Market Maker — User Guide (MT4 / MT5)

Overview

Market Maker (Basic) is a chart-window indicator that shows a live dashboard for every symbol in your list: peak formation (PFH/PFL), maximum and live distance in ADR, average daily range in pips, optional stop-hunt distance vs the session box, today’s range, and RSI. By default the trend / cycle direction comes from H1 (fast vs slow moving average on the Time Frame input — usually H1). The active chart symbol also gets on-chart ADR projection lines and optional Asian range rectangle.

Two visual parts:

Dashboard panel — grid of buttons (gold headers, one row per pair).
Chart overlays — PF label, dotted 1×/2×/3× ADR horizontals, optional session box (when enabled).

Same family as Advanced This Basic build omits breakers, TDI, divergence, currency strength, and other Advanced-only columns. Core ideas — PF, ADR multiples, stop hunt, DR — match the Advanced Market Maker MT5 user guide style.

Dashboard layout (mockup)

The panel uses a MINIMIZE control, gold column headers, and one row per symbol. The current chart symbol is highlighted in gold. Below is a stylized mockup; your live values will differ.

MIN

SYMBOL

PF H/L

STATUS

REAL TIME

ADR PIPS

StopHunt

RSI

—

EURUSD

2 PFL

2.40*ADR

2.18*ADR

L 22.5

31.2

—

GBPUSD

1 PFH

1.65*ADR

1.52*ADR

110

H 15.0

71.5

—

USDJPY

3 PFL

0.92*ADR

0.88*ADR

52.1

DR column appears when “Show Daily Range” is on. Empty StopHunt cells are normal when filters are not met.

The BTMM cycle — Steve Mauro framework

The foreign exchange market is not random. Behind every spike, every stop hunt, every reversal lies the market maker — the institutional participant obligated to provide liquidity on both sides of the market. To fill profitably, they follow a repeating, mechanical cycle. Beat The Market Maker (BTMM), developed by Steve Mauro, teaches retail traders to recognise this cycle and trade alongside it.

This dashboard is built around that cycle. The H1 timeframe is the engine: it defines cycle direction, swing anchors (PFH / PFL), and how many ADRs a leg has travelled. Everything else — session boxes, stop hunts, daily range, RSI — is context underneath.

The daily cycle: accumulation → manipulation → distribution

Every single trading day, on every pair, the market maker runs the same three-phase sequence:

ACCUMULATION
Asian session — tight range
MM builds position quietly → MANIPULATION
London / NY open — stop hunt
Spikes beyond box to fill orders → DISTRIBUTION
The real move — trend leg
This is where you trade

Phase	What happens	This dashboard
Accumulation	Asian session: low volatility, tight range. The MM quietly builds a position while retail sees “nothing happening.”	Optional Asian rectangle on chart; DR is small early vs ADR.
Manipulation	Session open (London / NY): price spikes beyond the Asian box to hunt retail stop losses and fill the MM’s remaining order.	Stop Hunt column — pips above/below the session box when filters pass.
Distribution	Order filled. The genuine directional move begins. This is the move you ride.	STATUS / REAL TIME climbing in ×ADR; 1× / 2× / 3× ADR projection lines on chart.

The dashboard in one sentence It tells you which phase you are in (accumulation / hunt / distribution), how far distribution has run (×ADR), and which direction the H1 cycle says you should be trading (PFL up / PFH down).

The H1 cycle — your directional engine

In BTMM the H1 timeframe (default setting in this indicator) defines the cycle direction. The fast MA (default 13 EMA) crossing above the slow MA (default 50 EMA) on H1 means the market maker is distributing upward — bullish cycle. Cross below = bearish cycle.

That single H1 cross drives everything on the panel:

Bullish H1 cycle → swing anchor is a Peak Formation Low (PFL); the leg is measured upward from there.
Bearish H1 cycle → swing anchor is a Peak Formation High (PFH); the leg is measured downward.
STATUS / REAL TIME measure how far distribution has run from the PF in multiples of ADR.
Stop Hunt direction is interpreted relative to the H1 bias (low-side hunt in a bullish cycle = potential long; high-side in bearish = potential short).

H1 cycle flip When the H1 MAs cross the other way, the cycle flips. PF re-anchors, extension resets. This is normal — you are seeing a new cycle begin. Don’t carry the old direction.

The full cycle — PFL → L1 → L2 → L3 → PFH → L1 → L2 → L3 → PFL

This is what the complete BTMM staircase looks like. Three levels up from a PFL, peak forms (PFH), then three levels down to the next PFL. The dashboard tracks which level you are in via ×ADR and labels the peaks.

