ICT Archivist

Tag: innercircletrader

  • February 28, 2026 | ICT Mastermind – Manos, Grim, GPRT Peter, Parth

    “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.”

  • February 27, 2026 | Trader Round Up – ICT Mastermind

    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

    C

  • February 23, 2026 | Trader Round Up – ICT Mastermind

    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.

  • February 20, 2026 | Trader Round Up – It’s Friday Yeah.

    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

  • TRU – ICT follow through | February 20, 2026

    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.

  • February 20, 2026 | That Which Props Up Ponzi Schemes

    ICT delivers an explicit, confrontational monologue arguing that online prop firms are untrustworthy, operate like Ponzi schemes, and routinely change rules to avoid payouts while encouraging financially stressed people to keep paying for evaluations with credit cards. He criticizes traders and educators— including some of his own students—who promote prop firms via affiliate codes, comparing them to enabling bartenders and “friendly neighborhood drug dealers,” and claims monetized opinions become compromised. He says he has no affiliations with brokers or firms and refuses sponsorships so he can speak freely, calling all brokers and prop firms dishonest.

    Citing his sons’ experiences, he says Caleb repeatedly failed to “beat” prop rules and Cameron only received a small payout after the speaker intervened; he urged Cameron to stop using prop firms, get a job, and trade a regulated live account instead. He describes forcing Cameron to work (including DoorDash) to build a $10,000 regulated brokerage account and reports Cameron grew it to about $12,600 in under two weeks and plans to wire out $2,500, emphasizing small, disciplined trading (one micro contract, no trading on some days) over chasing large payouts.

    He advises viewers to avoid prop firms, save at least $5,000, practice a repeatable model on demo properly, then transition gradually to live trading with minimal size, especially given he says current markets are unusually difficult and manipulated. He predicts coming litigation against prop firms, recounts a past Ponzi scheme example and other frauds to illustrate the mechanism, and closes by urging prop firms to treat customers fairly and viewers to stop funding them and stop gambling.

  • My Your Mark With Micros | February 13, 2026

    Summary:

    – ICT opened an unscripted trading discussion and noted he often gets asked for quick fixes or financial help but can’t bail everyone out.
    – Main topic: criteria for trading the “first presented fair value gap” (FPFVG), especially in the opening range (~9:31–10:00 ET).
    – Key entry conditions for an FPFVG:
    – It should fit a session narrative (e.g., a pre-session expectation that was “undelivered”).
    – Look for a clear displacement in the anticipated direction (a jolt/higher displacement for longs).
    – Prefer a protraction that jumps outside efficiency (buy-side bounce).
    – Size and volatility rules:
    – In the current high-volatility environment he uses larger minimums: ~10 handles on NASDAQ, ~3–5 handles on ES.
    – These thresholds evolved from prior rules because intraday ranges are now much wider.
    – Smaller gaps can still inform stop placement or position sizing but are often not traded as primary signals.
    – Execution & risk management:
    – Have a preconceived session bias (not necessarily a hard day bias).
    – If price trades back into the gap, start scaling in around the upper half of the gap.
    – Place stop just beyond the first candle’s low (± a tick). If stopped, wait for price to trade above the gap and try once more with the same stop; if stopped again, end trading for the session.
    – Don’t feel obligated to take every available FPFVG trade.
    – A participant raised a psychology question: they have solid technical skills and execution but self-sabotage when things go very well (example: growing $500 to $7,000), and they struggle to fix this recurring behavioral issue.

  • The Inner Circle Trader’s Space 10:41PM | February 13, 2026

    Summary:

    – A trader asked about using volume imbalances as profit targets and whether wicks that touch an imbalance invalidate it. Michael’s answer:
    – You can use the imbalance as a take-profit target, but be pragmatic — it’s fine to exit slightly before the level rather than waiting for a perfect hit. Trust your trade decision-making while you build the skill to hold for fuller moves.
    – Volume imbalances are flexible and can be traded multiple times because they are essentially common gaps with wicks passing through them. They do not become invalid simply because price wicks through.
    – An imbalance becomes effectively “invalid” for trading (entries, targets, stops) only when a full candle body closes over it on the same timeframe it formed (e.g., a weekly imbalance needs a weekly body close to be considered closed). If a substantial portion of a body lies inside the imbalance, Michael will stop using it and look for other PDAs.
    – By contrast, inversion fair value gaps have much stricter criteria and cannot be treated as flexibly.
    – Carry levels down to lower timeframes for use, but judge validity based on the timeframe of formation.

    – A second caller (Daniel) asked about trading psychology:
    – He has no trouble with technicals but struggles with overconfidence after winning streaks, which leads him to stop respecting risk and eventually suffer losses.

    – Key practical points: be flexible with volume imbalances, don’t insist on perfect exits, trust and train your decision-making, and stop using a PDA once its forming-timeframe candle body closes over it.

  • The Inner Circle Trader’s Space 10:55PM (NOT RECORDED) | February 13, 2026

    Summary:

    Trading psychology & tactics
    – Overconfidence after a winning streak (“Midas touch”) leads traders to over‑leverage and then panic when a loss comes. ICT stresses managing that impulse.
    – Practical rule: build plateaus — after a series of winning trades (example: five), scale back to the smallest size (one micro) rather than continually increasing risk. This limits drawdowns and emotional damage.
    – Income‑based trading: focus on steady, modest targets rather than chasing huge payouts. Example math: on a $5k base, aiming 7–12% weekly is realistic; one micro contract (≈$2/handle) can hit a daily/week target (e.g., ~37.5 handles per session) without excessive risk.
    – Use simple intraday tools he teaches (fair value gaps, liquidity runs, opening ranges) and trade with a consistent model; paper‑trade instead of immediately increasing size if you feel “cocky.”
    – Accept imperfection: small leverage and reasonable stops let you be profitable while still learning to scale. Implement “circuit breakers” for yourself (reduce leverage after stops).

    Preparedness & practical resilience
    – In discussion about living through hurricanes/civil disruptions (caller from Miami): recommended preparedness—generators, batteries, flashlights, water storage/filters, IBC totes, basic supplies—and the value of community mutual aid.
    – Consider redundant communications/internet (Starlink) if trading or needing connectivity during outages.

    Broader social/political concerns (ICT’s perspective)
    – Long-form cautionary commentary about perceived corruption, institutional failure, use of fear to control populations, and risks of future crises (disease scares, engineered events, or even nuclear fallout as hypotheticals presented).
    – Warns of the dangers of full digital currency and centralized control (ability to restrict spending/ mobility); urges personal preparedness and skepticism of political systems and elites.
    – Encourages avoiding panic, not taking irrational street action, and instead fortifying one’s home, family and resources.

    Personal notes & closing
    – Personal anecdotes about family (new grandson), reflections on parenting, and a closing reminder to appreciate loved ones (suggestion: write a short, sincere love letter rather than buying a card).
    – Final exhortation: be prudent in trading and life—manage risk, prepare practically, and don’t be driven to irrational decisions by emotion or external panic.

  • Feburary 13, 2026 | TRU part 2

    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.