TraderCartel — User Guide

01 Quick Start BOTH SCRIPTS

You have two independent indicators. They run separately and do not talk to each other — but used together, they give you both a structural bias at the open and an intraday timing throughout the day.

RTH GAP STATISTICS

Tells you what to expect

At 09:30, tells you whether today's opening gap historically fills or continues — and how strong that edge is. Gives you key price levels and targets for the day.

TC MOMENTUM SYSTEM

Tells you when to act

Fires a ▲ long or ▼ short signal during the session when the market internals and price action line up. Draws TP and SL levels automatically. Active all day.

HOW TO USE THEM TOGETHER

Start each morning with RTH Gap Statistics — it sets your directional bias and marks all the important levels. Then use TC Momentum throughout the day for actual entry timing. The two scripts are separate tools that complement each other through your own decision-making, not automatically.

02 Chart Setup BOTH SCRIPTS

RTH GAP STATISTICS — NO SETUP NEEDED

Add it to your chart and it's ready. It automatically detects the 09:30 ET session open, builds its historical database from your loaded chart bars, and draws all lines at the start of each session. The more chart history you have loaded, the more reliable the statistics.

TC MOMENTUM — ONE REQUIRED STEP

After adding TC Momentum to your chart, you must move it to the price pane. Without this step, the setup arrows and TP/SL lines will appear in a separate box below the chart instead of on top of price.

1Add TC Momentum System to your chart
2Right-click the indicator pane → Move to → Existing Pane Above
3The indicator is now overlaid on price — signals and lines will appear directly on your candles

⚠ DATA FEEDS

TC Momentum requires access to TICK and TRIN market data. Contact TraderCartel support to get your feeds configured before using the indicator live.

RECOMMENDED TIMEFRAMES

Both scripts are designed for intraday trading on US equities, ETFs, and futures. Use a 5-minute, 15-minute, or 30-minute chart. The dashboard tables and lines will work on any intraday timeframe.

03 RTH Gaps — Chart Lines RTH GAPS

At every 09:30 open, RTH Gap Statistics draws a set of horizontal lines on your chart. These are your key reference levels for the day — they extend rightward and update in real time.

RTH Open — solid green, labeled "RTH.op"

Today's 09:30 opening price. This is the anchor for everything — your stop is measured from here, your MFE/MAE are tracked from here, and it's the re-entry trigger level if a stop is hit.

Prior Close — dashed white, labeled "y.RTH.cl"

Yesterday's closing price. This is the gap fill target. If you're in a FADE trade, this is where you're headed. When price touches this level, the gap is officially filled and the "RTH Gap Filled" alert fires.

Stop Level — dashed red, labeled "Stop" — turns solid if hit

Your risk level for the gap fade trade. Placed on the opposite side of the open from the gap fill target. If price reaches this line, the setup has likely failed. The line turns solid when price hits it — a clear visual that the stop has been triggered.

Targets — dashed green, labeled "P25/P50/P75" or "MFE25/50/75"

Your three graduated profit targets for the day, projected from the open in the trade's direction. The labels match the active Target Mode (see §5.3). Each one also appears in the TRADE PLAN table with its R:R and dollar value.

MFE100 — dashed green, labeled "MFE100" (continuation only)

On a WITH GAP continuation, this marks the maximum favorable excursion — the full historical run in the gap's direction — with its hit probability in the label. It's static, set once at the open.

MFE live — dashed green, labeled "MFE live" — turns solid when gap fills

Tracks the best move the trade has made in its favor so far today. Updates bar by bar (and freezes if the stop is hit or the gap closes). Useful for reviewing how far price ran before the fill. Distinct from the static target lines above.

MAE live — dashed amber, labeled "MAE live" — turns solid if touched

Tracks the worst adverse move the trade has seen today. Updates bar by bar. Turns solid if price reaches it. Useful for understanding how much heat the trade took before the fill.

Prior Day High / Low — dashed amber, labeled "PDH" and "PDL"

The high and low of yesterday's RTH session. One of the most important confluence factors — when today's open is between these two levels ("Inside"), the fill rate is historically higher. When the open is outside, more caution is warranted.

Pre-Market Range — dotted white, labeled "PM.hi" and "PM.lo"

The high and low of pre-market trading (4:00–9:29 ET). If today's open is inside this range, it means the gap was already being corrected pre-market — a supportive condition for gap fills. Only visible on an ETH (extended-hours) chart — a regular-hours-only chart has no pre-market data to draw from.

04 Signal Dots & Re-Entry Shapes RTH GAPS

Small shapes appear on the chart to flag potential gap trade opportunities. They are visual flags only — always check the full table before deciding to act.

●

Green dot below the bar — long signal (LONG / LONG-C)

Appears at the 09:30 open whenever the signal is tradeable and points long — a LONG fade (gap down) or a LONG-C continuation (gap up). The dot follows the actual trade direction from the signal engine, so it reads correctly on continuations. Not a standalone entry — read the table first.

●

Red dot above the bar — short signal (SHORT / SHORT-C)

Appears at the 09:30 open whenever the signal points short — a SHORT fade (gap up) or a SHORT-C continuation (gap down). No dot appears on NO TRADE days.

▲

Green triangle — re-entry long

Fires when a re-entry long condition triggers mid-session. See the Re-Entry section for full details.

