Education
The LSTrades Blog
ICT concepts, NQ trading strategy, and deep-dives from the LSTrades team. Written for traders who want to understand the why behind every setup.
How I Stopped Trading Like a Tourist and Started Building Like an Operator
The market does not pay you for effort. It pays you for process. This is the story of how I learned that the hard way, and what LSTrades exists to fix.
Top-Down Analysis: How to Read HTF Trend Before Dropping to LTF
Trading NQ without higher timeframe context is like navigating with a street-level map while ignoring the highway system. Here's how top-down analysis works and why it's the first step in every LSTrades setup.
What Is NQ? A Beginner's Guide to Nasdaq 100 Futures
NQ is the ticker for Nasdaq 100 futures — one of the most actively traded instruments in the world. Here's what it is, how it works, and why traders choose it over other instruments.
How to Read the Confluence Table
The Confluence Table shows the real-time state of every grading factor on the LSTrades indicator — before a signal fires. Here's what each row means, what updates live, and how to use it for pre-signal reads.
What TP1, BE, and TP2 Actually Mean (The Exit Structure Explained)
TP1, breakeven, and TP2 aren't arbitrary targets — they're a structured exit system built on risk-to-reward math. Here's how the LSTrades exit logic works and why every number has a reason.
Stop Loss Placement in NQ Futures: Why Your SL Is Not Random
Arbitrary stop losses are one of the most common reasons traders lose money — not because the trade direction was wrong, but because the stop had no structural logic. Here's how LSTrades places every SL, and why it matters.
How to Identify a Liquidity Sweep on NAS100 (Step-by-Step)
Knowing what a sweep is isn't enough — you need to spot them in real-time. Here's exactly how to identify liquidity sweeps on NQ futures using key levels, session structure, and price behavior.
Fair Value Gaps vs Inverted Fair Value Gaps: What's the Difference?
FVGs and iFVGs look similar on a chart but serve completely different roles. Here's what each one is, how to tell them apart, and why only the inverted version triggers an LSTrades signal.
Apr 14–15 MNQ Trade Recap: Two Longs, One London Session, One Lesson
Two MNQ long trades across two sessions — one London, one NY AM. Both hit 3:1. Here's the exact decision chain: CISD identification, iFVG entry, and why the stop size didn't matter.
How to Grade Trade Setups: The A / A+ / A++ Framework
Not all valid setups are equally strong. The LSTrades grading system scores every NQ signal based on confluence — here's what each grade means, what earns it, and how to use it.
NQ Futures Session Times: When to Trade NAS100
Not all hours are equal on NQ. Here's a breakdown of every futures session, why the NY AM window produces the best setups, and how session timing shapes the LSTrades signal system.
What Is CISD in ICT Trading? (Change in State of Delivery Explained)
CISD — Change in State of Delivery — confirms when price has shifted direction at a structural level. Here's what it means, how to spot it on NQ charts, and why LSTrades uses it as a confluence factor.
What Is an iFVG? The Entry Signal Behind Every LSTrades Alert
The inverted Fair Value Gap is the single entry mechanism in Lewis's NQ methodology. Here's what it is, why it works, and how it combines with a liquidity sweep to produce a high-probability signal.
What Is a Liquidity Sweep? (And Why It Matters for NQ Traders)
Liquidity sweeps are the engine behind most high-probability NQ setups. Here's what they are, how to spot them, and why LSTrades uses them as the first gate for every signal.
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