1

Essentials To ICT Market Structure

o Primary objective is to know your time frame that you are trading, so that you can know
what type of trader you are
o Position Trades: Monthly - Weekly - Daily
o Swing Trades: Daily - 4 Hour -1 Hour
o Short Term Trades: 4 Hour - 1 Hour - 15 Minute
o Day Trades & Scalps: 1 Hour - 15 Minute - 5 Minute

o Main focus should be on the highest of the 3-time frames that you are trading
Eg: For Swing highest TF = Daily
o Trades will be managed by the highest or middle TF
Eg: For Swing highest TF = Daily or H4
o The shortest time frame will be used to enter and signal potential reversal clues.
Eg: For Swing Shortest TF = H1
o The highest probability trades are made in the higher time frame direction
Eg: on swing trades, you should trade in the direction of market structure on the daily chart.
o All trades are framed over key S/R levels.
o Market profiles will assist in market structure analysis concepts i.e., is the market in bullish
or bearish

o In this model price rallies up & hitting Major key resistance & rallies down
o Price never moves in a straight line
o Price Moves Up/Down -> Consolidates -> Up/Down -> Hits a key resistance / support level
o We can anticipate a reversal when markets start to break down taking out the short-term
swing lows
o After bouncing off resistance, once market structure breaks on the highest time frame of
your trading style, you can we would possibly see a shorter-term optimal trade entry or
respective sell pattern
o During the rally up you can see price finding support and resistance being broken on the Mid
or low time frame of your trading style
o During the rally down you can see price finding resistance and support being broken on the
Mid or low time frame of your trading style

ICT Forex - Market Maker Primer Course ADITYA SIDDHARTHA ROY

2

o In this model price rallies Down & hitting Major key support & rallies up
o Consolidation areas are more easily tradable because they have discernible price levels
o We can anticipate a reversal when markets start to break upside taking out the short-term
swing highs

o Swing High / Low Break = Market Structure Break

o If previous swing taken out & price retrace back to previous swing level = look for the
possible short entry with OTE
o Previous Swing level = Resistance
o Every Short-term trade retrace could be catalyst for entry using your Shortest of 3 time
frame

ICT Forex - Market Maker Primer Course ADITYA SIDDHARTHA ROY

3

o Every Swing move is engineered & measured move

o Measured Leg Move = From high to down 1st leg down move -> break previous Swing low ->
retrace back to previous swing low point -> new Leg down move
o you can see the range between this low to high of leg down probably be exactly same
measured range

o The framework of your market structure is derived from the highest level of the 3 time
frames you're trading with that's where the basis of your trade is built upon
o mid-level chart is used to find support resistance levels that may not be visible on your
highest time
o Lowest level for entries
o Look for the bias that you are holding to line up with price action. You cannot force price
action. There will not be a trade every day with your bias, which is why you have to wait for
price action to line up with it.

o wait until the kill zone starts for your entries

ICT Forex - Market Maker Primer Course ADITYA SIDDHARTHA ROY

4

o Approach to deal with directional bias

ICT Forex - Market Maker Primer Course ADITYA SIDDHARTHA ROY