits and often copy others; that short-term enthusiasm can turn to fear, jealousy, and distraction—especially from social media. The core message: focus on process, not individual outcomes. Be “colorblind” to trades (don’t fixate on black/red results); follow your rules, manage risk, and develop your own model. Losing trades and drawdowns are normal and valuable for learning; take personal responsibility rather than blaming others or chasing influencers. The speaker values humility, vulnerability, and long-term discipline, and wants students to become independent enough that they no longer need his guidance.

  • ICT Shotgun Saturday – Confessions Of The Market Maker | May 17, 2025

    This talk addresses how attention, marketing and social media manipulate traders’ emotions and choices, and stresses disciplined, realistic trading backed by risk management and process.

    Key points:
    – Visuals, influencers and ads sell emotion and community more than truth; they prime people to chase trends and short-term gratification.
    – Successful trading depends on a repeatable model, sound risk management, small consistent edges (e.g., disciplined scalps), and resisting adrenaline-driven overleverage.
    – Most new traders fail quickly because they trade too big, import personal weaknesses (impulsiveness, entitlement) into the market, or chase hype.
    – Real education focuses on identifying and managing your psychological flaws, building protocols and practicing consistent execution—not showing off results or secret indicators.
    – The speaker encourages responsibility, realistic goals (paying bills, steady gains) and joining communities that emphasize learning and process over celebrity or marketing.

    Overall: ignore flashy marketing, know yourself, follow a clear model with strict risk controls, and prioritize consistency over chasing improbable wins.

  • Something New Under The Sun | May 10, 2025

    Summary — “Something New Under the Sun”

    – Purpose: a long, candid talk defending ICT’s originality and teaching, explaining why his methods work, and advising traders on mindset, practice and what to avoid.

    – Originality vs. influences: He credits older traders/books (Larry Williams, Connors & others) for inspiration but argues his methods (SMT/smart-money technique, fair-value gaps, PD arrays, time-based macro ideas) are distinct, refined and practically applied to modern electronic markets.

    – Core concepts taught:
    – Fair Value Gaps (first-presented FVG) and PD arrays as actionable levels.
    – SMT (relative strength / smart-money divergence) to time entries before liquidity runs.
    – Emphasis on time-based delivery (hourly/macros, 15s tape-reading) — markets are driven by predictable, scripted order-flow behaviors, not mystical “buying/selling pressure.”
    – Focus on identifying where liquidity/inefficiencies are and entering ahead of the move (not reacting/chasing).

    – Practical learning path: backtest → tape-read (observe, no demo) → demo trade → small live sizing. Journal KPIs and progress; measure consistently.

    – Mindset and personal development:
    – Expect adversity, setbacks and internal fear; success requires patience, discipline, and self-work more than a “silver-bullet” indicator.
    – Guard your trading process and don’t broadcast weaknesses; avoid hero-worship, shortcuts and chasing social-media validation.
    – Accept imperfect performance while improving incrementally; aim for consistency over perfection.

    – Critique of common retail practices:
    – Many indicators/schools (supply-demand zones, Ichimoku, Elliott, RSI lore) are gimmicky or too subjective.
    – Prop/“monetized demo” firms and excessive leverage encourage gambling behavior; better to grow one real account responsibly.
    – Public posturing, fake proofs and affiliate-driven marketing often mask lack of real, repeatable edge.

    – Social media & persona: He uses an abrasive persona deliberately to hold attention and provoke engagement; much of his teaching is given free and unmonetized to disarm critics and force students to do the work.

    – Evidence and challenge: He claims consistent, provable calls (public examples) and invites challengers to demonstrate superior live performance; asserts his framework yields repeatable edge that others can replicate if they do the work.

    – Opportunities beyond trading: once skilled, traders can monetize via streaming, signals, teaching, affiliate revenue, or institutional roles — multiple income streams reduce fear and improve trading objectivity.

