SMT Divergence ICT 02 [TradingFinder] Smart Money Technique SMC🔵 Introduction
SMT Divergence (Smart Money Technique Divergence) is a price action-based trading concept that detects discrepancies in market behavior between two assets that are generally expected to move in the same direction. Rooted in ICT (Inner Circle Trader) methodology, this approach helps traders recognize subtle signs of market manipulation or imbalance, often ahead of traditional indicators.
The core idea behind SMT divergence is simple: when two correlated instruments—such as currency pairs, indices, or assets from the same sector—start forming different swing points (highs or lows), this can reveal a lack of confirmation in the trend. Such divergence is often a precursor to a price reversal or pause in momentum.
This technique works effectively across various markets including Forex, stocks, and cryptocurrencies. It’s particularly valuable when used alongside concepts like liquidity sweeps, market structure breaks (MSBs), or order block identification.
In advanced use cases, Sequential SMT helps uncover patterns of alternating divergences across sessions, often signaling engineered liquidity traps before price reacts.
When combined with the Quarterly Theory—which segments market behavior into Accumulation, Manipulation, Distribution, and Continuation/Reversal phases—traders gain insight not only into where divergence happens, but when it's most likely to be significant within the market cycle.
Bullish SMT :
Bullish SMT Divergence occurs when one asset prints a higher low while the correlated asset forms a lower low. This asymmetry often suggests that the downside move is losing strength, hinting at a potential bullish shift.
Bearish SMT :
Bearish SMT Divergence is formed when one asset creates a higher high, while the second asset fails to confirm by printing a lower high. This typically signals weakening bullish pressure and the possibility of a reversal to the downside.
🔵 How to Use
The SMT Divergence indicator is designed to detect imbalances between two positively correlated assets—such as major currency pairs, indices, or commodities. These divergences often indicate early signs of market inefficiency or smart money manipulation and can help traders anticipate trend shifts with higher precision.
Unlike traditional divergence indicators or earlier versions of this script, this upgraded version does not rely solely on consecutive pivot comparisons. Instead, it dynamically scans all available pivots within the chart to identify divergences at any structural level—major or minor—across the price action. This broader detection method increases the reliability and frequency of meaningful SMT signals.
Moreover, when integrated with Sequential SMT logic, the indicator is capable of identifying multiple divergence sequences across sessions. These sequences often signal engineered liquidity traps and can be mapped within the Quarterly Theory framework, allowing traders to pinpoint not just the presence of divergence but also the phase of the market cycle it appears in (Accumulation, Manipulation, Distribution, or Continuation).
🟣 Bullish SMT Divergence
This signal occurs when the primary asset forms a higher low, while the correlated asset forms a lower low. This pattern implies weakening bearish momentum and a potential shift to the upside.
If the correlated asset breaks its previous low but the primary asset does not, this divergence suggests absorption of selling pressure and possible accumulation by smart money—making it a strong bullish signal, especially when aligned with a favorable market phase (e.g., the end of a manipulation phase in Q2).
🟣 Bearish SMT Divergence
This signal occurs when the primary asset creates a higher high, while the correlated asset forms a lower high. This mismatch indicates fading bullish momentum and a potential reversal to the downside.
If the correlated asset fails to confirm a breakout made by the main asset, the divergence may point to distribution or exhaustion. When seen within Q3 or Q4 phases of the Quarterly Theory, this pattern often precedes sharp declines or fake-outs engineered by smart money
🔵 Settings
⚙️ Logical Settings
Symbol : Choose the secondary asset to compare with the main chart asset (e.g., XAUUSD, US100, GBPUSD).
Pivot Period : Sets the sensitivity of the pivot detection algorithm. A smaller value increases responsiveness to price swings.
Activate Max Pivot Back : When enabled, limits the maximum number of past pivots to be considered for divergence detection.
Max Pivot Back Length : Defines how many past pivots can be used (if the above toggle is active).
Pivot Sync Threshold : The maximum allowed difference (in bars) between pivots of the two assets for them to be compared.
Validity Pivot Length : Defines the time window (in bars) during which a divergence remains valid before it's considered outdated.
🎨 Display Settings
Show Bullish SMT Line : Draws a line connecting the bullish divergence points.
Show Bullish SMT Label : Displays a label on the chart when a bullish divergence is detected.
Bullish Color : Sets the color for bullish SMT markers (label, shape, and line).
