ICT Weekly Profile: The 5-Day Delivery Model

The weekly profile is the AMD framework applied to the five-day trading week. Just as the daily AMD cycle has Accumulation in the Asian session, Manipulation at the London open, and Distribution through New York — the weekly cycle has Accumulation on Monday and Tuesday, Manipulation on Wednesday, and Distribution on Thursday and Friday.

This is not a rigid rule that fires every single week. It is a probabilistic framework — a set of tendencies that institutional price delivery follows often enough to be tradeable, and specifically enough to tell you which days to hunt for setups versus which days to observe and prepare. Understanding it changes your entire relationship with the trading week. You stop treating each session as an isolated event and start reading the week as a single five-day institutional delivery sequence.

The Five-Day Delivery Model

Each day of the trading week has a typical institutional role. These roles are not absolute — they are the most common behaviour, derived from the AMD framework operating at the weekly scale.

Sunday Analysis — Setting the Weekly Bias

The weekly profile begins on Sunday evening, before the week opens. This is the most important analytical session of the week — and the most skipped. Traders who do not complete Sunday analysis spend Monday through Wednesday reacting to price. Traders who do spend Monday through Wednesday executing a pre-made plan.

The Sunday analysis has three components:

Step 1 — Establish the weekly dealing range. Open the weekly chart. Identify the current weekly dealing range — the distance between the most recent significant swing high and swing low. Where is price relative to the 50% equilibrium of that range? Above EQ = weekly premium = institutional delivery is downward for this cycle = bearish weekly bias. Below EQ = weekly discount = upward delivery = bullish weekly bias. This single determination filters every trade direction for the entire week. A bearish weekly bias means only shorting from premium zones. A bullish weekly bias means only buying from discount zones.

Step 2 — Identify the draw on liquidity. In the direction of the weekly bias, identify the nearest unswept liquidity pool. For a bearish week: the nearest SSL below — prior week's low, equal lows cluster, or the weekly dealing range low. For a bullish week: the nearest BSL above — prior week's high, equal highs cluster, or the weekly range high. This is the weekly target. The Wednesday Judas Swing and subsequent distribution will deliver price toward this level by Friday.

Step 3 — Check monthly bias alignment. Does the weekly bias agree with the monthly chart direction? When weekly and monthly bias both point the same direction, the weekly profile is at maximum probability — institutions are delivering at both timescales simultaneously. When the weekly bias contradicts the monthly, the week is more likely to produce a counter-trend correction within a larger trend, which requires more caution and tighter targets. The cleanest, highest-conviction weeks are those where weekly and monthly bias align.

Monday — Marking the Range, Not Trading It

Monday's role in the weekly profile is accumulation. Institutions are building their weekly position — accumulating longs (on a bullish week) or shorts (on a bearish week) within a controlled range. The price action on Monday reflects this: it is typically the narrowest range day of the week, with multiple directional attempts that all fail to break out decisively.

The key Monday levels to mark:

Monday high and Monday low: These become the primary liquidity targets for the Wednesday Judas Swing. On a bearish week, the Monday high is the first BSL cluster that Wednesday may sweep. Mark it clearly. On a bullish week, the Monday low is the first SSL cluster. The Monday range is the accumulation range — it defines what the Wednesday manipulation will target.

The opening gap from Sunday's open: When NQ opens on Sunday evening, any gap between Friday's close and Sunday's open is a significant reference. If NQ closed Friday at 21,200 and opens Sunday at 21,240, the 40-point gap is a draw on liquidity — price frequently returns to fill it during Monday's session or early Tuesday. This gap is the foundation of the New Week Opening Gap concept, which interacts directly with Monday's accumulation range.

Monday trading approach: lower probability, lower size, or no trade. The direction is genuinely unclear during accumulation. A trader who tries to aggressively trade Monday is trying to trade the phase that has the least directional signal. Some experienced ICT traders do not trade Monday at all — they use it exclusively to mark levels and observe. The trap is seeing an apparent Monday setup and entering without recognising that Monday's direction is often reversed by Wednesday.

Tuesday — Accumulation Expands, Bias Becomes Visible

Tuesday expands the Monday range. The combined Monday-Tuesday range forms the primary weekly accumulation zone — the high and low of this two-day range are the definitive liquidity targets for Wednesday's Judas Swing.

Tuesday often produces the first visible signal of the weekly bias. On a bearish week, Tuesday may push slightly higher than Monday's high before stalling — creating a higher reference level for the Wednesday sweep to target. On a bullish week, Tuesday may push slightly lower than Monday's low before recovering.

Tuesday's trading probability is higher than Monday's — but still below Wednesday and Thursday. If the daily bias is clearly aligned with the weekly bias, Tuesday can produce clean Silver Bullet setups. The key qualification: the Tuesday trade should be in a direction that makes sense even if Wednesday reverses it. A short entry on Tuesday in a bearish week that targets the Monday low is sound — if Wednesday does sweep the Tuesday high first, the stop (beyond the Monday-Tuesday high) should not be hit if position sizing is appropriate.

