📌 What is Standard Deviation (STD)? #

The Standard Deviation (STD) is a concept derived from the ICT methodology.

It’s built on a simple but powerful idea:

“Institutions accumulate their orders within a tight range… before triggering a large move in one direction or the other.”

This accumulation phase often takes place during a specific time window: between 1:00 PM and 11:00 PM New York time, known as the CBDR (Central Bank Dealing Range).

The goal of STD is to identify a clean consolidation within this range… then duplicate its height upward and downward to anticipate potential price extensions.

🔳 Step 1: Identify the consolidation within the CBDR #

Start by spotting the CBDR time window (1:00 PM – 11:00 PM NY). This is a period when:

• the market is often calm
• institutional activity is lower
• price tends to drift without clear direction

⚠️ But be careful:

👉 You are not duplicating the entire time window.

Instead, look for a real consolidation that forms inside the CBDR: a narrow, well-defined range.

Look for:

• Contained volatility
• Price stuck between clear boundaries
• A silent accumulation phase (low volume, minimal structure)

💡 This consolidated structure is the foundation of the STD – you’re duplicating the range, not just the time.

📈 Step 2: Duplicate the consolidation #

Once you’ve identified the consolidation (visually or manually), duplicate its full height:

• Upward → to anticipate potential excess or a bullish trap
• Downward → to anticipate a rejection or bearish excess

These projected zones become key areas of interest, where price may:

• react
• reject
• or transition into a larger move

🔁 How many duplications? #

There’s no magic number.

• 1, 2 or 3 duplications may be enough in a clear setup
• 4, 5, or even 6 can still provide value
• Beyond that, it becomes rare and usually less relevant

👉 What matters is not the number — but the confluence:

• An STD level that aligns with an imbalance (FVG or VI, 50% or full, HTF or not)
• An STD that matches a breaker, previous consolidation, or a BPR
• A level already marked by tools like SMT, PO3, or Previous Levels

⚖️ Midlines: The power of the 50% #

Once you’ve identified the consolidation (manually or via the indicator), duplicate its full height.

• An intraday pivot
• A slowdown or rejection zone
• A sign of shifting momentum

💡 The midline is just as relevant as the full STD level.

Why? Because price often returns to the 50% mark of previous consolidations.

And since each duplication is based on such a consolidation, its midline follows the same logic.

👉 Whether it’s the 3rd full STD or the 2.5 STD (a midline) — the level matters if context supports it.

🔮 It’s not a crystal ball… #

STD does not predict anything.

You should never take a trade just because a duplication level has been hit.

👉 Use STD as a secondary confirmation tool, always combined with other institutional elements.

It can:

• Reinforce a take-profit idea
• Refine an entry
• Highlight a potential rejection

…but it should never replace a complete structural analysis.

🧲 Why is it powerful? #

Because the market often reacts to ranges — and ranges are nothing more than former accumulation zones.

👉 When a clean consolidation breaks, price tends to:

• Return to the heart of the previous structure
• Follow a clearer institutional narrative
• Test or trap around the projected STD zones

STD helps you:

• Anticipate extremes
• Place logical take-profits
• Better understand potential reversals
• And most of all: validate a scenario, not guess it

✅ Summary #

STD is a visual, contextual tool. Perfect to reinforce your plans — but to be used with discernment.

It’s not magical, and not enough on its own — but once integrated into a full institutional framework, it becomes extremely powerful.

📝 Key Takeaways #

• 🟦 STD is based on a consolidation, not just a time window
• 🟩 It projects zones of interest — not guarantees
• 🟨 The 50% (midlines) matter as much as the extremes
• 🟥 It only works when context is solid and well-structured