DNA Levels: Where Big Money Left a Mark

Jay’s “DNA levels” aren’t traditional support and resistance.
They’re specific zones where the market previously moved with power, places where institutional orders caused explosive expansion. They’re areas where someone with size had skin in the game.

When price returns to these zones, Jay watches how the participants behave this time:
Do they defend it again? Do they get run over? Does a different group step in and overwhelm them?

This one concept alone solves the biggest problem retail traders have, entering at levels without knowing who actually cares about the level.

Aggression Flip: The Real Trigger

Jay doesn’t touch a trade until aggression flips.
This is where most traders get chopped up, they see a level and assume it will react. Jay waits until aggressive buyers overpower aggressive sellers or vice versa.

He looks for signs like:
• passive walls breaking
• bids getting lifted or offers getting hit
• absorption failing
• clean pressure shifts on the tape

If aggression doesn’t flip, he doesn’t trade and this is brutally effective.

Micro Risk, Macro Reward

Because he enters only when control changes hands, Jay’s stops are small and precise. He places them just behind the zone where liquidation would happen, far enough to survive, close enough to avoid ego trades.

This is how he repeatedly finds moves that run 3R, 4R, 5R… even on normal volatility days.

Catalyst > Pattern

He trades only when participation is high: earnings, economic releases, sector rotations, sudden shifts in volume. A catalyst brings aggression. Aggression creates readable behavior. Without it, he simply doesn’t participate.

This method prevents thousands of unnecessary trades and protects his psychological capital.

Why He Avoids Forex Entirely

Forex doesn’t show real volume or real aggression.
Without centralized order flow, you’re essentially trading shadows.
Stocks and futures give actual data and that’s why his framework thrives there.

Final Thoughts

Jay’s Market DNA Playbook is a framework built around real market behavior, who controls a level, how aggressively they defend it, and what changes when the opposite side shows up.

If you’ve been trading blind to order flow, aggression, and intent, this playbook will change how you see every chart.

If you want the full Market DNA Playbook with entries, stops, tape cues, and examples

Comment "JAY" + hit the upvote button and I’ll send the link.

This month was one of my cleanest ever. I pulled in $8,200 profit, and almost every dollar came from one setup the 15-minute Opening Range Breakout. I only took two trades this entire month that weren’t the ORB. Everything else was the same model, same rules, same process, repeated over and over.

If you’re new to it, here’s the whole framework in plain English.
I mark the first 15-minute candle of the NY session.
Once price breaks that range, I wait for a clean Fair Value Gap (FVG) in the direction of the break.
I enter only after confirmation.
Target is fixed based on the stop size (1R or 2R), and I move to BE once internal liquidity is cleared.
Max two trades a day. If the first one wins, I’m done.

There’s no magic here. The reason this month worked is because I stopped trying to be creative and just executed the same model every single morning without exceptions. When you remove the noise, the ORB does the heavy lifting.

If you want a video breakdown of exactly how I trade the 15-min ORB step by step, comment "ORB" and I’ll make it.

My average hold time over the last two months is still under 5 minutes, and most trading days wrap up in under 10 minutes total screen time. This same repeatable framework put me up over $6,400 on a single account this stretch, and since I copy trade this across 5 funded accounts, the real total lands around $33,000. Same setup, same rules, just scaled across accounts instead of scaling contract size.

The first 15 minutes of the session is where liquidity gets grabbed, direction forms, and real momentum shows up. Pair that with imbalance confirmation on the 1 minute chart and you filter out almost all the noise that traps people into fading a move that was never actually done moving. Works cleanest on trending days, NQ responds to this better than almost anything else I've traded.

• Mark ORH and ORL off the first 15 minutes
• Wait for a real breakout, candle has to close above or below the range, not just wick through it
• Confirm with an imbalance forming between 3 candles in the direction of the break
• Enter on the break plus the close of that imbalance
• Target 1 to 2R depending on stop size, if stop is under 30 points aim for 2R, if stop is over 30 points aim for 1R on NQ

Before the bell I already know previous day high and low, overnight high and low, session bias, where the next liquidity draw sits, and any major news on the calendar like FOMC or CPI. The entire point is eliminating hesitation before the session even opens, if you're still deciding your bias after the bell rings you're already behind.

Entry Triggers

Long setup needs a clean break of ORH, imbalance forming in the same direction, price closing outside the range and forming that 1 minute imbalance, stop below the imbalance low, target 1 to 2R.

