MNQ day review

Tuesday, Aug 18, 2026 · MNQ.U26 -102 pts open 29,690.50 · close 29,588.00 ← all days today →

Reconstructed after the fact from saved 5-minute bars (the watcher was not archiving live on this day); alerts shown are what the current rules would have said.

The whole day

29,50129,55829,61429,67029,72629,78309:0010:0011:0012:0013:0014:0015:009:30 openIBH 29,770OR15H 29,770HOD 29,770ONL 29,675OR15L 29,631IBL 29,568LOD 29,514

Calls and outcomes

TimeSetupEntryStopTargetOutcome
15:25D short (paper)
15:30 go-with-the-day
29,599.7529,616.0929,514.00flat (+0.7R)

Your trades

EntrySideInOutPts$Tag
13:03short29,657.2529,650.25+7.00+14unplanned
20:31long29,549.0029,553.50+4.50+9unplanned

How the day played out

The day opened at 29,690, ranged 256 points (29,514 to 29,770), and closed at 29,588 (-102 from the open). The high printed at 09:40 and the low at 11:10 ET.

The middling 400-point gap never filled; yesterday's close at 30,091 was left behind.

The first hour was indecisive (body 0.11): a chop morning, where breakouts fail and the playbook wants patience over trades.

The system made 1 call: 0 won, 0 lost, 1 other, +0.7R in total (paper).

Call of the day: Setup D short at 15:25 off 15:30 go-with-the-day (+0.7R). Worth replaying the chart around that bar.

You traded 2 round trips: +11.50 pts ($+23.00). 2 of them were outside the system (tagged unplanned): compare those with the calls above.

Levels at the close

LevelPriceStatus
PDH30,286.75fresh
ONH30,124.25fresh
Prior close30,091.00reference
PDL30,066.50broken (closed through)
ON mid29,899.62reference
IBH29,770.00fresh
OR15H29,770.00fresh
HOD29,770.00fresh
ONL29,675.00tested 09:30
OR15L29,631.00broken (closed through)
VWAP29,624.83reference
IBL29,568.25broken (closed through)
LOD29,514.00fresh

Every alert

09:15 BRIEF
MNQ morning map, Tue Aug 18 (MNQ.U26)
PDH 30,286.75 | PDL 30,066.50 | prior close 30,091
ONH 30,124.25 | ONL 29,680.75 | ON mid 29,902.50
Pre-open 29,699.00: below ON mid -> ONL usually breaks first (~76%).
Gap -392 pts = 0.96 daily ATR (mid-size gap, ~25-40% fill).
Daily ATR 410 | 5-min ATR 21
News: nothing high-impact on the calendar.
Rules: nothing before 9:45, max 3 alerts, flat by 11:30.
10:00 HEADSUP
HEADS-UP: Setup A forming at OR15L 29,631.00. The 10:00 bar poked 10 pts through and closed back inside. If the next bar closes above 29,663.62, it's a go (long). Stop would be ~29,615.75 (57 pts, $114). ATR 43.
10:25 READ
10:30 read (MNQ.U26): first-hour body 0.11 (down) -> mode chop.
IB 29,568.25-29,770.00 (202 pts = 0.49 daily ATR; narrow, extension likely).
Price 29,669.25 above VWAP 29,663.65; 21 over 9; VWAP crosses in hour one: 3.
Chop: no Setup B; at most one Setup A at an outer level, or take the morning off.
11:25 DONE
11:30, morning session over (MNQ.U26). Flat now; the afternoon window opens at 13:00 with the day's high/low as its levels.
Today: 1 heads-up, 0 confirmed.
12:55 READ
13:00 afternoon read (MNQ.U26): price 29,650.00, above VWAP 29,634.50; first hour was down; morning mode chop.
Afternoon levels: day high 29,770 (+120) and day low 29,514 (-136).
Plan: a shallow poke of either that closes back inside = Setup A fade; a 5-min close through either = Setup C, join the first pullback (these held into the close ~2 of 3 times, best when they agree with the first hour). Lunch range is not a level.
5-min ATR 33: stops 25-50 pts. Caps: 0/2 afternoon alerts. Flat by 15:55.
14:55 READ
15:00 power hour (MNQ.U26): price 29,572.25, day down from the 29,690.50 open, below VWAP 29,628.41.
Day high 29,770 / low 29,514. Last hour made a new day extreme on ~43% of days, but breakouts of the 2-3pm range failed ~65%: only continuation WITH the day's direction counts, and a shallow poke of the day high/low that closes back inside is still a fade.
Everything closes by 15:55. No overnight.
15:25 PMSETUP
AFTERNOON SETUP (paper-tracked, no ticket) SETUP D SHORT at 15:30 ET, MNQ.U26: go with the day into the close.
Day is down 491 pts from yesterday's close (1.66%), first hour agrees.
Entry ~29,599.75 | Stop 29,616.09 (16 pts, $33) | Target 29,514.00 (5.2R, $172) | hold to 15:55, then flat.
Why: the last half hour tends to go the way the day went (two futures studies, ~55% hit, 61% when the first hour agrees; our own data +0.1R per trade). Small edge, so size stays 1 micro.
15:50 FLATTEN
15:55: flat by the close. Anything still open from today's plans should be closed now; nothing is held overnight.
15:55 DAYDONE
16:00, day over (MNQ.U26).
Today: 1 heads-up, 1 confirmed (0 morning, 1 afternoon).
- Setup D short 15:25: flat (+0.7R)