ICT Entry Model (Standard Sequence + Targets & Narrative)

Definition

The ICT Entry Model is an event-sequence approach to entering trades: (1) Identify liquidity, (2) Wait for a raid/sweep, (3) Confirm displacement away from the raid, (4) Confirm structure (MSS/CHoCH for reversals or BOS for continuation), (5) Enter on retracement into a PD array at value (premium/discount), and (6) Target opposing liquidity. The model is not a single candle pattern; it is a narrative process that answers: What is price doing, why, and where is it likely delivering next?

Why It Matters

Most losing trades come from entering without narrative confirmation (no raid, no displacement, no structure, no value entry). The ICT Entry Model enforces patience and clarity: you stop guessing direction and instead trade after the market reveals intent. It standardizes stop placement (beyond the raid), improves R:R via PD array entries, and provides a structured way to define targets (internal then external liquidity). Adding weekly/daily profile context and news/day-of-week awareness improves selectivity and prevents trading random volatility.

How to Identify

1. (Weekly + Daily Profile): Identify the current weekly and daily context: is price in continuation or reversal conditions (e.g., weekly dealing range extremes, prior week high/low, PDH/PDL, weekly open)?
2. (Day-of-Week): Note the day of the week and whether early-week expansion may set up mid-week reversal/continuation; avoid forcing a profile before confirmation.
3. (News Filter): Check whether high-impact news is scheduled during the intended execution window; expect engineered volatility around those events.
4. (HTF PD Arrays): Mark relevant PD arrays on HTF (daily/4H/1H) and note whether price is respecting them (holding) or inverting them (breaking and reusing as opposite).
5. (Liquidity Map): Mark obvious internal/external liquidity on the execution TF: equal highs/lows, prior session highs/lows, PDH/PDL, weekly levels.
6. (Raid): Wait for price to trade through a liquidity pool (sweep/raid) and then reject back inside (or show immediate reversal intent).
7. (Displacement): Confirm a strong impulsive move away from the raid (large bodies, reduced overlap, clears an internal level).
8. (Structure Confirmation): Confirm MSS/CHoCH for reversal context OR BOS for continuation context on the execution timeframe.
9. (PD Array for Entry): Identify the PD array created/validated by displacement (FVG, OB, Breaker, Mitigation). Align it with premium/discount and HTF PD arrays.
10. (Targets): Define internal target(s) and external target(s) before entry (nearest swing/internal liquidity first, then external liquidity like PDH/PDL/equal highs/lows/weekly highs/lows).

How to Trade

1. Prefer execution during high-liquidity windows (London/NY killzones). Outside these windows, reduce size or tighten criteria.
2. Ask: What is price doing? Is it accumulating, manipulating, or delivering? Do not trade without a coherent narrative that aligns HTF → LTF.
3. Require a clear liquidity raid first (don’t trade the middle of ranges).
4. Require displacement away from the raid; do not chase the displacement candle.
5. If the model is reversal-based, require MSS/CHoCH. If continuation-based, require BOS with protected swing intact.
6. Enter on retracement into the PD array (FVG/OB/Breaker/Mitigation) at value (bullish in discount, bearish in premium).
7. Place stop beyond the raid extreme (below sweep low for longs, above sweep high for shorts).
8. Target internal liquidity first (nearest swing high/low, internal equal highs/lows, session midpoint/EQ reactions), then external liquidity (PDH/PDL, weekly highs/lows, prior week high/low, range extremes).
9. If price breaks through your PD array with acceptance and later retests it from the other side, treat it as an inversion signal and adjust bias/targets.
10. Reduce risk after internal target is hit; scale partials at internal liquidity; hold runners only if narrative still supports delivery to external liquidity.
11. Re-evaluate bias and targets across timeframes after each major move (raid, displacement, target hit, PD array inversion).

Common Confusions

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