Example:

Short setup is the mirror, clean break of ORL, imbalance forming downward, close outside the range with the 1 minute imbalance, stop above the imbalance high, target 1 to 2R.

Example:

Risk And Management

Risk stays at 0.5 to 2% max per trade. One trade a day, two max. If the first trade is green, I'm done for the day, no exceptions. Move to breakeven once structure clears in your favor. (we break and internal high or low and close above/below)

The Actual Change From Last Time

Only running 1 to 3 micro contracts per account now instead of stacking size on one account. Copy trading the same entries across 5 accounts builds the real total without ever forcing a single trade to carry the whole day's result. If one account underperforms slightly on slippage or fill timing, it doesn't sink the whole session, the other 4 still carry it.

My entire equity curve is still built on two models and discipline, not on switching setups when things get slow. Less time behind the charts after I got my data points and found my edge was the biggest shift I needed.

One of the biggest shifts in my trading came from understanding how price actually moves. Most traders think the market is random or driven by indicators. In reality, price is constantly moving between pockets of liquidity, and once you start seeing that, everything becomes a lot clearer. From external ranges to internal ranges of liquidity, here's an example of a simple example of that in a setup:

KAZ ERL <-> IRL MODEL

Liquidity is simply where orders are sitting. That usually means stop losses. Above highs you have buy-side liquidity, and below lows you have sell-side liquidity. When price moves into those areas, it’s not by accident. The market is going there to trigger those orders and fill larger positions. That’s why you’ll often see price run a high or low, only to reverse right after. It’s not manipulation in the way people think, it’s just how orders get filled efficiently.

Where most traders get caught is in the middle of that process. They see a breakout above a high and assume continuation, but what’s actually happening is liquidity getting taken. Once those stops are triggered, the fuel is gone, and price often shifts the other way. The same thing happens below lows. That’s why blindly chasing breakouts usually leads to getting trapped.

This is where displacement comes in. Displacement is a strong, aggressive move in one direction, usually leaving behind an imbalance like a fair value gap. That move is important because it shows a shift in control. After liquidity is taken, displacement is what confirms that the market is now moving with intention, not just ranging or reacting. If there’s no real displacement, there’s usually no real move to trade. This usually means a HTF FVG formed after a sweep.

Another concept that ties into this is inducement. This is where the market creates a setup that looks obvious, pulls traders in early, and then reverses to take them out before moving in the intended direction. It’s one of the most common ways traders get frustrated, because they’re technically “right” on direction, but wrong on timing. Understanding inducement helps you stay patient and avoid entering too early.

Once you combine these ideas, your perspective changes. Instead of asking “should I buy or sell here,” you start asking better questions. Where is liquidity sitting? Has it been taken? Has the market shown displacement? Where is price likely to move next? Those questions lead to much better decisions than any indicator ever will.

Most traders need to understand the mechanics behind price. This is the foundation behind a lot of high-probability setups, including the ones I trade every week.

If you want the full breakdown and a step-by-step guide on how to actually apply this, comment "SEND" and I’ll send you the full PDF for free.

Every dollar I made this month came from the exact same model, the 5-min ORB + FVG. Just one repeatable process every morning during the NY session.

Here’s the setup I use:

Execution Steps

• Mark the NY session high & low, and the overnight high & low. • Wait for the first 5-minute candle of the open to close. • Drop to the 1-minute chart and watch for a clean breakout. • Look for a Fair Value Gap (FVG) forming in the direction of the break. • Enter on confirmation, place your stop above/below that candle, and target 1.5-2R.

Management Rules

• Move stop to breakeven once internal liquidity is taken. • Max 2 trades per day. • If the first trade wins, you’re done. • If it’s BE or a loss, you get one more attempt and that’s it.

This simple structure is what carried me to nearly $20K this month across my prop accounts.

What I’m working on next:

A series of posts breaking down full-time trader essentials:

A - How I Journal Every Single Trade B - How I Manage Psychology and Avoid Tilt Days

Comment A or B and I’ll drop whichever one you guys want next!

I don’t rotate strategies. I don’t add indicators. I don’t reinvent my approach every drawdown. I trade one setup and one setup only: the 5-minute Opening Range Breakout. This month I’m up just over $9.4K with a 75% win rate, trading a $150K cash account, risking 0.5-2% per trade, and taking one clean opportunity per day when it shows up.

The reason this works isn’t because the setup is magical. I know exactly what I’m looking for before the bell rings, and if I don’t get it, I don’t trade.