▼

Red triangle — re-entry short

Fires when a re-entry short condition triggers mid-session.

05 RTH Gaps — The Gap Table RTH GAPS

The gap table sits in the top-right corner of your chart. It is the core of the script — it tells you what the gap means, how strong the edge is today, where your levels are, and what history says about this type of gap.

05.1 The Signal Row RTH GAPS

The top row is the headline. It shows the trade direction and the confidence % at a glance — for example LONG 78%, SHORT-C 56%, or NO ENTRY. Once price reaches yesterday's close it switches to GAP CLOSED ✓.

LONG 78%

SHORT-C 56%

NO ENTRY

SIGNAL	WHAT IT MEANS	DIRECTION
FADE	History says this type of gap fills more often than not. The edge favors trading back toward yesterday's close. Headline shows LONG or SHORT.	Gap up → trade short (down to prior close). Gap down → trade long (up to prior close).
NO TRADE	The historical edge is not strong enough in either direction. Standing aside is the correct decision.	No bias. Wait and watch.
WITH GAP	History says this type of gap tends to continue rather than fill. The edge favors trading in the direction of the gap. Headline shows LONG-C or SHORT-C — the -C suffix means continuation.	Gap up → trade long (momentum up). Gap down → trade short (momentum down).

Whichever way the signal points, the rest of both tables adapt to it automatically — targets, stop, the chart lines, position sizing, and the TRADE PLAN all flip to match a long or short, fade or continuation.

CONFIDENCE — AND THE "NO ENTRY" GATE

The headline % is a composite confidence score: fill rate 50% + risk:reward 20% + adverse-excursion safety 15% + confluence 15%. If confidence falls below 50%, the headline reads NO ENTRY regardless of the fill rate — the edge is real but the trade-off (reward vs. heat vs. alignment) isn't worth taking today. The TRADE PLAN table also goes quiet in that state.

The right side of the row shows the confluence score (e.g. "4/6 align") — how many of the 6 supporting conditions are in your favor today.

05.2 Key Levels RTH GAPS

ROW	WHAT IT SHOWS	WHY IT MATTERS
y.RTH.cl	Yesterday's closing price	This is where you're heading on a FADE trade. When price touches this level, the gap is filled.
RTH.op	Today's opening price	Your entry reference. Stop placement and MFE/MAE are measured from here.
Gap Pts	The gap size in price points	The raw distance between yesterday's close and today's open. Used to calculate stop distance.
Gap/ATR	Gap size compared to recent daily volatility	Tells you whether this gap is large or small in context. A gap that is 0.5× ATR in a calm market is very different from 0.5× in a volatile one.
Stop	Stop price, plus its size relative to volatility (Stop/ATR) and a historical stop-hit probability	Where to place your stop, and how risky that placement is. Stop/ATR tells you if the stop is tight or wide for current conditions; the % is how often past gaps of this type pushed far enough to hit it (lower = safer).
Fill %	Historical fill rate for this gap type	How often gaps of this size and direction have filled historically on this chart. This is the core statistical edge behind the signal.
Bucket	Which size category today's gap falls into (Small / Medium / Large)	Different gap sizes behave differently. The fill rate and targets are calculated separately for each bucket.

05.3 Targets & Target Mode RTH GAPS

Below the key levels the table shows three graduated targets — 25 / 50 / 75 — plus the stop. How those levels are calculated depends on the Target / Stop Mode setting (under "Targets & Stop Mode"). There are two modes, and the row labels change to tell you which one is active.

MODE	HOW THE TARGETS ARE BUILT	STOP
Gap % (default)	Labeled P25 / P50 / P75. The targets sit at 25%, 50% and 75% of the gap distance toward the fill. Simple, geometric, always available — no history required.	Gap size × your stop multiple, placed beyond the open.
MFE/MAE	Labeled MFE25 / MFE50 / MFE75. The targets sit at the 25th/50th/75th percentile of how far price has actually travelled in your favor (Maximum Favorable Excursion) on past gaps of this same bucket and direction.	Placed at a percentile of historical adverse excursion (MAE) — by default the 75th, i.e. a stop that would have survived ~75% of past pushes against the trade.

Read the three levels the same way in either mode:

TARGET	WHAT IT MEANS	RECOMMENDED USE
25	The conservative target — reached most of the time.	First take-profit or partial exit. High probability.
50	The median outcome.	Primary target for most trades.
75	The extended target — only the stronger moves reach here.	Runners only. Don't expect it on a typical trade.

TARGETS FOLLOW THE SIGNAL

On a FADE, the targets measure the move toward the fill (and Gap % mode caps them at yesterday's close — you can't profit past the fill). On a WITH GAP continuation the roles flip: the targets measure the move in the gap's direction — that run is the continuation trade's favorable excursion. You don't have to think about this; the table sources the right distribution for whichever signal is live.

Each target is shown as a price plus a points/percent value, and in the TRADE PLAN table each one also carries its own R:R and $ P&L at your position size.

SIMPLE APPROACH

Use the 50 level as your primary target. On a fade, treat the gap fill (y.RTH.cl) as your exit confirmation — if price reaches the 50 target before the fill, consider a partial and hold the remainder toward the close.

05.4 Confluence Section RTH GAPS

Below the target levels, the table shows a detailed breakdown of 6 supporting conditions. Each row tells you the current state of one condition, how it affects the historical fill rate, and what that factor alone suggests.

