Pre-Market Prep 7.18.2025What it do, everyone! Here’s my pre-market prep for Friday, July 18th. Just to give you a quick overview, I'm using my prior value areas, the prior day's high and low, and the CVA levels from my market profile. I use all this history to help me plan my trades for the day.
So, starting with the S&P, as of now we’re green across the board. We’re in balance up from the prior day’s range, value area, and the CVA. My main plan is to look for acceptance and a pullback to a confluence area for longs. If we get rotational and break out of that area, I’m ready to go short.
For the NASDAQ, it's a similar story. We’re rotational in the prior value area and range, but we’re balanced up from the recent CVA. Right now, I’m waiting to see if we can confirm acceptance and then I’ll look for a short from that rotational area down to the prior value area low.
In the Russell, I’m seeing clear acceptance above all levels, so a pullback to the confluence area for a long would be ideal.
For Gold, I’m also seeing it in balance up on all fronts. My first move would be a long from the prior day’s high. If we drop a bit lower, I’ll be looking at that CVA and PVA area for another long.
The Euro is a bit more mixed. We’re rotational in the prior day’s range but balanced up in the value area and CVA. I want to clear the prior day’s high before taking any big moves.
The Yen is also rotational, so I’m looking to trade the extremes, maybe some scalps while we’re balanced in the prior value area.
For the Aussie Dollar, we’re in balance up from the PVA, but rotational in the prior day’s range and CVA. I’m looking for shorts near the top area and longs at the bottom, staying out of the middle for now.
And finally, Crude Oil is rotational on all fronts. My first plan is to look for shorts from the confluence area down to the prior day’s range.
That’s my pre-market prep for today. Let’s trade smart. Happy Friday, peace!
QM1! trade ideas
Crude oil-----Sell near 66.80, target 65.00-62.00Crude oil market analysis:
The recent crude oil daily line began to decline, but a small V appeared last night, which was also caused by the situation in the Middle East. Israel bombed Syria and crude oil began to rebound. Overall, crude oil is still bearish. We consider continuing to sell it when it rebounds. It has not broken near 64.00, and it is difficult to form a large unilateral. The suppression position is near 66.80. Consider selling it near it.
Fundamental analysis:
Trump’s dissatisfaction with Powell has not been a day or two. Conflict is inevitable, and the impact on gold is also short-term. Yesterday’s pull-up and dive is a case in point.
Operational suggestions
Crude oil-----Sell near 66.80, target 65.00-62.00
MCL Just RAN the Highs and Died. Beautiful. You ever watch price grind into a supply zone like it’s got no clue what's coming, then slap the trend line like it owes it money? That’s what MCL did this morning. It ran the previous day high, tapped into a juicy supply zone, gave us a textbook order block rejection and I said, “bet.”
I’m not here for 300 IQ Fibonacci spirals or Jupiter retrograde entries I just want clean structure, manipulated highs, and a breakdown that pays the bills. Let’s dig in.
Setup Overview (15-Min Chart)
Bias: Bearish
Setup Type: Liquidity Run ➝ OB Retest ➝ Trend Continuation
Context & Narrative:
PDH (67.01) was swept early. Liquidity grab? Price got yeeted from supply after faking momentum. We got a clean Order Block Retest at 66.59, respecting the descending EMA and HTF structure.
Entry Structure:
- Entry - 66.39 Retest rejection + momentum shift
- TP1 - 66.10 Intra-day structure low
- TP2 - 65.80 Demand zone front-run
- PDL - 65.40 Potential deeper fade if momentum holds
Confluence Checklist:
- Sweep of prior highs (PDH liquidity grab)
- Strong supply reaction + OB retest
- Bearish EMA slope holding price down
- Momentum shift + clean intraday structure
- Entry gives >2R to TP1, >4R to TP2
Risk Notes:
If price reclaims 66.70+ and closes above OB → bias invalidated. Don’t marry the trade this is oil, not Tinder.
