8AM-RSM-MNQ-V1 — Reference Guide

Overview

8AM-RSM-MNQ-V1 is an ICT/SMC manipulation-based reversal strategy calibrated for Micro Nasdaq Futures (MNQ1!). It follows the institutional 8AM manipulation sequence — where price establishes a range in the 8AM hour, sweeps liquidity on one side, and then reverses to target the opposite end of the range during the 9AM–12PM New York session.

The model requires three-layer confluence before signaling: a confirmed sweep of the 8AM range, an Inverted Fair Value Gap (IFVG) acting as the entry zone, and a supporting Order Block providing structural confirmation. All three must align within the active signal window.

STEP 1

8AM RANGE

Define manipulation zone

STEP 2

SWEEP

Liquidity taken one side

STEP 3

FVG

Imbalance identified

STEP 4

IFVG

Entry zone confirmed

STEP 5

ENTRY

All 3 factors aligned

MNQ Calibration Tick Size: 0.25 NQ points · Tick Value: $0.50/tick per contract · Commission: $0.62/contract · Slippage: 2 ticks · Default quantity: 1 contract · Recommended timeframe: 1m or 5m

The 5-Step Model

Step 1 — 8AM Range Definition

The script tracks the full high and low of the 8AM hour (8:00–8:59 AM New York). The range locks when the 9AM signal window opens. Two dashed lines are drawn — aqua for the range high, yellow for the range low — extending through the signal window.

Range Reset The range, sweep flags, FVG/IFVG zones, and Order Block state all reset at the start of each new 8AM session. Each trading day begins with a clean slate.

Step 2 — Sweep Detection

Once the range is locked, the script watches for price to exceed either side of the 8AM range. A HIGH SWEPT label fires when price takes out the range high (bearish bias — price expected to fall to the range low). A LOW SWEPT label fires when price takes out the range low (bullish bias — price expected to rally to the range high).

Each sweep is registered only once per day. The sweep direction sets the trade bias.

Step 3 — Fair Value Gap (FVG) Detection

A 3-bar imbalance is detected near the sweep zone. FVGs represent areas where price moved so quickly that it left a gap between candle bodies — institutional order flow areas.

FVG Type	Condition	Box Color	Meaning
Bullish FVG	`low[0] > high[2]`	Green (faded)	Gap up — demand imbalance
Bearish FVG	`high[0] < low[2]`	Red (faded)	Gap down — supply imbalance

A minimum FVG size filter (default 0.25 points) removes micro-gaps from noise.

Step 4 — Inverted Fair Value Gap (IFVG) Confirmation

An IFVG forms when price closes back through a prior FVG in the opposite direction — converting the imbalance into an entry zone. This is the primary entry trigger.

IFVG Type	Trigger	Box Color	Bias
Bullish IFVG	Close above top of bearish FVG	Teal	Long setup active
Bearish IFVG	Close below bottom of bullish FVG	Purple	Short setup active

Only the first IFVG of each type per day is registered. Once set, it remains active for the signal window.

Order Block (Supporting Confluence)

An Order Block is identified as the last candle of the opposing color before a significant displacement move. It provides structural support/resistance confirming the IFVG entry zone.

OB Type	Detected By	Box Color	Role
Bullish OB	Last bearish candle before upside displacement	Blue (faded)	Support — SL placed below OB low
Bearish OB	Last bullish candle before downside displacement	Orange (faded)	Resistance — SL placed above OB high

Step 5 — Entry Signal (All 3 Must Align)

Long Entry

Range
Locked

+

Low
Swept

+

Bull
IFVG

+

Bull OB
Present

+

Signal
Window

→

BUY
Long

Short Entry

Range
Locked

+

High
Swept

+

Bear
IFVG

+

Bear OB
Present

+

Signal
Window

→

SELL
Short

One Position at a Time Entries are only placed when strategy.position_size == 0. The strategy will not add to an existing position. Only one trade per session per direction.

