AM Briefing #798 — Wait For Price To Come To Your Levels
AM BRIEFING
ES CHART | KEY LEVELS | SETUPS
ES Technical Analysis — AM Briefing 798 Timeline
Thursday June 25, 2026
| TIME | CHAPTER |
|---|---|
| 0:00 | Welcome ES MES Futures Traders |
| 6:54 | Starting On The Chart — PCE Morning With PCE printing this morning, we open straight on the chart before the AM Briefing. Usually not much of a move off this release. |
| 7:25 | TradeBuddy News Alert Update The new TradeBuddy news panel counts down from 10 minutes, pulsates at two minutes remaining, then clears itself off the screen. |
| 8:06 | PCE & Jobless Claims Drop Watching the 30-minute chart for the reaction as the morning's PCE and jobless claims numbers finish releasing. |
| 9:04 | The Data — GDP, Claims, Spending Final GDP came in more than expected, unemployment claims less than expected, and personal spending way more than expected. All looking constructive. |
| 9:22 | NQ Grabs Previous Day High NQ reaches up to grab Previous Day High and pushes well above it. It's not like the others. |
| 9:57 | AM Briefing & Scripture Welcome to the ES-MES futures trading room where Together We Trade Better. This week's scripture on the Holy Spirit's intercession. |
| 10:25 | News Schedule & Tip Of The Day Today's data is done, tomorrow brings sentiment, and Friday rules. Yesterday's tip — wait or map where you want to engage — came true live. |
| 10:53 | Trader Tools Updates ChartBuddy and TradeBuddy both got overnight updates, including a programmable micro panel and the new news panel. |
| 11:22 | Trade Review — The Green Box Yesterday we drew a green box and refused to trade until price arrived. Several of us set alerts and waited for the engagement zone. |
| 11:52 | Member Shout Outs Congrats to Milo holding a runner as our newest Battle Plan member, and to Caleb on a 50-point Core Strategy short into the zone. |
| 12:20 | Price Dead, Then Drops Into The Box Price action went dead, came back inside the overnight range, then dropped into the box firing a Battle Plan alert. Scott banked a 20-pointer. |
| 12:50 | Long At .08 — Break-Even Stop, 80-Point Run Long from .08 ran to the top of the strong range. Moving the stop to break even got me tagged right before an 80-point run. |
| 13:19 | Right Trade, Right Location Battle Plan 2 had us looking for longs in the right location, which made trading easier even when the exit didn't go perfectly. |
| 13:49 | Core Strategy Trade Count Multiple 15-point candles signal a no-trade day, so those Core Strategy points aren't counted — Micros Trader stays picky on standards. |
| 14:17 | Overnight Session Recap The overnight gave a move up from the bottom of the strong range. The Battle Plan mappings held even though it published beforehand. |
| 14:45 | Join Via Browser, Not The App To get the daily live stream, join through the browser at youtube.com — the app charges a higher price. |
| 15:15 | Late-June Seasonality A look at the seasonality chart as we enter a standout portion of late June. Context for the longer-term view, not a guarantee. |
| 15:39 | Bull Bear Line 7520 & The Profile 7520 remains the most important level and this week's Bull Bear Line. The Monday-to-today profile shows price at Value Area High but under the line. |
| 16:21 | The RTH Halfback Challenge Last night's challenge: where did price stop? The RTH Halfback. Measure it out — it's a key level on large expansive days. |
| 17:00 | Four Pack & Short Bias Under The Line Everyone is inside yesterday's range except NQ. Under the Bull Bear Line, a good short to hold is fair game until bulls reclaim 7520 with a vengeance. |
MES MICROS TRADE PLAN
Map Your Levels… Then Wait For Price To Come To You
Posted: Thursday June 25, 2026
Yesterday's tip of the day came to fruition the moment we went live: if you don't like where price is, just wait… or map out exactly where you want to engage. That's the whole session in one line. We drew a green box, said we would NOT trade until price arrived, set our alerts, and let the market do the walking. This ES futures morning briefing breaks down the Bull Bear Line at 7520, why an RTH Halfback stop is your friend on big expansion days, and the brutal lesson of a break-even stop that got tagged right before an 80-point run. Discipline over prediction. Location over chasing. Together We Trade Better.
