PO3 (Power of Three) is an ICT idea that every meaningful price leg moves through three phases: accumulation, manipulation, then distribution. Price first builds a range (accumulation), then fakes a move out of that range to grab stops and trap traders (manipulation, the so-called Judas swing), then makes its real run in the opposite direction (distribution).
The 10am version applies that same pattern to the New York 10:00am hour. After the 9:30 equities open settles and the 10:00 data prints, the market often forms a tight accumulation range, sweeps one side of it for liquidity, then drives the other way. You wait for that sweep, confirm a shift in structure, and enter with the distribution leg toward the opposite liquidity.
The exact rules we’ll test
- Trade the New York session, focused on the 10:00 to 11:00 NY window (DST-correct).
- Accumulation: mark the high and low of the consolidation range that forms into 10:00 NY.
- Manipulation: wait for price to sweep one side of that range (a wick takes out the range high or low and fails to hold beyond it).
- Confirmation: a market-structure shift back through the range in the opposite direction of the sweep, signaling distribution is starting.
- Entry: on the retrace after the structure shift, in the direction opposite the manipulation sweep.
- Stop beyond the manipulation extreme (the swept high or low); target the opposite-side liquidity or a fixed 2R.
Backtest data: in the queue
We publish only numbers our own deterministic engine produced on real data — no borrowed or estimated stats. This setup needs a detection primitive the engine doesn’t ship yet, so its 12-month results will appear here the moment that lands. The strategies with completed research are on the strategies hub, and you can already practice this setup bar-by-bar in the free replay demo.
Why the 10am window
The 10:00 NY hour sits right after the 9:30 cash open has settled and on top of the 10:00 economic data releases, so it carries real volatility and fresh liquidity. That combination is what gives the accumulation, sweep, then drive sequence room to play out inside a single hour. It is the same window behind the ICT Silver Bullet, read through the accumulation, manipulation, distribution lens instead of the sweep, MSS, FVG one.
The honest part
PO3 is a framework, not a fixed signal. Where accumulation starts, what counts as the manipulation leg, and when distribution has truly begun are judgment calls, which makes the pattern easy to draw perfectly in hindsight and hard to define the same way twice in real time. That is exactly why you should not trust a PO3 win rate quoted without a rule set, and why the useful move is to define your own version precisely and test it on real data with costs, rather than collect screenshots of the times it worked.
Frequently asked questions
What is the 10am PO3 strategy?
A New York session setup built on the ICT Power of 3. Around the 10:00 NY hour you wait for an accumulation range, let price sweep one side of it (manipulation), then enter on the move the other way (distribution), with a stop beyond the swept extreme and a target at the opposite liquidity or a fixed 2R.
What does PO3 (Power of Three) mean?
PO3 stands for Power of Three: accumulation, manipulation, distribution. It is an ICT model describing how a price leg builds a range, fakes a move to grab liquidity, then runs in the real direction. The same AMD pattern gets applied to candles, sessions, and intraday windows like 10am NY.
What are accumulation, manipulation and distribution?
Accumulation is the range where positions get built. Manipulation is the false break beyond that range that sweeps stops and traps traders (the Judas swing). Distribution is the real directional move that follows, usually toward the opposite pool of liquidity.
Does the 10am PO3 strategy actually work?
It depends entirely on how strictly you define each phase, which is why no honest answer exists without a published rule set and a backtest with costs. Rather than take it on trust, define your exact version and test it. On Secuora you can replay the 10am window bar by bar, or describe the rules to the AI backtester and run them on real data.
How do I backtest or practice the 10am PO3 on Secuora?
Two ways: open the free replay demo and step through the 10:00 NY hour candle by candle, marking the accumulation range and trading the sweep and distribution with simulated orders, or type your exact PO3 rules into the AI backtester and let the deterministic engine run them on real 1-minute data with fees on.