Risk Management — Structure-Based

Unlike ATR-based models, this strategy uses structural levels for stops and targets. The stop is placed beyond the confirming Order Block; the target is the opposite end of the 8AM range. The Risk:Reward ratio is calculated dynamically and displayed on the entry label.

Parameter	Long Trade	Short Trade
Stop Loss	Below Bull OB low	Above Bear OB high
Take Profit	8AM Range High	8AM Range Low
R:R	Calculated dynamically — shown on entry label
Qty	1 MNQ contract (default)
Commission	$0.62 per contract (NinjaTrader rate)
Slippage	2 ticks ($1.00 per contract)

Why Structure Over ATR The 8AM range model targets a defined price destination (the opposite range end). Using the range end as TP and the OB as the structural SL gives you a logical, price-action-driven R:R rather than a fixed multiple. High-probability setups on MNQ typically yield 2:1 to 4:1.

All Configurable Inputs

Group	Parameter	Default	Notes
Session	Timezone	America/New_York	All session logic is timezone-aware
Session	Signal Window Open (Hour)	9	Hour at which signals can fire (9 = 9AM NY)
Session	Signal Window Close (Hour)	12	No new entries after this hour (12 = noon)
Model Parameters	Min FVG Size (points)	0.25	Minimum gap size to qualify as FVG — filters micro-gaps
Model Parameters	OB Lookback (bars)	10	Number of bars to look back when identifying the Order Block candle
Visuals	Show FVG Boxes	true	Toggle green/red FVG boxes on chart
Visuals	Show IFVG Zones	true	Toggle teal/purple IFVG boxes on chart
Visuals	Show Order Blocks	true	Toggle blue/orange OB boxes on chart
Visuals	Show Dashboard	true	Toggle the top-right status dashboard
Alerts	Webhook Secret	tac_com_alpha_9	Shared NIGHTHAWK authentication key — embedded in all payloads
Testing	Force Manual Trigger	false	Fires a test webhook — use with "Once Per Bar" alert setting

Chart Visuals

Range High line (aqua dashed)

Range Low line (yellow dashed)

Bullish FVG box (green, faded)

Bearish FVG box (red, faded)

Bullish IFVG zone (teal)

Bearish IFVG zone (purple)

Bullish Order Block (blue)

Bearish Order Block (orange)

Signal window background tint

Element	Style	Description
Range High	Aqua dashed line (width 2)	8AM hour high — extends through signal window
Range Low	Yellow dashed line (width 2)	8AM hour low — extends through signal window
HIGH SWEPT label	Red label (above bar)	Fires when price takes out 8AM high · shows TP target
LOW SWEPT label	Green label (below bar)	Fires when price takes out 8AM low · shows TP target
Bullish FVG	Green box (85% transparent)	3-bar bullish imbalance — potential demand zone
Bearish FVG	Red box (85% transparent)	3-bar bearish imbalance — potential supply zone
Bullish IFVG	Teal box (65% transparent)	Bearish FVG reclaimed — active long entry zone
Bearish IFVG	Purple box (65% transparent)	Bullish FVG reclaimed — active short entry zone
Bullish OB	Blue box (82% transparent)	Last bearish candle before upside displacement
Bearish OB	Orange box (82% transparent)	Last bullish candle before downside displacement
BUY entry label	Lime triangle (below bar)	Shows SL, TP, and R:R on confirmed long signal
SELL entry label	Red triangle (above bar)	Shows SL, TP, and R:R on confirmed short signal
Signal window background	Blue tint (95% transparent)	Active during 9AM–12PM when range is locked

Live Status Dashboard

An 8-row table in the top-right corner shows the current state of all model conditions. Each row updates on every bar.

Row	When Green (✓)	When Gray (✗)
Range Set	8AM range is locked and active	8AM hour not yet complete
High Swept	8AM range high has been taken out	High intact
Low Swept	8AM range low has been taken out	Low intact
IFVG Ready	At least one IFVG is confirmed for the day	No IFVG yet
OB Active	At least one Order Block has been identified	No OB yet
Signal Window	Current time is within 9AM–12PM NY	Outside signal window
Bias	LONG · LONG SETUP · SHORT · SHORT SETUP · WAIT

Alert Messages — JSON Payload

The model sends payloads via alert_message on strategy.entry() and via 6 alertcondition() triggers for granular monitoring.