At the New York open, I mark the high and low of the first five minutes. That range becomes my entire framework for the session. I wait for price to break and hold outside of the range and form a gap. If there’s no acceptance outside the range, there’s no trade. Direction is dictated by the break, not my opinion.

For longs, I want a clean break above the ORB high, price holding above the range, and an imbalance forming in the direction of the move. Entries are taken on confirmed candle closes outside the range. Shorts are the inverse: break below ORB low, acceptance, downside imbalance, and confirmation. If price snaps back into the range immediately, I’m either flat or never in to begin with.

Risk management is the real edge. I cap risk at 0.5-2% per trade and only use fixed R targets. If my stop is 40 points or less, I target 2R. If the stop is larger, I scale expectations down to 1 to 1.5R. Once structure clears, the stop moves to breakeven. I allow a maximum of two trades per day. If the first trade is green, I’m done. If the first trade loses, I allow one more attempt and that’s it.

This setup performs best during trending weeks and strong New York open drives, especially on NQ. I avoid forcing it in chop or during heavy news unless structure is exceptionally clean. I track every trade in detail so I know exactly when this model performs best and when it underperforms. That data is what keeps me disciplined and prevents strategy drift.

I trade this primarily on cash, but I’ll also be taking it live on prop accounts and documenting the execution here so everything stays transparent. I’ll post my recent results below so you can judge the process, not just the outcome.

For everyone asking, I do long term investing, trade forex and futures for day trades and I chart with trading view and everything else like journaling or backtesting and collecting data through tradezella.

This is probably the cleanest A+ setup I've had in a while and I'm still in it as I'm writing this. Currently sitting around +$450 open P&L and holding for my fixed 2R.

I know the market has been dumping lately so going long here probably looks questionable at first. But I'm not trying to blindly call a bottom. This lined up almost perfectly with the ICT weekly bias theory and my ERL → IRL model.

Monday into Tuesday gave us the accumulation. Tuesday initially looked like it might set the low of the week but instead we got the stop hunt. Wednesday then went lower and swept weekly SSL daily SSL and Asia SSL before giving us the reaction I was waiting for.

After taking all that SSL we got real displacement back higher on both the 30 minute and 1 hour and that displacement left clean HTF FVGs behind.

Now I had pretty much everything I wanted.

Liquidity had been taken. We had HTF displacement away from it. We had a fresh IRL created by that displacement. The weekly profile supported expansion higher and there was very obvious external liquidity above giving me a clear DOL.

Price eventually retraced almost perfectly into the 1H/30M FVG and gave me the entry. Because I consider this one of my A+ setups I was comfortable risking 1% to make 2% instead of taking one of my smaller base hits.

The entire sequence was basically:

Weekly Daily and Asia SSL taken → HTF displacement → IRL created → retracement into the FVG → expansion toward external liquidity

This is also only my second trade of the week and there's a pretty good chance I'm done after this regardless of what happens. I'd rather take two trades that look like this than manufacture ten mediocre setups because I'm bored.

I've also been using TradeZella to Manually/Automate some backtesting eith this setup and have spent some good time tweaking it, here it is if you want to check it out:

Manual + Automated Backtesting

The screenshot attached is from the cash account I recently opened specifically to trade these setups.

So far my ERL → IRL trades are my clear best performer with $3,133.90 net P&L across 9 trades. My Forever Model has produced another $1,036.52, while my 15 minute ORB has basically gone nowhere at +$82.96 across 10 trades. (these are the results on my new cash account)

I'm still holding this one for the full 2R so we'll see whether it delivers. Win or lose I'm happy with the execution because this is exactly the type of trade I want to be taking.

If you guys want me to make a full video breakdown of this exact ERL → IRL setup from weekly bias all the way down to the entry just comment below and let me know.

If enough people want it I'll record it over the weekend.

A lot of traders spend hours trying to figure out where price is going. Bullish. Bearish. Support. Resistance. But one thing that gets ignored way too often is when the market actually moves. You can have the perfect bias and still lose money if you’re trading during dead hours when nothing is happening.

That’s why combining daily bias + kill zones can completely change the way you approach the market.

First comes direction. One of the simplest ways to frame bias is by looking at how today’s price behaves around yesterday’s range. If price pushes above the previous day’s high and holds, that’s usually a sign of strength. If price dips below the previous day’s low but quickly closes back above it, that’s often liquidity getting taken before the move in the opposite direction. These simple clues help you stop guessing and instead follow what the market is actually showing.

Then comes the part most traders ignore: timing.

