02 / At the open
Half Gap
At the open, my Half Gap study pops up with the historical odds of price reaching the half-gap level. That gives me a separate setup to consider right as the session begins.
See the Half Gap research →My trading day
Balance first.
Then follow the map.
The Zone Map is the main thing I use to trade. It gives me a path to follow and the reaction to watch for at each level. My day starts at the open, and I stop trading at 11 AM Central.
01 / My main setup
Balance & the Zone Map
Balance is what makes the map possible. It places price in context, with the levels prepared before the session begins. Once the market opens, the map shows the historical odds of reaching other zones and the reactions at those locations.
Reach: the path
How often did price reach a particular zone after a matching close and open? I focus on the higher-percentage destinations.
Reaction: what happens there
When price reaches a zone, how often does it act as support or resistance? That is a separate read from the odds of getting there.
Together, reach and reaction help me read the map's Magnet, Fade, and Target levels. The percentages describe historical behavior; they are not trade win rates.
THE NIGHT BEFORE
The levels are already there.
All of my Balance levels are known the night before. I come to the charts with the map prepared, then wait for the open.
AT THE OPEN
Let the open set the focus.
Where price opens on the Zone Map tells me what to follow: focus on longs, shorts, or both. Balance gives me the context for that decision.
THROUGH THE MORNING
Follow the reach. Watch the reaction.
I trade toward the levels with higher historical reach percentages, using the reaction information to understand what price may do when it gets there.
Two other setups I trade
Balance comes first. Half Gap and IB Extreme are separate setups, each with its own research and trigger. They are independent of the Balance Zone Map.
03 / After the first hour
IB Extreme
IB means Initial Balance: the range of the first 60 minutes. I wait for that hour to close, then use how it closes to guide which break I trade. This setup has its own research, separate from the Zone Map.
See the IB Extreme research →Open → 11 AM Central
I trade for time.
I stop trading at 11 AM Central because I am not willing to sit at a desk all day. If I wanted to do that, I might as well work a W-2 job.
I am here to be the best dad I can be and travel as much as I can. Trading needs to fit that life. Being at the screen all day defeats the point.
Balance keeps playing out across the entire session. I do not need to be there for all of it. I follow my setups, finish my morning, and get on with my day.