MES Micros Trade Plan #318 | 5 Great Setups
Battle Plan
Where To Go Long... Where To Go Short.
TODAY'S REVIEW: ES FUTURES
Character of Overnight ES Price Action
As discussed in the AM Briefing, the character was a little "wicked."
The overnight price action had tons of wicks out of nowhere.
The overnight price was not orderly or predictable.
Then you had news from Iran at a Fast and Furious pace.
Dangerous trading conditions to say the least.
Coupled with a large 15-point candle down to the Strong Level, it made me yell "Caution, caution, caution."
There is easier price action to trade… in my humble opinion.
Battle Plan 1️⃣ | Best ES Trade Setup
Not the "easiest" of entries… Considering the quality of the overnight action, the Strong Level already had one beautiful bounce… at the opening.
That said… at least we were looking for the right trade in the right trade location - the entire purpose of the Battle Plan.
If you were aggressive on the opening move, a quick 10-pointer awaited you.
Some candles later, ES officially retested the Strong Level and bounced 10+ points… yet again. This would qualify as the "official entry."
If you took the entry (see the green arrow below) with confidence using our three-contract system, you could have peeled the first two initial contracts at 10 points each rather easily. Keep the single runner in the negative position at, say, minus five points, and you were in the long for an amazing trade.
Then you got an Iran/USA/Israel news candle going your direction - score!
Strong Levels… The Most Important Levels of the Week.
Each Sunday I outline what I believe will be the most important levels for the week, and I call them Strong Levels.
This Strong Level did its job… providing several great bounces.
Follow-through was challenging… but BULLS CONTROL… so if you took that trade, hold a runner! Your trade is with "who controls" - the odds of success are in your favor.
Risk of a Liquidation Break Is High
As noted in last night's Battle Plan, the risk of liquidation break is high. Last night I wrote, "The risk of a liquidation break seems really, really high to me. One day this week, we will probably have a vomit day, and you will need to resist every temptation to knife catch and call a bottom."
We had a minor one during the London session, dropping 30 points quickly.
Liquidation breaks just come out of nowhere.
The bottom drops out.
When trading long in this environment, you have got to be perfect in regards to risk management and ALWAYS use a stop.
Virgin Point of Control (VPOC) Levels
These are untested Points of Control from prior sessions — price has not yet revisited these levels.
| Price | Date |
|---|---|
| 7507.00 | 05.22.26 |
| 7465.25 | 05.21.26 |
| 7287.00 | 05.05.26 |
| 7230.00 | 05.04.26 |
| 7077.75 | 04.16.26 |
| 7002.25 | 04.14.26 |
| 6923.25 | 04.13.26 |
| 6773.50 | 03.17.26 |
| 6630.00 | 04.07.26 |
| 6430.00 | 03.30.26 |
💡 What is a VPOC?
A Virgin Point of Control is the price level with the highest traded volume from a prior session that has not yet been revisited by price. These levels often act as magnets, support, resistance, or reaction zones.
📌 Reminder: Use VPOC levels in conjunction with market structure, volume profile, order flow, and higher-timeframe context—not as standalone trade signals.
Tip of the Day
Trading in the direction of who controls is often the best trade to seek.
Scoreboard
Points Accumulated This Week:
Battle Plan: 50+
Battle Plan 1️⃣ paid multiple times if you took it. If you took the trade with our Three Contract System and kept your lotto runner in the negative position — you did very, very well today. 70+ points today was possible from Battle Plan 1️⃣.
Please note: For those long from the Battle Plan from Thursday night, you are up over 100 points! Each week, we typically have at least one Battle Plan trade that goes 100+ points. Those are always fun. Even if you're not in the type of account that can hold overnight, you should pay attention to these trades and the management of those trades. So when you are trading that type of account, you will have mentally rehearsed hundreds of times.
Zoom: 0
I'm not going to award any points for Zoom today. To me, it was not tradable. We did say that you could take Battle Plan 1️⃣ long if you wanted, because that was the outlined trade, and if you were short from the overnight session, stay short.
Core Strategy: 30+
FS Long for 30 points. In fact, I was on a private Zoom call with a member when I pointed out that entry.
ECONOMIC CALENDAR
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THE BATTLE PLAN: BEST ES/MES SETUPS
How Many Times Can We Say "Da Bulls"!
The Bulls reign supreme.
Bulls aren't just "in control"… they're dominating.
Another higher high with YM, NQ, and ES making NEW ATHs.
Note, in the London session ES did a 40 point pullback from the overnight ATH... 40 to 60 point pullback when the Bulls control is a "normal" pullback. How many times have I noted this in the past several weeks? Many!
