“ICT Mastermind” Trader Roundup conversation led by Kitt with ICT (Michael J. Huddleston) and multiple speakers. They discuss tapping into intuition, mentorship and mastermind community support, and applying ICT trading models (notably the 2022 model, SMT, CISD, liquidity runs, and wick/gradient concepts including a “John Wick” example).
Several participants share personal journeys: Manos describes years of losses, demo focus, and recent progress; others describe using premarket mapping and liquidity concepts.
The group shifts heavily into health, fasting, carnivore/ketogenic diets, autophagy, insulin resistance, and chronic disease, with Michael describing prediabetic symptoms, dietary changes, and quality-of-life improvements. They emphasize journaling, discipline, avoiding emotional toxicity while trading, balanced living, and risk management, including one trader doubling a small account and extracting the initial deposit.
1. According to ICT, what is the real reason markets move? a) Economic
news releases b) Random retail trading activity c) Delivery of
price to rebalance inefficiencies d) Government intervention
Answer: c) Delivery of price to rebalance inefficiencies
Evidence: “The market is delivered algorithmically to
rebalance price delivery inefficiencies.”
2. What does ICT say traders must understand before trying to make money?
a) Complex indicators b) Broker spreads c) How price is
delivered d) High-frequency trading software
Answer: c) How price is delivered
Evidence: “You have to understand how price is delivered
before you can even think about trying to make money from it.”
3. According to ICT, what is the purpose of consolidation in the market?
a) To create random volatility b) To accumulate or distribute
positions c) To confuse retail traders d) To follow economic
news cycles
Answer: b) To accumulate or distribute positions
Evidence: “Consolidation is accumulation or distribution.
It’s not random.”
4. What does ICT say about liquidity? a) It is irrelevant to price
movement b) It is created by retail traders c) It is a byproduct
of volatility d) It is engineered and sought by price
Answer: d) It is engineered and sought by price
Evidence: “Liquidity is engineered. Price seeks liquidity.”
5. According to ICT, what is required to become consistently profitable?
a) A large starting account b) Patience and discipline c)
Copying institutional trades d) Trading every market session
Answer: b) Patience and discipline
Evidence: “You have to be patient. You have to be
disciplined.”
In a livestream discussion, Michael (ICT) and participants discuss growing confidence in his mentorship series, especially using lower timeframes to see market structure. A trader asks about market maker buy/sell model phases in high-resistance “barcoding” conditions; Michael explains these models belong to low-resistance liquidity runs, advising either dropping to sub‑minute charts where smaller-degree models appear or not trading/ranging markets.
They cover managing Opening Range Gap (ORG) levels, with Michael recommending beginners keep only the last three days, but also keep the last two Mondays and two Fridays because their ORGs often act as liquidity magnets; he notes sweet-spot ORG sizes and that gradient levels apply to any inefficiency/wick.
Michael advises novices to focus on one mechanical model to measure progress and build experience before broad discretion. He answers questions on V-shaped reversals using inversion/fair value gaps and cautions that detailed technical questions should be sent with charts on X.
A trader shares that prop funding harmed psychology and encouraged shortcuts, emphasizing patience and process.
Quiz (click to reveal)
1. Market Maker Buy/Sell Models primarily occur during: A) High resistance liquidity conditions B) News events only C) Low resistance liquidity run conditions D) Consolidation after macro time
C
2. If price is in a high resistance “barcode” condition on a 5m or 15m chart, what is recommended? A) Force trades using the same model B) Drop to lower timeframes C) Add more indicators D) Only trade breakouts
B
3. In high resistance conditions, ICT suggests you should: A) Always look for accumulation & distribution phases B) Trade aggressively C) Either drop to very low timeframes, sit on your hands, or trade another market D) Only use macro time
C
4. A true Market Maker model includes which of the following components? (Select all that apply) ☐ Accumulation ☐ Two distribution stages ☐ Smart money reversal ☐ Low-risk sell ☐ Random breakout
☑ Accumulation
☑ Two distribution stages
☑ Smart money reversal
☑ Low-risk sell
⛔ Random breakout
5. Opening Range Gaps have approximately what probability of trading to half-gap? A) 50% B) 60% C) 70% D) 90%
C
6. What is considered the “sweet spot” handle range for trading the opening range? A) 20–30 handles B) 40 handles C) 70–100 handles D) 150+ handles
ICT Mastermind “Trader Roundup” live discussion hosted by Kit with ICT (Michael Huddleston) and multiple participants reacting to a new mentorship lecture centered on defining “key levels” and how time and price align through a PD Array “matrix/grid.” Traders share personal takeaways: being patient, avoiding rushing entries, managing leverage and stops, and waiting for price to trade to PD arrays that overlap key levels (rather than trading breakout/retest).