    – Practical tips: study 15-second / low-timeframe tape-reading to see algorithmic patterns; use daily/weekly to define bias and short timeframes to spot execution points; learn when not to trade (macro events, seek-and-destroy weeks).

    – Final messages: do the hard work, journal, measure progress, avoid distractions and entitlement, and recognize there really is “something new under the sun” — a reproducible, time-based, institutional-informed approach to price that disciplined students can learn and apply.

  • Keys To Understanding The Present Market Narrative | May 3, 2025

    Summary:

    – Purpose: ICT thanks listeners and explains he’ll teach a focused lesson distinguishing two core trading concepts: market bias and narrative.

    – Bias vs. narrative:
    – Bias = simple directional view (bullish or bearish) on a chosen timeframe (daily, weekly, intraday).
    – Narrative = the practical story of how price will get to that target — the timing, the sequence of candles, where liquidity will be hunted and how order flow will deliver price.

    – Core mechanics: markets move by time-based, algorithmic delivery of liquidity, not by the naive “more buyers than sellers” story. Large participants and algos create predictable patterns (liquidity runs, order blocks, relative equal highs/lows).

    – Timeframes and fractals: the same principles apply across scales (15-second, 1-minute, 4-hour, daily). Studying sub-minute charts reveals repeatable time-based price behaviors that explain intraday moves.

    – Practical routine (homework): use the ict’s charts (he will post them) and study the morning session border (9:30–11:00 Eastern). Screenshot the 1-minute at session close, then examine sub-1-minute (15s) to identify relative equal highs/lows, times they form, and how price revisits them. Repeat daily to build pattern recognition.

    – Jigsaw metaphor: build the “border” (session range) first, then work inward. Session highs/lows, Asian session ranges and pre-market windows are key “border pieces” for narrative construction.

    – Risk management and psychology: placing stops and controlling position size is essential — accept that you’ll be wrong sometimes. Avoid chasing entries, impatience, and FOMO. Being disciplined and patient matters more than finding a “perfect entry.”

    – Indicators & tools: level-2, fancy indicators, volume profile, etc., are largely unnecessary if you understand liquidity, time, and price. ICT emphasizes simplicity: time and price behavior are sufficient.

    – Market environment: current markets are highly volatile and manipulated at times. That makes trading harder; prop firms and demo-funded models can be misleading. Be cautious with firms that frequently change rules or appear focused on customer acquisition rather than fair payout. Regulators may intervene.

    – Instructor’s stance: ICT shares decades of experience, doesn’t monetize these lessons, warns against influencer hype and materialism, and encourages focus on learning and disciplined practice over showmanship.

    – Takeaway: learn to distinguish bias (where you expect price to go) from narrative (how and when it will be delivered). Practice daily, study sub-minute price action within session windows, respect risk management, and build experience over weeks/months rather than chasing shortcuts.

  • Keys To Infinite Setups That Yield | April 26, 2025

    Main idea
    – Stop chasing indicators and “shiny” systems. Focus on time-based price delivery — predictable, recurring price runs that occur at specific sessions and times (session liquidity) — and build one repeatable trading model around them.

    Key principles and tactics
    – Prioritize session timing: the first hour (roughly 9:30–10:30 ET) is the busiest for order flow; watch 10:30–11:30 (London close overlap) and other session opens (AM/PM/London/GlobeEX) for consistent opportunities.
    – Use liquidity magnets: fair value gaps, new‑day/new‑week opening gaps, relative equal highs/lows, and previous-day/week highs & lows concentrate liquidity and are reliable targets.
    – Pick one PD (price-delivery) array or setup you understand and master it before learning others. Mastery and repetition are more valuable than constantly switching methods.
    – Trade futures when possible (uniform highs/lows across participants) rather than retail FX, which has inconsistent highs/lows across brokers.
    – Risk and execution: define your first partial‑profit target and stop before entering; accept that you will lose sometimes and cut losses quickly if the setup fails.
    – Practice: backtest and condition yourself (e.g., stay in market for an entire session on demo) to develop market feel and discipline.
    – Mental/behavioral: eliminate distraction, ignore social-media noise and “gurus,” be tenacious, and develop the discipline to follow your chosen model consistently until it yields.