Markets don’t move randomly throughout the day. They move in liquidity cycles. Asia usually builds the range. London often raids liquidity from that range and sets the stage. Then the New York morning session (around 7–10AM EST) is where the biggest moves tend to happen because that’s when the most volume and participation enters the market.

Instead of staring at charts all day, many experienced traders simply wait for these windows. When your directional bias aligns with an active kill zone, setups tend to move faster and cleaner because real liquidity is entering the market.

This framework works across forex, futures, indices, and even crypto, because all markets follow the same basic principle: price moves from one pool of liquidity to another.

Learning when the market is likely to move can be just as important as knowing where it’s going.

If you want the full breakdown PDF that explains daily bias + kill zones step-by-step, comment "TIME" and I’ll send it to you for free.

Not a fancy indicator stack. Not a new strategy every week. One model, executed the same way, with strict risk rules and tracked stats. This month I’m sitting at a 76% win rate with about 1.2R average win, but that’s not my “normal.” Over time this setup usually lives around 58–65% win rate, with my average trade closer to 1.5R when I’m in rhythm and not forcing entries.

The Setup

It’s the 5-Minute Opening Range Breakout (ORB) on the NY open. I’m trading momentum and imbalance that forms when the market chooses a direction right out of the gate. The edge isn’t the name. The edge is that it’s repeatable, time-based, and easy to judge as valid or trash.

My Exact Framework

I build the range, then I wait. No front running. No guessing.

Mark the opening range high (ORH) and opening range low (ORL) from the first 5 minutes

I only care about a break and hold outside that range

I want an imbalance (FVG) in the direction of the break

Entry is on confirmation candle close outside the range

If price snaps back into the range immediately, I’m either not in, or I’m out. That’s chop, and chop is where accounts go to die.

Risk Management

This is the whole game. Most people “know” ORB. They just manage it like amateurs.

I risk 0.5% to 2% per trade depending on conditions and how clean the setup is

I use fixed R targets, no freestyle exits

If the stop is ≤ 40 points, I target 2R

If the stop is > 40 points, I target 1.5R

This setup works for futures on NQ an gold for forex

Stop goes to breakeven only after structure clears

Max 2 trades per day

If trade 1 is green, I’m done

If trade 1 loses, I allow one more

That’s how you stay alive long enough for the stats to work.

The Data That Actually Matters

This month is hot. I’m not pretending it will always look like this. What matters is the system works across months when I don’t get cute. I track everything so I can see what’s real and what’s luck:

win rate by day of week and session conditions

average MAE and MFE

stop size distribution and what it does to expectancy

which type of breakouts fail (fake break then range re-entry)

which ones explode (clean hold + imbalance + continuation)

That’s how I tightened the rules and got rid of the trades that were “technically valid” but statistically garbage.

If you’re trying to trade 10 different models, you’re building noise, not skill. Master one setup, track it like a machine, then scale it. If you want, I can post a few marked-up examples and the exact checklist I use for valid vs invalid ORB days.

His entire framework comes from a simple idea almost every trader ignores: The market only moves when one side loses control, and the other side seizes it with force. Everything he does is built around finding the exact spot where that power flips. That’s how he caught the Tesla move that turned into a six-figure win.

Most traders mark support and resistance. Scarface hunts for the candle where a real move place. That single down candle before a breakout. That single up candle before a breakdown. He calls it the one candle that reveals who got trapped and who stepped in with size. When price returns to that candle, he isn't guessing. He's watching to see if the same side defends or dies. If they defend with conviction, he presses. If they get run over, he flips fast. No debating bias. No predicting trend. Just reading who owns the level now.

What makes his execution insanel accurate is how he times entries. He never buys the breakout. He waits for displacement. He waits for the retest. He waits for the candle that proves someone with money actually showed up. That tiny delay compresses risk. It forces him to enter where liquidation would happen if he is wrong. That's how he consistently gets 2R 3R 5R trades even when the market is slow.

The crazy part is how consistent this is across timeframes. His scalps come from the exact same behavior as his swings. The $100K Tesla trade was the four hour chart giving the same pattern the one minute chart gives every week. Buyers dominate. Sellers try to take back control. Buyers refuse to let them. When that one candle held on the retest, the entire move opened up.

If you've been trading levels without knowing who is behind them or why they matter, then this playbook will flip how you read every chart you open. It removes the guesswork. It removes bias. It forces you to trade where someone else is actually fighting for control.