The most important Tuesday observation: is the Tuesday candle building a higher high than Monday (for a bearish week's Judas target) or a lower low than Monday (for a bullish week's Judas target)? Whichever direction Tuesday extends, mark the extreme carefully. It is the primary Wednesday manipulation target.

Wednesday — The Weekly Judas Swing

Wednesday is the highest-probability entry day of the trading week in the ICT framework. It is the weekly equivalent of the London open on the daily AMD cycle — the day when the manipulation fires, the liquidity sweep occurs, and the true weekly distribution begins.

The mechanism: the Monday-Tuesday accumulation range has built a clear BSL pool above (the combined Mon-Tue high) and a clear SSL pool below (the combined Mon-Tue low). On a bearish week, Wednesday opens and pushes above the Mon-Tue high — sweeping all the buy stops from short sellers who entered at that high, and triggering breakout buy orders from retail traders who see the "breakout." Institutions sell into this buying. The wick extends beyond the Mon-Tue high, the body closes back below it — a textbook Turtle Soup at the 2-session prior high. The MSS fires. The weekly distribution begins.

The Wednesday entry is the primary weekly trade. Here is the exact sequence:

Before Wednesday opens: The Mon-Tue high is marked as the BSL target (bearish week) or the Mon-Tue low as the SSL target (bullish week). The FVG entry zone is anticipated to be in the Mon-Tue range on the brief retrace after the Judas sweep.

During Wednesday's London open (2–5 AM ET): The Judas Swing often fires at the London open — the same kill zone timing that applies to the daily Judas. A sharp push above the Mon-Tue high during London open hours, followed by a swift reversal, is the weekly Judas combining with the daily Judas to create a dual-timeframe manipulation event. This is the highest-probability entry of the entire week.

If London doesn't complete it: Wednesday's Silver Bullet window (10–11 AM ET) is the secondary window. If the Judas Swing fires at 9:30 AM or during the 10 AM window instead of London, the same entry mechanics apply — MSS, FVG, 50% CE, stop beyond the wick.

Stop and targets: Stop beyond the Wednesday Judas wick. T1: the Mon-Tue low (IRL for a bearish week). T2: the prior week's low or equal lows cluster (ERL). These targets are typically hit Thursday and Friday respectively.

Thursday and Friday — Reading the Distribution

Once the Wednesday Judas Swing has fired and the weekly MSS is confirmed, Thursday and Friday are the distribution legs. The weekly trade is positioned and the job shifts from entry to management.

Thursday is typically the strongest distribution day. After the Wednesday manipulation established the weekly direction, Thursday delivers with conviction — strong, sustained candles in the bias direction with minimal retraces. The Silver Bullet window on Thursday (10–11 AM ET) is among the most reliable of any day in the week when it aligns with the weekly distribution direction. The T1 target (Mon-Tue low for a bearish week, Mon-Tue high for a bullish week) is most commonly hit on Thursday.

If Wednesday's entry was missed entirely, Thursday still offers a valid entry opportunity — but only on a retrace. After a strong Thursday open, price often retraces briefly to a bearish FVG or OB formed during Wednesday's MSS or Thursday's overnight session. That retrace entry has lower R:R than the Wednesday entry but is still valid if bias is confirmed and the kill zone is active.

Friday requires careful handling. The morning distribution (AM Silver Bullet window) often continues the weekly move and hits the T2 target (ERL). But after approximately 12 PM ET, institutional traders begin closing weekly positions ahead of the weekend — creating profit-taking flows that can reverse the weekly direction sharply in the final hours. This is sometimes called the "Friday reversal" and it is a consistent enough pattern that the rule is firm: close all weekly positions by 12 PM ET on Friday. Never hold an ICT trade over the weekend.

The exception: on a strongly trending week where price has not yet reached the ERL, Friday morning may accelerate toward the target. In this case, aggressive traders may hold through Friday afternoon — but the risk profile changes significantly after 12 PM ET and the approach should be treated as a separate, lower-probability trade rather than continuation of the main weekly position.

Continuation vs Reversal Weeks

The standard weekly profile (Mon-Tue accumulation, Wed Judas, Thu-Fri distribution) is the most common pattern but not the only one. Two variants are important to recognise.

Identifying which type of week you are in changes the trading approach fundamentally. In a continuation week, waiting for a Wednesday Judas means waiting for a setup that will not arrive — while price moves steadily away from you in the trend direction. The signal that you are in a continuation week: Monday and Tuesday both close strongly in one direction without meaningful retracement, and the weekly bias is aligned with a strong monthly trend. When both Mon and Tue close more than 50% of their range in the same direction, the week is more likely continuation than reversal.

In a reversal week, the Mon-Tue accumulation is choppy, overlapping, and roughly balanced — classic accumulation range behaviour. Both Mon and Tue close near their midpoints. This is the profile that produces the cleanest Wednesday Judas Swing entry.

Weekly Profile in Monthly Context

The weekly profile does not operate in isolation — it nests inside the monthly delivery framework. Understanding how the weekly profile fits within the monthly context explains why some weeks are strongly directional while others are choppy and ambiguous.

