Introduction to ICT / Smart Money Concepts

Smart Money Concepts (SMC) and ICT (Inner Circle Trader) teachings emphasize how large participants need liquidity to fill size. Price is described as seeking stops and resting orders above highs and below lows before reversing or continuing — 'liquidity grabs' or 'sweeps.'

Manual traders use these ideas without mysticism: equal highs are obvious stop clusters; news spikes can run stops; clean reversals after sweeps are tradable. Whether or not you believe in deliberate 'algorithmic' manipulation, the liquidity behavior is observable on charts.

Core vocabulary: buy-side liquidity (above highs), sell-side liquidity (below lows), premium/discount (upper/lower half of range), order blocks (last opposing candle before impulse), fair value gaps (imbalance zones), kill zones (session times).

ICT is not a license to see setups everywhere. Apply the same discipline: HTF bias, clear liquidity event, confirmation candle, defined invalidation.

This academy presents concepts for chart reading education — not broker integration or automated execution.