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Displacement definition
A fast, one-sided expansion move that leaves imbalance behind and signals institutional intent.
What it means in ICT
Displacement is the proof of intent ICT requires: no displacement means no valid FVG and no valid structure break to trade from.
NQ example
A 40-point NQ push out of the 09:30 sweep in under three 1-minute candles is displacement, and the FVG inside it becomes the entry.
Related guides
Practice Displacement in replay
Load a historical NQ session and watch for displacement bar-by-bar, with ICT overlays drawn automatically.
Data & methodology
All NQ and MNQ examples use Databento GLBX.MDP3 1-minute OHLCV candles for continuous front-month E-mini Nasdaq-100 futures, aggregated to higher timeframes (5m, 15m, 1h, 4h, 1D, 1W) so every bar agrees across timeframes. Sessions cover the full CME Globex day, 18:00–17:00 ET. ICT overlays are drawn algorithmically from the same price data used in the replay trainer.