    Outcome promised
    – By focusing on time-based, liquidity-driven setups and mastering one approach, you remove ambiguity, reduce stress, and create a reliable path to consistent trading performance and independence.

  • ICT Shotgun Saturday: A Murder Of Crows | April 12, 2025

    ICT uses personal stories (music soundtrack, a formative relationship, and early struggles) to show how people, habits and social pressures shape a developing trader. Key messages:

    – Identify and prune toxic relationships — your “murder of crows” can hold you back or encourage ego-driven behavior.
    – Don’t trade for validation or social-media applause; emotional trading and performing for others derail progress.
    – Filter outside stimuli carefully; guard your mind and let in only what supports your goals.
    – Journal your struggles and trades — recording failures and lessons is therapeutic and essential for growth.
    – Aim high (pick your “gold” goal), commit long-term, and accept the hard, slow growth process — adversity molds skill and courage.
    – Value the backstory (the work and hardship) more than flashy results; authentic success rarely comes overnight.
    – Be humble, serve others, and shift focus from “me” to purpose — that change transformed the speaker’s trading and life.
    – Become like an eagle: independent, focused, with clear vision and endurance, not merely clever like a crow.

    Overall: prune negative influences, build disciplined habits, keep perspective, and persist through growing pains to achieve lasting success.

  • Trading Nightmares For Dreamscapes | April 6, 2025

    “Trading Nightmares for Dreamscapes” — key points

    – Personal backstory: ICT describes starting from a low point—divorce, anxiety, and self-doubt—and how encouragement from a woman (Shannon) and her family sparked the confidence that launched his trading career. That emotional support became his early accountability and motivation.

    – Central message: Replace a self-defeating “nightmare” mindset with a proactive, optimistic “dreamscape” mindset. Mental framing determines trading behavior: negative self-talk and fear produce poor decisions; positive, nurturing self-talk produces consistency and discipline.

    – Journaling and self-talk: Keep a trading journal that reinforces learning and encouragement (not punishment). Record observations, emotional reactions, and lessons from each trade to identify personal weaknesses and remove toxic thought patterns.

    – Responsibility and accountability: Own every decision and mistake. Fix operator errors instead of blaming systems or luck. Use accountability partners or structure that prevents reckless risk-taking.

    – Risk-management rule of thumb: Trade small and consistent position sizes — he suggests starting extremely conservatively (examples like a quarter of 1% risk per trade) and never overleveraging. Compound returns sensibly rather than gambling for quick wins.

    – Focus and simplification: Limit yourself to one (or very few) markets to concentrate attention and develop mastery. Avoid following too many markets, indicators, or influencers that dilute focus.

    – Time-based, process-driven edge: Trading is driven by time and structure — wait for the right time/setup instead of guessing. He emphasizes 30‑minute context windows (e.g., the 30‑minute opening range around 1:30pm Eastern for afternoon setups) and concepts such as PD arrays, fair value gaps, order blocks, and institutional timing rather than generic indicators.

    – Practice discipline before real risk: Backtest, forward-test and tape-read to build a non-emotional experience base. Use demo/funded accounts cautiously; emotional responses to real money are different and must be trained for.

    – Avoid materialism and social-media posturing: Don’t trade to impress or to monetize lifestyle content. Flaunting “trophies” encourages reckless trading and unhealthy external validation—focus on sustainable habits and results.

    – Prune toxic influences: Remove or distance from family/friends or online communities that sow doubt, jealousy, or pressure to perform on others’ schedules. Be the positive guardian (parent/coach) of your future self.

    – Patience and steady work: There are no shortcuts—consistent study, disciplined execution, and incremental improvement lead to competence and confidence over time.

