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Rally Fades, Imbalance Lifts: Navigating a Conflicted Tape

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Our View
Globex:
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High: 6377.50
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Low: 6358.50
Regular Session:
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9:30 Open: 6363.75, up 0.11%
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Day High: 6371.75 @ 9:45
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Day Low: 6315.50 @ 10:50
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3:50 Imbalance: 1.2 B to buy
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4:00 Cash Close: 6325.25
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5:00 Futures Close: 6324.50
The ES and NQ rallied on Globex and extended that move after the gap higher, but eventually stalled out. Over the last week or so, there’s been what I call a “mini drop” that appears out of nowhere. Without any news, the ES falls 10–12 points, and that’s exactly what happened yesterday after a few lower highs.
I know I said I would be patient, but I bought after the open. The ES rallied, but I didn’t get out, and then came the 10-point mini drop. I exited and told the chat I didn’t want to get caught long at all-time highs and that I thought we could pull back.
That said, despite seeing the weakness, I stuck to my game plan and bought at 6321.50 (early low was 6315.50). The ES rallied to the 6346 area and I exited at 6342.50. After I got out, this headline hit:
Bank of America’s CEO Moynihan: “Our economists believe that the Fed will not cut rates because inflation will take longer to get down.”
That headline hit just as the already weak ES and NQ were selling off, and they dropped to new lows. The ES and NQ did bounce late as the MiM came out showing $1.2 billion to buy, bringing the total net buy imbalance to $7.3 billion over the last three sessions.
In the end, there was something off about the late-day price action after the early highs; it lost momentum. After the bell, AMD sold off 3.5%, SNAP dropped 14%, and Trump continued to threaten India with substantially higher tariffs over the next 24 hours due to its ties with Russia. Oil prices fell, the yield on the 10-year note ended the day at 4.196% after a soft auction of three-year notes, and the dollar index closed modestly higher.
In terms of tone, both the ES and NQ traded on the weak side. In terms of trade, ES volume was higher at 1.385 million contracts.
There are no economic reports or Fed speak today, but there is a 10-year note auction and 122 companies report earnings. Disney, McDonald’s, Uber, Hopify, and Novo Nordisk report before the bell and DoorDash, Airbnb, and Lyft after the bell.
Our Lean
I’m torn. I think the ES can go up, but as I said, it acted funny yesterday.
Our lean: I want to key in on the 30-year note auction at 1:00 PM. It seems like there’s decent resistance in the 6360–6375 area and support around 6300, but I can’t rule out selling a rally up into the resistance zone using tight stops.
Guest Posts — Polaris Trading Group
Prior Session was Cycle Day 1: Early spillover above the previous high failed to sustain a firm bid and as such a negative ISM Report served as the catalyst for today’s reversal lower.
Cycle Day 1 Average Decline 6320 was easily fulfilled as yesterday’s buyers (shorts) left little to no buying power to stem today’s decline.
Midday rally retraced 50% of the morning decline, but again failed to sustain an adequate bid, ultimately closing in the lower quartile of the day’s range.
Range was 62 handles on 1.354M contracts exchanged
For a more detailed recap of the trading session, click on this link: Trading Room RECAP 8.5.25
FREE TRIAL link to PTG/Taylor Three Day Cycle
…Transition from Cycle Day 1 to Cycle Day 2
Transition into Cycle Day 2: Bulls clearly slipped on the soap during the CD1 session closing near the lows of the day.
Expectation would be for selling momentum to “spill-over” into today’s session, in order to retest the 6313.25 CD1 Low.
Of course, nothing changes for PTG…Simply follow your plan. Take only Triple A setups and manage the $risk. ALWAYS HAVE HARD STOP-LOSSES in-place on the exchange.
PTG’s Primary Directive (PD) is to ALWAYS STAY IN ALIGNMENT with the DOMINANT FORCE.
As such, scenarios to consider for today’s trading.
Bull Scenario: Price sustains a bid above 6325+-, initially targets 6335 – 6340 zone.
Bear Scenario: Price sustains an offer below 6325+-, initially targets 6315 – 6310 zone.
PVA High Edge = 6345 PVA Low Edge = 6318 Prior POC = 6324

