BTS Levels: a map for your trading day

BTS Levels are calculated price references used in MrTopStep’s futures preparation. They organize the session around a weighted pivot, potential support and resistance, and wider reference levels. They help you plan where to watch price; they do not predict which level will hold.

wPv is the weighted pivot. ps is potential support below the pivot, and pr is potential resistance above it. R1 and S1 are the first wider resistance and support references. R2/R3 and S2/S3 extend the map farther out. A support label does not mean buy, and a resistance label does not mean sell.

The weighted pivot is (prior session high + prior session low + 3 × prior official settlement) ÷ 5. Settlement has more weight than either extreme. The wider support and resistance calculations also use the sum of the ranges of the four prior completed sessions; these are calculated references, not measured probabilities.

Daily BTS preparation uses completed CME futures sessions. A normal session runs from 6:00 p.m. Eastern on the prior calendar day to 5:00 p.m. Eastern on its trading date, with exchange holiday adjustments. The calculation uses official settlement rather than the 4:00 p.m. cash close or the final futures trade. This can produce different values from a chart using calendar-day candles.

They refer to the prior completed session: open, high, low and official settlement, respectively, in the published BTS calculations. Prior highs and lows can help you judge whether price is rejecting a boundary or moving into new territory. Settlement and the last trade of the session can differ.

Check the issue date, symbol and contract, mark wPv, ps, pr, R1 and S1, then compare the current price with those references. Note nearby prior highs and lows and scheduled economic releases. Write a bullish and bearish scenario, including what would confirm each idea, where it would be wrong, and the next plausible target.

A touch alone does not confirm a trade. For a potential reversal, look for price to reject the area and move back away from it. For a potential continuation, look for price to break the area and hold it on a retest. Decide in advance what confirmation means on your execution timeframe. If price keeps crossing the level, waiting may be the better decision.

Acceptance means price spends time trading beyond a level and holds that side on a retest, rather than crossing it for a moment. Rejection means an attempt to move through fails and price returns to the other side. One possible rule is a candle close beyond a level followed by a retest that holds on your chosen timeframe. That is an example rule to test, not a universal BTS signal.

Three examples are pivot reclaim or rejection, breakout and retest, and a failed break back into a range. Each needs a clear trigger, an invalidation point and enough room to a realistic target. These are educational ways to organize price action, not a claim that any setup has a demonstrated trading edge.

Choose the price action that would invalidate the setup first. Estimate per-contract risk as entry-to-stop distance in points × contract dollar value per point, then allow for costs and slippage. Divide your chosen dollar risk budget by that estimate and round the contract count down. If even one contract exceeds your budget, skip the trade. A stop is an exit instruction, not a guarantee of the fill price or maximum loss.

The next BTS reference or a nearby prior high or low can be a candidate target. Check the distance before entering and include fees and possible slippage when comparing reward with risk. Price may turn before a level or pass through it. If the available room is too small for your plan, pass on the trade rather than forcing a farther target.

ES and NQ need their own level sets. A micro contract linked to the same underlying futures market, such as MES versus ES or MNQ versus NQ, may use corresponding price references when the expirations align, but its dollar exposure differs. Check the traded contract and chart basis. Do not copy futures prices directly onto SPY, QQQ or another instrument.

Check the trading date, timezone, full-session versus cash-session candles, official settlement versus last trade, contract expiration, continuous-contract roll method and rounding. Those inputs can change the calculation. Confirm that you are comparing the same session and contract before treating the difference as an error.

The BTS average and bands use the prior 13 completed sessions’ typical prices, with official settlement as the closing input. The upper and lower bands show one and two population standard deviations around that average. They describe historical dispersion; they are not guaranteed price boundaries, reversal signals or a stated probability for the next session.

They use different reference periods. Daily levels organize the next session. The weekly adaptation uses completed trading weeks for a broader map. Label the sets separately and check their dates. Nearby daily and weekly references can identify an area to watch, but their overlap does not prove a higher win rate.

Consider standing aside when levels are stale or mismatched to your contract, price is repeatedly crossing them, a major release is imminent, spreads widen, or the next target leaves too little room. Do not keep fading a level simply because price looks extended. A strong trend can pass through several references.

Look for the dated ES and NQ BTS sections in the Opening Print. Verify the issue date and instrument before using them. This tutorial contains illustrative examples, not current market levels or trade alerts.

No. A calculated level is a planning reference, and a trade can fail even after confirmation. Practice your rules in simulation, record both winning and losing examples, and evaluate results after costs before considering live use. Futures are leveraged and losses can exceed the funds initially deposited.