Long Entry (BUY)

{
  "secret":    "tac_com_alpha_9",
  "model_id":  "8AM-RSM-MNQ-V1",
  "ticker":    "MNQ1!",
  "action":    "BUY",
  "price":     21050.25,
  "metadata": {
    "tier":      "8AM_SWEEP_REVERSAL",
    "sl":        21025.00,
    "tp":        21125.50,
    "note":      "Low swept + bull IFVG + bull OB",
    "timestamp": 1747875600000
  }
}

Short Entry (SELL)

{
  "secret":    "tac_com_alpha_9",
  "model_id":  "8AM-RSM-MNQ-V1",
  "ticker":    "MNQ1!",
  "action":    "SELL",
  "price":     21125.50,
  "metadata": {
    "tier":      "8AM_SWEEP_REVERSAL",
    "sl":        21150.75,
    "tp":        21050.25,
    "note":      "High swept + bear IFVG + bear OB",
    "timestamp": 1747875600000
  }
}

Alert Conditions (6 total)

Alert Name	Event	Payload Field
8AM High Swept	Range high taken out	`"event": "HIGH_SWEPT"`
8AM Low Swept	Range low taken out	`"event": "LOW_SWEPT"`
Bullish IFVG Formed	Bearish FVG reclaimed long	`"event": "BULL_IFVG"`
Bearish IFVG Formed	Bullish FVG reclaimed short	`"event": "BEAR_IFVG"`
Long Entry Signal	Full 3-factor long confluence	`"action": "BUY"`
Short Entry Signal	Full 3-factor short confluence	`"action": "SELL"`

Manual Test Trigger

{
  "secret":    "tac_com_alpha_9",
  "model_id":  "8AM-RSM-MNQ-V1",
  "action":    "TEST",
  "metadata": {
    "note":      "MANUAL_TRIGGER",
    "timestamp": 1747875600000
  }
}

Toggle FORCE MANUAL TRIGGER in the Testing input group and set the alert to "Once Per Bar" to fire the test payload to your NIGHTHAWK endpoint.

Sentinel DB Registration

Field	Value
model_id	`8AM-RSM-MNQ-V1`
status	`OBSERVATION`
Migration	v1.5 — 2026-05-21
tier field	`8AM_SWEEP_REVERSAL`

OBSERVATION Status The model is registered in Sentinel but not yet routing live orders. Run the backtest on MNQ1! at the 1m or 5m timeframe across at least 3 months of data before promoting to LIVE. Verify that the SL and TP fields in the payload match what the strategy executes internally.

TradingView Setup

Open a 1m or 5m chart on MNQ1! (Micro Nasdaq Futures — continuous contract). Ensure the chart is set to New York session timezone so the 8AM hour displays correctly.
Open Pine Editor (Alt+P), paste 8am_range_sweep_mnq.pine, click Add to chart.
Verify the aqua/yellow dashed range lines appear at the correct 8AM price levels. Check that the background tint activates at 9AM.
Run the Strategy Tester. Review individual trades to confirm sweep → IFVG → OB logic is firing correctly before relying on the aggregated stats.
To set up granular alerts: hover over the indicator → ··· → Add alert on 8AM-RSM-MNQ. Configure separate alerts for each of the 6 alertconditions.
Set Webhook URL to your NIGHTHAWK endpoint. The full SL and TP are embedded in the BUY/SELL payload.
Toggle FORCE MANUAL TRIGGER to ON, set the alert to "Once Per Bar", and verify the TEST payload arrives at your endpoint before enabling live signal alerts.

Backtest Limitation — Intraday Range TradingView's Strategy Tester on 1m bars may not replay the exact bar sequence for 8AM range formation on historical data. Use 5m bars for the initial backtest to reduce bar-replay artifacts, then validate on 1m in forward-testing (paper trade) mode.