Liquidity Sweep Markers
Chart overlay arrows ("S") that flag individual candles where price probed beyond the Initial Balance to hunt stops, then reversed — micro-level sweep event detection.
Liquidity Sweep Markers are the yellow "S" arrows plotted directly on the SPXXL chart. They detect individual candles that exhibit a classic stop-hunt pattern relative to the Initial Balance (IB).
How they trigger:
- ●Downward sweep (arrow above bar): Price wicks above the IB high (probing stops above resistance), but both the open and close remain below the IB high — a failed breakout / rejection.
- ●Upward sweep (arrow below bar): Price wicks below the IB low (probing stops below support), but both the open and close remain above the IB low — a failed breakdown / rejection.
A minimum 6-bar gap is enforced between consecutive markers of the same direction to avoid cluttering the chart with repeated signals on the same probe.
These markers are toggled on/off via the "Sweep Arrows" overlay in the chart toolbar.
How to use them with the Liquidity Sweep session type:
Think of them as micro vs. macro confirmation:
- ●The Liquidity Sweep session label is the macro context — it tells you the overall day structure is wick-dominated and mean-reverting. The recommended structure is reversal / mean reversion plays.
- ●The "S" markers are micro timing — they show you exactly which bars triggered the sweep events, the precise moments price probed beyond the IB to hunt stops before reversing.
Practical workflow:
- ●If the session is classified as Liquidity Sweep and you see an "S" arrow fire at an IB level, that is a high-conviction reversal signal — the macro classification and the micro event are aligned.
- ●If you see "S" arrows but the session is classified as something else (e.g., Trend Day), treat those arrows with more caution — they may be false probes within a trending session rather than true sweep-and-reverse events.
- ●The IB Break arrows ("IB↑" / "IB↓") complement this nicely — if the IB breaks and holds, it is trending. If the IB breaks but triggers an "S" arrow shortly after, the break is failing and a sweep is in play.
In short: the session label tells you what kind of day it is, and the "S" markers tell you where and when the sweep events happen within that day.
Related Terms
A session where price probes beyond key levels to trigger clustered stop-loss orders before reversing — designed to trap directional traders.
The price range established during the first 30 minutes of trading (9:30-10:00 AM ET) — a key reference for the entire session.
A session where price oscillates around a central value area with no directional conviction — the most common session type for SPX.
A session with sustained directional movement from open to close — price trends in one direction with minimal retracement.