Every millionaire trader I've studied understands this one concept, most never will:
Look for coiled price action.
Think of price like a spring.
When it compresses, tight range, low volume, higher lows; it’s storing energy.
The tighter the coil, the bigger the potential release.
Your job isn’t to predict, it’s to recognize pressure building.
Then position yourself before the spring explodes, @jfsrev said it best.
Apply this mindset when analyzing charts… and you’ll start spotting opportunities most traders miss.
A lot of traders hate XAUUSD but it’s the only pair I’ve traded for almost 2 years
I had my first big payout with Gold
I hit 1 million in funding with Gold
I was able to quit my job to take trading full-time with Gold
I’ve had $100K months with Gold
I get that it’s a volatile and manipulated pair
But if you understand liquidity, have a tested strategy and have intentionally worked on your psychology
Then trading just Gold can change your life drastically 🫶🏆
You don't need anything other than what ICT has already taught. All these 'new' concepts flying about have already been taught. People are either too lazy to actually study or just too stupid to realise.
The amount of clarity journaling trades gives you is insane
If you’ve found yourself in a vicious cycle of tilt / emotional trading
Then just journal
That layer of self-accountability works wonders 🫶
At the end of the day, when you have the skillset, irregardless or prop firms, you will always thrive.
Build your own personal accounts and spread the risk across multiple brokers, build a side business, build a track record for real institutional funding, there’s much much more you can do with this skillset than you realize
The times I saw the most progress in my trading were the days spent locked in, reviewing price action across the board week after week, figuring out how I could have taken advantage of my edge and how it would have played out.
Epiphanies upon Epiphanies.
You know, when they say stick a pair or two, these days, I couldn't agree more.
But in truth. It all works.
It Literally just boils down to understanding the difference between a setup and an opportunity, and picking your poison.