FACTOR	TODAY'S STATE	WHAT IT MEANS
PDH/PDL	"Inside" or "Outside"	Inside = today's open is between yesterday's high and low. This is the strongest single factor — gaps that open inside the prior range fill at a significantly higher rate. Outside = the gap blew through prior range — more caution needed.
AVWAP	"Above" or "Below"	Whether today's open is above or below the anchored average price. When price is on the "wrong" side of this anchor relative to the gap direction, it adds support to the fade argument.
Volume	"Hi Vol" or "Lo Vol"	Opening bar volume compared to recent norms. Low volume gaps tend to fill more often — the move lacks commitment. High volume gaps may have real momentum behind them.
DOW	"Mon" / "Tue" / etc.	Historical fill rate specifically for this day of the week and this gap direction. Some days are statistically better than others for gap fades.
OR1 5min	"Confirmed" or "Not conf."	Whether the first 5-minute bar (closes at 09:35) moved in the fade direction. Confirmed means the early price action is already supporting the fade. This is the earliest intraday validation — only available from 09:35 onward.
PM Range	"Inside" or "Outside"	Whether today's open is within the pre-market high/low range. Inside means the gap was already being corrected pre-market — a supportive sign for fills.

At the bottom of this section, a score bar summarizes all 6 factors:

STRONG — 5 / 6 confluences

MODERATE — 3 / 6 confluences

WEAK — 1 / 6 confluences

A strong score means most conditions align — higher conviction for the trade. A weak score means the edge is thin — reduce size or pass.

05.5 Gap Stats & Fill Time Sections RTH GAPS

GAP STATS TABLE

Shows the overall fill rates across all three buckets (Small, Medium, Large) for both gap up and gap down, with sample sizes. Today's active bucket is highlighted. Use this to quickly see which gap types have the strongest historical edge on your instrument.

FILL TIME DISTRIBUTION

Shows how quickly fills have historically happened, broken into time windows from the open: under 30 minutes, 30–60 minutes, 60–120 minutes, and beyond 120 minutes. Each cell shows a count and a percentage.

This helps you set realistic expectations. If 65% of fills happen within the first 30 minutes, you don't need to sit in the trade for 2 hours. If most fills take 60–120 minutes, plan accordingly and don't exit early on impatience.

06 The TRADE PLAN Table RTH GAPS

The TRADE PLAN table is the actionable companion to the gap table. By default it sits in the bottom-right corner. Where the gap table tells you what the gap means, the TRADE PLAN turns that into a ready-to-execute plan: entry, stop, and graduated targets — each with its own risk:reward and the actual dollar P&L at your position size — plus position sizing and your account's daily limits. Its title bar reads TRADE PLAN | your firm / account.

It only fills in when there is a tradeable setup. Otherwise the top row tells you exactly why it's quiet:

WHEN THE TABLE IS WAITING

"Waiting for RTH gap…" — before the 09:30 open, or no qualifying gap today.
"NO TRADE — fill rate in no-trade zone" — the signal is NO TRADE; the edge isn't strong enough either way.
"NO ENTRY — confidence below threshold" — there's a direction, but confidence is under 50%, so the plan stays parked.

06.1 Entry, Stop & Targets RTH GAPS

Each row carries three columns: the price Level, its R:R (risk:reward, where the stop = 1.0R), and the $ P&L at the exact contract count the plan is using. Every dollar figure is real money at your size — not abstract points.

ROW	WHAT IT SHOWS
DLL	Your daily loss limit. The right-hand cells show your per-trade risk ($) and the number of contracts the plan will trade.
Entry	Today's open — your entry reference. The middle cell is the historical stop-hit probability; the right cell is the direction — LONG ▲, SHORT ▼, or the -C continuation versions LONG-C / SHORT-C — color-coded.
Stop	The stop price. Always 1.0R by definition; the $ shown is exactly what you lose if stopped (your per-trade risk).
25 / 50 / 75	The three targets (labeled MFE25/50/75 or P25/50/75 depending on Target Mode — see §5.3), each with its own R:R and $ profit at your size.
Fill / MFE100	On a FADE this is the gap-fill target (price reaching yesterday's close). On a continuation it becomes MFE100 — the maximum favorable excursion, i.e. the full historical run in the gap's direction. Shown with R:R and $.
MAE safe	The position-sizing safety check — see the next section.

HOW TO USE IT

Enter at the open in the direction shown, place your stop at the Stop level, and scale out at the 25 / 50 / 75 targets — each row already tells you the reward multiple and the dollars on the line, so you can pick your exits by P&L, not guesswork.

06.2 Position Sizing RTH GAPS

The plan sizes your position from your per-trade risk budget two ways, and uses the smaller (more conservative) of the two:

1Stop-based — risk budget ÷ (stop distance × point value). The classic "how many contracts keeps my stop loss within budget."
2MAE-based — risk budget × buffer ÷ (average adverse excursion × point value). This keeps an ordinary pullback against the trade from blowing your risk before the setup has had a chance to work.

The MAE safe row shows the average adverse excursion in points and the resulting contract count, so you can see when MAE — not the stop — is the binding constraint on size.