WTI(20250717)Today's AnalysisMarket news:
The annual rate of PPI in the United States in June was 2.3%, lower than the expected 2.5%, the lowest since September 2024, and the previous value was revised up from 2.6% to 2.7%. Federal Reserve Beige Book: The economic outlook is neutral to slightly pessimistic. Manufacturing activity declined slightly, and corporate recruitment remained cautious.
Technical analysis:
Today's buying and selling boundaries:
65.20
Support and resistance levels:
66.59
66.07
65.74
64.67
64.33
63.83
Trading strategy:
If it breaks through 65.74, consider buying in, and the first target price is 66.07
If it breaks through 65.20, consider selling in, and the first target price is 64.67
WTI(20250715)Today's AnalysisMarket news:
Sources said that after Trump's latest trade tax threat, the European Central Bank will discuss a more negative scenario next week than expected in June. The ECB is still expected to keep interest rates unchanged at its meeting on July 24. Discussions on rate cuts are still postponed to September.
Technical analysis:
Today's buying and selling boundaries:
66.63
Support and resistance levels:
69.20
68.24
67.62
65.65
65.02
64.06
Trading strategy:
If it breaks through 66.63, consider buying in, the first target price is 67.62
If it breaks through 65.65, consider selling in, the first target price is 65.02
CRUDEOIL1! at Best Support Zone !!This is the Daily Chart of CRUDEOIL1!.
CRUDEOIL1! having a good law of polarity at 5500-5600 level .
CRUDEOIL1! is currently trading between its quarterly pivot 5603 level and monthly pivot 5805 levels , indicating a range-bound movement."
Once the Crudeoil1! sustains above the monthly pivot, it may trigger a potential upside rally."
If this lop is sustain , then we may see higher prices in CRUDEOIL1!
Thank You !!
Oil Went Back to 'Pre-conflict' Level on Israel-Iran Ceasefire The Israel-Iran ceasefire has triggered a sharp reversal in global oil markets, sending prices tumbling back to levels seen before the recent conflict. Brent crude ICEEUR:BRN1! fell below $70 per barrel and West Texas Intermediate NYMEX:CL1! dropped to around $65, erasing the risk premium that had built up during nearly two weeks of hostilities. This rapid decline—nearly 17% from the conflict’s peak—reflects investor relief that the threat of major supply disruptions, especially through the vital Strait of Hormuz, has receded for now.
However, the outlook remains uncertain. While the ceasefire has calmed immediate fears, the truce is fragile, with both sides accusing each other of violations within hours of its announcement. Shipping activity through the Strait of Hormuz is still subdued, insurance costs for tankers remain elevated, and some shipowners are steering clear of the region, indicating persistent caution in energy logistics.
If the ceasefire holds, markets may stabilize further, supporting global economic recovery and easing inflationary pressures.
But any renewed escalation or disruption in the Strait of Hormuz could quickly reverse these gains, keeping energy markets on alert for further geopolitical shocks.
The main technical graph for Dec'25 WTI Futures NYMEX:CLZ2025 indicates on 'cup and handle' technical structure with the nearest support around $62 per bll, and further 'double top' price action in upcoming development.
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Best wishes,
@PandorraResearch Team 😎
40–50% Decline Possible for Crude OilLight Crude Oil Futures broke below a descending triangle and re-tested the breakdown level on volume twice as high as the 50 day moving average (daily chart). I anticipate a 40–50% decline to approximately $30–40 over the next 6–12 months, despite geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. This move aligns with a broader macro correction. Long-term, I remain bullish on oil.
Crude Oil Weekly OutlookNYMEX:CL1! NYMEX:MCL1!
With Nasdaq futures hitting all-time highs, our attention now turns to Crude Oil, which has seen a sharp pullback over the past week.
All-time highs in equity indices present a unique challenge:
There are no historical reference points—no prior price or volume data to lean against. Traders typically turn to tools like Fibonacci extensions, measured moves, or rely on market-generated information and emerging intraday levels before making decisions.
What Has the Market Done?
Crude Oil Futures (CL) posted a record drop last week, falling sharply from a Sunday open high of $78.40 to a Monday close low of $64.38—a $14.02 decline.
