ICT Macro: Interbank Price Delivery Windows

In the ICT trading method, one of the most important philosophies is Time then Price. Michael J. Huddleston points out that the IPDA (Interbank Price Delivery Algorithm) algorithm does not operate continuously with the same intensity throughout the day. Instead, it operates cyclically and activates strongly at fixed 20-minute time windows called ICT Macro.

💡 Immutable rules: You don't go looking for trade setups at random. You must wait for the algorithm to open the Macro window, observe the liquidity scanning or order matching behavior there, and then make a decision to enter the order.

1. Main Macro Windows During the US Session (New York Time)

All times below are in New York standard time (EST/EDT). This is the required time system of the IPDA algorithm:

🟢 New York AM Macro: 09:50 — 10:10 AM

This is the important Macro window and has the strongest fluctuations during the day. Sa

Q3 (third 25%)

Distribution

The real trend begins to push strongly. This is the period when the price moves the smoothest towards the target.

Q4 (last 25%)

Continuation / Reversal

Price continues to complete the remaining target or reverses to withdraw liquidity to prepare for the new cycle.

2. Cycle Division Across Timeframes

Cycle	Q1 (Cumulative)	Q2 (Manipulation)	Q3 (Distribution)	Q4 (Balance)
Year Cycle	January — March	April — June	July — September	October — December
Monthly Cycle	Week 1	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4
Week Cycle	Monday	Tuesday / Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Day Cycle	Asian Session (00:00 - 08:00 NY)	European Session (08:00 - 12:00 NY)	US AM Session (12:00 - 16:00 NY)	US PM session (16:00 - 00:00 NY)

3. High/Low of Week Rule (High/Low of Week)

Applying Quarterly Theory on the weekly frame, we have an extremely important rule:

📌 Tuesday or Wednesday (Q2) are the days with the highest possibility to create High of Week or Low of Week of that week.

📌 If you have a bullish bias (Bullish) for the whole week, wait for the price to decrease to adjust to scan liquidity on Tuesday/Wednesday to buy at the best price (Discount), waiting for a strong increase on Thursday (Q3).

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