Build a Clean Chart

You don't need six monitors or a wall of indicators. You need one clean chart you can read in a second. Here's how to build it in TradingView (affiliate link).

1. Open the chart

Click Products then Supercharts, or go to tradingview.com/chart. This is where you'll spend every session.

2. Pick one market

Futures: type MNQ1! in the symbol search. That's the continuous micro Nasdaq 100 futures contract: each point is worth $2, a tenth of the full-size NQ. One market means more reps and fewer decisions. Stocks: open the stock you are watching today, and keep QQQ or SPY on a second tab so you always know what the market is doing.

3. Pick one timeframe

Set the chart to 5 minutes. Fast enough to see the day's structure, slow enough that every candle isn't a decision.

4. Set your time zone

Right-click the time scale at the bottom and pick your time zone, so the New York open (9:30 a.m. Eastern) shows at the right time for you.

5. Clear everything else

Remove any default indicators. Use plain candles. If you want anything, it should be a line you draw yourself.

6. Mark three levels before each session

• Yesterday's high and low
• The overnight (premarket) high and low
• Any obvious support or resistance where price turned more than once

Use the horizontal line tool. These are the prices where the market is most likely to react, and where you'll look for your setup.

7. Save your layout

Click the layout name at the top right and save it. Same chart, every session.

New to reading candles? Read how to read a trading chart and what a candlestick is before moving on.

Your task

Build and save your chart, then mark yesterday's high and low. Then go to lesson 5.