MNQ day review

Friday, Aug 28, 2026 · MNQ.U26 -134 pts open 29,628.25 · close 29,494.00 ← all days today →

The whole day

Calls and outcomes

No confirmed calls this day.

Your trades

Entry	Side	In	Out	Pts	$	Tag
14:47	short	29,480.50	29,470.50	+10.00	+20	unplanned
14:50	short	29,458.25	29,452.25	+6.00	+12	unplanned

How the day played out

The day opened at 29,628, ranged 375 points (29,437 to 29,812), and closed at 29,494 (-134 from the open). The high printed at 11:00 and the low at 13:05 ET.

The small 72-point gap filled at 09:40: yesterday's close (29,700) acted as the magnet the base rates say it is.

The first hour was indecisive (body 0.12): a chop morning, where breakouts fail and the playbook wants patience over trades.

The system made no confirmed calls, and on a chop day that silence is the design working, not a miss.

You traded 2 round trips: +16.00 pts ($+32.00). 2 of them were outside the system (tagged unplanned): compare those with the calls above.

Levels at the close

Level	Price	Status
HOD	29,811.75	fresh
IBH	29,707.50	tested 10:35
ONH	29,707.25	tested 10:00
PDH	29,704.00	tested 09:45
OR15H	29,701.25	tested 10:00
Prior close	29,700.00	reference
ON mid	29,642.50	reference
VWAP	29,593.40	reference
ONL	29,577.75	tested 09:30
OR15L	29,562.50	broken (closed through)
IBL	29,505.50	tested 12:15
LOD	29,464.50	broken (closed through)
PDL	29,424.00	fresh

Every alert

07:25 UPDATE

Early morning update (MNQ.U26), 07:25 ET bar: 29,634.00. Phase: pre-market.

In plain English: Overnight the market moved down about 66 points from yesterday's 29,700 close, a small gap. Gaps that size usually get filled, so 29,700 is a magnet today. We are below the middle of the overnight range, which usually means the overnight low (29,578) gets tested before the other end. Nothing to do yet. The job before 9:45 is to let the open sort itself out and see which levels get hit. Either way it is one trade, one micro, with a stop of roughly 12 to 24 points ($24 to $48), a target about one and a half times that, sent as a bracket so it runs without you.

Levels: ONH 29,707.25 (+73) | PDH 29,704.00 (+70) | Prior close 29,700.00 (+66) | ON mid 29,642.50 (+8) | ONL 29,577.75 (-56) | PDL 29,424.00 (-210)
5m ATR 16 | daily ATR 402 | 9/21 EMA 29,622/29,615
News: 10:00 Fed Chairman Warsh Speaks (High); 10:00 Prelim Benchmark Payrolls Revision (High); 10:00 Revised UoM Consumer Sentiment (Medium); 10:00 Revised UoM Inflation Expectations (Medium)
Watch:
- Price is below the ON mid (29,642.50): ONL usually breaks first (~76%); ONH is reached first only ~23%.
- Gap -66 pts is tiny (0.16 daily ATR): the prior close 29,700.00 is a magnet (fills ~78%); expect the overnight range to get swept.
- 10:00 release today: no entries 9:55-10:15. Expect a second impulse right at 10:00.
- 9:30-9:45: watch only. A third of overnight-level breaks happen in the first 5 minutes; most whipsaws live here.
- Stop sizing right now: 0.75x ATR = 12 pts ($24/micro), 1.5x cap = 24 pts.
Full page: https://peltonsites.com/mnq/

08:25 UPDATE

Pre-open update (MNQ.U26), 08:25 ET bar: 29,662.00. Phase: pre-market.

In plain English: Overnight the market moved down about 38 points from yesterday's 29,700 close, a small gap. Gaps that size usually get filled, so 29,700 is a magnet today. We are above the middle of the overnight range, which usually means the overnight high (29,707) gets tested before the other end. Nothing to do yet. The job before 9:45 is to let the open sort itself out and see which levels get hit. Either way it is one trade, one micro, with a stop of roughly 12 to 24 points ($24 to $48), a target about one and a half times that, sent as a bracket so it runs without you.

Levels: ONH 29,707.25 (+45) | PDH 29,704.00 (+42) | Prior close 29,700.00 (+38) | ON mid 29,642.50 (-20) | ONL 29,577.75 (-84) | PDL 29,424.00 (-238)
5m ATR 16 | daily ATR 402 | 9/21 EMA 29,637/29,626
News: 10:00 Fed Chairman Warsh Speaks (High); 10:00 Prelim Benchmark Payrolls Revision (High); 10:00 Revised UoM Consumer Sentiment (Medium); 10:00 Revised UoM Inflation Expectations (Medium)
Watch:
- Price is above the ON mid (29,642.50): ONH usually breaks first (~76%); ONL is reached first only ~23%.
- Gap -38 pts is tiny (0.09 daily ATR): the prior close 29,700.00 is a magnet (fills ~78%); expect the overnight range to get swept.
- 10:00 release today: no entries 9:55-10:15. Expect a second impulse right at 10:00.
- 9:30-9:45: watch only. A third of overnight-level breaks happen in the first 5 minutes; most whipsaws live here.
- Price is 36 pts from the 21 EMA (>2 ATR): extended, do not chase; wait for the pullback.
- Stop sizing right now: 0.75x ATR = 12 pts ($24/micro), 1.5x cap = 24 pts.
Full page: https://peltonsites.com/mnq/

09:10 BRIEF

MNQ morning map, Fri Aug 28 (MNQ.U26)
PDH 29,704 | PDL 29,424 | prior close 29,700
ONH 29,707.25 | ONL 29,577.75 | ON mid 29,642.50
Pre-open 29,660.75: above ON mid -> ONH usually breaks first (~76%).
Gap -39 pts = 0.10 daily ATR (tiny gap, fills ~78% same day).
Daily ATR 402 | 5-min ATR 18
News today: 10:00 Fed Chairman Warsh Speaks (High); 10:00 Prelim Benchmark Payrolls Revision (High); 10:00 Revised UoM Consumer Sentiment (Medium); 10:00 Revised UoM Inflation Expectations (Medium)
10:00 release: no entries 9:55-10:15.
Rules: nothing before 9:45, max 3 alerts, flat by 11:30.

