NQ Futures Scanner: FVG, Order Block and Sweep Alerts

This page is the scanner limited to E-mini Nasdaq-100 futures: NQ and the micro MNQ. It checks the 1, 3, 5, 15 minute, 1 hour and 4 hour charts for fair value gaps, inverse FVGs, order blocks, breaker blocks, CRT sweeps, liquidity sweeps, rejection blocks and Fibonacci retracements, and lists each one as its candle closes.

The feed below is free and needs no login. Alerts you set up from your account add the zone, the price and what overlaps it, by email or Discord.

The NQ and MNQ contracts

NQ is the E-mini Nasdaq-100 futures contract on CME, and MNQ is its micro. One tick is 0.25 index points, worth $5.00 on NQ and $0.50 on MNQ. Both trade nearly around the clock, Sunday to Friday from 6:00 pm to 5:00 pm New York time, with a one-hour break each afternoon.

NQ moves many points in a session, so it prints a lot of fair value gaps on the small timeframes. That is why the scanner measures gap size against recent candles instead of using a fixed number of points.

What the scanner looks for

The shaded box is the zone, the blue line marks the candle where the alert fires, and the faded candle is what might follow. It is not something the alert predicts.

Bullish FVG touched

Price shot up so fast that a stretch of prices barely traded: the first candle's high sits below the third candle's low, and the box is the empty space between them. Later price dropped back into that box for the first time. Traders watch it as a possible support zone where buyers step in.

Bullish Order block touched

The last down candle before a strong push up (the push leaves a gap behind it) is the order block. The alert fires when price later comes back and trades into that candle's range, before any candle has closed through it.

Bullish Liquidity sweep of Previous Asia session low

Price is sitting above the low of the previous Asia session. One candle trades below that low, taking the stops resting under it, then closes back above it. The alert fires when that candle closes. A candle that closed below the line would be a break, and no alert.

NQ fair value gaps and inverse FVGs

A fair value gap is a three-candle imbalance: the first candle's high sits below the third candle's low (bullish), or its low above the third candle's high (bearish). The scanner alerts once, the first time price trades at least one tick back into the gap, after that candle closes.

Size is measured against the market itself. A gap narrower than a quarter of the recent average candle size is ignored, so the same rule works on a quiet overnight NQ chart and on a fast open. When a candle closes all the way through a gap it becomes an inverse FVG, and the scanner alerts on its first retest from the other side.

NQ order blocks and breaker blocks

An order block is the last opposing candle before a strong move. The scanner only reports one if the move away from it left a fair value gap, which is its proof of displacement. If a candle later closes through the far side of the block, it flips into a breaker block and the scanner watches it for a retest instead.

NQ liquidity sweeps and CRT

A liquidity sweep is a candle that trades beyond an obvious high or low and closes back on the original side. The scanner checks the previous 1 hour, 4 hour and trading-day highs and lows, and the Asia (7:00 pm to 3:00 am New York time) and New York (9:30 am to 4:00 pm) session extremes. On NQ the New York open at 9:30 am is often when the previous Asia and overnight extremes get taken.

A CRT (candle range theory) sweep is the same idea on a single candle: one candle sets a range, the next sweeps its high or low and closes back inside.

Choosing timeframes for NQ

The 1 and 3 minute charts produce many alerts on an active market, and a phone can fill up with them in the first hour of New York trading. The 15 minute, 1 hour and 4 hour charts produce fewer, larger zones. If you are new to the scanner, start with NQ on the 5 or 15 minute chart and widen from there.

Watching both NQ and MNQ is usually redundant, because they track the same underlying and their charts look almost identical. Pick the one you trade.

Setting up NQ alerts

Alerts are set up once and keep running whether or not this page is open.

Choose the alert types you trade, for example Fair Value Gap and Liquidity sweep.
Pick NQ or MNQ and your timeframes.
Optionally set a minimum confluence, so you only hear about zones that overlap other structures.
Choose email, Discord or both, and press Send test to see what an alert looks like.

The alerts this scanner sends

Alert	Sent when
Fair Value Gap touched	Price trades at least one tick into an open gap for the first time.
Inverse FVG retested	Price returns to a gap that a candle has closed fully through.
Order block touched	Price returns to an order block whose move away left a fair value gap.
Breaker block retested	Price returns to an order block that a candle has closed through.
CRT sweep	A candle sweeps the previous candle's high or low and closes back inside its range.
Liquidity sweep	A candle trades beyond the previous 1H, 4H, day, Asia or New York high or low and closes back.
Rejection block	A candle sweeps a recent high or low and closes back with a long wick.
Fib retracement touched	A candle closes at a retracement level of the latest swing, including the 61.8% to 88.8% OTE zone.

Frequently asked questions

Is the NQ scanner free?

Yes. The live feed on this page is free and needs no login. Alerts you set up by email or Discord are free with a Signal Trade App account.

Which NQ contracts does it scan?

NQ and MNQ, on the 1, 3, 5, 15 minute, 1 hour and 4 hour charts.

Does it repaint?

No. It only evaluates closed candles, so an alert is never withdrawn. The trade-off is that an alert arrives after the candle that triggered it has closed.

Why does NQ produce so many fair value gaps?

It moves quickly, especially around the New York open and economic releases, and fast moves leave three-candle imbalances behind. The scanner ignores gaps smaller than a quarter of the recent average candle, which removes most of the noise.

Should I watch NQ or MNQ?

Whichever you trade. They follow the same index, so the patterns are almost always the same on both.

Does an alert tell me to buy or sell?

No. An alert says a pattern was detected, not where price will go. Patterns often fail, so decide your entry, stop and size in your own trading plan. Futures trading involves substantial risk of loss.

Learn more and use it on a chart

ICT trading concepts for futures — Market structure, fair value gaps and liquidity explained for futures traders.
Open the charting page — The chart tools, including fair value gap and inverse FVG drawing, live here.

Related scanners

Fair Value Gap (FVG) Scanner — What a fair value gap is, how to identify one, and a free live FVG scanner for 16 futures markets with alerts by email or Discord.
Order Block Scanner — What an ICT order block is, how to spot a valid one, and a free live order block scanner for 16 futures markets with alerts.
Liquidity Sweep Scanner — Free live liquidity sweep scanner for 16 futures markets. Alerts when price sweeps the previous 1H, 4H, day, Asia or NY session high or low.
CRT (Candle Range Theory) Scanner — What candle range theory (CRT) is, how to identify a valid CRT, and a free live CRT scanner for 16 futures markets with alerts.
Live futures chart scanner — every alert type, updated as candles close.

Alerts are informational and are not trading advice. They show that a pattern was detected, not where price will go, and patterns often fail. Futures trading involves substantial risk of loss.