The complete six step blueprint
A step by step process for every trade. Read the structure, mark your levels, wait for alignment, read the market's behavior, confirm with liquidity, then execute the plan. Follow all six steps and your emotions never get a vote.
The blueprint
Each step is a question you answer before moving to the next. If any step fails, the trade is off. Waiting is a position.
What is the market doing?
Identify the market's structure first. Decide whether price is trending, ranging, or transitioning, and mark the swing highs and lows that define it.
Where do I want to trade?
Mark your key levels and Fibonacci zones before the session opens, so you know where you want to act before price gets there.
Do the pieces agree?
Wait until structure, levels, and fibs all point the same way. Confluence is the signal. A single reason is not enough.
What story is price telling?
Watch how price reacts at your level. Is it being accepted or rejected? Has the pullback and retest actually happened, or are you about to chase?
Is the order flow confirming?
Use order flow to confirm what the chart is suggesting. See where orders are resting and whether buyers or sellers are really stepping in at your level.
Am I following the plan?
Enter only on your planned trigger, with your stop and target set before you click. Take the result the market gives you and log it.
Trading rules
Pre trade checklist
Tap through all six steps while you watch the chart. The trade is only on when every box is checked and no stand down rule is true.
Check every box before you click. If one stays empty, you wait.
0 of 6 steps confirmed. Work through each step in order.
Market mood
The market read sums it all up in plain words. Nasdaq Leaders shows which way the biggest companies are pushing. The Chase Meter shows whether the move already happened. Fear and Greed shows how emotional other traders are, and VXN shows how big the market expects Nasdaq moves to be. None of these is a trade signal. They tell you what kind of day to prepare for.
Updated every 5 minutes on weekdays from 6 AM to 5 PM Eastern, from the four gauges below, yields, the S&P 500, gold, oil, and today's scheduled news. Context for the blueprint, not a trade signal. Every hour from 10 AM to 4 PM ET the read is graded A+ to F minus on its daily bias and expected move against what the Nasdaq actually did, with a session grade at 4 PM. Chase warnings are tracked separately: patience paid counts how often a pullback followed the warning.
How the top 10 Nasdaq 100 companies have moved since today's 9:30 AM open, weighted by size. Together they are about half the index.
How to read it
Moves are measured from today's 9:30 AM open, so overnight gaps are left out. Always check breadth too. A strong reading with only a few green names means one or two giants are carrying the index, which is a weaker signal than a broad move.
Example reading
View the Nasdaq 100Where price sits in today's New York session range. 0 is the day's low and 100 is the high. Uses QQQ, which tracks the same index as NQ.
How far price is from today's highest and lowest points, and how wide the day's range is, all in percent. Measured on QQQ, so percentages carry over to NQ even though the prices are different.
How to read it
Right after the 9:30 open the range is still small, so the needle can swing fast. The reading settles down as the session builds a real high and low.
Example reading
View QQQCNN's stock market sentiment index, 0 to 100.
How to read it
Sentiment works best as a warning sign, not a timing tool. Extreme readings can last for weeks before the market turns.
Example reading
View on CNNExpected 30 day volatility of the Nasdaq 100, the index NQ tracks.
How to read it
The zones describe the level of expected volatility. Watch the daily change too: a fast jump in VXN, even inside the normal zone, means volatility is expanding. VXN usually moves opposite NQ, rising when NQ falls.
Example reading
View on CboeNews and resources
These releases can move NQ hard in seconds. STS rule: no new trades right before a high impact release. Check the calendar every morning before you plan your day.
Typical release times shown. Dates change every month, so always confirm on the live calendar.
The futures prop firms I trade with. Always read each firm's current rules and pricing before you buy an evaluation.
STS is not affiliated with these firms.
Trader tools
Size every trade before you take it, and know which session you are trading in.
How many contracts fit your risk.
One tick is 0.25 points. On MNQ a tick is worth $0.50.
Shown in your own time zone.
Futures trade Sunday 6 PM to Friday 5 PM Eastern, with a daily break from 5 to 6 PM. Session times are common trader definitions.
Trade journal
A quick note before the trade, running thoughts while it is open, another after, and a wrap up at the end of the day. Stay out instead? Log why. Tap the mic and just talk. Over time your own words show you which pillars you skip and which feelings come before your losses.
Saved privately in this browser.
Did you take the trade?
Your Before note is saved.
Voice typing works in Chrome, Edge, and Safari. In this browser you can still type, or use your phone keyboard's mic.
No entries yet.
Entries stay in this browser on this device. Export a backup now and then, and import it to move your journal to another device.
Prop firms
The five futures prop firms I trade with, compared side by side on the rules that actually fail accounts. Pick the account type on each card to see its rules. Then use the calculator to see exactly how much room you have left before you click.
Rules and list prices checked October 2026. Firms change rules and run sales often, so confirm on the firm's site before you buy.
Some firm links may be affiliate links. If you buy through them, STS may earn a commission at no extra cost to you, and any code shown saves you money. I only list firms I trade with myself. The best evaluation is the one you can pass by following the blueprint, not the cheapest one.
Know your floor before you take the next trade.
The Daily guardrails card is hidden.
Stay in the loop
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Lesson library
Brand new to trading? Start at lesson 1 and watch in order. Each part builds on the one before it, and the six STS pillars come last, once you know the basics.
Learn to spot the Gartley, Bat, Butterfly, Crab, and more. See the pattern, guess its name, then flip the card for its Fibonacci ratios and what it usually means for price.
Head and shoulders, flags, pennants, triangles, wedges, and more. Name the pattern, then flip the card to see how to spot it, what it means, and where the trigger, target, and stop usually go.
Marked up screenshots showing each STS step on real setups, including the trades worth skipping.
The one page STS checklist with a trade plan box, to print or keep open on your monitor while you trade.
Watch the blueprint in real time on the STS TikTok as each trade is planned, taken, or skipped.
Get updates
New lessons, tools, and launch news, sent straight to your inbox. No hype, and you can unsubscribe any time.
The ecosystem
The six step blueprint for deciding when to trade and when to wait.
Track your prop firm accounts, journal every session, and see your progress over time.
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Pricing
Founding prices are locked in for life for early members, as long as you stay subscribed.
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STS is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice. Futures trading involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for every investor. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Only trade with money you can afford to lose.