THE MORNING DATA DROP — PCE & JOBLESS CLAIMS
We opened straight on the chart because PCE and jobless claims printed this morning. The numbers came in mixed but constructive, and the new TradeBuddy news panel counted us down — 10 minutes out, a two-minute pulsate, then it cleared itself off the screen. Clean.
- Final GDP (Q/Q): Came in MORE than expected.
- Unemployment Claims: LESS than expected — a healthy labor read.
- Personal Spending: Way MORE than expected.
NQ immediately reached up to grab Previous Day High and pushed well above it. The others didn't. As we kept saying… NQ is not like the others.
THE GREEN BOX — WAIT FOR PRICE, DON'T CHASE IT
On the live stream yesterday we drew a green box and declared it out loud: "This is where I want you to come, buddy." That was the only place we were interested in engaging. So we waited. Several of us set Battle Plan alerts on the box and walked away from the screen.
Around 10 o'clock my time, price action was dead. Check later. An hour and a half later, back inside the overnight range. Thirty minutes after that — there it is, dropping right into the box, Battle Plan alert firing. That is what patience buys you: a high-location entry you didn't have to force.
- Caleb: Took a 50-point Core Strategy short heading into the zone.
- Scott: Banked a 20-pointer right at the box.
- Milo: Our newest Battle Plan member — messaged in still holding one runner. Congrats, sir.
Trader Lesson 1
If you don't like where price is, do nothing… or map out where you DO want to engage and wait for price to come to you. Mapped levels beat chased trades every single time.
THE 80-POINT LESSON — A BREAK-EVEN STOP THAT BIT
Late in the day I was long from .08 — a great Battle Plan 2 location. Price ran all the way to the top of the strong range and I thought, cool, I'll move my stop to break even. And boy… it got me. Then it ran 80 points without me. You gotta be freaking kidding me.
Trades have not been easy to come by for me this week. But this wasn't a bad entry — it was a stop management decision. Slamming your stop to break even the instant you're green can flush you right before the real move. The right trade in the right location did its job; the premature break-even did not.
Trader Lesson 2
Don't jam your stop to break even just because you're green. Anchor it to structure — the RTH Halfback or your invalidation level — so a normal pullback doesn't rob you of the runner.
THE LEVELS — BULL BEAR LINE 7520 & THE PROFILE
The single most important level remains 7520 — the level I designated the Bull Bear Line when I built this week's Strong Levels. Drop a volume profile from Monday through today and the picture is clear: we're parked up at the Value Area High… but we are UNDER the Bull Bear Line.
- Value Area High: Where price is currently sitting — extended.
- POC: The magnet below. A turnaround short from here back to POC is the highest-odds trade right now.
- Bull Bear Line (7520): The dividing line for bias. Until bulls reclaim it with a vengeance and continue, the door is open to a good short.
This price action doesn't LOOK bearish — but looks don't override the line. If I were trading right now, I'd drop down in timeframes and hunt a short, then try to hold the runner. But I'm on the AM Briefing… so I'm not.
Trader Lesson 3
The Bull Bear Line sets your bias, not your gut feel. Under it, a clean short is fair game; lean long only once price RECLAIMS the line with conviction and continues.
THE RTH HALFBACK CHALLENGE
I left a challenge in last night's Battle Plan: where did price stop? Go measure it. The answer — the RTH Halfback. That's the midpoint of the prior RTH range, and on large expansive days it acts as a precision stopping point and stop-placement guide.
It's not glamorous, but it's reliable. Measure the prior RTH range, mark the halfback, and you've got a structural level to lean your stops and entries against — exactly the level that would have kept yesterday's long alive.