This sharp sell-off followed developments suggesting a potential Iran–Israel ceasefire and the end of a two-week conflict, prompting markets to rapidly unwind the geopolitical risk premium.
What is it trying to do?
CL Futures have since consolidated around the 2025 mid-range. The market appears to be in a balancing phase, digesting the removal of war-related premiums and recalibrating based on fundamentals.
How Good of a Job Is It Doing?
Having effectively priced out war risk, the market is now refocusing on fundamentals.
The global demand outlook is improving, driven in part by progress in trade deals.
OPEC’s June Monthly Oil Market Report (MOMR) forecasts global oil demand growth of 1.3 mb/d for 2025.
This transition from headline risk to fundamental drivers indicates market maturity and resilience, albeit within a still-volatile regime.
What Is More Likely to Happen From Here?
Today marks the final trading day of the month, and seasonal demand will become increasingly relevant.
Summer weather and travel activity are expected to drive demand for jet fuel and gasoline.
These seasonal tailwinds, if sustained, could help stabilize price action around key technical zones.
Key Levels:
yOpen: 67.65
pHi: 66.09
pIB Hi: 66
2025 mid-range: 65.39
pLow: 64.80
Overnight Low: 64.55
Naked VPOC: 64.50
Scenario 1: Continued Consolidation (Balance Holds)
Crude oil maintains range-bound behavior.
Strategy: “Outside-in” trading—fade moves at range extremes until new directional information emerges.
Scenario 2: Break from Balance
If directional conviction builds, price could break the current consolidation.
Upside target: Yearly open near $67.65.
Downside risk: March 2025 low if $64.40 fails.
All intraday levels noted above should be monitored for structure and participation.
#202526 - priceactiontds - weekly update - wti crude oil futuresGood Day and I hope you are well.
#mcl1 - wti crude oil futures
comment: Yeah I don’t know about this one. Your guess is as good as mine. I could even see this touching 63 before going higher again. Most erratic and extreme price action the past 2 weeks, so maybe wait a bit before jumping the train here.
current market cycle: trading range
key levels: 63 - 80
bull case: Bulls don’t have much. They could not close one decent bar at the high since 2025-06-11 and despite all the bull spikes, we only sold afterwards and are back below 65 where the extreme breakout happened. Best guess here is that we stay above 63 and go sideways. Sideways up to where? No idea. Could be 68, could be 70.
Invalidation is below 63
bear case: Too extreme. Both sides have to take quick profits or the next spike will take them away again. So most likely sideways in a range until a newsbomb hit again. Range could be 63 - 68.
Invalidation is above 79
short term: Neutral. Not touching this unless someone threatens me with a gun.
medium-long term - Update from 2025-06-22: Let’s leave this as “todo” for now. No read on this and I won’t make stuff up just to post something.
Geopolitical tensions is making oil fun to tradeFor the unexperienced traders, be very careful trading NYSE:CL , you can get caught anytime wether you are long or short right or wrong.
Nevertheless, if you follow my LIS, you can have a clear picture of where oil is heading to.
Right now, oil is set up as bearish but it can change in a matter of a bomb. Jokes aside, the LIS stands at 67.8. So below still bearish, above turn bullish.
OIL Bullish BiasCurrently sitting on my hands but closely watching oil, especially after Iran & Israel
Consolidation Protocol active. Need to see external range taken. I will not trade inside this range. Favoring longs.
Think accumulation, manipulation, distribution. Right now its in the accumulation phase. Manipulation phase is next. Preferably sweeping external low first then distribution higher to bsl.
Relative equal highs / LRLR at 114.29 first long term target.
Final target are the inefficiencies at 130 - 150.
CL1! Structural NarrativeResearch Idea
If look we beyond surface appearances, we would ask what kind of iterative, generative, or probabilistic mechanisms could have created those movements. Complexity can arise from simplicity, and that what looks messy may follow deep mathematical logic.
We can see the curve that connects series rejections that exposes where selling pressure extends compression until broken.
Another pattern would be current price expressed as a fibonacci ratio of a broader cycle as it splits them into phases.
CRUDE OIL poised to go UP AGAIN? Usually my posts on crude oil are short. but here’s a longer one for a change.
