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... Thursday's open back within Wednesday's range had isolated the probe under Wednesday's lows to the overnight. This Isolation setup was completed when the opening 15 minutes of volatility had maintained the recovery and also trended up. Its 12-13 point surge to 2723.00 reacted down to 2708.00 and still managed another upleg to fresh highs that touched 2731.00 at noon. Then the three-day old pattern of rejecting early strength resurfaced. The balance of the afternoon trended back down, probing under the morning's lows down to 2696.50. But that was still within Wednesday's range to avoid invalidating the Isolation setup, albeit barely. Closing action bounced to close 2-4 points above the critical 2701.50 level that still allows this week's decline to be considered a pullback from last Friday's high. Overnight action's new info... Thursday's late bounce didn't delay extending higher through the Globex open. Its first consolidation developed from just under 2715.00, and extended to attack 2728.00. Europe's opens were greeted several points lower, on the way down to 2713.00, which has since bounced more than 10 points to attack 2724.00. If, then... The Isolation setup remained in-play yesterday by Wednesday's lows holding as support. The fourth consecutive afternoon rejection of early strength failed to end in negative territory, also keeping the door open to reversing the recent trend. Of course, not recovering Wednesday morning's 2716.00 low wasn't optimal, but gapping up today could cure that by proxy. Last night's bounce could be the beginning of the next upleg if it's maintained above relevant resistance through the open -- preferably above Thursday afternoon's 2720.00 bias environment high or even Thursday's 2731.00 noon high. And now having rallied overnight, a post-open rally would be doubly bullish for not attracting sellers and for still ignoring the four-day pattern of early rallies being rejected. Which necessarily means that not extending higher through the open could be doubly bearish. Fresh lows may be only a formality. More so, fresh lows would all but destroy the temporary pullback's limited measurement. Friday Factors are likely to leverage either setup, whether to squeeze a post-open rally into a bigger recovery, or to help post-open sellers break through prior lows. First Trade... [Click here to view the Bias parameters] Exiting the open at 9:45 under 2720.00 after touching it post-open would be unlikely to exceed the 2721.00 bias-up signal through 10:15 or to renew the bias-up signal. Exiting the open above 2715.00 would be likely at least to trigger the 2712.00 bias-up signal at 10:15.

Maintaining does not equate to extending. So, is the Isolation setup still in-play? Yes. Is it any more or less likely to be fulfilled. Less. Gapping up was maintained through the opening 15 minutes of volatility, but it didn't extend higher. An initially wide range between 2714-2723 narrowed gradually and slightly through the open, and through the 10:15 bias timing window. Every leg overlapped the 2721.00 bias-up target, but never with any complexity that would qualify as chipping away at resistance. In other words, the market seems reluctant to rally. But it hasn't yet collapsed in recognition. This is a bias-up environment whose target is met and held. The likelihood continues to be against rallying. The bias-up environment could test its 2712.00 bias-up signal as support -- it was just attacked to within 3 ticks. Breaking under 2712.00 when the bias environment is lapsing at 11:30 or within 10-15 minutes would be credible for extending down. Breaking under 2701.50 would likely be only a formality. Meanwhile, it's still a bias-up environment, so trending up is still possible. Exiting the bias environment above 2721.00 would target a retest of yesterday's 2731.00 high.

FRI afternoon signal (triggered at 1:20 ET) SPX ES Bias-up: above 2730.50 2729.75 ...would target  2737.00  2736.50 Bias-down: under  2718.50  2718.00 ...would target  2711.75  2711.00 Signal status: NO-BIAS, TESTED BIAS-UP SIGNAL FAQ Flowcharts: Bias-UP // Bias-DN INTRO VIDEOS #1 and #2 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.

Probing above resistance. This morning's bias environment was exited above its 2721.00 bias-up target. That had extended already up to 2729.75 resistance into the noon hour. This was also the afternoon's bias-up signal, which held through 1:20 to avoid triggering. Reacting down from 2729.75 had fallen to 2722.00 at the bias timing window. This was 4 points above the afternoon's bias-down signal, so no-bias has triggered. None of which qualifies as a rally. Exiting the bias environment above its bias-up target id keep open the door to an afternoon rally, but the bias signal didn't exploit the opportunity. The afternoon's 2729.75 bias-up signal should define the window's upper-end, probably up to 2731.00. Meanwhile, Friday Factors can still be influential. That tends to be either early or late. They weren't influential early, so trending out of the bias environment exit is still possible -- whether that's higher to help validate yesterday's Isolation setup, or lower to prove that buyers have been conditioned into reluctance.

Friday Factors didn't influence the open's gap up to 2718.00, not to extend higher or to reverse down. The morning eventually recovered to exit the bias environment above its 2721.00 bias-up target. It had held a test when exceeding it would have renewed the bias-up signal, so exceeding it later at least kept alive upside potential. It was extended to 2729.75. That was the afternoon's bias-up signal. Its reaction down attacked 2721.00 into the afternoon bias environment. The bias environment recovered back up to its 2729.75 bias-up signal. And then Friday Factors reappeared. Trending ahead of the bias environment exit formed a setup that would be completed by trending during the bias environment exit. And that trending was up, defining the balance of the session. Closing less than 90 minutes later was almost 20 points higher attacking 2750.00. Being above Thursday's high essentially confirms the Isolation setup is intact, and that a retest of the prior Friday's 2755.00 high is in-play.

Details and other markets coverage are discussed in the post-market Wrap recording here. I'LL SEND LINKS TO THIS WEEKEND'S SATURDAY REVIEW IN THE MORNING, WELL BEFORE ITS 9:30 AM ET START TIME.

MON morning signal (triggered at 10:15 ET) SPX ES Bias-up: above 2757.75 2757.00 ...would target  2767.00  2766.50 Bias-down: under  2738.50 2738.00 ...would target  2727.25  2726.50 Signal status: LATE NO-BIAS, BIAS-UP TARGET MET FAQ Flowcharts: Bias-UP // Bias-DN INTRO VIDEOS #1 and #2 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.