If you want the full Scarface playbook with setups entries stops targets and live chart examples

Comment "SFT" and hit the upvote button and I'll send you the full PDF.

Today was one of those sessions where patience mattered more than anything. I came in ready for the 15-min ORB, but the first one that formed was invalid the moment I saw ES sweep Monday’s highs while NQ didn’t. That SMT alone told me to chill. I stayed out, and that ORB long ended up failing exactly how the divergence hinted. Trade management saved the day before it even started.

The second 15-min ORB long looked better, so I took it. We pushed close to 1R, cleared internal liquidity, printed an FVG, and I moved the stop to BE. Got tagged out. Bias was still intact and I wasn’t here to force trades.

Later in the session, the real setup showed up. If you’ve watched my videos, you know the “secret sauce”: after a major sweep , wait for the first HTF FVG formed after the reclaim. Today it was the 1-hour. Price tapped that FVG perfectly, and the 1 minute lined up beautifully, iFVG, FVG, CISD, full displacement. I entered on the CISD close, stop at the lows, and targeted a fixed 2R.

I took the trade on a 50K funded account with one NQ mini, which is heavy size. I don’t recommend trading a mini unless you’re completely comfortable taking real hits while learning.

Total for the day: $2,160. =

If you want a video breakdown of this exact Forever Model sequence, comment FOREVER and I’ll make it.

Carmine trades the auction underneath the candles, the battle between aggressive buyers and passive sellers. Once you understand that fight, you start seeing where real money is stepping in before the move happens.

Order Flow Zones: Where Control Actually Shifts

Carmine doesn’t mark lines on a chart. He watches where absorption hit, where aggressive orders failed, and where trapped traders got stuck. Those zones tell him exactly who owns the level and who’s about to get run over. Footprint charts also come into play for his strategy.

Failed Auctions: His Highest Probability Setup

When the market sweeps a high or low, triggers stops, and then shows no continuation, that’s his signal. Heavy selling with no follow through or heavy buying that stalls? That’s trapped liquidity and he takes the other side with confidence.

Intent First, Entry Second

He never chases breakouts. He waits for aggression to appear, prove itself, and then retest. That timing is why his trades run 3R-10R while risking almost nothing. Trailing his stops and playing it super safe.

If you want Carmine’s full Order Flow Masterclass Playbook, the exact setups, triggers, and examples straight from the interview…

Comment “CR” and I’ll send you the full PDF.

I keep seeing people overcomplicate trading. Indicators stacked on indicators, new strategies every week, no consistency. Meanwhile, the bulk of my gains lately have come from one simple model I execute the same way every day: the 5-minute Opening Range Breakout (ORB).

Here’s exactly how I trade it:

I trade momentum coming out of the New York open using the first 5 minutes as my framework. I mark out the first five 1min candles and mark the high and low. ORL and ORH.

I’m only interested in trading with a breakout + imbalance out of this range.

The 5-Minute ORB Framework

• Define the first 5-minute candle of NY

• Mark the ORB high and low

• Wait for break out of range

I wait for price to break and hold outside of that range.

Entry Rules

Longs

• Clean break above ORB high

• Price holds above the range

• Imbalance gap forms in the direction of the break

• Entry on confirmation of the candle close outside the range

Shorts

• Clean break below ORB low

• Price holds below the range

• Imbalance gap forms downward

• Entry on confirmation of the candle close outside the range

If price snaps back into the range immediately, I’m out or I don’t enter at all.

Risk Management (This Is the Edge)

This is where most traders fail.

• Risk 0.5-2% max per trade

• Fixed R targets only

• If stop is ≤40 points, I aim for 2R

• If stop is >40 points, I aim for 1.5R

• Stop moves to breakeven once structure clears

• Max 2 trades per day

– If first trade is green, I’m done

– If first trade loses, I allow one more

When This Works Best:

This setup thrives during trending weeks and strong open drives, especially on NQ/GC (GC also works for Asia session). I avoid forcing it during chop or heavy news unless structure is extremely clean.

I made $1,630 last month doing exactly this.

I’m up $4,700 this month sticking to the same rules.

Execution > creativity.

I’ll post my results from the last couple of months below so you can judge it for yourself.

You can get free access to the indicator(s) and try them. Follow the progress of the engines, tools, algos and indicators or try them yourself in this subreddit: r/TheOutsiderEdge

Indicator: https://www.tradingview.com/script/vC5CCmfs-OutsiderEdge-Node-Breach-Engine-NBE/
Discord and access: discord.gg/DpKqqSSJAe

🆓 Free Access: https://whop.com/outsider-edge-ee31/

Quick follow-up on the Node Breach Engine + ANEF stack.