INSTRUMENT	BEHAVIOR
Mini (ES)	Sized in mini contracts. If even one mini would exceed your risk budget, the row flags "switch to MES".
Micro (MES)	Auto-detected from the chart; the plan sizes and prices everything in micros (1/10th the value), letting you risk smaller, exact amounts.

⚠ A STARTING POINT

The contract count is calculated from your risk math — always sanity-check it against your platform's margin and your own rules before sending an order.

06.3 Account Setup — Prop Firm RTH GAPS

Open the Risk Management settings group. Pick your Prop Firm Preset and the script auto-loads that firm's daily loss limit for your Account Size ($25K–$200K). Then set how much to risk per trade.

SETTING	WHAT IT DOES
Prop Firm Preset	Topstep, Apex, Earn2Trade, My Funded Futures, Tradeify, Leeloo, Take Profit Trader, Lucid — or Custom to type your own limit.
Account Size	Selects the tier ($25K–$200K) used to look up the firm's daily loss limit and profit target.
Fixed $ Risk per Trade	Hard dollar cap per trade. Leave at 0 to size automatically from the DLL.
Risk per trade (% of DLL)	If not using a fixed $, risk this share of your daily loss limit per trade (default 50% — never more than half your DLL on one trade).
Running Eval P&L	Your total P&L so far this evaluation — used for the consistency check.

With a prop preset selected, the bottom of the TRADE PLAN shows the CONSISTENCY RULE panel: the firm's max single-day share of total profits, the profit target, and your running P&L measured against the limit — with an OK / CAUTION / BREACH status so one oversized day doesn't fail the eval.

06.4 Account Setup — Personal RTH GAPS

Trading your own capital instead of a prop evaluation? Set Prop Firm Preset to Personal. The sizing math stays the same, but the prop-eval scaffolding is replaced with your own guardrails.

1Enter your real balance in Personal Account Size ($) — free entry, any amount (the title shows it, e.g. Personal $63.5K).
2Set your self-imposed daily stop in Custom Daily Loss Limit.
3Set per-trade risk with Fixed $ Risk or % of DLL, same as prop mode.

The bottom panel switches from the consistency rule to a DAILY LIMITS tracker:

FIELD	MEANING
Max Loss	Your daily stop (the Custom Daily Loss Limit).
Risk/Tr	Your per-trade risk in dollars.
Max losers	How many full-risk losing trades it takes to hit your daily stop (DLL ÷ risk) — a quick gut-check on your sizing.
Running	Your running P&L (use it as today's P&L).
Status	Within daily loss limit, or a red DAILY LOSS LIMIT HIT — stop when you reach it.

No profit target, no consistency percentage — none of the prop-eval rules apply off-prop.

07 Re-Entry System RTH GAPS

If your initial gap fade trade is stopped out but the gap has not yet filled, the system monitors for a second opportunity to re-enter in the same direction.

TABLE SHOWS	WHAT IT MEANS
Watching for stop	No stop hit yet. Trade is still live.
ARMED watch RTH.op	Your stop was hit but the gap is still unfilled. The system is now watching for price to return to the RTH open — that would be the re-entry trigger.
TAKEN	Re-entry triggered. A triangle shape has appeared on your chart. You can consider re-entering the trade in the original fade direction.
DISARMED gap filled	Your stop was hit, but then the gap filled anyway. No re-entry needed — the trade worked out without you.

ONE RE-ENTRY PER SESSION

The system only flags one re-entry opportunity per session. If the re-entry is taken or disarmed, that's it for the day on this setup.

08 TC Momentum — Reading Outputs TC MOMENTUM

TC Momentum draws directly on your price chart. When the indicator fires, you'll see an arrow label, and three lines extending forward from that bar.

08.1 Signal Labels TC MOMENTUM

▲ LONG

▼ SHORT

▲

Long Signal — green arrow below the bar

A green ▲ appears below a bar when all long conditions are met. The arrow points up. Your entry is at the close of that bar. The dashboard table will show "BUY T1", "BUY T2", or "BUY T3" — the number tells you the setup's conviction level (see Tiers section).

▼

Short Signal — red arrow above the bar

A red ▼ appears above a bar when all short conditions are met. The arrow points down. Your entry is at the close of that bar. The dashboard table shows "SELL T1", "SELL T2", or "SELL T3".

08.2 TP / SL Lines TC MOMENTUM

Every setup automatically draws three horizontal lines from the entry bar. They extend forward for several bars so you can see your levels at a glance. When a new setup triggers, the previous set of lines is removed.

Take Profit — dashed green, labeled "TP"

Your target level. Above entry for longs, below entry for shorts. The price label on the right shows the exact TP price. The system calculates this automatically based on your historical setup performance — it updates as more signals complete.

Stop Loss — dashed red, labeled "SL"

Your risk level. Below entry for longs, above entry for shorts. If price reaches the SL level, the trade premise is invalidated. The system calculates this automatically using the same adaptive method as the TP.

Entry Reference — dotted gray, no label

Marks the close price of the signal bar — your intended entry price. Useful as a reference when reviewing trades or scaling in.

ADAPTIVE TP/SL

The TP and SL distances are not fixed — they learn from your trade history on the instrument you're trading. Early on (fewer than 5 completed setups), they use ATR-based defaults. After that, they adapt to the actual behavior the system has observed. This means levels become more relevant over time.