Michael explains that key levels and gaps are repeating, specific phenomena that create a grid for anticipating liquidity draws across sessions, emphasizing anticipating instead of reacting. He lists and discusses key levels such as new week opening gaps, new day opening gaps, RTH/opening range gaps (with gradient levels and consequent encroachment), and highlights how overlapping PD arrays (fair value gaps, order blocks, inefficiencies) at these levels improve precision; he contrasts this with generic “opening range breakout” approaches.
Participants discuss inside-day definitions using candle bodies, SMT divergence being higher probability around liquidity runs and volatility injections (often around 9:30), and using midpoints/consequent encroachment to assess high-resistance conditions.
Michael answers specific questions including: keeping a rolling five days of prior ranges/levels on charts; daily chart behavior around a noted wick and a fair value gap; how to prioritize PD arrays (wick takes precedence over imbalance; fair value gaps/imbalances are more salient than volume imbalance); order block marking rules (body is key for the initial/inception order block that shifts delivery; subsequent order blocks can be traded using wick ranges/consequent encroachment); and that body-based inside days function similarly to classic inside days as a volatility precursor.
Several speakers share personal stories (e.g., a 66-year-old beginner trading the 9:50–10:10 macro with micros, a 23-year-old Nigerian student balancing engineering finals, and others trading 2024 mentorship models), while the session also notes technical audio issues on X and ends with plans for another space on Thursday.
In a live Trader Roundup discussion, Michael explains that traders should start with one micro contract to minimize leverage, desensitize themselves to losses, and remove urgency around needing the first trade to win. He recommends deliberately taking an initial micro trade (even by flipping a coin) with a defined stop to experience that “baptism of fire,” then reflecting on emotions, accountability pressures (often toward spouses or others), and adopting the mindset of running one’s trading like a business (CEO/CFO/HR), focusing on risk control and process over outcomes. He compares small trading losses to everyday spending and emphasizes that controlling drawdown prevents account “hemorrhaging” and builds confidence.
Multiple traders share experiences: Joe (22, Morocco) trades the opening range gap and first-presented fair value gaps (targeting 50%) with a claimed ~70% win rate but struggles with emotional control when seeing red P/L; a participant suggests hiding P/L on TradingView, and Joe says trading micros helped him stop rushing payouts and improved consistency. Alex (26) describes using first presentations, quadrants, inversions, and “footholds,” and says sizing down to micros helped him get funded after struggling and seeing others’ fast payouts. Zazu (19, Tunisia) recounts severe anxiety with prop firm pressure, blowing an account quickly, then reducing size, detaching from outcomes, using isolation, self-talk, walks/runs, and listening to ICT spaces to manage emotions; he expresses gratitude for ICT’s impact on his life.
Other speakers reinforce themes: a trader from the Dominican Republic describes repeatedly blowing prop accounts with minis and improving by simplifying, detaching from money, discipline, gym activity, and faith; an Armenian-American from Los Angeles discusses journaling, backtesting, using market maker model context, first presentations, and grading wicks/imbalances; he asks about first presentations older than five days, and Michael explains the “5” lookback is to avoid clutter, but older first presentations can matter when aligned with session context and higher-timeframe dealing ranges and draw-on-liquidity logic. John asks why setups didn’t form cleanly this week; Michael cites a weekly doji near the weekly open, OPEX/theta burn, rangebound conditions, and reduced follow-through, advising fewer trades and waiting for higher-probability setups. He answers a question on the price delivery continuum as top-down alignment across timeframes using PD arrays. Papi Trades (33, in Paris) shares needing to return to work after prop firm struggles and asks about balancing work and trading; Michael advises building cash reserves (2–3 years), avoiding undercapitalization, and not rushing full-time trading. Another participant asks about “opposite” first presentations; Michael says he has not fully disclosed it and will cover it later.
Austin (38, South Carolina) shares a three-year journey and asks about aligning monthly/weekly/daily timing for larger expansions; Michael says such alignment exists but depends on market conditions, noting current unprecedented compression and advising trading within ranges rather than demanding highs/lows. Chartist asks about volume imbalances; Michael frames them as common gaps/inefficiencies often revisited and discusses time-based delivery behavior consistent with AMD. Dom asks how displacement relates to buying/selling pressure; Michael says displacement is a signal of algorithmic delivery and institutional participation rather than simple auction pressure.