Trader Lesson 4
On big expansion days, the RTH Halfback is your stop-and-structure anchor. Measure it nightly — it tells you where price is likely to pause and where to hide your stop.
SEASONALITY & SESSION READ — THE FOUR PACK
We're June 25th — late June — and the seasonality chart I pull out from time to time has us entering a portion that really stands out. It doesn't guarantee a thing this time, but it's worth a longer-term glance so you're not blindsided.
Check the four pack: every market is inside yesterday's range… except NQ, which is not like the others. The overnight gave us that move up from the bottom of the strong range, and even though I published the Battle Plan before all of it, the mappings held — the right trades showed up in the right trade locations.
One housekeeping note: if you want the daily live stream on YouTube, join via the browser at youtube.com — joining through the app charges you a higher price. Don't do that.
"If you don't like where price is, just wait… or map out where you want to engage in price."
COMMON QUESTIONS FOR ES FUTURES TRADERS
What is the Bull Bear Line in ES futures?
A: The Bull Bear Line is the key price level that divides bullish bias from bearish bias for the session. In today's briefing it sits at 7520. Above it with conviction, bulls are in control; below it, the market is open to short setups. It anchors your directional decisions instead of guessing.
Why should I wait for price to come to a mapped level instead of chasing?
A: Chasing means entering at a random spot with no defined risk. Mapping a level — like the green engagement box — gives you a precise entry, a clear stop, and a known target before you click. If price never arrives, you simply don't trade. Patience filters out low-quality entries and keeps you trading from location.
What is the RTH Halfback and why does it matter?
A: The RTH Halfback is the midpoint of the prior Regular Trading Hours range. It often acts as a magnet and a stopping point, especially on large expansive days. Traders use it to place stops and to anticipate where an extended move may pause, making it a reliable structural level.
Should I move my stop to break even as soon as I'm in profit?
A: Not automatically. Moving to break even the instant you're green can flush you out on a normal pullback right before the real move — as happened yesterday before an 80-point run. A better approach is anchoring your stop to structure, like below the RTH Halfback, so the trade has room to breathe.
What does it mean that "NQ is not like the others"?
A: It refers to the four-pack session comparison where ES, MES and related markets all sit inside the prior day's range, while the Nasdaq (NQ) breaks above Previous Day High and trades independently. When one index diverges, it's a signal not to assume all markets are confirming the same move.
How do I read a volume profile to find a trade?
A: Draw a profile over the relevant period — here, Monday through today. The Point of Control (POC) is the highest-volume price and acts as a magnet; the Value Area High and Low frame the bulk of trade. Price sitting at the Value Area High while under the Bull Bear Line flags a high-odds turnaround short back toward POC.
What is a Core Strategy trade and why does Micros Trader count so few?
A: A Core Strategy trade is a high-conviction setup taken at a mapped level with clean structure. Micros Trader is deliberately picky — on days with multiple 15-point candles, those are treated as no-trade conditions and aren't counted, even if good trades existed. The low count protects the standard of what qualifies.
How should I think about seasonality in late June for ES futures?
A: Seasonality charts highlight historical tendencies for certain calendar windows — late June being one that stands out. It's context, not a signal. Use it for longer-term awareness so you're not surprised by a recurring pattern, but always defer to today's price action and key levels.
Why join the live stream through the browser instead of the app?
A: Joining the YouTube membership via the browser at youtube.com avoids the higher in-app pricing that platforms add for app-based purchases. Same access to the daily live trading room, lower cost. Always join through the browser.
📅 Upcoming This Week
Hit the bell — every AM Briefing and live trading session this week is already scheduled on YouTube:
- Friday, Fri Jun 26: AM Briefing · Live Stream
Helping Futures Traders Via Our Core Strategy Academy Training Program and Futures Trading Group – The Best Emini Group IMHO.
📍 Originally published on MicrosTrader.com
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