ICT (Inner Circle Trader)
ICT refers to the Inner Circle Trader, a widely followed trading educator whose terminology — order blocks, fair value gaps, liquidity pools, killzones — became the foundation of much of what is now taught as Smart Money Concepts.
Much of the vocabulary that circulates today as SMC originated in or was popularised through ICT material. The two are often used interchangeably online, though SMC has since spread far beyond its original source and been reinterpreted extensively by other educators.
The material is extensive and largely free, which distinguishes it from much of the paid education industry. As with SMC generally, the concepts are internally coherent and the terminology is useful; what remains unestablished is a reliably reproducible retail edge.
A recurring pattern worth naming: concepts that are free at the source are frequently repackaged and resold at high prices by third parties who add nothing. If you are paying for SMC or ICT education, it is worth checking whether the same material exists free.
Related terms
Maintained by Jared Sinclair, Founder · Syrax Global FZCO · Definitions are educational, not financial advice.
Knowing the vocabulary is the easy part.
Every term here can be learned in an afternoon. Applying them consistently under pressure is the part that decides outcomes — and the part we measure.