Near the end, Michael rejects risking 20% of an account and addresses “six-figure months,” recommending building consistency by trading one micro for weeks (e.g., aiming for ~5% weekly), compounding over time, and warning that many claims of huge monthly income are exaggerated. He emphasizes discipline, repetition, and following a consistent model, and notes fundamentals are more useful as higher-timeframe context while intraday trading remains focused on inefficiencies and PD arrays. The session ends as Michael leaves for family time
In a live trading community conversation, a participant asks where the market-controlling “algorithm” is hosted (CME/NY4/NSA involvement). Michael (ICT) responds that no one can prove or tour a central location, says he personally doesn’t believe it’s in the United States, and argues the best “evidence” is repeated precision in price behavior at specific levels and times. He insists the algorithm is based on open/high/low/close, dismissing range bars, tick charts, Renko, and similar chart types, and says markets must be controlled to prevent collective speculation from destabilizing critical markets like treasuries.
The discussion touches on silver’s recent volatility as an example of the algorithm “turning up the dial” where attention is highest, and mentions possible future shifts in volatility depending on metals contract expirations and geopolitical events such as a war with Iran affecting energy prices. A participant speculates Switzerland; ICT says that would be “close,” references major settlement institutions, and notes Switzerland as a place where “high seats” are.
The conversation then shifts to community trade recap and mentorship topics: members discuss hitting bearish and bullish targets, unmitigated settlement prices, and ICT concepts across timeframes (including five-second and fifteen-second charts), with emphasis on higher-timeframe context like the weekly open and a weekly doji/compression on a Friday news/opex day.
Another speaker praises ICT’s earlier remarks about prop firms, arguing many traders become dependent on prop rules and affiliate marketing, and warns firms can change rules and deny payouts. ICT reiterates that traders should invest in themselves using free material, avoid chasing shiny promises from props/gurus/courses, backtest simple ideas like time-of-day highs/lows, and focus on understanding the repeating logic behind his PD arrays rather than seeking gimmicks or social-media validation.
He describes teaching as a legacy for his children, references trading with his son Cameron observing levels being hit in real time, and frames the community space as a supportive forum where traders share struggles and learn paths toward consistency.
Kitt says an X Space was repeatedly disconnected (“rug pull”) despite attempts to add co-hosts, and apologizes to Michael and listeners for the connection issues.
After reconnecting, the conversation recalls Michael’s earlier points about trusting oneself, manifestation, and faith in the Lord, including the phrase “the Lord inhabits the praise.”
A listener asks whether current conditions resemble the Great Depression, referencing grandparents’ lessons on canning, gardening, hunting, sewing, and self-sufficiency; Michael says history often leads to disorder and war, argues crises are planned with solutions pre-made (citing COVID as an example), and urges preparation, humility, and using money as a tool to fortify family and help others rather than flaunting wealth online.
Michael shares a personal story of becoming briefly homeless and sleeping in his car with his child due to financial decisions made under pressure, using it to warn that desperation and life circumstances can disrupt trading even when the skill exists, and that people should be able to sustain themselves without trading for long periods.
A caller from Detroit, Raffi, says he is unemployed, doing DoorDash, using prop firms, and facing tax foreclosure; others challenge his “victim mindset” and emphasize that trading from desperation leads to gambling and losses, advising him to prioritize stable work, focus on accumulating knowledge, and use demo/drills rather than trying to save his situation with trades. Michael asks details and learns Raffi has owned his home seven years, owes about $5,000–$6,000 in taxes, earns about $150–$180 on a good DoorDash night, has five children total (four at home), and his wife does not work; Michael advises getting additional income, resting, and securing housing first because “trading won’t go away, but your house can go away.”
Another speaker offers help and suggests a personal loan plan for the tax amount, and multiple speakers recommend showing up to construction job sites with tools, finding a second/night-shift job (e.g., concierge/front desk), and delaying live trading until life pressure is reduced. The group reiterates Michael’s approach of keeping trading simple with very small size (e.g., one micro and modest daily targets) and compounding over time. The host notes ongoing connection problems, thanks everyone, ends the Space, and says they will do another next Friday and welcomes thoughtful screenshots with questions for follow-up.