    – Final assurance: The speaker argues his approach is provable and teachable if applied consistently: wait for time/price-based setups, respect risk, journal constructively, and build discipline—then results will follow.

  • Fear & Greed – The Ties That Bind | March 14, 2025

    ICT uses a “daily candle” metaphor to frame each day’s productivity: the high is your maximum achievable output and the low is the minimum you accept. Success requires planning the next day before you wake (or before sleep), defining your operating hours/“kill zones,” and picking specific, realistic goals rather than chasing every distraction.

    Fear and greed are described as constant adversaries: greed tempts you to overreach after you’ve met goals; fear robs you of contentment by making you obsess over what you didn’t do. Both are defeated by discipline—predefined limits, patience (not impulsivity), and trading/working only with informed, high-probability setups.

    Practical advice: prune social media, drama, and approval-seeking (they steal attention and productivity); learn from mistakes rather than dwelling in regret; balance personal life and work to avoid burnout; focus only on what you can control. The presenter’s goal is to teach independence—implement these habits, “go ghost” on distractions, and you’ll sleep content and perform consistently.

  • Romancing The Uncertainty | October 5, 2024

    Summary:

    This long talk blends practical trading instruction, psychological coaching, life advice and Christian faith. ICTs main trading message is to “embrace the uncertainty” rather than “romance” it — accept market risk, identify high-probability conditions, and trade only when the environment favors you.

    Key trading points
    – Markets have predictable characteristics (time, price, liquidity, seasonality). Learn to read those rather than worship indicators.
    – Opening gaps: large gaps at 9:30 offer a measurable public (opening vs prior close) vs professional (open-to-close) dynamic. A gap higher often produces a 70% probability of trading back toward mid-gap in the first 30 minutes — use that as an edge.
    – Trade the environment: prefer low-resistance “liquidity runs” and avoid forcing trades in high-resistance/choppy conditions (e.g., nonfarm payrolls). Be patient and selective.
    – Execution practice: use short-timeframe drills (15s, 1min, 5min) to desensitize to entries, place stops/limits and accept that some trades will lose.
    – Risk management: start small (one contract), limit risk per trade (target 0.5–1.5% of equity), let compound growth do the work. Avoid overleveraging, multiple funded accounts and “hope-and-pray” trading.
    – Build repeatable processes: backtest, journal, and trade the same logic across timeframes (intraday to weekly).

    Psychological and community themes
    – Retail traders often fall prey to social-media-driven ego, quick-fix indicators, and public validation. That “romancing the uncertainty” leads to blown accounts and chronic underperformance.
    – Discipline, patience and self-knowledge matter more than chasing high returns. Trading selectively and preserving capital reduces stress and improves outcomes.
    – Seek real mentorship and practice (not hype). The speaker emphasizes building confidence through small, repeatable wins and warns against following loud online personalities who monetize attention.

    Practical life & money advice
    – Treat yourself like a small enterprise: be financially literate, build a nest egg (the speaker recommends large safety buffers before quitting a job), live below your means and use compound returns.
    – Use trading as a tool to help others and stabilize your life; avoid flashy consumption and the “new-money” trap.
    – Mentorship is intended to create independent, disciplined traders who can support families and communities.

    Personal & spiritual message
    – ICT attributes his teaching and personal guidance to his Christian faith, shares personal testimonies, and urges listeners to “get their house in order” spiritually.
    – He plans to reduce the public “ICT” persona and focus more on faith-centered content (Berean Study channel), encouraging listeners to test their faith and live generously.
    – He also warns of geopolitical and societal turbulence ahead and combines spiritual preparedness with practical readiness.

    Tone and intent
    – The talk is direct and at times confrontational: it pushes responsibility onto each listener (you are the primary cause of your problems), rejects social-media spectacle, and promotes humility, discipline and service to others.
    – The overall aim is to teach repeatable trading skills, strengthen character, encourage financial prudence, and inspire spiritual reflection and generosity.