Jesse RogersFounder and CEO of Smart Trading Blueprint

Every trading tool ranked by a veteran trader so you know what actually works

21 May 2026 · 1 min

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1:09

In this concise commentary, a veteran trader assigns tier rankings (A‑S) to a set of widely used technical analysis tools and indicators, explaining the practical strengths and weaknesses of each. The speaker critiques tools that lack real‑time data or are overly subjective (e.g., ICT, Harmonic patterns, Elliott Wave, Bollinger Bands, MACD), praises those grounded in volume and order‑flow information (Wyckoff, Price Action with volume, VWAP), and highlights the top‑tier instruments that directly reveal market participation (Volume Profile and Footprint charts). The overarching message is that tools incorporating volume or order‑flow data are far more reliable, and the speaker invites viewers to follow for more trading insights.

Chapters

ICT. C tier. Right idea, but there's no real data behind it if you're not using volume or order flow. Harmonic patterns. F tier. Highly subjective and impossible to trade consistently. Elliott Wave. D tier. In hindsight, the waves are always there, but in real time, most traders count the same chart completely differently. Bollinger Bands. C tier. By the time the bands widen, the move's already happening. It's a filter, not a signal. Wyckoff. B tier. The logic is sound. Accumulation, markup, distribution, and all that is real. The limitation is identifying which phase you're in, and it takes way too much interpretation. MACD. C tier. It's a lagging signal built on lagging inputs. By the time you get the crossover, you're just chasing. Price action. B tier. Legitimate foundation and is used in all strategies, but price alone doesn't tell you why. Add volume and it becomes significantly more reliable. Volume weighted average price. A tier. Every institutional algorithm uses VWAP to fill their trades. So the market will always respect it. Volume Profile: S-tier. The only tool that shows you where the market actually did business. Footprints: A-tier. They break open every candle and show you exact buying and selling at every price level. Follow me for more trading tips.