The Basics
TopstepX comes with a growing set of custom indicators built right into the platform. They're mathematical formulas plotted on price charts — used to confirm trade ideas, track momentum, and manage risk. They don't predict. They provide context. Use them together to build a clearer picture of the day: where price has been, where it's reacting, and how much room it has to move.
Indicators
This first set answers the 3 questions every futures day-trader asks throughout the session: where did today's range start, what's happening right now, and where is the price stalling? Together, they're the structural skeleton of the trading day — and the foundation everything else builds from.
Sessions 🕝
Sessions 🕝
👉 Shade the Asia, London, and NY CME futures sessions and track each session's High/low with dashed lines.
What it shows
3 background-shaded windows: Asia (17:00–02:00 CT), London (02:00–08:30 CT), NY (08:30–16:00 CT). A small label pops at the first bar of each session.
😎 You asked, we delivered. Optional dashed High/Low lines — a feature you requested — now lock at session close and persist through the day.
How to read it
Asia High/Low — overnight range; if NY opens outside it, expect gap momentum
London High/Low — break of London high during NY often signals continuation
NY High/Low — most volume concentrates here
16:00–17:00 CT — CME maintenance window, intentionally unshaded
Settings
Session times — defaults for CME equity index futures; adjust for other contracts
Show/hide High/Low — toggle dashed lines per session
Hide High/Low During Session — hides the running line; only shows locked level after close
Show Session Labels — default on; turn off to reduce clutter
Background opacity — dial down when stacking other overlays
👯♀️ Pairs well with: Opening Range, Initial Balance, VWAP
Opening Range 📐
Opening Range 📐
👉 Capture the first N minutes of the session and project breakout extension targets based on that range.
What it shows
High/low of the first 15 minutes from a configurable open time (default 09:30 CT). Projects ±0.5R, ±1.0R, and ±2.0R extensions using the range height as the unit. All lines extend through the day and break across sessions.
How to read it
OR high/low — wait for a break and close outside before entering
±1.0R — first measured-move target after breakout
±2.0R — extended target; common exhaustion or profit-taking zone
±0.5R — useful for partial exits
Retrace to OR after breakout — common retest before continuation
Settings
OR length (minutes) — default 15; increase to 30–60 for slower markets
Extension multipliers — default 0.5, 1.0, 2.0
Open time — default 09:30; adjust for your session
Display Mode — Stepped (builds bar-by-bar) or Straight (flat line after OR locks)
⚖️ Pairs well with: Initial Balance, Sessions, ATR-based stops
Initial Balance ⏰
Initial Balance ⏰
👉 The first hour's high/low — a Market Profile staple defining the day's value range and anchoring extension targets.
What it shows
Same math as Opening Range but with a 60-minute default window. IB high/low shown in purple/orange (distinct from OR's teal/red), plus ±0.5R, ±1.0R, and ±2.0R extensions.
How to read it
IB high/low — balance reference; price often oscillates around IB all session
IB expansion — break and hold outside IB signals a trending day
IB rejection — failed breakout back inside IB suggests chop or rotation
Run both OR and IB — OR for short-term breakouts, IB for structural balance
Settings
IB length (minutes) — default 60; some traders use 30 or 90
Extension multipliers — default 0.5, 1.0, 2.0
Open time — default 09:30
Display Mode — Stepped or Straight
👯♂️ Pairs well with: Opening Range, Sessions, VWAP
Heikin-Ashi (HA) Trend 🕯️
Heikin-Ashi (HA) Trend 🕯️
👉 Recolor candle bodies using Heikin-Ashi direction to smooth noise and reveal directional flow — without replacing your real bars.
What it shows
Computes HA values and paints each candle body green (HA close > HA open) or red (HA close < HA open). Real price bars stay intact — only the body color changes, so true highs/lows and fills remain visible.
How to read it
Sustained green — bullish flow; fewer reversals than raw bars
Sustained red — bearish flow; HA filters out counter-trend wicks
Rapid flip-flops — chop; stay flat or tighten stops
HA close in legend — compare to actual close to gauge how much smoothing is happening
Settings
HA smoothing — default 0 (raw HA); increase to 5–10 for extra noise reduction
Up/down colors — customize to match your chart theme
🪄 Pairs well with: Trend Magic, SSL Hybrid, Wave Trend, any MA-based system
Price Info ℹ️
Price Info ℹ️
👉 Right-axis price tags for the real close, the HA close, and a round-number ladder — no chart clutter, no auto-scale distortion.
What it shows
3 independent features, all rendered as right-axis tags by default:
Close — actual bar close
HA Close — projected Heikin-Ashi close; smoothed "fair value" next to the real close
Round Numbers — price ladder snapped to a configurable increment (default 25), with up to 5 levels above and below current price
How to read it
Close vs. HA Close divergence — if the tags spread, the bar has long wicks; HA shows the smoothed fair value
Round Number proximity — price within a tick or 2 of a grid line often sees reactions; common reversal magnets in futures
Round Number ladder — quick preview of next psychological levels for stops or targets
Settings
Show Close / Show HA Close — both default on
Show Historical Line — default off; turn on to draw a chart-spanning line for Close or HA Close
Show Round Numbers — default off
Round Number Increment — default 25 (ES); set to 50 for NQ, 1 for CL, etc.
Levels Above / Levels Below — default 3 each
👯♀️ Pairs well with: Sessions, Opening Range, Initial Balance, Wave Trend, TDI
🙌 Check back often — New indicators will be added here as they roll out.