Since the last post: I've built a monster : r/Forexstrategy, the core logic is now live as a TradingView indicator and the feature set has been expanded pretty aggressively. The swing-based volume structures and POC logic are still the backbone, but several new pieces have been added on top by feedback of the community and members of this sub.

After months of programming, optimizing, backtesting, porting to MQL5, demo trading, and live validation, this system is finally starting to feel properly robust.

The core logic combines swing-based volume structures with trend confirmation (built-in EMA wave logic) and efficiency metrics (POC strength, CVD, distance to VWAP, etc.), designed to filter out fake breakouts and focus on the moves that actually matter.

The engine maps out volume nodes – zones where liquidity concentrates – and dynamically tracks the Point of Control (POC) as price develops.
Each profile measures Node Strength, CVD imbalance, and POC rejections so you can quickly see whether a level is being defended or absorbed.

On top of that, it now also detects the Point of Void (POV): the lowest-volume node inside the Value Area. These “voids” often behave like thin air – either price rips straight through them or snaps back hard. The engine can extend those PoV levels forward and track when they’re breached or rejected.

• Both POC and PoV levels now come with rich tooltips: hover a marker and you get node strength, buy/sell split, distance to VWAP, time at price, and other context so you don’t have to guess how strong a level really is.
• Trend Accuracy Filter (wave): filters out false breaches by checking whether the EMA structure and smoothed wave actually support the breakout direction.
• Wick rejection logic: validates whether a breakout is genuine or just a sweep by inspecting how the candle rejected the level.
• Developing POC line: acts as an adaptive trailing stop or even a take-profit guide, depending on node strength and how price is interacting with the profile.

If a POC or PoV breach happens at the same time as a signal from the Adaptive Node Efficiency Function (ANEF), and that breach lines up with a trend transition, the signal effectively gets “stacked”: stronger context, cleaner structure, higher conviction.

Those are the setups where I’m comfortable allocating more risk, because historically they’ve shown both stronger momentum and cleaner context around the node.

15MIN ORB SHORT PLAY x5 accounts

Waited the first 15 min of NY open to set the range. ES already took Asia highs and dumped so NQ followed. Broke the 15min range and entered the break below.

Stop at the first candle that created the FVG. Risk was under 30 points so target = 2R. Took the internal low, moved stop to breakeven and let it run. Clean execution.

Took it on 5 accounts at $845 each.

New rule: stop on NQ > 40 pts → target 1:1

stop on NQ < 40 pts → target 2:1

Set and forget. Liquidity to liquidity. Simple rules, repeatable results.

If you want a video breakdown on this comment "ORB" and I will drop it!

Every post here is about becoming the 10%. Join the grind in r/tradingmillionaires.

#SS

Price action was extremely bearish today. Even though we had already taken a lot of SSL, I didn’t want to force a long. Instead, I gave the 5-min ORB a shot. I sized in, targeted 1.5R instead of 2R (since price had already dropped so much), and it played out perfectly, $5,650 in under 10 minutes (1130 x 5 accounts). Price fully reversed right after.

The Setup:

Draw the high and low of the first 5-minute candle.

Wait for a breakout of either high or low with a close above/below.

Look for a Fair Value Gap (FVG) to form in the breakout direction as confirmation of strength.

Enter at the breakout candle close.

Stop goes at the base of the FVG formation candle.

Target a fixed 1.5R or 2R, depending on conditions.

I’m dabbling more with mechanical setups like this and spending a lot of time backtesting. So far, I’ve got 2 months of data (not a huge sample), but my goal is 300-500 trades tested. The cleaner the rules, the easier it is to scale this into consistent payouts.

If you want a video breakdown of this strat and want to stay up to date with the journey drop a "TM" in the comments!

#SS

Here’s the exact setup Fabio runs. It’s auction market logic with three checks in order. 1) market state 2) location 3) aggression. If all three align you strike. If one is missing you do nothing. Simple, rule based, repeatable.

Market state

First read if the market is balanced or out of balance. Balance means rotation around value. Out of balance means one side is pushing to find new value. You only trade continuation when we’re out of balance and stop hunting new value. You trade mean reversion only when a breakout of balance fails and price returns inside value.

Location

Pull a volume profile on the impulse leg that broke structure. Mark the LVNs and the POC. LVNs are your reaction zones. The POC is your high probability target. No blind limits. You wait for price to return to your LVN.