Back in December, I predicted that crude oil would hit the highlighted zone around $57. That’s exactly what happened, hit the target and bounced.
Over the past two weeks, we’ve seen wild swings in crude oil prices as tensions between Iran and Israel escalated. But now, following the ceasefire announcement brokered by President Trump, and considering Iran’s response over the past couple of days, crude oil has dropped below its pre-conflict price levels.
While I truly hope for a peaceful world where no innocent lives are harmed, my personal view is that this ceasefire feels fragile and may not last long.
So, what’s next for crude oil? Up or down?
If the ceasefire holds and we don’t see further conflict in the Middle East, I think crude oil could hover in the $65–$75 range. There’s even a slim chance we dip as low as $45.
However, based on my technical analysis model, and my doubts about the durability of the ceasefire, I expect oil prices to rise in the next 6 to 9 months. My targets? $78 and $85.
Of course, I might be wrong this time. :)
Cheers!
Oil Price: Breakout or Fakeout? Watch This Zone Closely Technical Overview:
The current price action is testing the upper boundary of a descending wedge, a bullish reversal pattern. The recent strong green candle indicates a potential breakout attempt, yet price is hovering near a critical resistance level at $74.20 (Fib 0.5).
Key levels from the Fibonacci retracement are:
🔼 Resistance at $74.20 (0.5), then $78.16 (0.618)
🧲 Local support at $69.78 (0.382)
🛡️ Strong demand zone near $63.81 (0.236) if rejection occurs
Structure + Patterns:
Price has been compressing inside a falling wedge, which statistically resolves to the upside.
The breakout candle broke above the 20 EMA and touched the upper wedge resistance — signaling a decision point.
Volume is rising on bullish candles — initial confirmation of buyer interest, but not yet decisive.
Scenarios to Watch
Bullish Case:
Break and close above $74.20 on higher volume → likely move toward $78–$86 resistance zone.
Confirmation of wedge breakout could trigger trend reversal, aligning with bullish fib levels.
Momentum could accelerate if macro factors support demand (see geopolitics below).
Bearish Case:
Failure to close above $74.20 = fakeout risk → price may reject down to $69.78 or even retest $63.81.
Bearish rejection wick on the daily/4H would be an early signal.
Macro & Geopolitical Factors to Monitor:
Middle East Tensions: Any escalation (especially around Iran or shipping lanes) could spike oil due to supply fears.
US Strategic Reserves & Elections: Moves to refill reserves or control inflation could support demand.
China Demand Recovery: Data showing improved industrial output or stimulus from PBoC may strengthen global oil outlook.
Final Thoughts:
Price is at a pivot zone — breaking this wedge with strength could shift the short-to-midterm trend. Until then, this remains a "show me" breakout . Watch how the next 1–2 weekly candles close around the $74–$75 area to confirm direction.
Crude Oil Prices Rocketing amid geopolitical risks
NYMEX:CL1! NYMEX:MCL1! NYMEX:BZ1!
Macro:
Geopolitical tensions remain high and markets are now likely to price in our scenario discussing ongoing air and missile war, given one-off intervention from the US thus far. According to Reuters, the U.S. now assesses that Iranian retaliation could occur within the next two days.What happens next is anybody’s guess but as traders, it is important to navigate these uncertainties with scenario planning and/or reduce risk to account for increased volatility.
We also get Services and Manufacturing PMI data today and PCE Price Index on Friday. Chair Powell is set to testify on Tuesday 9am CT.
Key levels:
Jan 2025 High: 76.57
2025 High: 78.40
2025 CVAH(Composite Value Area High): 75.68
Key LIS zone: 73.50-73.15
We anticipate the following scenarios in crude oil:
Scenario 1:
Prices remain elevated as tensions remain high, despite limited retaliation, however, the situation overall now escalated beyond return to diplomacy.
Scenario 2:
Any push towards de-escalation, unlikely in our analysis, but given the headline risk, crude prices may remain volatile and come off the highs.
Given our key LIS (Line in Sand) zone above, we favor longs above this and shorts below this zone.