Smart Money Concepts (SMC) is a trading methodology that focuses on tracking the footprints of institutional traders — banks, hedge funds, and market makers — in the Forex and Futures markets. Rather than using traditional retail indicators, SMC traders read raw price action to identify where "smart money" is entering and exiting the market.
Order Blocks (OB) An Order Block is the last bullish or bearish candle before a significant move. It represents where institutional orders were placed. Price often returns to these zones to fill remaining orders, making them high-probability trade entry points.
Fair Value Gaps (FVG) A Fair Value Gap is a 3-candle pattern where price moves so aggressively that it leaves an imbalance in the market. These gaps are often revisited as price seeks equilibrium.
Breaker Blocks When an Order Block fails to hold and price breaks through it, that Order Block becomes a Breaker Block — now acting as resistance instead of support (or vice versa).
Liquidity Grabs Smart money needs liquidity to fill large positions. They often push price above obvious highs or below obvious lows to trigger retail stop losses, giving institutions the volume they need. Recognising these sweeps is critical for SMC traders.
BOS & CHOCH (Break of Structure / Change of Character) A Break of Structure (BOS) confirms the current trend is continuing. A Change of Character (CHOCH) signals a potential reversal. These are used to identify the direction of the trade before looking for an entry.
Tracking SMC setups without a journal is like flying blind. You need to know: - Which Order Blocks are giving you the best results? - Are your FVG entries more profitable in the London or NY session? - How is your win rate on Liquidity Grab entries vs. OB entries?
Without data, you're guessing. A dedicated SMC trading journal like CoreEdge lets you log every confluence, tag your strategy, and see exactly where your edge is coming from.
CoreEdge lets you log strategies like Order Blocks, Fair Value Gaps, Breaker Blocks, Liquidity Grabs, BOS and CHOCH on every single trade. Combined with automatic R-multiple calculation and session-based analytics, you get a complete picture of your SMC edge.
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CoreEdge is a trading journal for SMC, ICT, Forex, and Futures traders. Free plan available.
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