What it does
STDV PO3 maps the Power of Three idea (accumulation, manipulation, distribution) onto the chart. It finds the manipulation leg that makes a higher-timeframe window's high or low, waits for a change in the state of delivery (CISD), and projects that leg forward in standard deviations so you can see where the move is likely to react, continue or exhaust.
It is a map of price, not a signal service. Version 5.0 keeps every structure on the chart with its leg, CISD level, projections and zones, and can optionally draw the setups and trade levels introduced in v3.0 and v4.0.
How it works
- Window: a higher-timeframe candle (the PO3 candle) chosen automatically from the chart timeframe, or a session.
- Manipulation leg: a run of down candles that makes the window low (up candles for the high).
- CISD: a candle closes beyond the open of the first candle of that leg. All decisions are made on bar close.
- Projection: 0 = the CISD level and 1 = the leg extreme. Levels −1 to −4 are drawn on the expansion side: −1 to −1.5 is the re-accumulation zone, −2 to −2.5 the main reaction zone and −3.5 to −4 the completion band.
- Events: −2 reached, a body close beyond −2.5 (continuation), −4 reached (max expansion), an opposite CISD after −2 (reversal) and a close back beyond 1 (invalidated).
- Confluence: where the −4 of one projection overlaps the −2/−2.5 of another, a confluence box is drawn.
How to use it
Use it on M1–M15 for intraday index, gold and forex charts. Read the higher timeframe first for direction, then treat −2/−2.5 as the first objective and expect −4 only after a close beyond −2.5. Older versions are included for traders who prefer their simpler drawings: v1.0 is the cleanest map, v3.0 the most explicit trade model.
Settings
| Input | Default | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| PO3 window | Automatic | Which higher-timeframe candle defines the leg |
| Projection levels | −1 … −4 | The standard-deviation lines and zones drawn |
| Trading windows | London, New York | When setups may appear (trade layer) |
| HTF bias / displacement filters | Off | Require trend agreement or a strong CISD candle |
| Trade layer | Off | Draws entry, stop and targets for each setup |
Limitations
Projections describe where price often reacts; they do not predict that it will. The setups were tested by the author in the MetaTrader 5 Strategy Tester and the results were mixed across different years, so treat any trade layer as a study tool. The indicator needs clean intraday data, and the panel record ignores spread and uses bar data, so it is not a backtest.