08.3 EXIT Warning Label TC MOMENTUM

EXIT

EXIT — red label, appears at 15:45 ET

If TC Momentum is still tracking an open trade at 15:45 ET, this label fires above the bar as a reminder to close your position before the session ends. All trades must be closed before 16:00. TC Momentum is an intraday system only — it does not support overnight holds.

09 TC Momentum — The Dashboard Table TC MOMENTUM

The dashboard table sits in the bottom-right corner of your chart. It updates in real time and shows the current setup state, market conditions, and your running performance stats. Here's how to read each section.

09.1 The Signal Row TC MOMENTUM

The top data row of the table tells you everything about the current setup state in four cells:

CELL	WHAT YOU SEE	WHAT IT MEANS
Signal	BUY T1 / SELL T2 / --	Current signal and its tier. The entire row turns green on a long, red on a short, and stays dark when there is no active setup. -- means no setup is active right now.
Score	3/5 · 4/5 · 5/5	How many of the 5 confluence factors aligned on this signal. Higher is better. Drives the tier assignment (T1/T2/T3).
Session	Open / No entry / EXIT NOW	Open = signals are permitted right now. No entry = too close to market close, new signals are blocked. EXIT NOW = 15:45 ET, close any open positions.
Cooldown	Ready / 3b	Ready = the system is eligible to fire a new signal. A number like 3b means 3 bars still need to pass before another setup can trigger. This prevents back-to-back setups in fast moves.

09.2 Pulse & Tape Row TC MOMENTUM

CELL	WHAT YOU SEE	WHAT IT MEANS
Pulse	+742/+310 −580/−290	Shows the raw TICK reading and its moving average — two numbers separated by a slash. TICK measures whether the broad market is buying or selling right now across all NYSE stocks. Positive = broad buying pressure. Negative = broad selling pressure. The second number smooths out the noise — when both numbers agree, the tape has real conviction.
Tape	0.72 Euph 1.05 Neut 1.45 Panic	Shows the TRIN reading and its label. TRIN measures whether volume is flowing into advancing or declining stocks. "Euph" = buying is dominant — supports long setups. "Panic" = selling is dominant — supports short setups. "Neut" = no directional edge from TRIN.

09.3 Trend & Flow Row TC MOMENTUM

CELL	WHAT YOU SEE	WHAT IT MEANS
Trend	Bull 4H:B D:B Bear 4H:b D:b Mixed 4H:B D:b	Shows whether the higher timeframe trend is aligned. Bull = both the 4-hour and daily charts are in an uptrend. Bear = both in a downtrend. Mixed = they disagree. B (capital) = bullish. b (lowercase) = bearish. Signals that agree with the broader trend are stronger setups. Mixed trend means be more selective.
Flow/Cnd	F-OK/C-OK F--/C-OK	Flow (F) tells you if there was enough volume on the signal bar to be meaningful. Candle (C) tells you if the bar closed in the right direction for the signal. OK = passing. -- = not passing. Both passing is a stronger setup.

09.4 Performance Stats Rows TC MOMENTUM

The lower rows of the table track how the system has performed on your specific instrument. These update automatically after every completed trade window. They show -- until enough setups have completed to be meaningful.

STAT	WHAT IT SHOWS	HOW TO READ IT
MFE/MAE	Average best move in your favor / average worst move against you (in price points)	You want MFE bigger than MAE. Green = favorable ratio (price moves more with you than against you on average). Red = adverse ratio (warning sign).
Stop/Tgt	Current suggested stop distance and target distance in points	These are the exact values used to draw the SL and TP lines on your chart. They update as your history grows.
Win rate	Win percentage + wins/losses (e.g. "62% 13W/8L")	Green = performing above what you need to be profitable. Orange = marginal, near break-even. Red = below break-even — review your entries or the instrument you're trading.
Prof fac	Profit factor — how much you make vs how much you lose overall	Above 1.5 = green — system is generating positive edge. 1.0–1.5 = orange — marginal. Below 1.0 = red — system has lost money on this instrument.
B/E win%	The minimum win rate you need to break even at the current target setting	A fixed reference. Compare your live win rate against this number — if you're above it, you're profitable. At the default 1.5R target this is 40%.
Score B/S	Current long score / short score (e.g. "4/2 of 5")	Shows how many confluence factors are aligned for each direction right now, even before the indicator fires. Useful for seeing which way the setup is building.

WHAT TO WATCH

After 20+ setups, the performance stats become reliable. If Win rate and Prof fac are both green, the system is working well on your instrument. If they're consistently red, consider whether the instrument is a good fit, or whether you're trading the right session times.

10 Signal Tiers TC MOMENTUM

Every setup is assigned a tier based on how many factors aligned. Use the tier to size your position — don't trade every signal the same way.

T1

TIER 1 — Highest conviction

Everything lined up. This is the clearest, most well-supported setup the system can produce. Trade at your full planned size.

T2

TIER 2 — Moderate conviction

Most factors aligned, but not all. A solid setup. Reduce position size slightly and stick to your levels.

T3

TIER 3 — Low conviction

Signal fired but few factors agreed. Trade minimum size or skip. Only take these with strong additional context from RTH Gaps.