09:40 UPDATE

Window open, first 15 minutes done (MNQ.U26), 09:40 ET bar: 29,686.25. Phase: open, watch only (9:30-9:45).

In plain English: Overnight the market moved down about 72 points from yesterday's 29,700 close, a small gap. Gaps that size usually get filled, so 29,700 is a magnet today. We are above the middle of the overnight range, which usually means the overnight high (29,707) gets tested before the other end. Price is above today's average price (29,630), so the buyers have the upper hand so far. Nothing to do yet. The job before 9:45 is to let the open sort itself out and see which levels get hit. Either way it is one trade, one micro, with a stop of roughly 21 to 41 points ($41 to $83), a target about one and a half times that, sent as a bracket so it runs without you.

Levels: ONH 29,707.25 (+21) | PDH 29,704.00 (+18) | Prior close 29,700.00 (+14) | ON mid 29,642.50 (-44) | VWAP 29,630.36 (-56) | ONL 29,577.75 (-108) | PDL 29,424.00 (-262)
5m ATR 28 | daily ATR 402 | 9/21 EMA 29,650/29,644
News: 10:00 Fed Chairman Warsh Speaks (High); 10:00 Prelim Benchmark Payrolls Revision (High); 10:00 Revised UoM Consumer Sentiment (Medium); 10:00 Revised UoM Inflation Expectations (Medium)
Watch:
- Price is above the ON mid (29,642.50): ONH usually breaks first (~76%); ONL is reached first only ~23%.
- Gap -72 pts is tiny (0.18 daily ATR): the prior close 29,700.00 is a magnet (fills ~78%); expect the overnight range to get swept.
- 10:00 release today: no entries 9:55-10:15. Expect a second impulse right at 10:00.
- ONH 29,707.25 (+21 pts) is fresh: a poke of less than ~14 pts that closes back inside = Setup A short; a body close through it on heavy volume = a break, do not fade.
- PDH 29,704.00 (+18 pts) is fresh: a poke of less than ~14 pts that closes back inside = Setup A short; a body close through it on heavy volume = a break, do not fade.
- PDL 29,424.00 (-262 pts) is fresh: a poke of less than ~14 pts that closes back inside = Setup A long; a body close through it on heavy volume = a break, do not fade.
Full page: https://peltonsites.com/mnq/

10:05 SKIPPED

Setup A at ONH+OR15H 29,707.25 confirmed at 10:05 but SKIPPED: 10:00 news window

10:25 READ

10:30 read (MNQ.U26): first-hour body 0.12 (up) -> mode chop.
IB 29,505.50-29,707.50 (202 pts = 0.50 daily ATR; normal).
Price 29,652.50 above VWAP 29,621.68; 21 over 9; VWAP crosses in hour one: 2.
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: 0 heads-up, 0 confirmed.
Your trades today: no trades.

12:55 READ

13:00 afternoon read (MNQ.U26): price 29,501.50, below VWAP 29,630.95; first hour was up; morning mode chop.
Afternoon levels: day high 29,811.75 (+310) and day low 29,464.50 (-37).
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 48: stops 36-72 pts. Caps: 0/2 afternoon alerts. Flat by 15:55.

13:00 HEADSUP

HEADS-UP: Setup A forming at LOD 29,464.50. The 13:00 bar poked 18 pts through and closed back inside. If the next bar closes above 29,474.62, it's a go (long). Stop would be ~29,441.00 (36 pts, $73). ATR 48.

14:40 HEADSUP

HEADS-UP: Setup B (short) pullback is in the zone. Direction from close below IB low; drive extreme 29,479.00, pullback to 29,498.75 (50% retrace), 21 EMA 29,501.14, VWAP 29,605.50. Watch for a trend bar closing below the 9 EMA (29,490.76) and the prior bar's low. Stop would be ~29,503.75 (25 pts).

14:47 TRADE

Filled: now short 1 from 29,480.50.

14:49 TRADE

Trade closed: short 1 MNQ.U26 29,480.50 -> 29,470.50 = +10.00 pts ($+20.00), held 2 min, unplanned. Today: 1 trade, 1 win, +10.00 pts ($+20.00).

14:50 TRADE

Filled: now short 1 from 29,458.25.

14:51 TRADE

Trade closed: short 1 MNQ.U26 29,458.25 -> 29,452.25 = +6.00 pts ($+12.00), held 2 min, unplanned. Today: 2 trades, 2 wins, +16.00 pts ($+32.00).

14:55 READ

15:00 power hour (MNQ.U26): price 29,455.75, day down from the 29,628.25 open, below VWAP 29,602.67.
Day high 29,811.75 / low 29,437. 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 INFO

15:30 go-with-the-day: day is down 202 pts from yesterday's close but the first hour disagreed, so no Setup D today (the edge mostly lives where they agree).