Full bullish → bearish cycle: PFL → L1 → L2 → L3 → PFH → L1 → L2 → L3 → PFL

Each dashed box is a “room” (one daily distribution leg). L3 boxes are gold = peak formation zone. The cycle repeats: PFL → 3 levels up → PFH → 3 levels down → PFL.

Levels — knowing where you are in the H1 cycle (×ADR)

In BTMM, price moves in counted levels — typically three levels in one direction before the cycle reverses. This indicator uses ×ADR as its level ruler. Each ADR multiple maps roughly to a “level” in the cycle:

Level zone	×ADR read	BTMM meaning	How to trade it
Level 1 Early cycle	Below ~1× ADR	First distribution leg after accumulation. The cycle is young. The MM is still building.	Trend entries with cycle direction. Session box context matters most.
Level 2 Trend confirmed	~1×–2× ADR	Cycle momentum confirmed. This is where PFH/PFL can start to form on a reversal.	Still with trend but manage size. PF zone — any reversal here could become the peak.
Level 3+ Peak formation zone	Above ~2× ADR (blue highlight on panel)	The MM may be fully loaded. This is reversal territory. Peak Formation (PFH or PFL) is likely.	Trade reversals only or stand aside. Don’t chase continuation. Watch for H1 cross flip.

STATUS vs REAL TIME at each level STATUS = the maximum the leg has reached (the peak of distribution). REAL TIME = where price is now. If REAL TIME is well below STATUS, you are in a pullback inside the cycle — potential re-entry if the H1 direction still holds. If both are high and climbing, the cycle is still distributing.

PFH & PFL — Peak Formation (the reversal signal)

In Steve Mauro’s framework, a Peak Formation is the moment the multi-day swing reverses. After the H1 cycle has run through multiple levels (typically 2–3 daily sessions in one direction), the market maker has accumulated enough. The cycle flips.

Peak Formation High (PFH) — a bullish cycle at Level 2+ followed by a clear down-break. The high is in. Market is now bearish.
Peak Formation Low (PFL) — a bearish cycle at Level 2+ followed by a clear up-break. The low is in. Market is now bullish.

On the panel, PFH / PFL plus the number (days since peak) tells you: “Is a confirmed peak behind us? How recent?” A count of 1 or 2 (bright colour) means the formation is very fresh — the new cycle just started and continuation trades are highest probability.

The weekly cycle — MAAW

BTMM traders use the acronym MAAW to describe the weekly rhythm of the market maker cycle. The week has its own accumulation–manipulation–distribution sequence:

Day	Phase	What to expect	Dashboard clues
Monday	M — Markup / consolidation	The week opens: positioning from Friday close, often choppy. The weekly range is being set. Asian boxes may overlap.	DR is usually small vs ADR. H1 cycle may still carry Friday’s direction or be in transition. Don’t overcommit.
Tuesday	A — Accumulation	The market maker has gathered information from Monday. Tuesday is often the start of the real weekly move. H1 cycles that confirm on Tuesday tend to stick.	Watch for a fresh PFL or PFH forming (days since = 1); STATUS building from low levels. This is where the weekly direction often reveals itself.
Wednesday	A — Acceleration / continuation	Peak distribution day of the week. If the H1 cycle confirmed Tuesday, Wednesday usually extends it. The biggest ADR moves of the week often land here.	STATUS / REAL TIME climbing through 1×–2× ADR; DR may challenge or exceed one ADR in pips. This is the core “trade the cycle” day.
Thursday–Friday	W — Wind-down / reversal	Profit-taking, position squaring, thin Friday flow. The weekly cycle may be exhausted. H1 cycles can flip here as the week’s peak forms.	STATUS may be deep (2×+ ADR); RSI extreme with it. DR often above one ADR already. This is PF zone for the week — be careful chasing.

Mon
Markup / range → Tue
Accumulation — weekly direction sets → Wed
Acceleration — biggest moves → Thu–Fri
Wind-down — peak zone

MAAW + H1 + ×ADR = your complete picture Know which day of the week you are in (MAAW). Know the H1 cycle direction (PFL up or PFH down). Know which ×ADR level the leg is in (early / mid / peak zone). Only then drop into session context (box, stop hunt, DR, RSI). This is the layered BTMM read this dashboard enables.