Not only was it a 40-point pullback, but it was a 40-point pullback into a nicely designed Battle Plan 1️⃣.
Careful Knife Catching
If ES rolls starts a vomit down move with a string of fifteen-plus point candles to the south, be careful.
The risk of a massive 'in-your-mama's-face' liquidation break seems really, really high to me.
One day this week, we will probably have a vomit day, and you will need to resist every temptation to knife catch and call a bottom.
Stand back when that happens. We will trade this together.
So... if we start barreling down the chart... Stand down. No hero trades needed!
No knife catching.
Short 1 MES Contract
The final 30 minutes of the day, I took a positional short at 7624 risking a small portion of the days profit. Price vacillated a little bit and then had a nice drop.
ES PRICE MAP
Battle Plan Notes
- Take the all-time high and push up toward 7650, ladder back into range. Possible Short Idea.
- 70-point away. The loss and reclaim of this Strong Range, aka the top of the range, aka the Bull Bear Strong Level Strong Level, is a good long. Now this is a very tricky area because this coincides with the Battle Plan 3️⃣ Short. Below here... watch out below.
- This is a very tricky area, but this is the top of the range. We know that if we drop into the top of the range, there's a good likelihood that we rotate to the bottom of the range as drawn. Bulls still control in this scenario, so shorts are counter small if at all, never making things worse. If you get into this short, target the bottom of the range as outlined.
- This trade idea challenges the top of the established range we built last week — and reclaims it. Look to add to your winning trade if we respond with a vengeance at the Battle Plan locations above. See your Battle Plan indicator for mapping.
- Way Down Yonder: it is there just in case. See your Battle Plan indicator for mapping.
- Way Down Yonder: it is there just in case. See your Battle Plan indicator for mapping.
SPECULATOR'S SPECIAL
7650 Short. Place your stop a comfortable distance away from the entry. Be a professional risk manager here! Not financial advice. And remember the name… Speculator's Special.
Educational Purposes Only: Not Financial Advice
I'm not a financial advisor (never played one on TV either). These trade ideas are educational training tools showing where price may react... nothing more. Always wait for your own confirmation before executing. These levels represent one trader's analysis, not personalized trading advice.
COMMON QUESTIONS FOR ES FUTURES TRADERS
What does it mean when overnight price action is described as "wicked"?
A: Wicked price action means the market printed a lot of wicks… fast, sharp moves that reversed just as quickly. No clean trends. No orderly structure. Just noise. When you see that overnight… it's a warning sign. Dangerous trading conditions. In today's session, those wicks — combined with a 15-point candle straight down into the Strong Level — were telling us to approach with caution before the open.
What is a Strong Level and why does it matter?
A: A Strong Level is a key price level identified every Sunday in the weekly Battle Plan. These are the most important levels of the week… the levels where price is most likely to react, bounce, or reverse. They are mapped in advance. When price drops into a Strong Level and holds… that is the trade. Today's Strong Level provided several great bounces and did exactly what it was designed to do.
What is the Three-Contract System and how does a lotto runner work?
A: The Three-Contract System means entering a trade with three contracts. You peel the first two at your profit targets… locking in points. The third contract is your runner. You move your stop to a small negative — say, minus five points — and let it ride. You risk a small amount for a potentially large gain. That third contract is the lotto runner. Today, traders who held that runner caught the Iran/USA/Israel news candle going their direction. Score.
What is a liquidation break and how should a trader handle it?
A: A liquidation break is when the market drops fast and hard… suddenly. No warning. The bottom drops out. Multiple large candles to the downside. Traders who were long get stopped out, which adds fuel to the move. The danger? It tempts you to call a bottom and knife catch. Don't. Stand back. Let the dust settle. When that happens… we trade it together.
What does "Bulls Control" mean and how does it affect trade decisions?
A: When Bulls control, it means buyers are dominating the market. Higher highs, higher lows. The trend is up. In that environment, longs are the primary trade… shorts are counter. Small, if at all. Trading with "who controls" puts the odds in your favor. Follow-through was challenging today… but because Bulls control, holding a runner was the right call.
MICROS TRADER BASICS
No Level, No Trade
No Level, No Trade is the foundational rule of the Micros Trader system. Every trade must be anchored to a pre-mapped level... a clean, clear, defined zone identified in the Battle Plan the night before. If price has not reached that level, there is no trade. No chasing. No improvising. No FOMO.
This single rule eliminates the majority of losing trades. Emotional entries happen when traders react to price instead of waiting for it. No Level, No Trade replaces that reaction with a plan.
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