ICT Trading Setup: Sessions, Price Levels & Standard Deviation Projections

The ICT Framework: Time + Price + Levels

The ICT (Inner Circle Trader) methodology is built on three pillars: when institutions move markets (time/sessions), where they target (price levels), and how far price is likely to reach (standard deviation projections). The AIO suite implements all three with four specialized indicators.

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Part 1: Session Analysis (AIO Session STD)

6 Configurable Kill Zones

AIO Session STD provides 6 fully customizable trading sessions, each with independent time windows, colors, and sub-line options:

Session	Default Time (EST)	ICT Concept
1st Session	19:00-00:00	Asian Session
2nd Session	01:00-05:00	London Open Kill Zone
3rd Session	07:00-11:00	NY Open Kill Zone
4th Session	09:30-10:30	DR (Defining Range)
5th Session	03:00-04:00	ODR (Opening DR)
6th Session	19:30-20:30	ADR (Asian DR)

Each session draws a box showing the High/Low of that time window, with optional sub-lines for Close and Equilibrium (EQ = midpoint of H/L or midpoint of closes).

Standard Deviation Projections

This is the core ICT concept. After a Defining Range forms, price tends to move in standard deviation multiples of that range:

STD Level N = Session High/Low ± N × (Session Range × Rate)

Two Rate Options

• Rate 0.5: Used for DR/IDR concept. Projections are at ±0.5, ±1.0, ±1.5, ±2.0, etc. of the session range.
• Rate 1.0: Used for Asian Range concept. Projections at ±1, ±2, ±3 of the session range.

You can run up to 3 simultaneous STD sources from different sessions (e.g., DR projections + Asian Range projections on the same chart), each with independent price source options (Close-based or High/Low-based range).

Optional Range Adjustment

If the session range is unusually tight or wide, you can apply an adjustment factor (0.0-1.0) that blends the raw range with a reference level, preventing outlier sessions from producing absurd projections.

How to Trade STD Projections

1. Mark the DR (09:30-10:30 EST default)
2. Note the STD projections (±0.5, ±1.0, etc.)
3. As price moves during NY session, STD levels act as targets and reversal zones
4. Combine with market structure (BOS/CHoCH) at STD levels for high-probability entries

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Part 2: Key Price Levels (AIO Price Levels)

Multi-Timeframe Previous Period Levels

AIO Price Levels draws horizontal levels from previous periods across 5 timeframes:

• Previous 1H: P1hH, P1hL, P1hEQ, P1hC
• Previous 4H: P4hH, P4hL, P4hEQ, P4hC
• Previous Day: PDH, PDL, PDEQ, PDC
• Previous Week: PWH, PWL, PWEQ, PWC
• Previous Month: PMH, PML, PMEQ, PMC

Each level includes the Equilibrium (EQ) — the midpoint — which in ICT theory represents the “fair value” of the period. Price trading above EQ = premium; below = discount.

ADR (Average Daily Range)

Projects the expected high and low of the current day based on the average daily range over N days (default 5). Essential for knowing “how far can price realistically move today?”

NWOG (New Week Opening Gap)

One of the most powerful ICT concepts. The NWOG is the gap between the previous week’s close and the current week’s open. AIO draws this as a colored box with:

• Up to 5 historical NWOGs visible
• Consequent Encroachment (C.E.): The 50% midpoint of the gap — a key target level in ICT theory
• Optional extension to current bar

Anchor Time Price Levels

Two configurable time-based price captures:

• Time 1 (default: 00:00, label “NYMO”): NY Midnight Open — a key ICT reference
• Time 2 (default: 08:30, label “NYO”): NY Open price

Configurable price source (open, close, high, low, etc.) for each anchor time.

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Part 3: Time Structure (AIO Time Separators)

AIO Time Separators provides visual time structure on the chart:

• Day/Week/Month/Quarter separators as vertical lines
• Day-of-week labels (Mon-Sun) color-coded at the bottom
• 2 Anchor Time vertical lines (default: Midnight and 08:30) — matching the price levels anchor times
• Timezone-aware: all separators respect the configured GMT offset

ICT application: Day-of-week profiling (Tuesdays and Wednesdays are highest-probability ICT trading days). Anchor times visually mark kill zone transitions.

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Part 4: Price Range Context (AIO Lookback)

AIO Lookback shows where current price sits within the broader range using triple-layered high/low/equilibrium:

Two Timeframe Tiers

• 4H Lookback: Default 30/60/90 bars (~5/10/15 day range at 4H)
• Daily Lookback: Default 20/40/60 days (~1/2/3 month range)

Visual Encoding

• Lookback lines increase in width for longer periods (1px → 2px → 4px) — visually encoding significance
• Equilibrium line: (min_of_highs + max_of_lows) / 2 — the true midpoint across all lookback periods
• Optional quarter lines: midpoints between equilibrium and extreme zones
• Background fill: Red above equilibrium (premium), green below (discount)

Smart Overlap Handling

When two lookback levels converge (same price), the shorter one truncates to avoid cluttering. Lines can optionally extend right for forward reference.

Reset Anchoring

• Daily lookback resets from 1st day of the month (if enabled)
• 4H lookback resets from 1st day of the week (if enabled)

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Putting It All Together: Complete ICT Trading Flow

1. Pre-session: Use AIO Lookback to determine if price is in premium or discount of the weekly/monthly range
2. Session open: AIO Time Separators marks the kill zone start; AIO Session STD draws the DR box
3. Key levels: AIO Price Levels shows PDH/PDL/NWOG/C.E. — these are your liquidity targets
4. Range forms: After the DR closes, note the STD projections
5. Entry trigger: Wait for price to sweep a key level (PDH/PDL or NWOG C.E.) at an STD projection, then look for structure confirmation (BOS/CHoCH from AIO Advanced MS)
6. Target: Opposite STD level or next significant price level