WVVM — Weekly Volume Volatility Model

WVVM is the Steve Mauro concept that volume and volatility are not random across the week — they follow a predictable shape:

Monday: low volume, small ranges (accumulation / markup).
Tuesday–Wednesday: rising volume, expanding ranges (distribution / acceleration).
Thursday: peak volatility, often the weekly extreme.
Friday: declining volume, profit-taking, range compresses or chops.

The dashboard column DR (daily range) is your live WVVM meter: compare it against ADR (pips) across the week. Early week, DR tends to be small vs ADR. Mid-week, DR may match or exceed ADR. Late week, if DR is already large by mid-session, the weekly move may be done.

How the dashboard maps to BTMM

BTMM concept	Dashboard column or chart element
H1 cycle direction	PFH / PFL on panel — PFL = bullish cycle, PFH = bearish cycle (derived from H1 fast vs slow MA cross).
Accumulation (Asian box)	Optional rectangle on chart + pip label; same box Stop Hunt measures from.
Manipulation (stop hunt)	Stop Hunt column: pips above (H) or below (L) the session box when rules pass.
Distribution (the real move)	STATUS / REAL TIME in ×ADR. 1× / 2× / 3× ADR projection lines on chart.
Level (how far in the cycle)	STATUS vs ADR bands: <1× = Level 1 zone, 1×–2× = Level 2, 2×+ = Level 3 / PF zone.
Peak Formation (PFH / PFL)	PFH / PFL column + days since. Fresh (1–2) = new cycle just started. Deep = the peak is aging.
ADR ruler	ADR (pips) — one “average day.” Every ×ADR level refers back to this number.
WVVM / daily volatility check	DR vs ADR — how much of the day’s range is used already.
Weekly cycle (MAAW)	Not on the panel — you mark weekly high/low and know which MAAW day you are in. Combine with H1 + ×ADR.
RSI exhaustion	RSI column — only meaningful with H1 cycle + level + weekly context.

The BTMM playbook — daily routine with this dashboard

Use this as a repeatable process. Order matters — work from the biggest clock down:

MAAW check — What day of the week is it? Monday (range setting, don’t overcommit), Tuesday (weekly direction reveals), Wednesday (distribution day, biggest moves), Thursday–Friday (wind-down, PF zone).
Weekly structure (manual) — On your chart, mark the weekly high and low developing. Is the H1 cycle taking price toward or away from last week’s close?
H1 cycle direction — Confirm on the H1 chart: fast above slow = bullish (expect PFL on panel); fast below slow = bearish (expect PFH). If the panel disagrees with what you see on H1, wait for clarity.
Level check (×ADR) — Read STATUS / REAL TIME. Below 1× = Level 1 territory (trend entries). 1×–2× = Level 2 (manage, potential PF zone). 2×+ = Level 3 (reversal territory or stand aside).
PFH / PFL freshness — Days since peak: 1–2 = new cycle, highest probability continuation. Higher numbers = the cycle is aging.
Scan the strip — Prioritise pairs where MAAW + H1 direction + level all agree. Skip conflicted setups.
Drop to session context — Now (and only now) look at the session box (rectangle), Stop Hunt distance, DR vs ADR. Does the daily picture fit the higher clocks?
ADR projections on chart — Use the 1× / 2× / 3× dotted lines from the PF as distribution targets and management levels. At 2×+ ADR, reduce risk or take partials.
RSI last — Overbought / oversold only has meaning when you already know the H1 cycle, the level, and the MAAW day. RSI at 72 on a Wednesday in a confirmed bullish Level 1 is not the same as RSI at 72 on a Friday in Level 3.

The BTMM filter in one sentence Before you touch a session box or stop-hunt column: MAAW day + H1 direction + ×ADR level + PF freshness. If those four don’t agree, you do not have a trade — you have a guess.

Rules of engagement (Steve Mauro style)

Never fight the H1 cycle. If the panel says PFL (bullish) and you want to short, you need a confirmed PFH first — not a hunch.
Level 3+ = reversal zone only. Do not chase continuation trades above 2× ADR unless the H1 cycle is freshly confirmed. Wait for PFH/PFL and the new cycle.
Accumulation → manipulation → distribution. You enter during distribution (after the stop hunt), not during accumulation or manipulation. The Stop Hunt column tells you manipulation has occurred; then wait for the H1 cycle to confirm direction before acting.
Tuesday sets the week. A confirmed H1 cross on Tuesday that aligns with the weekly developing range is a high-probability weekly cycle. Wednesday extends it. This is your best MAAW window.
DR vs ADR is your WVVM meter. If DR already exceeds ADR early in the session, the day’s distribution may be done. Don’t chase — wait for tomorrow’s cycle.
PFH/PFL freshness matters. A “1 PFL” or “1 PFH” on the panel means yesterday was the peak. The new cycle just started. This is where continuation trades are strongest. A “5 PFL” means the cycle is five days old — the easy move may be behind you.
RSI is context, never a signal. Overbought with H1 trend + Level 1 + mid-week = momentum, not exhaustion. Overbought with Level 3 + Friday + PFH developing = genuine warning.
Journal your MAAW day. After each trade, note: was it Mon / Tue / Wed / Thu / Fri? Which level? You will see patterns fast.