11 Session Hours TC MOMENTUM

09:30–09:45

Open

09:45–11:30

Prime window

11:30–13:00

Lunch — reduced

13:00–15:00

Open

15:00–15:45

No new entries

15:45–16:00

EXIT NOW

TABLE SHOWS	WHAT IT MEANS
Open	Signals are enabled. You can enter trades.
No entry	Within 60 minutes of market close. No new signals will fire — too little time for a trade to develop. Manage any open positions.
EXIT NOW	15:45 ET. If you're in a trade tracked by the system, close it. The EXIT label also appears on the chart at this point.

The lunch window (11:30–13:00) does not block signals — they can still fire — but activity is typically lower. Be more selective during this period.

12 Diagnostic Table TC MOMENTUM

A second smaller table appears in the bottom-left corner after you've accumulated enough trade history. It's framed in orange. It shows you which conditions have been most predictive of winning trades on your specific instrument.

Each row is one condition. The WIN% column shows how often setups won when that condition was present. The N column is the sample size.

COLOR	MEANING	WHAT TO DO
Green (≥60%)	This condition is a strong predictor of winning trades on your instrument	Good — this condition is earning its place in the system
Orange (≥50%)	This condition is contributing marginally	Watch over time — more data needed to draw conclusions
Red (<50%)	Setups with this condition present have not performed well	Don't over-react to small samples. After 20+ setups, contact TraderCartel support if a factor is consistently red

NOTE ON SAMPLE SIZE

The "N" column matters. A factor showing 30% win rate with N=3 is meaningless. Wait until most factors show N ≥ 10 before drawing conclusions from this table.

13 Step-by-Step Daily Workflow BOTH SCRIPTS

BEFORE THE OPEN (PRE-MARKET)

—Glance at where futures are trading — is a gap likely? Which direction?
—Note the PDH and PDL lines already on your chart from yesterday
—Check where the pre-market range (dotted white lines, ETH charts) is forming
—Check the TC Momentum Trend row — what is the 4H and Daily trend right now?

09:30 — THE OPEN

✓All RTH Gap lines draw: green open, white prior close, red stop, amber PDH/PDL, white dotted PM range (ETH charts only)
✓Check the gap table signal row — FADE, WITH GAP, or NO TRADE?
✓Check the confidence % and confluence score (N/6)
✓If a green or red dot appears, note it — but don't enter yet
✗Do not enter at the open — wait for more information first

09:35 — FIRST 5-MINUTE BAR CLOSES

—Did the first 5-minute bar move in the fade direction? Check the OR1 row in the confluence section
✓"Confirmed" + strong score (4–6/6) = high-conviction setup. Begin watching for your entry
✗"Not conf." or weak score = reduce size significantly or pass on the gap trade

09:45 – 15:00 — ACTIVE SESSION

—Monitor the TC Momentum Pulse and Tape rows — is the tape building in your direction?
✓TC Momentum fires a signal (▲ or ▼ label on chart): check the tier. T1 = full size. T2 = reduced. T3 = minimum or skip
✓Session status = "Open" and cooldown = "Ready" before entering
✓TP and SL lines draw automatically — respect them
✗Do not enter during cooldown ("Xb" showing)
✗Avoid new entries during the lunch window (11:30–13:00) unless it's a T1 signal
✗No new entries after 15:00 (table shows "No entry")

15:45 – 16:00 — CLOSE ALL POSITIONS

✗EXIT label fires on the chart at 15:45 if you're still in a tracked trade
✗Close everything before 16:00 — both scripts are intraday only
—Note whether today's gap filled — this adds to tomorrow's historical stats

14 Setting Alerts BOTH SCRIPTS

Both scripts include TradingView alerts so you don't have to watch the screen constantly. Set these up via the Alerts panel in TradingView.

TC MOMENTUM ALERTS

ALERT	WHEN IT FIRES	RECOMMENDED USE
LONG Tier 1	A high-conviction long setup triggers	Your most important long alert. Set the loudest notification.
SHORT Tier 1	A high-conviction short setup triggers	Your most important short alert.
LONG Tier 2	A moderate-conviction long setup triggers	Secondary alert — check the table before acting.
SHORT Tier 2	A moderate-conviction short setup triggers	Secondary alert — check the table before acting.
LONG / SHORT any	Any setup triggers including Tier 3	Awareness only. Always check the table — Tier 3 signals require more context.

RTH GAP STATISTICS ALERTS

ALERT	WHEN IT FIRES	RECOMMENDED USE
RTH Gap Detected	A gap is detected at the 09:30 open	Morning prep alert. Fire at the open so you know to check the table immediately.
RTH Gap Filled	Price touches yesterday's close	Exit alert for FADE trades. If you're in a gap fade, this is your take-profit trigger.

RECOMMENDED ALERT SETUP

At minimum: enable LONG Tier 1, SHORT Tier 1, RTH Gap Detected, and RTH Gap Filled. These four alerts cover the highest-priority moments in your trading day without overwhelming you with noise.

15 Pre-Flight Checklist BOTH SCRIPTS

Run through this before your first live trade. Click each item to check it off. All boxes must be green before you risk real money.

✓ BEFORE YOUR FIRST TRADE

✓

TC Momentum is in the price paneTC MOM
Right-click the indicator → Move to → Existing Pane Above. Signals must appear on top of candles, not in a separate box.

✓

TICK and TRIN data feeds are confirmedTC MOM
Contact TraderCartel support to get your feeds verified. Without TICK and TRIN, the system has no internals data and will not fire valid signals.

