Showing posts with label Quarterly Theory. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Quarterly Theory. Show all posts

Friday, July 12, 2024

ICT Macros & Quarterly Theory | Michael J. Huddleston & Daye

Algorithmic macros are timed directives for market maker price algorithms to seek and take out liquidity levels and imbalances in the market. Hence looking at a chart the first task is always to identify imbalances/inefficiencies, buy-side and sell-side liquidity levels. Look at previous day's highs and lows, session highs and lows, highs and lows in the last three days and the previous week. 
 
 
There are 8 macros during the trading day:
 
          #1  London Pre-Open Macro      02:33 - 03:00 EST/EDT
#2 London Open Macro               04:03 - 04:30
#3 New York AM Macro                 08:50 - 09:10
#
4 London Close Macro               09:50 - 10:10
#
5 London Fix Macro                    10:50 - 11:10
#
6 New York AM Close Macro    11:50 - 12:10
#
7 New York Lunch Macro          13:10 - 13:40
#
8 New York PM Close Macro    15:15 - 15:45
 
ICT Killzones and Macros in the US Dollar Index 5 minute chart.
 
ICT Killzones and Macros in the S&P 500 E-mini Futures 5 minute chart.

Macros focus mainly on the first 20, 30, or 40 minutes of a trading hour (
22.5 Minute Cycle)
 
There are no ICT macros during the Asian Session.  
The macro between 9:50 and 10:10 is a time window where the market maker algorithm starts running for liquidity (look for ICT Silver Bullet setup).
The period between 10:50 and 11:10 marks the end of the 3rd hour of the New York AM Session, and the first 90 minutes of floor trading (90 Minute Cycle). 
The transition from the AM session to the lunch period leads either to consolidation, reversal or continuation (6 Hour AMDX/XAMD Cycle).
 
Divison of the trading day according to the Quarterly Theory:
6 Hour Sessions, 90 Minute Quarters & 22.5 Minute Micro Cycles/Quarters (EST/EDT).
 
6 Hour Sessions & 90 Minute Quarters in the S&P 500 E-mini Futures 15 minute chart.
 
90 minute Cycles & 22.5 Minute Micro Quarters in the S&P 500 E-mini Futures 1 minute chart.
 
Based on market structure and price action prior and during a macro, three categories can be classified:
 
(1.) Manipulation Macros sweep both buy-side and sell-side liquidity levels.
(2.) Expansion Macros sweep liquidity only on the buy-side OR the sell-side (trending price).
(3.) Accumulation Macros are characterized by ranging prices. 
 
Swing highs and lows of macro intervals can act as support and resistance.
 
Reference:

Thursday, July 11, 2024

Common Intra-Day Stock Market Patterns & Setups | Cory Mitchell

The US stock market has certain patterns, based on the time of day. These patterns, or tendencies, happen often enough for professional day traders to base their trading around them. One tendency is that the stock market can become less volatile, flatten out, and see less volume in and around the New York Lunch Hour. Many day traders stop trading about half an hour to an hour before this slowdown kicks in and don't trade again until well after the lunch hour, when volatility and volume pick up again.  

9:30 (EST/EDT) : The stock market opens, and there is an initial push in one direction.
 

9:45 : The initial push often sees a significant reversal or pullback. This is often just a short-term shift, and then the original trending direction re-asserts itself.

 Six Intraday Templates and Trading Setups for the S&P, Nasdaq and Dow Jones.

10:00
: If the trend that began at 9:30 is still in play, it will often be challenged around this time. This tends to be another time where there is a significant reversal or pullback

True Open, 6 Hour Cycle, 90 Minute Cycle, and 22.5 Minute Cycle.

11:15
11:30
: The market is heading into the lunch hour, and London is getting ready to close. This is when volatility will typically die out for a couple hours, but often the daily high or low will be tested around this time. European traders usually close out positions or accumulate a position before they finish for the day. Whether the highs or lows are tested or not, the market tends to "drift" for the next hour or more. 
 
11:4513:30 : This is lunch time in New York, plus a bit of a time buffer. Usually, this is the quietest time of the day, and often, day traders like to avoid it.


13:30
14:00
: If the lunch hour was calm, then expect a breakout of the range established during lunch hour. Often, the market will try to move in the direction it was trading in before the lunch hour doldrums set in. 
 
14:0014:45 : The close is getting closer, and many traders are trading with the trend, thinking it will continue into the close. That may happen, but expect some sharp reversals around this time, because on the flip side, many traders are quicker to take profits or move their trailing stops closer to the current price.


15:00
and 15:30
: These are big "shakeout" points, in that they will force many traders out of their positions. If a reversal of the prior trend occurs around this time, then the price is likely to move very strongly in the opposite direction. Even if the prior trend does sustain itself through these periods, expect some quick and sizable counter-trend moves. 
 