Risk BTMM is a framework for reading the market maker cycle, not a guaranteed system. The indicator measures distance and range — it does not know order flow or intent. Stop placement, position sizing, and discipline are always your responsibility. Past cycle behaviour does not predict future results.

Symbol column

Symbol changer. Click the pair name to load that instrument on the chart (or open a new chart if you enabled that). The active row is highlighted in gold like the mockup above.

PFH / PFL (Peak formation)

Peak Formation Low (PFL) in an uptrend or Peak Formation High (PFH) in a downtrend, plus a number = how many daily bars back that swing sits. Brighter greens/reds often mean the count is 1 or 2 (very recent formation).

STATUS & REAL TIME

STATUS = maximum move of the leg so far, in ×ADR (e.g. 2.40*ADR). REAL TIME = same idea measured to current bid. When price pulls back from the extreme, REAL TIME drops below STATUS.

When either exceeds your ADR multiplier, cells typically take a stronger blue background (extended leg) and may trigger alerts.

ADR (pips)

Average Daily Range in pips over the configured lookback of completed daily candles — not today’s range. This is the ruler behind every ×ADR value.

Stop Hunt

When conditions pass (including move > 1×ADR, time gate, tight H4 range), the cell can show L … pips (below the box) or H … pips (above), meaning distance from the session box edge in pips.

Daily range (DR)

Today’s high−low in pips. Background may emphasize when today has already exceeded one ADR in pips. Hide the column via inputs if you prefer a tighter panel.

RSI

Short timeframe RSI (smoothed across bars in the implementation). Cell colour flags oversold / overbought vs default panel tone — use with ADR context, not alone.

Chart overlay (schematic)

On the chart symbol only, the indicator can draw the Asian-style rectangle, a PF text label at the swing, and dotted horizontals at 1×, 2×, and 3× ADR from that pivot. Diagram (not to scale):

Uptrend example — PFL with ADR projections + session box

Downtrend mirror For PFH, projections extend downward from the formation high; label and line colours follow the bearish scheme on the chart (reds).

Markers & labels

PF text — anchored at the formation price (e.g. 2 PFL).
1 ADR / 2 ADR / 3 ADR — small tags on dotted horizontals from that pivot.
Rectangle — optional early-session box; may show pip width of the H4 segment used.

Panel colour key

Gold — column headers; active symbol row.

Pink — MINIMIZE control.

Grey-blue — default data cells.

Deep blue — STATUS/REAL TIME when ADR multiplier exceeded.

Green — PFL / stop-hunt low side / oversold RSI (typical).

Red — PFH / stop-hunt high side / overbought RSI (typical).

Practical workflow

Confirm gold row = chart symbol.
Read PFH/PFL + days back.
Note ADR pips as one “unit.”
Compare STATUS vs REAL TIME.
Check Stop Hunt and DR.
Use RSI last, with context.
Verify chart lines match the table.

Settings you will use often

Area	Purpose
Symbol list	Hyphen-separated pairs for MT5 basic (`EURUSD-GBPUSD-…`).
ADR period / multiplier	Average range length; when legs count as “extended.”
Time Frame + MA periods	Defines the H1 cycle (default `PERIOD_H1` with fast/slow MA). Changing this changes what the dashboard calls trend — keep it H1 unless you deliberately want another cycle clock.
Show ADR lines / Asian range	Chart projections and box.
Show daily range	DR column on/off.
Alerts / push	Threshold and stop-hunt messages.
Panel X, Y, W, H	Position and cell size.

Important notes

MT4 / MT5: Same dashboard behaviour on both.
Sessions depend on broker server time.
Mockup & SVG are illustrative; live colours follow your terminal theme and data.
For breakers, TDI, full panel, see Advanced Market Maker MT5 user guide.

Market Maker — User Guide (MT4 / MT5) · Styled to match G-Labs Advanced guide documents.