Introduction
Trading doesn’t have to be complicated. Some of the cleanest setups come from simply identifying liquidity targets, pairing them with a point of interest, and waiting for the right time. Today’s trade was a perfect example of that. Across my funded accounts, I booked $5,200, and on my personal account, I added another $1,700. Let’s break down how it played out.
Pre-Market Analysis
At 9:00 a.m., I shared my outlook in Discord: I was watching Asia session lows as the first target. My midweek liquidity draw was toward a daily fair value gap, and I anticipated the market would make a push into that area.
The key piece that framed this move lower was a 4-hour fair value gap, which flipped against a bullish gap I had been monitoring the day before. On Tuesday, I was looking long, but the market kept selling off. Today, that bearish 4-hour gap set the tone.
The Short Setup
On the 15-minute chart, Asia lows stood out as the “low-hanging fruit.” We hadn’t taken previous day’s low yet, so that made Asia lows the next logical stop.
A few confirmations lined up:
SMT divergence: ES ran a high that NQ didn’t, signaling weakness.
Displacement: Clear bearish momentum after the divergence.
Breaker structure: Both on the 15-minute and visible on the hourly chart.
My first entry came at 24,884 around 9:15 a.m., just before the New York open. Stop was placed above 24,910, and the target was 24,810. This set up a 2.7–2.9R trade.
For traders who missed the early entry, the 9:30 a.m. New York open gave another opportunity. The market delivered a Judas swing, plus another SMT confirmation with YM.
Trade Execution
Once in, the move played out quickly. Within about 35 minutes, we hit target. The 15-minute candles dropped straight into the Asia lows, confirming the narrative.
Funded accounts booked $5,200, while my personal account added $1,700. The entire sequence was built from four factors:
A draw on liquidity
A clear point of interest (the 4-hour gap)
An entry function (breaker + SMT)
Proper timing (pre-market into New York open)
Key Takeaways
Patience pays: I had no trades earlier this week. Waiting for this clean setup made it worthwhile.
Stick to timeframes: The 15-minute chart was key to avoiding noise from the 1-minute or 5-minute.
Liquidity drives price: Asia lows acted as the magnet and framed the entire short.
Final Thoughts
By 10:00 a.m., the trade was complete. Later in the day, the market extended further into the daily fair value gap, but my focus was on locking profits and managing risk. One solid trade like this can set the tone for the week — now the plan is to trade with house money and look for high-probability setups.