As a day trader, it is best to be nimble and not get tied to one position or one direction. It can be very hard to hold a trade for very long between 3 p.m. and the close.
The last hour of trading is the second most volatile hour of the trading day. Many day traders only trade the first hour and last hour of the trading day.

15:58 16:00 : The market closes at 16:00. After that, liquidity dries up in nearly all stocks and ETFs, except for the very active ones. It's common to close all positions a minute or more before the closing bell, unless you have orders placed to close your position on a closing auction or "cross."


Big
News Events can throw a wrench in these tendencies, resulting in big trends, reversals, or movement through the lunch hour or other times that would be uncommon without some sort of external catalyst. 

Monday, June 17, 2024

June’s Quad Witching Options Expiration – A Volatility Haven │ Jeff Hirsch

The second Quadruple Witching Week of the year brings on some volatile trading with losses frequently exceeding gains. NASDAQ has the weakest record on the first trading day of the week, down 23 times in 42 years. Quad-Witching Friday is usually better, S&P 500 has been up 12 of the last 21 years, but down 6 of the last 8.

 

Full-week performance is choppy as well, littered with greater than 1% moves in both directions. The week after June’s Quad-Witching Day is horrendous. 
 

This week has experienced DJIA losses in 28 of the last 34 years with an average performance of –0.83%. S&P 500 and NASDAQ have fared better during the week after over the same 34-year span. S&P 500 averaged –0.49%. NASDAQ has averaged +0.03%. Sizable gains in 2021 and 2022 during the week after improved historical average performance notably.

 
NASDAQ 100 (30 m candles)
Friday, June  14 = Buy Day
Monday, June 17 = Sell Day (= sell short positions)
Week # 3/1 in the 3 Week Cycle
XAMD Week (X = Monday Continuation of Friday's direction - A = Tuesday Accumulation 
- M = Wednesday Manipulation Low, Reset for Continuation into Friday High
- D = Thursday Distribution = June 20 Full Moon/Summer Solstice High?)
or Consolidation Midweek (M) Rally?

See also:

Saturday, June 1, 2024

US-Stock Market Seasonality - June Better in Election Years │ Jeff Hirsch

Over the last twenty-one years, the month of June has been a rather lackluster month for the market.


DJIA, S&P 500 and Russell 1000 have all recorded average losses in the month. NASDAQ and Russell 2000 have fared better logging average gains of 0.4% and 0.8% respectively. Historically the month has opened respectably, advancing on the first and second trading days. From there the market then drifted sideways and lower near or into negative territory just ahead of mid-month. From there the market rallied to create a mid-month bump that quickly evaporated and returned to losses. The brisk, post, mid-month drop is typically followed by a month end rally led by technology and small caps.
 
In election years since 1950, June has followed a similar pattern to the recent 21-year period, but gains have been notably stronger, and all five indexes finish the month positive. Average June gains in election years range from 0.9% by DJIA to 1.9% by NASDAQ.

 
 
BofA - Historically, June-August is the 2nd best 3-month period for the S&P 500. 
In election years, it's the strongest.

BofA - It would not be surprising to see a bounce-back in the S&P 500 in early June, 
as historically, this period has demonstrated a trend of positive returns.

Goldman Sachs - Bullish mid-May through Labor Day. Choppy summer solstice to late July.
 
Solunar Rhythm in June 2024.
 
In Bull Markets, New Moons tend to be Bottoms, and Full Moons Tops. 
 In Bear Markets, New Moons tend to be Tops, and Full Moons Bottoms.
 

Friday, May 24, 2024

ICT Weekly Seek & Destroy Manipulation Profile | Michael J. Huddleston

 The Weekly 'Seek & Destroy' Range Manipulation Profile a.k.a. the 'Retail Traders Graveyard'.

The Weekly 'Seek & Destroy' Marker Maker Range Manipulation Template with either a bullish or a bearish Friday is a neutral or low probability market profile. The manipulation is taking place where price is consolidating Monday through Thursday, running shallow stops under and above the intra-week highs and lows, then runs the intra-week high/low and expands higher/lower into Friday. 
 
 
How to anticipate it? When the market is awaiting major news announcements in the second half of the week - especially after one or more directional wide-range weeks (see also the daily 'London Swing to Seek & Destroy' Template).


Tuesday, May 7, 2024

ICT AM NY Session A+ Setup based on Quarterly Theory | Darya Filipenka

People have been asking me to share my strategy. No, I do NOT overcomplicate things. I'm simply demonstrating how straightforward it can be. My strategy is primarily based on the Power of 3 concept that you can find on @I_Am_The_ICT YouTube Channel.
 