✓

Chart timezone is set to New York (ET)TC MOM
Session logic and the 15:45 EXIT window are calculated in ET. A wrong timezone means setups trigger at the wrong time and the exit warning never appears.

✓

Timeframe is 5m, 15m, or 30mTC MOM
Both scripts are tuned for intraday charts on these timeframes. Higher timeframes will show fewer setups and the session time logic will behave differently.

✓

RTH Gap Statistics is on a separate paneRTH GAPS
Unlike TC Momentum, the Gap script does not need to be moved. Add it and leave it in its default pane below price.

✓

You have loaded enough chart historyRTH GAPS
RTH Gap Statistics builds its fill-rate database from your loaded bars. Aim for at least 3–6 months of 1m or 5m history. Scroll left on your chart to load more bars before the open.

✓

Minimum 5 setups completed before trusting statsTC MOM
The performance table shows dashes until enough setups have completed. Win rate and profit factor are not meaningful until you have at least 5, ideally 20+, completed setups on your instrument.

✓

Alerts are configuredTC MOM
At minimum: LONG Tier 1, SHORT Tier 1, and FORCE EXIT 15:45. You should not be watching the chart constantly waiting for a signal — let alerts do that job.

✓

You have read the signal tier tableTC MOM
Know the difference between T1, T2, and T3 before you take a trade. Tier 1 is full size. Tier 2 is reduced. Tier 3 is context only. Treating all tiers the same is the most common mistake.

✓

You understand this is not financial adviceBOTH
These tools provide data and statistical context. They do not guarantee outcomes. You are responsible for every trade you take. Never risk more than you can afford to lose.

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16 FAQ BOTH SCRIPTS

Answers to the questions that come up most often. Click any question to expand it.

SETUP & COMPATIBILITY

What broker or platform do I need?

Both indicators run on TradingView — any plan that supports custom Pine Script indicators. A TradingView Pro or Pro+ plan is recommended because the free plan limits the number of indicators you can add per chart. Both scripts can run on the same chart simultaneously on Pro and above.

What instruments can I trade with these?

The system is designed primarily for US equity index instruments — ES, NQ (futures), SPY, QQQ (ETFs), and large-cap individual equities that track broad market sentiment. TC Momentum uses NYSE TICK and TRIN as its internals engine, which are most relevant when your instrument moves with the broader market. It will work on other instruments but performance will vary — always check your own signal stats in the diagnostic table.

Do I need a special data subscription for TICK and TRIN?

TICK (USI:TICK) and TRIN (USI:TRIN) are available on TradingView through their US market data subscriptions. If you see "no data" or empty values in the Pulse and Tape rows of the dashboard table, your TradingView plan does not include these feeds. Contact TraderCartel support and we will confirm exactly what subscription you need for your plan.

What timeframe should I use?

Both scripts are designed for 5-minute, 15-minute, or 30-minute intraday charts. The 5m chart gives the most setups and the earliest entries. The 15m and 30m charts give fewer but higher-quality setups with less noise. Most traders start on 5m and move to 15m once they are comfortable with how the indicator behaves on their instrument. Do not use these scripts on daily or weekly charts — the session logic and internals data are intraday-only.

Can I use TC Momentum and RTH Gap Statistics on the same chart?

Yes — this is the recommended setup. TC Momentum goes in the price pane (move it up after adding). RTH Gap Statistics stays in its own pane below price. They do not interact with each other — the gap script gives you morning context and key levels, TC Momentum gives you intraday entry signals. You combine them through your own judgment.

READING SETUPS & OUTPUTS

Why haven't any setups triggerd today?

This is normal and expected. TC Momentum requires all 7 hard gates to pass simultaneously before the indicator fires. On low-volatility days, choppy sessions, or during the lunch window (11:30–13:00 ET), conditions rarely align. A day with zero setups is not a malfunction — it means the market didn't offer a setup that met the criteria. Do not override this by lowering thresholds. No output is a valid output.

What is the difference between Tier 1, 2, and 3?

All three tiers have passed the 7 hard gates — the gates are binary and non-negotiable. The tier is determined by the confluence score, which rates 5 additional factors (VWAP position, volume, bar structure, TICK strength, HTF trend strength) on a 0–5 scale.

Tier 1 (score 4–5) — high conviction. Full position size.
Tier 2 (score 2–3) — moderate conviction. Reduced size, tighter management.
Tier 3 (score 0–1) — low confluence. Treat as awareness only. Most traders skip T3 entirely.

Can I take a Tier 2 signal?

Yes, but with reduced position size. A T2 signal has passed all gates and has some confluence — it is a valid setup, just with lower conviction than T1. The standard approach is to risk half your normal size on T2. Check the Score row in the dashboard table for the exact score before deciding. Over time, your own diagnostic table will show you whether T2 signals have historically been profitable on your instrument.

A setup triggered but price immediately reversed. What happened?

No signal system wins 100% of the time. The indicator firing means conditions aligned at that moment — it does not guarantee the move continues. If you see this happening frequently, check: (1) your tier — are you taking T3 signals? (2) your session — did it fire during lunch? (3) the broader context — was there a news event or macro catalyst that overrode the internals? The diagnostic table will show which confluence factors had low win rates so you can identify patterns.

Why does the gap direction say FADE but the signal says SHORT?