Show Bearish SMT Line : Draws a line for bearish divergence.
Show Bearish SMT Label : Displays a label when a bearish SMT divergence is found.
Bearish Color : Sets the color for bearish SMT visual elements.
🔔 Alert Settings
Alert Name : Custom name for the alert messages (used in TradingView’s alert system).
Message Frequency :
All : Every signal triggers an alert.
Once Per Bar : Alerts once per bar regardless of how many signals occur.
Per Bar Close : Only triggers when the bar closes and the signal still exists.
Time Zone Display : Choose the time zone in which alert timestamps are displayed (e.g., UTC).
Bullish SMT Divergence Alert : Enable/disable alerts specifically for bullish signals.
Bearish SMT Divergence Alert : Enable/disable alerts specifically for bearish signals
🔵Conclusion
The SMT Plus indicator offers a refined and powerful approach to detecting smart money behavior through divergence analysis between correlated assets. By removing the limitations of consecutive pivot comparisons and allowing for broader structural detection, it captures more accurate and timely signals that often precede major market moves.
When paired with frameworks like Sequential SMT and the Quarterly Theory, the indicator not only highlights where divergence occurs, but also when in the market cycle it's most likely to matter. Its flexible settings, customizable visuals, and integrated alert system make it suitable for intraday scalpers, swing traders, and even long-term macro analysts.
Whether you're using it as a standalone decision-making tool or combining it with other ICT concepts, SMT Plus gives you an edge in recognizing manipulation, timing reversals, and staying in sync with the real market narrative—not just the chart.
Smtdivergence
SMT Divergence ICT 01 [TradingFinder] Smart Money Technique🔵 Introduction
SMT Divergence (short for Smart Money Technique Divergence) is a trading technique in the ICT Concepts methodology that focuses on identifying divergences between two positively correlated assets in financial markets.
These divergences occur when two assets that should move in the same direction move in opposite directions. Identifying these divergences can help traders spot potential reversal points and trend changes.
Bullish and Bearish divergences are clearly visible when an asset forms a new high or low, and the correlated asset fails to do so. This technique is applicable in markets like Forex, stocks, and cryptocurrencies, and can be used as a valid signal for deciding when to enter or exit trades.
Bullish SMT Divergence : This type of divergence occurs when one asset forms a higher low while the correlated asset forms a lower low. This divergence is typically a sign of weakness in the downtrend and can act as a signal for a trend reversal to the upside.
Bearish SMT Divergence : This type of divergence occurs when one asset forms a higher high while the correlated asset forms a lower high. This divergence usually indicates weakness in the uptrend and can act as a signal for a trend reversal to the downside.
🔵 How to Use
SMT Divergence is an analytical technique that identifies divergences between two correlated assets in financial markets.
This technique is used when two assets that should move in the same direction move in opposite directions.
Identifying these divergences can help you pinpoint reversal points and trend changes in the market.
🟣 Bullish SMT Divergence
This divergence occurs when one asset forms a higher low while the correlated asset forms a lower low. This divergence indicates weakness in the downtrend and can signal a potential price reversal to the upside.
In this case, when the correlated asset is forming a lower low, and the main asset is moving lower but the correlated asset fails to continue the downward trend, there is a high probability of a trend reversal to the upside.
🟣 Bearish SMT Divergence
Bearish divergence occurs when one asset forms a higher high while the correlated asset forms a lower high. This type of divergence indicates weakness in the uptrend and can signal a potential trend reversal to the downside.
When the correlated asset fails to make a new high, this divergence may be a sign of a trend reversal to the downside.
🟣 Confirming Signals with Correlation
To improve the accuracy of the signals, use assets with strong correlation. Forex pairs like OANDA:EURUSD and OANDA:GBPUSD , or cryptocurrencies like COINBASE:BTCUSD and COINBASE:ETHUSD , or commodities such as gold ( FX:XAUUSD ) and silver ( FX:XAGUSD ) typically have significant correlation. Identifying divergences between these assets can provide a strong signal for a trend change.
🔵 Settings
Second Symbol : This setting allows you to select another asset for comparison with the primary asset. By default, "XAUUSD" (Gold) is set as the second symbol, but you can change it to any currency pair, stock, or cryptocurrency. For example, you can choose currency pairs like EUR/USD or GBP/USD to identify divergences between these two assets.