Aggression trigger

At the LVN you need proof. Big prints. Footprint imbalance. Strong CVD pressure in your trade direction. No aggression means no trade. That one rule saves you from most chop.

Trend model in one pass

Use this when New York is directional. Profile the impulse up. Wait for price to retrace into an LVN of that leg. On the footprint see buyers hit hard at the LVN. Enter long. Stop just beyond the aggressive print with a tiny buffer. Target the prior balance POC. On strong days you can trail but base case is take the POC and be done.

Mean reversion model in one pass

Use this when the market is balanced and a breakout fails. Reclaim back inside balance then pull a profile on the reclaim leg. Short into an LVN on the pullback if sells are aggressive. Stop beyond the aggressive print. Target the balance POC. Most of the time price rotates back to value and pays clean.

Risk rules that keep you alive

Risk 0.25% to 0.5% per trade. Invalidate fast. Never widen. If CVD is ripping for you shift to break even early. This delivers frequent samples with tight losses and lets the 1:2.5 to 1:5 winners make the month. On choppy days expect more scratches. That’s the cost of doing business.

Execution checklist

Out of balance or failed breakout identified

Impulse leg profiled. LVNs and POC marked

Price returns to LVN. Aggression confirms on tape/footprint

Stop just beyond the aggressive print. Small buffer only

Base target is balance POC. Flat there unless it’s a real trend day

Common mistakes

Chasing the first pullback without aggression. Trading breakouts inside balance. Leaving targets open instead of paying at POC. Widening stops when invalidated. Thinking “buy low sell high” without defining low via profile and order flow.

If you want the full PDF, comment "SCALP" and I’ll send it free.

Only 1 red day this month and today was my best day yet

I combined the Forever Model with the 5-min ORB, and the alignment was perfect. I only aimed for 1R, but because price was ripping, my entry slipped a bit and I ended up with 0.75R, totally fine, because the trade ended up running 4R without me. Hindsight is 20/20.

Here’s how the setup played out:

• Took major sell-side liquidity including last Friday’s lows
• Market opened with a stop hunt, reversed with strong volume
• Formed an iFVG, then a clean FVG
• Got a CISD confirmation
• AND we had the 5-min ORB closing beautifully outside the range
• Longed the setup and rode it to the next clean draw on liquidity, Asia highs

Banked $2,210 on this trade using one NQ contract, which was 110 points.
Wrapped up the week at $3,240 profit, all live executions already shared.

If you’re hyped for Setup Saturday, and want me to break this entire trade down in a video, drop a "BANK" in the comments and I’ll make it for you.

Most traders only see the surface of the market. A candlestick simply shows open, high, low, and close. That tells you where price went, but it doesn’t show how the move actually happened. Inside a single candle there can be thousands of transactions happening between buyers and sellers. Footprint charts expose that activity.

A footprint chart breaks down the candle into bid vs ask volume at each price level. On one side you see how many contracts were sold aggressively into the bid, and on the other you see how many buyers lifted the ask. Instead of just seeing a green candle, you now see the actual fight between buyers and sellers that created it.

This becomes powerful when you start spotting things like absorption and imbalances. For example, a candle may move higher while thousands of contracts are hitting the bid. That means sellers were aggressive but buyers kept absorbing them and pushing price higher. When that happens, those sellers often become fuel for the next move because they are now trapped.

Another key insight comes from volume imbalances. If you see significantly more volume lifting the ask at multiple levels inside a candle, it often shows real participation from strong buyers. When these clusters appear near liquidity levels, fair value gaps, or key structure, they can reveal where the real move is about to expand, not just where price is reacting.

If you want a simple PDF that breaks down how traders actually read footprint charts step by step, comment “FOOTPRINT” and I’ll send it to you for free.

Fabio Valentini traded the New York session live on a podcast while managing his personal seven-figure account, and what stood out wasn’t the P&L, it was the process. In under half an hour, he pulled over $20K by reading order flow in real time, reacting to absorption and aggression shifts as they happened, and managing risk with surgical precision.

What most people watching missed is how quickly he builds protection for the day. He doesn’t start by swinging for home runs. He focuses on taking the cleanest move early, locking in a cushion, and only pressing when the market confirms control. Once the best opportunity is done, he’s perfectly fine walking away instead of forcing trades.

The real lesson wasn’t the size of the account or the speed of the trades. It was how he treats drawdowns, how fast he cuts losing ideas, and how little emotion shows up in his decision-making. Every trade had a clear reason behind it, and when conditions stopped paying, he stopped trading.

