Proper context can start the day with a solid win and make all the difference.

DAILY SCHEDULE First, watch the pre-open Tour recording HERE <<== Then, meet in the chaRTroom here by 9:15 ET for updates and Q&A

Through the prior close... Surging from 2895.00 after Europe's opens had extended well above the long-awaited likely test of 2902.00, probing its room for noise up to 2911.00 by 1 point. The post-open surge attacking 2915.00 held up high enough for long enough to suggest that any reversal would be relatively shallow and temporary. In fact, its reaction down did hold a 38.2{faed0d6dca04cec8b6b7985efddb9b0651107a3aebb05f69f0166038b8c951f6} retracement of the open's gap, natural support. Being a Friday and failing a reversal attempt during the morning's bias environment, the window's exit firmed. Reversing back up through the afternoon's bias environment was resisted by 2911.00 until the very last-minute blipped-up to 2913.00. Overnight action's new info... Sunday night's open blipped-up, too, attacking 2914.00. But that was only the high of a sideways range that has persisted through midnight and Europe's opens. The range's lower-end has held multiple touches and pierces of 2910.00 as support. And now 2914.00 is being retested. If, then... (notes to accompany the Tour recording) Friday's new trend high close, being a Friday, all but requires at least an eventual higher close. Not necessarily immediately today. Initially probing higher would still be vulnerable to a corrective dip, whether intraday or multi-session. More so, only having ranged sideways overnight, initially probing higher OR lower would be likely to reverse back into the overnight range. Meanwhile, the quarterly earnings onslaught continues. First Trade... [Click here to view the Bias parameters] Exiting the open at 9:45 above 2915.00 would be likely to trigger the 2914.00 bias-up signal at 10:15. Exiting the open under 2908.50 would be unlikely to trigger bias-up.

Invalidated no-bias after post-open drop finally extended deeply enough. The overnight range held through the open to avoid a false breakout within 60-90 minutes of the open. But the overnight range held to greet the open flat, not indicating any trending in either direction.

And then it did. Post-open action was not at all restrained. Volatility immediately increased with a couple of bars during the first 3 minutes that were wider than any overnight bar. Trending down didn't bounce until attacking the 2906.00 bias-down signal to within 1 tick. Which held in time to trigger no-bias.

And then it didn't. Breaking under 2906.00 through 10:3 invalidate the timely bias signal. This is a no-bias environment. Probing under 2906.00 does not require being retraced for having originated during a no-bias environment. And the 2899.00 bias-down signal doesn't require being tested.

Meanwhile, a 5-stage pattern has developed that's likely to test 2904.50 as resistance (being tested now).  Its resolution would be predictive through the afternoon bias environment. Either higher to retest the 2912.25 open and higher, or back down to test "lower prior highs" at or under 2898.00. Suddenly trending from the overnight ranging can extend. But probing the 2900.50 low while RSIs diverge positively would enable a bounce to neutralize Friday's 2910.00 gap up.

MON afternoon signal (triggered at 1:20 ET) SPX ES Bias-up: above 2904.25 2908.50 ...would target 2910.75 2915.00 Bias-down: under 2897.50 2902.00 ...would target 2890.75 2895.25 Signal status: NO-BIAS, TESTED BIAS-DOWN SIGNAL . BIAS VIDEOS... INTRO // EXAMPLE 1. At 1:20, trading above the bias-up signal or under the bias-down signal would put into play a test of its bias-up or bias-down target. 2. Not triggering either bias signal at 1:20 would be "no-bias," and the bias signals should define the bias environment's range. -- A test of the opposite bias signal would be targeted if one bias signal was tested before triggering no-bias. 3. Touching the bias signal within 3 minutes either way of 1:20 would invoke a grace period through 1:30 to trigger a late signal. -- "Late" signals don't require testing the opposite bias signal, but it's still likely. 4. Still testing the bias signal at 1:30 after invoking the grace period would trigger "noN-bias," with no bias influence.

Is it a trail to find its way back down? Friday's session was inert, retracing two intraday trending attempts in either direction, to close unchanged with its open. Not equilibrium, which would be unlikely to trend, at all. Today's session has been neither, as trending has developed in both directions. Down, at least. But only to probe under Friday afternoon's 2907.50 low, and not back into "lower prior highs" beginning at 2898.00. Now the noon hour's ranging has firmed up to this afternoon's 2908.50 bias-up signal. Back under 2905.50 would start to signal the noon hour's bounce had ended, and that the balance of the session would try resuming its decline. It's too late to trigger bias-up, or to invalidate no-bias. Probing above 2908.50 now would be "no-bias trending" that requires retracement. Holding 2908.50 until the bias environment begins lapsing could probe overnight highs -- and fulfill the outstanding requirement for another trend high close.

Relatively narrow ranging Sunday night persisted right into Monday's flat open. That turned out to be false advertising, as a decline suddenly began. The morning's 2906.00 bias-down signal was attacked to within 1 tick to avoid triggering, but it was broken through 10:30 to be invalidated. Sellers were rewarded down to 2900.50, where oversold 1-minute and 3-minute RSIs will require an eventual retest. The open's collapse still stopped short of touching last week's "lower prior highs" at 2898.00 and lower. So, bouncing out of the noon hour retested Friday's 2910.00 gap up, but the bounce wasn't qualified to neutralize its attraction. Friday's dip was also too shallow. Impatient buyers are often rewarded, but not by nearly as much as anticipated. So, a fresh high remains vulnerable to rejection. Meanwhile, there was glaring divergence among S&Ps, the Dow, and NDX. The Dow probed Friday's highs Sunday night, while ES held within 1 tick, and NQs didn't come close. Yet each opened essentially unchanged from Friday's cash session close. Then each repeated its relative performance intraday -- the Dow's dip stopped short of touching Friday's low, while NQs probed decisively lower. All of which is a warning sign, not only when ES also underperforms, but more so when the relative performance is repeated both above and below. ES probing a fresh high Tuesday would offer an opportunity to compare the Dow and NQs for signs that the relative performance is persisting. Its rejection could accelerate down into Wednesday. A new trend high close could be bullish, at least for probing another fresh high intraday Wednesday. Details and other markets coverage are discussed in the post-market Wrap recording here. Monitor overnight Globex trading in the chaRTroom here.

TUE morning signal (triggered at 10:15 ET) SPX ES Bias-up: above 2908.50 2913.00 ...would target 2914.50 2919.00 Bias-down: under 2902.25 2906.75 ...would target 2894.25 2898.75 Signal status: BIAS-UP, BIAS-UP TARGET MET . BIAS VIDEOS... INTRO // EXAMPLE 1. At 10:15, trading above the bias-up signal or under the bias-down signal would put into play a test of its bias-up or bias-down target. 2. Not triggering either bias signal at 10:15 would be "no-bias," and the bias signals should define the bias environment's range. -- A test of the opposite bias signal would be targeted if one bias signal was tested before triggering no-bias. 3. Touching the bias signal within 3 minutes either way of 10:15 would invoke a grace period through 10:30 to trigger a late signal. -- "Late" signals don't require testing the opposite bias signal, but it's still likely. 4. Still testing the bias signal at 10:30 after invoking the grace period would trigger "noN-bias," with no bias influence.