Question 1

I do not see any OTE zones on my chart. Is the indicator detecting structure breaks?

Accepted Answer

OTE zones require a confirmed market structure break followed by a retracement. If the market has been trending without any structure breaks, no OTE zones will appear. Reduce SwingStrength to 3 to detect more minor structure breaks and smaller impulse swings. Also lower MinSwingATR to 0.25 to accept smaller impulse swings. If no zones appear even with relaxed settings, the market may not have produced any structural events during the visible bar range.

Question 2

The OTE zone seems too narrow. Price passes through it in one bar.

Accepted Answer

The zone width depends on the size of the impulse swing — a small swing produces a narrow OTE zone. Increase MinSwingATR from 0.5 to 1.0 or higher to require larger impulse swings, which naturally produce wider OTE zones with more actionable price space. Alternatively, widen the zone by adjusting FibUpper to 0.50 and FibLower to 0.85, though this deviates from the standard ICT framework.

Question 3

Price entered the OTE zone but did not reach the CE midpoint before bouncing. Should I have entered at the 62% level?

Accepted Answer

This is a valid setup decision. The CE midpoint (70.5%) is the precision entry level, but some OTE bounces occur at the 62% level without reaching the midpoint. Conservative traders wait for the CE touch; aggressive traders enter at the 62% zone boundary. Entering at 62% gives you more fills but wider stops (to below 79%). Entering at CE gives fewer fills but tighter risk. Choose based on your risk tolerance.

Question 4

Can I change the Fibonacci levels to 61.8% and 78.6% for more precise numbers?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Set FibUpper to 0.618 and FibLower to 0.786 for the mathematically exact Fibonacci ratios. The defaults of 0.62 and 0.79 are rounded for simplicity and are commonly used in ICT methodology. The difference is minimal (0.2-0.4% of the swing range) and unlikely to materially affect your trading results.

Question 5

All columns show zeros. No OTE zones are detected for any symbol.

Accepted Answer

OTE zones require confirmed market structure breaks followed by impulse swings of sufficient size (MinSwingATR). Ensure sufficient historical data is loaded in RadarScreen (500+ additional bars). Try reducing SwingStrength to 3 and MinSwingATR to 0.25 to detect smaller impulse swings. If still no zones appear, the market may be in a tight range without structural breaks — OTE zones are trend-dependent and will not appear during consolidation.

Question 6

InBullOTE shows 1 but when I open the chart I do not see the OTE zone at the current price.

Accepted Answer

This is likely a timeframe mismatch. RadarScreen calculates on the interval set in the RadarScreen interval selector (bottom-right corner). If your RadarScreen is on 15-minute but your chart is on 5-minute, the OTE zones will differ because different timeframes produce different swing structures. Match the RadarScreen interval to your chart timeframe.

Question 7

CEDist shows a negative value for some symbols. What does this mean?

Accepted Answer

A negative CEDist means price has already passed through the CE midpoint and is deeper into the OTE zone (between the CE and the 79% level). This is still a valid entry zone but you are deeper in the retracement. Positive CEDist means price has not yet reached the CE midpoint. The closer CEDist is to zero, the closer price is to the precision entry level.

Question 8

I see a zone entry dot but no CE touch marker. Does that mean I should not enter?

Accepted Answer

The zone entry dot fires when price enters the OTE zone at the 62% level. The CE touch marker fires only when the bar's range actually crosses the 70.5% midpoint. If price bounced before reaching the CE, no CE touch fires. This is a valid setup — some OTE entries bounce from the 62% level. The CE marker is for traders who want the more selective precision entry. Choose your entry style based on your risk tolerance.

Question 9

I see very few ShowMe signals. Is the indicator working correctly?

Accepted Answer

OTE zones require: (1) a confirmed market structure break, (2) an impulse swing of at least MinSwingATR size, and (3) a subsequent retracement into the 62%-79% zone. All three conditions must align, which is naturally selective. Reduce SwingStrength to 3 for more structural breaks, lower MinSwingATR to 0.25 for smaller impulse swings, and ensure sufficient data is loaded. On ranging markets, OTE signals will be rare by design.

Question 10

Can I use the ShowMe without the main chart indicator?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The ShowMe calculates its own OTE zones internally and works independently. However, using it alongside the chart indicator gives you the full picture: the chart indicator shows the zone boundary lines (62%, 79%, CE), and the ShowMe marks the exact entry bars. Without the chart indicator, you will know when price enters the zone but will not see the visual zone boundaries for stop placement.

Question 11

I do not see any colored bars. The indicator is applied but nothing is painted.

Accepted Answer

The PaintBar only colors bars when the close is inside an active OTE zone. OTE zones require a confirmed structure break followed by a retracement into the 62%-79% range, which is naturally selective. If no active zones exist near the current price, no bars will be painted. Check the chart indicator to see where OTE zones are relative to current price. You can also reduce MinSwingATR to detect zones from smaller impulse swings.

Question 12

Bars are colored green but the chart indicator shows I am at the very edge of the zone (near 62%). Is this still a good entry?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The PaintBar colors any bar whose close falls between the 62% and 79% levels. Being near the 62% edge means you are at the top of the zone with the widest possible stop distance to the 79% level. Some traders prefer entering near 62% for earlier fills, while others wait for the CE midpoint (70.5%) for tighter risk. Both are valid entries within the OTE framework.

Question 13

Can I change the zone colors?

Accepted Answer

Yes. To change colors, right-click anywhere on the chart, go to Studies > Edit Studies..., select the indicator, click the Inputs tab, and change BullZoneColor and BearZoneColor to any TradeStation color name (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, etc.) or RGB values. Choose colors that contrast with your chart's normal candlestick colors for clear zone identification.

OTE Zone Bundle

What's Included

OTE Zone Chart

OTE Zone RadarScreen

OTE Zone ShowMe

OTE Zone PaintBar

Full Color Customization

5 Ready-Made Palettes

70+ Individual Colors

Color Mixing Guide

Copy-Paste Ready