Divergence Fractal Periods : This parameter defines the number of past candles to consider when identifying divergences. The default value is 2, but you can change it to suit your preferences. This setting allows you to detect divergences more accurately by selecting a greater number of candles.
Bullish Divergence Line : Displays a line showing bullish divergence from the lows.
Bearish Divergence Line : Displays a line showing bearish divergence from the highs.
Bullish Divergence Label : Displays the "+SMT" label for bullish divergences.
Bearish Divergence Label : Displays the "-SMT" label for bearish divergences.
🔵 Conclusion
SMT Divergence is an effective tool for identifying trend changes and reversal points in financial markets based on identifying divergences between two correlated assets. This technique helps traders receive more accurate signals for market entry and exit by analyzing bullish and bearish divergences.
Identifying these divergences can provide opportunities to capitalize on trend changes in Forex, stocks, and cryptocurrency markets. Using SMT Divergence along with risk management and confirming signals with other technical analysis tools can improve the accuracy of trading decisions and reduce risks from sudden market changes.
SMT Divergences [OutOfOptions]Smart Money Technique (SMT) Divergence is designed to identify discrepancies between correlated assets within the same timeframe. It occurs when two related assets exhibit opposing signals, such as one forming a higher low while the other forms a lower low. This technique is particularly useful for anticipating market shifts or reversals before they become evident through other Premium Discount (PD) Arrays.
This indicator works by identifying the highs and lows that have formed for an asset on the current chart and the correlated symbol defined in the settings. Once a pivot on either asset is formed, it checks if the pivot has taken liquidity as identified by the previous pivot in the same direction (i.e., a new high taking out a previous high). If this is the case and the corresponding asset has not taken a similar pivot, the condition is determined to be a potential valid divergence. The indicator will then filter out SMTs formed by adjacent candles, requiring at least one candle difference between the candles forming the SMT.
If the “Candle Direction Validation” setting is enabled, the indicator will further check both assets to ensure that for bullish SMTs, the last high on both assets was formed by down candle, and for bearish SMTs, the low was formed by an up candle. This check can often eliminate low-probability SMTs that are frequently broken.
The referenced chart shows divergence between Nasdaq (NQ) and S&P 500 (ES) futures, which are normally closely correlated assets that move in the same direction. The lines shown represent bullish and bearish divergences between the two when they are formed. As you can see from the chart, SMT Divergences may not always indicate a reversal, or a reversal might be just a short-term retrace. Therefore, SMT Divergences should not be used independently. However, in conjunction with other PD arrays, they can provide strong confirmation of a change in market direction.
Configurability:
Pivot strength - Indicates how many bars to the left/right of a high for pivot to be considered, recommended to keep at 1 for maximum detection speed
Candle Direction Validation - Additional SMT validation to filter out weak/low-probability SMTs be examining candle direction
Line Styling for Bullish/Bearish SMTs - Ability to customize line style, color & width for bullish/bearish SMTs
Label Control - Whether or not to show SMT label and if shown what font size & color should be used
What makes this indicator different:
Unlike other SMT indicators, this indicators has additional built-in controls to remove low-probability SMTs
SMT Divergences [LuxAlgo]The SMT Divergences indicator highlights SMT divergences between the chart symbol and two user-selected tickers (ES and YM by default).
A dashboard returning the SMT divergences statistics is also provided within the settings.
🔶 SETTINGS
Swing Lookback: Calculation window used to detect swing points.
Comparison Ticker: If enabled, will detect SMT divergences between the chart prices and the prices of the selected ticker.
🔹 Dashboard
Show Dashboard: Displays statistics dashboard on the chart.
Location: Location of the dashboard on the chart.
Size: Size of the displayed dashboard.
🔶 USAGE
SMT Divergences are characterized by diverging swing points between two securities.
The detection of SMT Divergences is performed by detecting swing points using the user chart prices as well as the prices of the selected external tickers. If a swing point on the chart ticker is detected at the same time on external tickers, comparison is performed.
Due to the detection requiring swing point confirmation (3 candles by default), this indicator can better be used to study price behaviors on the occurrence of an SMT divergence.
The dashboard highlights the number of SMT divergences that occurred on a swing high and swing low between the chart ticker and the selected external tickers.
The returned percentage indicates the proportion of swing highs or swing lows that led to an SMT divergence.