These are two different tools with different purposes. RTH Gap Statistics tells you the historical tendency of today's opening gap — a FADE UP gap means price gapped up above yesterday's close and historically tends to fill back down. TC Momentum fires based on real-time internals — a SHORT signal means market conditions right now favor the short side. When both agree (gap says FADE + TC Momentum says SHORT), that is a higher-conviction setup. When they disagree, trust your own risk management and sizing rules.

PERFORMANCE STATS

The table shows dashes everywhere. Is something broken?

No — dashes mean the system doesn't have enough completed setups yet to calculate meaningful statistics. Win rate, profit factor, MFE/MAE, and stop/target levels all require completed setup windows. You need a minimum of 5 completed setups before numbers appear, and at least 20 before they are statistically meaningful. Let the system run for several sessions before drawing conclusions from the stats.

What is a good win rate for this system?

Win rate alone is not the right metric. What matters is profit factor — the ratio of gross wins to gross losses. A system with a 45% win rate and a 2.0 profit factor is better than one with a 65% win rate and a 0.9 profit factor. For TC Momentum at the default 1.5R target, the mathematical break-even win rate is approximately 40%. Anything consistently above that is profitable. The live session benchmark is 64% win rate and 1.94 profit factor — treat that as a reference, not a guarantee.

My win rate is below 40%. Should I change the settings?

Before changing any settings, check three things: (1) How many signals? If you have fewer than 20, the number is statistically meaningless — keep sampling. (2) What instrument? The defaults are tuned for ES/SPY/NQ. Other instruments may need different thresholds. (3) Check the diagnostic table — it shows which factors are dragging performance. Adjust only the factor settings that have low win rates, not the entire system. Random tuning makes things worse.

Why do the TP and SL levels change over time?

This is intentional. The system starts with ATR-based fallback levels until you have 5 completed setups, then switches to MAE-calibrated levels — stops and targets calculated from your own trade history on your specific instrument. As more signals complete, the levels become more accurate. They are not fixed because market conditions and instrument volatility change. A level that was appropriate 3 months ago may not be appropriate today.

SESSION & TIMING

What time does TC Momentum start and stop taking signals?

The entry window opens at 09:45 ET (15 minutes after the open, to let the market settle) and closes at 15:00 ET (one hour before close, to avoid the end-of-day volatility spike). Signals cannot fire outside this window regardless of conditions. Additionally, if an open trade is still active at 15:45 ET, the EXIT warning fires automatically — this is the V1.1 time-based exit feature.

What does the EXIT label and red table mean?

At 15:45 ET, if you still have an open signal window active, TC Momentum V1.1 fires a hard EXIT warning. The signal cell in the dashboard table turns red and shows EXIT, an EXIT label appears on the chart, and the FORCE EXIT alert fires. This means: close the trade now. Holding into the 15:45–16:00 window exposes you to erratic end-of-day order flow that the system is not designed to handle.

Can I trade pre-market or after-hours with these indicators?

No. Both indicators are built exclusively for Regular Trading Hours (09:30–16:00 ET). NYSE TICK and TRIN data are only meaningful during RTH. The RTH Gap Statistics script specifically targets the 09:30 open. Signals outside RTH should be ignored entirely.

Why are there no signals during lunch?

The lunch window (approximately 11:30–13:00 ET) is flagged as a low-quality period internally. Volume drops, TICK extremes become less reliable, and price action tends to chop rather than trend. The system's gate logic becomes harder to satisfy during this window — not impossible, but uncommon. This is by design. Lunch sessions historically produce the lowest-quality intraday signals across most instruments.

TROUBLESHOOTING

The indicator is loading slowly or the table is blank on open.

This is a TradingView data loading issue, not a script error. It happens when the chart is loading historical bars or when the TICK/TRIN feeds are slow to initialize. Wait 10–15 seconds after the chart fully loads before checking the table. If it persists, try refreshing the page. If the table is still blank after a refresh, confirm your TICK/TRIN data feeds are active on your TradingView plan.

The TP and SL lines are not appearing on my chart.

This almost always means TC Momentum is not in the price pane. If the indicator is running in a separate sub-pane, the lines draw relative to that pane's scale and appear either invisible or far off-screen. Fix: right-click the TC Momentum pane → Move to → Existing Pane Above. Once it's in the price pane, the lines will appear correctly on top of your candles.

I see a signal on a historical bar but the stats table didn't update.

The MFE/MAE tracking and stats update only happen on realtime bars — not on historical data. This is a Pine Script limitation. Signals will appear on historical bars (so you can see where the system would have fired), but the performance stats only accumulate from live session data forward. This also means the EXIT window at 15:45 only fires on realtime bars. Historical signals are for reference only.

The diagnostic table is not showing up.

The factor diagnostic table (bottom-left) only appears after 3 or more signals have fully completed in your current session. It will not appear on the first or second signal. Once the third signal window closes, the table appears and will update after every subsequent completed setup. If you have more than 3 completed setups and still don't see it, try zooming your chart out — it may be hidden behind the price pane edge.

I need help with something not covered here.

Join the TraderCartel Discord and post in the #tc-mom-help or #rth-gap-help channel with a screenshot of your chart and a description of what you're seeing. Include your timeframe, instrument, and TradingView plan. The community and TraderCartel support monitor these channels daily.