Thanks for reading, PTGDavid
MiM and Daily Recap


The overnight Globex session opened at 6370.00 and initially pushed higher, tagging a high of 6371.75 at 18:00 before reversing lower to 6363.00 by 18:40. After a minor lower high at 6369.25, ES dipped to an early low of 6360.25 at 20:20. A strong rally then followed, reaching a high of 6376.00 at 20:45. Price action turned choppy into the late evening with a series of shallow pullbacks and lower highs. The ES made another run to 6377.50 at 03:05, marking the overnight high. That advance was rejected, and price slid to an overnight low of 6358.50 at 04:10. A minor bounce ensued into the early morning, printing lower highs at 6368.75 and 6374.50, before failing again at 6376.75 at 08:10. The session closed at 6363.50, down 6.50 points from the prior day (-0.10%).
The regular session opened at 6363.75 and made a brief run higher to 6371.75 at 09:45, was quickly sold, and the ES dropped hard into a morning low of 6315.50 at 10:50, shedding 56.25 points (-0.88%) from the earlier high. A midday recovery took shape, rallying to 6342.00 at 12:30 and extending to a higher high of 6348.75 at 13:45. That rally faded into a steady afternoon grind lower. The ES dipped to 6323.75 at 14:50, bounced mildly to 6336.75 by 15:20, then drifted lower into the close, printing 6325.75. The regular session finished down 38.50 points (-0.60%) from the open, and off 31.75 points (-0.50%) from the prior day’s close.
Total volume was 1.35M contracts, with the bulk (1.14M) trading during the regular session. Cleanup volume added another 53K contracts.
Market Tone & Notable Factors
Tuesday’s session leaned bearish as sellers took control early and maintained pressure through much of the day. Despite multiple rallies, each failed to break above prior resistance, and the session ultimately closed well below both the overnight midpoint and the prior close. The full session declined 45.50 points (-0.71%) with consistent lower highs into the close.
Market-on-Close (MOC) imbalance data showed $1.277B to buy. Symbol imbalance finished at -52.8%, signaling moderate sell pressure but falling short of the -66% threshold for an extreme signal. This likely contributed to the late afternoon drift lower without causing a sharp selloff.
In summary, Tuesday’s session showed persistent downside pressure with failed rallies and closing weakness, setting a cautious tone heading into Wednesday’s trade.


Technical Edge
Fair Values for August 6, 2025:
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SP: 25.38
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NQ: 110.28
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Dow: 109.62
Daily Market Recap 📊
For Tuesday, August 5, 2025
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NYSE Breadth: 53% Upside Volume
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Nasdaq Breadth: 54% Upside Volume
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Total Breadth: 54% Upside Volume
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NYSE Advance/Decline: 57% Advance
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Nasdaq Advance/Decline: 49% Advance
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Total Advance/Decline: 52% Advance
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NYSE New Highs/New Lows: 85 / 41
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Nasdaq New Highs/New Lows: 113 / 97
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NYSE TRIN: 1.20
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Nasdaq TRIN: 0.82
Weekly Market 📈
For the week ending Friday, August 1, 2025
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NYSE Breadth: 32% Upside Volume
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Nasdaq Breadth: 37% Upside Volume
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Total Breadth: 35% Upside Volume
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NYSE Advance/Decline: 31% Advance
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Nasdaq Advance/Decline: 22% Advance
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Total Advance/Decline: 25% Advance
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NYSE New Highs/New Lows: 217 / 133
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Nasdaq New Highs/New Lows: 438 / 322
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NYSE TRIN: 0.95
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Nasdaq TRIN: 0.46
ES Levels

The bull/bear line for the ES is at 6333.75. This is the key level to watch today. Currently, ES is trading at 6341.75, just above this line, suggesting a slightly bullish tone in the pre-market. A sustained move above 6333.75 may encourage buyers to defend the level and attempt a push higher.
On the upside, the immediate resistance is near 6377.50. If that level is cleared, the next objective is 6406.25, the upper range target, followed by 6474.25. These levels mark potential areas for profit-taking or short entries if momentum fades.
If price slips below 6333.75, expect renewed selling pressure. Initial support sits at 6325.25 and then 6315.50. A break below this zone opens the door to the lower range target of 6261.25, which would represent a deeper retracement and signal bearish control.
Reminder, we are still in a long-term bullish trend. However, short-term momentum hinges on holding above the bull/bear line at 6333.75.
NQ Levels

The bull/bear line for the NQ is at 23,177.00. This is the critical level to monitor today. If NQ remains below it, bearish sentiment dominates and sellers remain in control. Reclaiming this level and holding above could shift momentum to the upside.
Currently, NQ is trading at 23,143.00, below the bull/bear line. If downside pressure persists, look for continuation lower toward 23,084.50 and the lower range target of 22,840.75. A breakdown below 22,840.75 opens the door to further weakness, with next support near 22,524.50.
On the upside, resistance comes in at 23,354.00 and then at 23,513.25. A move above these levels could trigger a test of the upper range target at 23,829.50. Bulls will need strength above this area to reassert control.
Reminder, we are still in a long-term bullish trend, but short-term momentum remains under pressure below 23,177.00.
Calendars
Economic
Today

Important Upcoming / Recent

Earnings
Upcoming

Recent

Trading Room Summaries
Polaris Trading Group Summary – Tuesday, August 5, 2025
Market Overview and Trade Strategy
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The day was structured as a textbook Cycle Day 1, with the projected average decline level at 6320 being met by the close.
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Pre-market commentary set the tone for MATD (Morning After Trend Day) rhythms, following Monday’s rally.
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Early price action was rotational, with David identifying the initial sandbox at 6358–6368.
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A key shift occurred mid-morning as weak ISM data triggered a transition to a sell-lean on bounces approach.
Key Market Action and Levels
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Price sliced through the prior day’s value area, triggering downside targets including:
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Prior MID: 6310
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Prior RTH open: 6303
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The 6320–6325 area acted as significant support due to a strong Gamma Guys cluster, confirming both technical and positioning-based levels.
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Late session brought a $1.3B MOC buy imbalance, which paired off to neutral into the close.
Trade Execution and Lessons
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The market fulfilled the average decline target of Cycle Day 1, reinforcing the reliability of PTG’s cycle modeling.
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David’s live shift from rotational bias to sell-lean based on macro catalyst (ISM) was a key intraday decision that aligned with the day’s direction.
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Manny highlighted a support zone at 6320 with a fib cluster but wisely held off from taking longs due to lack of order flow confirmation — emphasizing discipline over assumption.
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Market responded cleanly to the Gamma level, reinforcing the value of institutional positioning as support/resistance indicators.
Community and Participation
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Craig was welcomed as a new participant in the room.
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Traders actively discussed structure, trade logic, and value areas throughout the session.
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Despite light humor and banter, the room stayed focused on execution and levels.
Summary
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August 5 was a clean Cycle Day 1 decline, with structure, levels, and execution aligning well.
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Traders who stayed patient and followed the shifting bias toward selling strength were rewarded.
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A good example of PTG methodology in action, with technical structure and macro catalysts converging to create tradeable opportunity.
Discovery Trading Group Room Preview – Wednesday, August 6, 2025
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Markets pulled back after Monday’s rebound amid renewed pressure from weak jobs data, inflation concerns, and geopolitical tensions. ISM Services for July came in flat at 50.1, below 51.5 expectations.
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AMD fell after a mixed earnings report: beat on revenue, missed EPS, but raised Q3 guidance. The firm cited an $800M impact from a China AI chip sales ban and launched its MI350 chips to rival Nvidia.
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Tariff Deadline (Aug 7): Tensions escalate as Trump says a deal with China is “close” but reiterates plans for tiered tariffs (10%-50%). Swiss, Indian, Japanese, and European negotiators rush to secure exemptions.
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Trade Diplomacy: India’s PM heads to Russia instead of the US. Trump floated not running in 2028 but hinted at upcoming tariffs on semiconductors and pharmaceuticals.
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Gold Demand surged, with Shanghai Futures Exchange doubling gold bar deliveries month-over-month amid arbitrage plays.
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Disney/NFL Deal: Disney to acquire NFL Network, RedZone, and Fantasy assets for a 10% NFL equity stake. ESPN plans DTC integration.
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Premarket Earnings: MCD, DIS, UBER, SHOP, SONY, NVO, ROK, and others.
After-Hours: ABNB, AIG, DASH, DKNG, MCK, MET, OXY, and more. -
Fed Speakers: Lisa Cook, Susan Collins (2pm ET panel), and Mary Daly.
Data: Crude Oil Inventories at 10:30am ET. -
Volatility: ES 5-day ADR at 98.25. No whale bias overnight.
Key ES Levels:
Resistance: 6537/42, 6572/77
Support: 6269/74, 6601/06, 5743/44

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Disclaimer: Charts and analysis are for discussion and education purposes only. I am not a financial advisor, do not give financial advice and am not recommending the buying or selling of any security.
Remember: Not all setups will trigger. Not all setups will be profitable. Not all setups should be taken. These are simply the setups that I have put together for years on my own and what I watch as part of my own “game plan” coming into each day. Good luck!
This post goes out as an email to our subscribers every day and is posted for free here around 2 PM ET. To get your real-time copy, sign up for the free or premium version here: Opening Print Subscribe.
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