ICT New York Morning Session A+ Setups based on Quarterly Theory:
Between 8:15 and 8:38 am (EST/EDT; during the Q3 micro cycle) look for a ICT Unicorn Setup.

I've made some additions to my trading arsenal since @traderdaye introduced the Quarterly Theory, but I've been using this setup since February 2023. I didn't have a name for it initially, but Quarterly Theory seems fitting to me.

I hope you can gain some new insights from my findings, which I've been diligently working on for almost a year. Nevertheless, the core of my strategy can be found on @traderdaye page and
@I_Am_The_ICT YouTube Channel.
  

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

ICT Silver Bullet Strategy | Darya Filipenka

The ICT Silver Bullet Strategy is a time-based algorithmic trading model for all assets. For the 10 AM Silver Bullet strategy, focus on 10-11 AM, using fair value gaps and Fibonacci levels for entry/stop adjustments, aiming for a minimum 3R risk-reward, and exit by 11 AM to maximize profits and minimize risks. 
 

3:00 AM - 4:00 AM New York Time
  1. A Silver Bullet trade begins with a directional move either up or down.
  2. Fair Value Gap (FVG): After the directional move, a Fair Value Gap is left behind. This gap is an important indicator for the Silver Bullet trade.
  3. Market Structure Shift (MSS) after taking liquidity. A Market Structure Shift is a shift in direction of price delivery. When price is going in a direction and shifts to the exactly opposite. It occurs when price takes out previous short-term lows or highs within a trend. Identifying these shifts allows for an understanding on which side of the market to be trading with. A Market Structure Shift must be energetic and leave behind displacement to ensure that market is looking to reverse.
  4. Displacement is a location in price where someone with a lot of money comes into the marketplace with a strong conviction to move price higher or lower very quickly. Displacement is characterized by strong and quick price movement that leave behind Fair Value Gaps.
  5. Entering the Fair Value Gap: Once the Fair Value Gap is identified, we enter inside it. This means we take a position in the market.
  6. Target and Exit: I aim for Asian Session Liquidity Level or Higher Time Frame Premium/Discount levels.
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM New York Time
The first thing we think about is the previous New York PM session. If, within the first 30 minutes after the market opens, we're not close to the PM range, we focus on the London Session Raid. This refers to the time between 2:00 AM and 5:00 AM, which is shown on the ETH chart. During the first 30 minutes after the market opens at 9:30 AM, we check where we stand compared to the previous PM session or London session. The market might go up or down, or it might stay stable. Then we wait for the Displacement between 10:00 AM and 11:00 AM, which sets the stage for the Silver Bullet setup.
  1. Every day between 10 AM and 11 AM EST, identify an obvious pool of liquidity that has not been tapped into or engaged.
  2. Wait for displacement (use 1-3-5 minute charts) towards liquidity pool between that time. Find a Fair Value Gap (FVG) on the opposite of the targeted liquidity pool.
  3. Wait for price to trade back into the Fair Value Gap and then reprice out of the FVG towards the targeted pool of liquidity.
After identifying the Market Structure Shift (MSS), I recommend drawing an Optimal Trade Entry (OTE) retracement from the Swing Low (High) to the Swing High (Low). The optimal entry point for trades is typically at the 62% retracement level of that range. Once the trade is entered, the first target is typically set at the -27% extension level, and the second target is set at the -62% extension level.

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM New York Time
The first thing we focus on is the morning and lunch time trading sessions. Our goal is to identify the AM Session Buy Side and Sell Side Liquidity (BSL/SSL) or Lunch BSL/SSL once the PM Session starts (from 1:30 PM to 4:00 PM). This will serve as our reversal point during the afternoon Silver Bullet, where our target will be the opposite liquidity of the lunch/AM session. If it's Friday, our target can be 20-30% of the weekly range. This is known as the T.G.I.F. setup according to ICT.
  1. We wait for the Displacement between 2 PM and 3 PM EST, which sets the stage for the Silver Bullet setup.
  2. We look for a clear pool of untapped liquidity. It's recommended to pay attention to the liquidity levels during the AM and Lunch sessions.
  3. Find a Fair Value Gap.
  4. Wait for the price to trade back into the FVG and then move out of the FVG towards the targeted pool of liquidity.
Once again, we usually consider the AM Session BSL/SSL or NY Lunch BSL/SSL as our clear liquidity pool that has been taken. Then we wait for Market Structure Shift (MSS) and displacement.
 
Consider the 6 hour, the 90 minute, and the 22.5 minute cycles.
Expect highs and lows on the 1 minute chart around Micro-Quarter turns.

Reference: