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Nix Trades

17. Common Trading Models

4 min read

Maintained by Nix Young

17.1 Reversal Model

Section titled “17.1 Reversal Model”
Community insight
  • After a smart-money reversal, the old opposing-side order flow that ran just before the reversal ("old selling into new buying", or vice versa) becomes a mitigation block for reaccumulation — it's the reference to frame the new setup from once you know which side of the curve you're now on. — MMXM Trader — Euro USD review, 10:01
  1. HTF key level hit.
  2. SMT manipulation.
  3. Swing point / PSP.
  4. SS / SSMT.
  5. Displacement / gap.
  6. LTF CiSD / FVG entry.
  7. SL at invalidation.
  8. Target close-proximity draw / original DoL.
  9. Prefer second CiSD for reversal unless the first CiSD is V-shaped and strongly displaced.

17.2 Continuation Model

Section titled “17.2 Continuation Model”
  1. Trend established.
  2. Consolidation appears.
  3. One side swept.
  4. Failure to manipulate the opposite internal level / range edge.
  5. Gap / FVG forms.
  6. 1-stage SMT is usually enough if the gap is recent.
  7. Entry on retest.
  8. Target original DoL / range edge.
  9. Prefer first CiSD for continuation.

17.3 Asset Sync Model

Section titled “17.3 Asset Sync Model”
  1. Identify leading and lagging assets.
  2. Trade the leading asset until the draw is met.
  3. If the leading asset reaches draw, switch to the lagging asset.
  4. After SS, prefer entering the new leading asset.
  5. Wait for SS unless the leading asset has a close-proximity continuation draw.
  6. If all assets expand away from a reversal zone, they likely target the low-hanging draw already taken by the leading asset.
  7. Displacement verifies reversal.

17.4 Decoupling / Re-sync Model

Section titled “17.4 Decoupling / Re-sync Model”
  1. Wait for the 6:00am 4h candle close.
  2. Identify which asset is in foreseen distribution.
  3. Identify which assets are manipulating into the opposing key level.
  4. Expect the 6:00 4h close to potentially form PSP.
  5. Watch the 10:00 4h candle for SS / re-sync.
  6. If 10:00 fails to re-sync, watch 10:30 / the new 90m open.
  7. Trade:
    • SMT fill sequence on the foreseen distribution asset;
    • SS-SMT on the manipulating assets;
    • lagging / middle asset catch-up if RR supports.

17.5 Driver Model

Section titled “17.5 Driver Model”
  1. Check whether reversal formed before the driver.
  2. If yes: driver continuation.
  3. If no: driver reversal.
  4. If the driver fails to reverse: invalidation.
  5. If manipulation occurs before the driver but there is no reversal: driver expands away.
  6. If price retraces into a gap before the driver but does not reverse, price should expand from the driver.
  7. Driver-created PSP = high-probability time-based CiC.

17.6 Failure Swing Model

Section titled “17.6 Failure Swing Model”
  1. Failure swing appears.
  2. Wait for SS.
  3. Wait for gap away.
  4. Only then consider trading away from the failure swing.
  5. Without SS + gap away, failure swing is not enough.
  6. If the clean CiSD is too far away, a valid failure-swing CiSD may be used.

17.7 Five-Step System

Section titled “17.7 Five-Step System”
Community insights
  • A named mechanical scalp model: draw on liquidity (old 1h high/low, drop to 15m if none) → a stop-raid in the opposite direction → wait for that candle to close back in/out → cascade down through 5m to a 30-second-chart fair value gap entry, with a fixed ~12-point stop and a fixed 1:1 target as the base mechanical version — with stated personal deviations preferring structural targets and displacement-based entries over the fixed parameters. — TTrades — "ICT Son's Model - 30 Second Setup", 0:12
  • Two named timeframe-cascade recipes with differing confirmation strictness: a '1-minute entry' version — pick a 4H/1H draw on liquidity, drop to 15m for a sweep plus a confirming candle close against the draw, then to 1m for an FVG entry; a '5-minute entry' version — pick a Daily/4H draw, drop to 1H for a sweep without waiting for that candle to close back in (more aggressive), then to 5m for entry. — TTrades — "ICT Son's Model - Higher Time Frames", 0:35
  • A named scalping recipe: confirm continuation (not manipulation) at the equities open via a strong first 15-minute post-open candle, wait for the next 15-minute candle to leave a same-direction FVG, require SMT divergence inside that gap, then drop to the 1-minute chart and frame a '1-minute market maker model' (IFVG/order block/breaker entries) toward the obvious higher-timeframe liquidity draw, targeting 1:2 R:R. — $niper — "The Scalping Strategy with Highest Win rate", 0:24
  • A named M15→M1 'fractalized' scalping variant of the Forever Model: the same daily/hourly key-level logic compressed two more fractal layers down, with M15 playing the role the daily/weekly/monthly normally plays as the key-level timeframe, and M1 as the aligned execution timeframe. — $niper — "My Futures Scalping Strategy | $NQ Trade Breakdown | ICT Concepts", 3:54

  1. Draw

    • Draws include highs / lows and FVGs.
    • The draw should ideally be low-resistance liquidity.
    • Low resistance = failure swings.
    • High resistance = protected swings.
    • Do not trade into protected swings.

  2. Profile

    • Preferred profile: AMD with a small daily wick.
    • Seek-and-Destroy: trade extremes.
    • Range consolidation: SMT usually validates a failure swing.

  3. Key Levels

    • Valid key levels are relevant swings.
    • Exception: failure swing with SMT.

  4. CiC

    • CiC confirms a bias.
    • CiC does not create the bias by itself.
    • Valid SMT needs to be at a key level.
    • Two ways to trade a 4h C2 without necessarily waiting for closure:
      1. small wick;
      2. large wick back to open.

  5. LTF Signature

    • Prefer a bulky-bodied CiSD.
    • If the CiSD is too far away, a failure-swing CiSD may be used.

17.8 Daily-Range Retracement Model

Section titled “17.8 Daily-Range Retracement Model”
Community insights
  • This previous-day-high/low retracement model works best when the market is in extended consolidation rather than trending — in a strong trend, re-evaluate whether it still offers the same opportunities. — Afyz — "The Twitter Model (MXM Trader)", 11:36
  • A weekly analogue of this retracement-into-range idea ("TGIF"): a reversal must form Monday or Tuesday, price must expand through Thursday in that direction, and it must reach a weekly premium (if bullish) or discount (if bearish) array — only then does Friday returning 20-30% back into the weekly range become a high-probability read, rather than something to expect most weeks. — AM — "How To Trade The TGIF Setup", 2:00
  • Once those weekly conditions are met, Friday's counter-trend move back into the range tends to come from one of two triggers: a sweep of Thursday's high/low, or a retracement into an internal PD array (fair value gap or order block) — with SMT usable as extra confluence when the market offers it. — AM — "How To Trade The TGIF Setup", 5:00
  • Weekly bias narrows to three recurring profiles: a classic expansion week (reversal Monday/Tuesday, expansion through Thursday), a midweek reversal (Monday/Tuesday consolidate or Judas-swing, Wednesday reverses and expands through Friday), and a consolidation reversal (Monday-Wednesday range-bound, Thursday manipulates the range and expands through Friday). Each pins down which days actually carry directional bias. — AM — "Weekly Profiles For Daily Bias", 1:25
  • Confirm a weekly reversal with a "change in state of delivery": the anticipated reversal day (per the active weekly profile) pairs with price reaching a 4H+ premium/discount array, and price then closes through the opposing-colour candle(s) that ran into that array — ideally read on the hourly, dropping to 30-minute when the hourly isn't clean. — AM — "Weekly Profiles For Daily Bias", 10:06
  • The Friday reversal in a TGIF setup doesn't have to be external (a sweep of Thursday's low/high) — it can instead be internal, retracing only partway back into the weekly range from wherever price already sits. When that's the case, the usual 20-30% retracement target is only a minimum; 20-50% is a fair expectation. To find which internal PD array is likely to hold when the hourly chart is messy, measure 50% of the reversal candle's own wick on the daily and treat only that upper half as relevant support, dropping back to the hourly to refine the entry from there. — AM — TGIF trade recap, 3:00
  • Always mark the New York midnight (12am EST) opening price on the chart as a standing directional reference — be a buyer below it and a seller above it, matching whichever side your directional bias favours for the session. — MMXM Trader — Euro USD review, 5:56
  • Generalises the weekly-profile rule ('no established low off the weekly open → target back to the weekly open') down one fractal step to the daily/intraday timeframe: an intraday open that runs one direction without ever forming a low (or high) off that open sets up a target back to that open itself. — TTrades — "Next Day Model - Fractal Way To Get Bias For Trading", 13:35
  • A named five-rule mechanical model: skip Mondays entirely, trade only the New York session, execute only on the 15-minute chart, use the economic calendar to decide which day to expect the move, and specifically hunt the setup on the day after the anticipated higher-timeframe level was tagged/reacted to — not the same day. — "Next Day Model" The MMXM Trader — "ICT Concepts", 0:39

A three-step, three-timeframe recipe for range-bound conditions:

  1. Daily: mark the previous day high and previous day low; wait to see which is engaged first.
  2. Hourly: wait for a retracement back into a discounted (if short) or premium (if long) internal-range PDA — typically a FVG — inside the dealing range created by that engagement.
  3. 15-minute: confirm with an SMT and a market structure shift, then enter above (short) or below (long) the midnight opening price, targeting the internal range / an obvious liquidity pool.

Works best in consolidating, range-bound conditions; re-evaluate it in a strongly trending market.

Personal study notes, shared as-is and in good faith. Educational material only — nothing on this site constitutes financial advice.