Core Concepts

Liquidity Sweep

When price triggers a cluster of resting orders at a level, creating a surge of volume

A liquidity sweep occurs when price moves to a level where orders are clustered (stops, limits, market orders), triggering those orders and creating a surge of trading volume. This volume fuels the next directional market move. There are two types: structural sweeps (targeting levels that broke other levels) and reactionary sweeps (targeting levels that gave reactions while not in control). A sweep is not a break — sweeps take orders and reverse, breaks take orders and continue.

How to Recognize

  • Price wicks past a key level then reverses
  • Structural sweep: below a low that broke a high, or above a high that broke a low
  • Reactionary sweep: reaction point from a zone not in control gets broken
  • Volume spike at the sweep level confirms order triggering

How to Avoid

  • Confusing a sweep with a genuine break of structure
  • Entering on the break side of a sweep without confirmation
  • Ignoring sweep probability when stops cluster at obvious levels
  • Trading counter to the sweep direction before order flow confirms