Range and bias
Yesterday's daily candle defines the range: its high and low (CRH/CRL) are pools of liquidity. The D1 bias decides which side may be traded — there is no trade against the daily direction.
CRT — Candle Range Theory
One strategy.One trade a day.Trading with no excuses.
CRT Model 1 reads the market as a series of bounded ranges: where yesterday's candle left liquidity, today's candle will reach — and then decide. No signals, no hype. Rules, execution, records.
The system
The model in three steps
The whole model fits in three sentences. That is deliberate — what doesn't fit in three sentences can't be followed every single day.
Liquidity sweep
An entry exists only after an edge of the range gets swept. The candle that takes the liquidity defines the Model 1 level; SMT divergence with DXY and the True Day Open add confluence. The sweep is the trigger — not a feeling, not the news.
Fixed execution
Confirmation by a close beyond the Model 1 level, limit order at the retest, stop beyond the sweep extreme, fixed 1:3 target. 0.5% risk, one trade a day at most, no breakeven, no moving stops — set & forget.
Track record
Numbers, not stories
Backtest and live trading are kept separate — and shown separately. Live numbers flow from the real journal, and they grow slowly, because one trade a day is a ceiling, not a target.
Backtest · GBPUSD variant · 2012–2026
- 111
- Trades
- +0.24 R
- Avg per trade
- ≈36%
- Win rate (1:3)
Live journal · since 07/2026
- Trades
- Total R
- Max DD (backtest)
Backtest: 14 years of GBPUSD data, after an engine fix. The model only takes A+ setups — the low trade count is a strict filter, not a weakness; t-statistic ≈ 2 means a hypothesis being confirmed by forward testing, not proof. An extended version of the backtest is in the works. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
Live trade journal →Case studies
Trades under the microscope
Every trade gets a breakdown: context, sweep, entry, result. Winners and losers alike — a journal without losses is marketing, not a journal.
EURUSD · SHORTTP ✓
Model 1 entry at the CRH
M15 sweep above the daily range high, entry on the retest of the Model 1 level. Target hit in 81 minutes — the whole move down without touching the position.
19 Feb 2026
EURUSD · SHORTTP ✓
Run into Prev Day High, 1:3 RRR
Liquidity above the previous day's high collected, confirmation and retest. Fixed 1:3 target, three hours in the trade, set & forget.
25 Feb 2026
GBPUSD · LONG+3.0 R
PDL sweep and return to range
The public journal's first trade. Previous day's low swept with a long D1 bias, entry on the return into range, 1:3 target hit.
6 Jul 2026
Journal
The journal is the core of the system
Every trade ends in a record: date, pair, direction, plan adherence, result in R, screenshot. The journal runs as a standalone app with a login — the data is real and complete.
- Equity curve in R, not dollars — position sizing is a private matter
- A calendar of days and outcomes: green, red, no retouching
- A "followed the plan" field on every trade — discipline is measured, not declared
The app opens in a new window and requires a login.
davidzalman.netlify.app
Resources
Tools and notes
A journal template, process notes, and the things I wish I'd found when I was starting out.