The setting and the map before the open

A complete round trip between the put wall and the call wall, a stacked floor, absorption under the ceiling, and a trap at 7,681. Four captures, six phases, two reconstructed positions, and above all the way a trader who applies the method gets through a session like this one, decision by decision. This first lesson sets the scene and the map as it read before the open.

The day, the contract, the window

• The day. Friday, October 30, 2026, the last session of the month: month-end rebalancing flows are to be expected late in the session. The United States only switches to winter time on Sunday, November 1: the cash open is at 2:30 pm and the close at 9 pm, Paris time. The US data releases come out at 1:30 pm.
• The contract. December 2026 ES (ES-202612), a basis of a few dozen points above the SPX.