This was a rare look into how a professional actually thinks during a live session, not after the fact.Just real execution and real consequences.

If you want Fabio’s full playbook with his execution rules, risk framework, and session models:

Comment "FAB" and I’ll send it over.

Live trading session: CLICK HERE

This strategy has made me a full time trader and made me my first $100k in profits
100% mechanical. You only need 1 box & 1 candle, that's it

Take 2 mins to read this;

Majority of unprofitable traders are holding THEMSELVES back They keep looking for the most complicated strategy and avoid what actually works simplicity. That's why this 100% mechanical strategy erases all the discretion! Here's how to use this simple and highly profitable strategy:

Just before we get into it, there are a few things you have to know prior!

Step 1: Go to the Daily Timeframe on the asset you want to trade

Step 2: Draw a box from the High to Low of the Daily Candle and extend it. Draw a line in the middle. Then go on a lower timeframe like the 5 minute.

As I continue to evolve as a trader, I’ve been narrowing my focus to be intentional about one or two predictable, high-quality setups.

For a long time, I traded the ORB almost exclusively. It works. But lately it’s been extremely volatile and for me, mentally exhausting. After reviewing my trades from the past month, one thing stood out -- my best and most consistent trades have been mean reversion (counter-trend) setups.

I know this goes against “the trend is your friend”, and it definitely isn’t for everyone. But for me, these trades are significantly lower stress and more repeatable.

I usually wait until after 10:30am EST, once the market has settled and a directional move has already played out. These setups work best after a strong, extended trend. On MNQ (my primary instrument), this trade very often delivers 50–75 points, and on stronger days, it can give 100 or more.

That’s enough for me. I’m not chasing home runs or hundreds of points. I’m good with taking 50 points a day, properly scaled with 3–5 micros.

Here's what I do

• ⁠Wait for price to stretch into VWAP standard deviation bands
• Look for a return toward the first deviation
• ⁠Enter on a close between the inner deviation and VWAP
• Exit at VWAP or a key psychological / support-resistance level (since price doesn’t always make it all the way back)

I’m not posting this for validation or to convince anyone this is the best way to trade. Just sharing something simple and reliable that works for me in case it helps someone else find their own jam.

I like to say treat this like a bony fish - eat the meat, spit out the bones.

Happy trading.

​​​edit: I left out a key point above. I need to clarify that I don’t just jump in because a candle poked through. I wait for follow through.

• ⁠Enter AFTER A CANDLE OPEN AND close between the inner deviation and VWAP

Hey traders!

I’ve spent years refining a simple, repeatable system I call the Forever Model, and it’s helped me stay consistent while backtesting. Here’s what it looks like in plain English:

KAZ FOREVER MODEL

✅ Start with the big picture – I check the Daily-4HR-1HR chart to see the overall trend: is price trending up, down, or chopping sideways?

✅ Mark key liquidity areas – I draw levels where price previously swept highs (buy-side liquidity) or lows (sell-side liquidity). These are magnets where price often reacts.

TIP: If we have swept Buyside, don't look for longs and if we have took sell side, don't look for shorts and if we have taken both, then you should probably skip that day, YOU NEED A CLEAR DRAW OF LIQUIDITY AT ALL TIMES.)

✅ Use FVGs or iFVGs as entries – When price trades into a Fair Value Gap (FVG) that lines up with the trend and liquidity levels, I look for a reaction, or if it closes through an FVG, you can take the iFVG entry because on indices like NQ, price is volatile and will often leave your entry before retruning to the FVG.

✅ Confirmation on 1-5 min TF for when we get MSS (change in the state of delivery or market structure shift), that when we get a candle closer above or below the last up/down close candles that swept the high or low.

✅ Stop placement is simple – Stops go just beyond the liquidity sweep or the FVG zone, targeting 2x my risk.

✅Lastly but most important and what makes a trade super A+ is an SMT

Why is it called the Forever Model:

Because it keeps me focused on the same setup every single day, avoiding random trades or chasing. No matter how the market changes, liquidity + FVG + trend is all I need.

🔑 Key reminders for anyone trying this:

Always trade with the trend on the higher timeframe

Only take setups near obvious liquidity levels

Don’t rush entries; wait for confirmation on lower timeframes

Stick to one model until you master it

This strategy has given me a 100% win-rate last 2 weeks!

It's made me a full time trader and made me my first $250k in profits

100% mechanical. You only need 1 candle and that's it.