A live conversation where speakers discuss concerns about food and health, claiming “fake meat” is being pushed while alleging mRNA is being injected into meat and that cancer “cures” will be delivered by syringe. One speaker recommends halal meat for cleanliness but says it would not remove mRNA, describes being “pure blood,” and recounts a childhood vaccination event involving his youngest child’s blood pressure crash and later learning differences. He criticizes chemotherapy as ineffective, suggests nutrition changes (especially removing carbs and sugar) could have helped his grandfather with pancreatic cancer, and mentions fenbendazole and ivermectin as potential aids.
The group emphasizes buying food directly from farms, promoting paleo-ketogenic, high-fat/high-protein diets (raw butter, organ meats), and avoiding processed foods; they cite widespread antibiotic use in livestock and contamination of grains/beans with pesticides and glyphosate, and discuss fluoride, aluminum, and geoengineering as harmful.
The conversation shifts to politics and conspiracy topics, including Epstein-related documents, allegations of “disclosure, missing government trillions, and claims of a “Luciferian” power structure. Speakers speculate about engineered civil unrest (“zombie apocalypse” as code), false-flag events, depopulation, and government preparation (food storage, officials’ security measures). They argue the system is designed to push people toward snapping while remaining comfortable enough not to act.
Later, they return to personal health practices: elimination diets, cutting sugar and bread, improved resting heart rate and blood pressure, and discussion of parasites and turmeric for inflammation.
A major emotional segment features a participant thanking Michael for his “Berean Study” YouTube channel, describing how it led him to church and baptism in Jesus Christ’s name, and sharing that the experience felt more liberating than money or trading success. Michael responds that the testimony answers his doubts about reaching people, says he would rather focus on Bible teaching than trading, and gives advice on faith: read the Bible (he mentions reading it through with Alexander Scorby), talk to God openly, place God above all else, and live with daily gratitude and praise. Other participants affirm the impact of Michael’s beliefs and teaching across different religious backgrounds.
– 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.
– Purpose: Michael teaches traders how to identify and overcome the internal barriers (anxiety, fear, impulsivity, ego) that prevent consistent trading performance, and gives practical methods to manage stress so you can think and trade clearly.
– Guard your learning environment: create a “Fortress of Solitude” — a physical and intellectual space where you study a single reliable method, cut off conflicting external opinions and social-media noise, and avoid trying to learn from every influencer.
– Be self-focused in development: for a while you must be self-centered about studying and practicing. That’s not selfish — it reduces outside influence, helps you discover if trading truly suits you, and prevents destructive comparison/competition.
– Journal everything: keep a serious trading journal (not a scribble pad). Record hypotheses, minute markers, emotions, confidence levels and outcomes. Use it to identify recurring character flaws, measure progress, and replace toxic self-talk with constructive self-coaching.
– Accept uncertainty; don’t need to be “right”: a reliable model and disciplined process are more important than being right on any single trade. Learn to accept losses as part of the process and trade size according to your equity and skill level.
– Practice with low risk: use demo accounts, micro lots, or reduced leverage when desensitizing to real-money stress and when recovering a loss. This builds confidence without creating scar tissue from big early losses.
– Avoid social-media-driven validation: don’t trade to impress others or to chase quick feel‑good wins. Publicizing results or chasing clout increases pressure, which worsens decision-making and emotional reactivity.
– Health and lifestyle matter: chronic stress harms sleep, digestion, blood pressure and long-term health. Managing physiological stress is central to lasting trading performance.
– Practical stress-control techniques (use immediately when stressed):
– Self-talk + reality check: say out loud “There is no emergency. I am safe. This is a stress reaction” to interrupt intrusive thoughts.
– One-minute pulse count: find your pulse and count beats for 60 seconds while focusing on the counting (interrupts rumination and activates calm).
– Progressive muscle tension/release: tense all muscles for up to ~2 minutes then slowly relax — burns off adrenaline.
– Breathing cycle (one effective routine): fully exhale, hold 4s, inhale slowly 4–5s (belly breathing), top-off sniff, hold 2–3s, exhale slowly for double the inhale time (8–10s). Repeat 2–3 times.
– Quick reset via eye/face actions: hold eyes rotated to one side for ~30s then the other — often triggers a sigh/yawn and parasympathetic response.
– Vagus nerve stimulation: light stroking behind ears down neck or gentle circular pressure in the belly button area for 2–3 minutes while breathing slowly — helps turn on the parasympathetic system.
– If possible, walk for 20 minutes to burn off adrenaline.
– Recognize warning signs: racing breath, heart palpitations, dizziness, tingling, or a sense of impending doom signal rising sympathetic activation. Apply the techniques above early to prevent cortisol release and full panic.
– Be realistic and patient: trading proficiency is earned, not instant. Resist short attention‑span fixes, focus on detailed practice, and accept a deferred, disciplined path to consistent profitability.
– If you have severe or persistent mental-health symptoms, seek professional medical or psychological care (and get second opinions as needed).
Overall: build a protected learning environment, journal and practice deliberately with low risk, manage physiological stress with concrete techniques, prioritize health, and trade from a disciplined, process‑driven mindset rather than from fear, ego or social validation.
Quiz
1) According to ICT, what is the main purpose of keeping a trading journal?
A. To post on social media and gain followers
B. As an intellectual Fortress of Solitude to identify character flaws, track progress and manage stress
C. To calculate taxes and accounting entries
D. To share every trade publicly for validation
2) What does ICT strongly advise about outside sources of trading information when you are learning?
A. Invite as many opinions as possible to accelerate learning
B. Cut off other sources of information to avoid conflicting input and paralysis
C. Follow only influencer tips for quick wins
D. Rely exclusively on forums and Discord for confirmation
3) Which breathing routine does ICT teach to quickly break the onset of anxiety/panic?
A. Quick shallow breaths for 30 seconds, then resume trading
B. Exhale fully and hold 4 seconds; inhale slowly 4–5 seconds; sniff to top off; hold 2–3 seconds; exhale slowly for double the inhale (8–10s); repeat 2–3 times
C. Hyperventilate for 10 breaths then hold breath for as long as possible
D. Take one deep inhale and immediately resume activity
4) ICT describes two places on the body to stimulate the vagus nerve to calm down. Which pair is correct?
A. Temples and forehead
B. Behind the ears/along sides of the neck (light stroking) and the belly button (gentle counterclockwise pressure)
C. Soles of the feet and palms of the hands
D. Knees and elbows
5) To desensitize yourself to trading stress and practice recovery with less risk, ICT recommends:
A. Putting all available capital into a single live funded account immediately
B. Using demo accounts and trading with the smallest leverage (micro-lots) so you can practice, de-risk and build baseline KPIs
C. Following signal services and copying every trade
D. Only watching five-minute videos and avoiding execution
Answer Key with evidence
Q1 — B
Evidence: “and from an intellectual stance your Fortress of Solitude is your Journal” (0:17:53.480–0:17:58.400). Also: “when you Journal it puts a microscope right over top of that and you’re in N Fortress of Solitude… it’s a controlled environment… it makes you better as a Trader and it’ll help you wrestle fear” (1:01:28.880–1:01:37.960).
Q2 — B
Evidence: “if you’re can come to me I encourage rather aggressively that you need to cut all other sources of information off” (0:09:30.760–0:09:34.160). And: “in the beginning when you first start start learning it causes paralysis… conflicting input from other people’s opinion” (0:11:10.040–0:11:18.160).
Q3 — B
Evidence: Detailed breathing routine: “breathe it all out first… hold that empty lung state for 4 seconds… slowly breathe in… breathe in from your belly… four to 5 Seconds… at the point when you breathe in… quickly sniff through your nose the last little piece… hold that for two to three seconds and then slowly let the air fall out but with pursed lips… Exhale at least for eight seconds to 10 seconds” (3:12:41.399–3:14:04.520). And reinforcement: “at the end of the exhalation hold it for 4 seconds and then repeat it do that three times you got no [ __ ] anxiety… you got no [ __ ] pan attack” (3:16:29.720–3:16:34.640).
Q4 — B
Evidence: Vagus-neck stimulation: “there’s two places in our body where it’s closest to the surface of the skin… it’s directly behind your ears at the bottom of your ear lobe… go back about a half an inch… put your index fingers on the corner of your jaw bone and then go back about a half an inch… go straight up to where you you’re behind your ear… lightly… straight down the sides of your neck… you’re stimulating your vagus nerve” (3:17:279–3:17:47.040). Belly-button stimulation: “place your middle finger inside your belly button as deep as you can… slowly make a circular pattern… counterclockwise… do that for two to three minutes… you’re stimulating that vagus nerve” (3:38:33.840–3:38:44.279).