At the monthly scale, the same AMD logic applies: the first week or two of the month is accumulation (or continuation of prior month's direction), mid-month often produces the monthly manipulation (a Judas that sweeps a monthly high/low before reversing), and the final two weeks deliver to the monthly target. A weekly profile that occurs during the monthly accumulation phase will be lower-probability and choppier than one occurring during the monthly distribution phase.

The practical implication: before planning the weekly profile, check the monthly chart position. If the current week falls during the monthly distribution phase (price is in premium on the monthly chart, being delivered lower), the weekly bearish profile has maximum support — both monthly and weekly institutions are delivering in the same direction. The weekly Judas will be cleaner, the Wednesday MSS will be sharper, and the Thursday-Friday distribution will be stronger.

When the weekly bias contradicts the monthly direction — for example, a bullish weekly cycle occurring within a monthly bearish delivery — the weekly move is likely a correction or consolidation rather than a trend change. The targets will be shorter (IRL of the weekly range rather than the ERL), and the probability of the weekly profile completing fully is lower. Reduce target ambition accordingly.

Full Week Walkthrough — NQ Bearish Week

Sunday analysis: NQ weekly range (prior 3 weeks): high 21,840, low 20,640. Weekly EQ: 21,240. Current price at Friday's close: 21,490 — in weekly premium. Weekly bias: bearish. Draw on liquidity: equal lows at 20,880 (SSL). Trade plan for the week: look for short entries only, after Wednesday Judas Swing, targeting 20,880 by Friday.

Monday: NQ opens at 21,510. Range throughout the day: 21,386–21,548. Close: 21,430. Tight 162-point range, choppy price action. Mark Monday high at 21,548 and Monday low at 21,386. No trades taken.

Tuesday: NQ opens at 21,440. Makes a new high at 21,598 — above Monday's high. Combined Mon-Tue high is now 21,598. This is the primary Judas target for Wednesday. Low at 21,348. Close: 21,520. Slightly bullish day — retail traders begin building bullish positions above 21,500. Mark Tue high 21,598, combined Mon-Tue range 21,348–21,598. No trades. Watch for Wednesday Judas above 21,598.

Wednesday London open (2:18 AM ET): NQ opens to push toward Mon-Tue high. By 2:42 AM, NQ reaches 21,664 — 66 points above the Mon-Tue high. ES simultaneously makes 5,488 versus its Mon-Tue high of 5,476 — only a 12-point extension versus NQ's 66. SMT divergence confirmed. NQ body closes at 21,592 — back below the Mon-Tue high. Wednesday Judas confirmed.

Wednesday 2:49 AM — MSS: 15M swing low at 21,528 (formed Tuesday) broken to the downside. Bearish MSS confirmed. Bearish FVG forms between 21,540 and 21,592 during the MSS candle.

Entry (Wednesday 3:04 AM ET): Price retraces to 21,565 — entering FVG zone. Short limit at 50% CE: (21,540 + 21,592) / 2 = 21,566. Filled 3:06 AM.

Stop: Above Judas wick at 21,664 — buffer to 21,672. Distance: 106 points.

T1 (IRL — Mon-Tue low): 21,348 — 218 points, 2.1R. Hit Thursday 10:22 AM.

T2 (ERL — equal lows): 20,880 — 686 points, 6.5R. Hit Friday 11:34 AM AM Silver Bullet.

Common Weekly Profile Mistakes

Skipping Sunday analysis. Trading from Monday through Wednesday without a pre-determined weekly bias means making directional decisions in real time without context. The weekly profile's reliability depends entirely on knowing the bias before Monday opens. Traders who do not complete Sunday analysis consistently make directional errors — buying Tuesday's strength on a bearish week, or shorting Tuesday weakness on a bullish week.

Trading Monday aggressively. Monday is the lowest-probability trading day of the week. The direction is genuinely unknown during accumulation, and Monday's directional signals are frequently reversed by Wednesday. Taking large Monday positions is accepting a higher probability of being wrong in a way that cannot be corrected until Wednesday at the earliest.

Waiting for a Wednesday Judas in a continuation week. In a strong trend, Monday and Tuesday will both close decisively in one direction. Waiting for a Wednesday Judas that will not come while price trends away is one of the most costly weekly profile mistakes. The signal: when both Monday and Tuesday close more than 60% of their range in the same direction, move to a continuation week framework and trade the trend rather than waiting for a reversal.

Holding positions past 12 PM ET on Friday. The Friday afternoon reversal is consistent enough to be treated as a hard rule. Position-closing by institutional traders before the weekend creates reliable counter-trend flows in the final two hours of Friday's session. Holding a weekly position into Friday afternoon hoping for more gains frequently gives back a significant portion of the week's profit on the close.

Using Monday's high and low as the Judas target instead of the combined Mon-Tue high/low. The primary Judas target is the Monday-Tuesday combined extreme — whichever is higher (for a bearish week Judas) or lower (for a bullish week Judas). Tuesday frequently extends beyond Monday's range, creating a higher BSL pool. Targeting only Monday's high as the sweep level misses the actual Tuesday extension that formed the primary cluster.

Frequently Asked Questions