STRATEGIES
Three setups worth knowing
No secrets, no black boxes — just the setups, the entries, and the honest weaknesses of each.
1Opening Range Breakout (ORB)
The most studied intraday setup — a 2023 academic study (Zarattini & Aziz) backtested a 5-minute ORB on US equities and found significant edge on high-volume days.
The setup
- Mark the high/low of the first 15 minutes after 9:30 AM ET
- Enter on a 5-min candle CLOSE beyond the range — not a wick poke
- Stop at the opposite side of the range
- Target 1.5-2x your risk
- Only trade it 9:45-11:00 AM, when volume is real
The catch
Most breakouts fail in chop — it wins by catching a few big trend days, so expect strings of small losses. Never move your stop.
Train this pattern → Play the Daily Drill
2VWAP Pullback
Institutions benchmark their fills to VWAP, so trending stocks repeatedly bounce off it.
The setup
- Stock trending clearly above VWAP with rising volume
- Wait for a pullback that TOUCHES VWAP and prints a rejection candle — long lower wick or engulfing
- Enter on that candle's close
- Stop just below VWAP
- Ride toward the prior high
The catch
Dead in sideways markets — if price is crossing VWAP repeatedly, there's no trend to pull back within. Stay out.
Train this pattern → Play the Daily Drill
3Breakout + Volume Confirmation
A breakout is only as real as its volume — this is literally what the Daily Drill trains your eye to see.
The setup
- Consolidation of at least 45 minutes with a tight range
- Breakout candle closes beyond the range on 1.5-2x+ average volume → higher odds of follow-through
- Weak volume breakout = fade candidate back into the range
The catch
Volume confirms, it doesn't guarantee — even confirmed breaks fail into major levels overhead (prior day high, big round numbers). Always know what's above you.
Train this pattern → Play the Daily Drill