Q5 — B
Evidence: Demo account invitation: “you’re invited to have a demo account this week CU we’re all going to be pushing buttons I want you to see what it feels like” (0:53:32.079–0:53:35.599). Micro-lot recommendation: “trade with the least amount of money… trade with the smallest amount of Leverage… go down into micro Lots… you take that $200 loss back using the smallest amount of Leverage” (1:58:28.480–1:59:36.480).
– ICT: an experienced trader/educator giving candid advice to new/aspiring traders about common pitfalls and how to build a durable trading career. – Main pitfalls: unrealistic expectations (expecting overnight riches or to trade like influencers), peer-driven performance (trading to impress or compete), and “lead-dog” behavior (trying to be the loudest/first without the skill). – Practical mindset: trading is performance- and process-oriented. Focus on your own results, take personal responsibility, and avoid comparing yourself to social‑media performances. – Concrete goals: prioritize consistency over spectacle — a modest target (e.g., ~2% per week) using very small risk (he suggests risking as little as 0.25% per trade) and letting compound growth do the rest. – Risk management: avoid overleveraging, don’t chase losses, control position size after drawdowns, and preserve capital above seeking big, risky wins. – Process habits: study, chart time, take notes, journal trades, and practice entries/management in low-risk/demo settings until you can replicate results reliably. – Trading environment: avoid trying to trade high-volatility events (FOMC, CPI, NFP) unless your model is proven there; use sentiment (chat windows) as a real‑time indicator to fade retail behavior. – Social media: it can be useful (community, secondary income, sentiment) and provides tax/entrepreneurial benefits if you monetize properly — but don’t let it dictate your trading or audience-manage you. Beware of funded-account schemes and flashy “leaderboard” stunts. – Personal realities: trading doesn’t remove life problems (breakups, depression, family obligations). Expect setbacks, learn from them, and don’t hide mistakes — accountability and humility speed learning. – Closing encouragement: develop the core skillset, be patient and disciplined, protect your mind, and treat trading like a business — steady, boring execution compounded over time produces real, lasting results.
Quiz
1) According to ICT, what is the first “pitfall and plague” of trading?
A. Overdiversifying your portfolio
B. Unrealistic expectations or results you think you have to have
C. Ignoring economic calendars
D. Relying solely on algorithmic trading
2) What realistic performance objective does ICT recommend for traders trying to find consistency?
A. 10% per month risking 5% per trade
B. 2% per week risking one quarter of 1% (0.25%) per trade
C. 100% per year risking 10% per trade
D. 0.01% per day risking 0.001% per trade
3) What does ICT describe as “peer-driven performance”?
A. Trading only when peers are quiet
B. Trading to impress others or to match influencers—often overleveraging or changing your plan to perform for an audience
C. Using sentiment indicators exclusively
D. Focusing on long-term buy-and-hold strategies
4) What is the “lead dog” pitfall ICT warns about?
A. Trying to follow the oldest trader in a chatroom
B. Being the first to trade a new market instrument
C. Trying to be the loudest, most visible influencer (lead dog) without the real skill — the lead dog is often the first to get trapped
D. Copying institutional order flow blindly
5) What does ICT say about journaling and tracking progress?
A. Journaling is optional if you watch enough videos
B. If you are not journaling you have no baseline measurement and cannot judge real progress
C. Only journal your winning trades
D. Use social media comments as your primary journal
Answer Key:
Q1 — Correct: B
Evidence: “the first Pitfall and plague of trading well is unrealistic expectations or results that you think that you have to have” (timestamp range 0:05:09.400–0:05:16.600).
Q2 — Correct: B
Evidence: “if you can make 2% a week that’s phenomenal … risking one quarter of 1% now that’s not sexy … but we’re talking about where you are right now” (timestamp range 0:13:27.440–0:14:27.959).
Q3 — Correct: B
Evidence: “second one peer driven performance … many times don’t even use a stop loss … you’re trying to trade for notoriety and for the sake of being a celebrity … you’re trying to do the maximum outcome” (timestamp range 0:39:44.400–0:40:56.040 and 0:46:42.640–0:47:01.599).
Q4 — Correct: C
Evidence: “lead dog Pitfall everybody wants to be the lead dog … if you don’t have the real skill to be lead dog you’re going to be the one that tries to pretend … lead dog is the first one that falls into the the pit” (timestamp range 1:00:03.000–1:00:36.440).
Q5 — Correct: B
Evidence: “you have to be journaling if you’re not journaling that’s an unrealistic result you have no Baseline measurement you have no way of being able to judge are you really seeing progress” (timestamp range 0:21:47.880–0:22:05.960).
