Relative Equal Highs / Relative Equal Lows
Also: relative equal highs, relative equal lows, REH, REL, double top (ICT context), double bottom (ICT context), equal highs, equal lows
Relative Equal Highs are two or more swing highs at approximately the same price level. Relative Equal Lows are two or more swing lows at approximately the same price level. While retail technical analysis interprets these as resistance (equal highs) or support (equal lows), ICT treats them as liquidity pools — concentrations of stop orders that the algorithm will seek to run. Buy stops accumulate above relative equal highs (retail traders with shorts place stops above what they perceive as double-top resistance; breakout traders place buy stops above the level). Sell stops accumulate below relative equal lows. The ICT model anticipates that price will run through these levels to collect that liquidity, NOT respect them as support/resistance. After the liquidity run, price typically reverses sharply (the stops have been paired with institutional orders). Relative equal highs/lows are targets for the algorithm before a reversal, not barriers that will hold.
Identification6
- Identify two or more swing highs within approximately 2–5 price points / pips of each other — these are relative equal highs.
- Identify two or more swing lows within approximately 2–5 price points / pips of each other — these are relative equal lows.
- The proximity does not need to be exact — 'relative' equal means approximate, not tick-for-tick identical.
- Retail traders will see these as double tops (resistance) or double bottoms (support) and trade accordingly — placing stops above equal highs or below equal lows.
- ICT interpretation: those stops (buy stops above equal highs, sell stops below equal lows) are the liquidity the algorithm is targeting.
- Mark the level with a horizontal line at the equal high/low and anticipate price will trade through it to run those stops.
Entry3
- Bearish entry: after equal highs are run (buy stops swept above equal highs), look for a bearish FVG or order block to form and enter short.
- Bullish entry: after equal lows are run (sell stops swept below equal lows), look for a bullish FVG or order block to form and enter long.
- Do NOT enter the moment equal highs/lows are reached — wait for evidence of reversal (MSS, FVG formation) after the run.
Target2
- After a bullish entry following equal low run: target the relative equal highs above (next buy-side liquidity pool).
- After a bearish entry following equal high run: target the relative equal lows below (next sell-side liquidity pool).
Invalidation1
- Price trades through the equal highs/lows and continues in the breakout direction without reverting — the level acted as a genuine breakout rather than a liquidity run. This occurs when the higher-timeframe bias aligns with the breakout direction and there is no opposing draw.
Inferred Conditions (Unvalidated)
- Relative equal highs/lows are the most common liquidity pools referenced in the 2022 mentorship for ES/NQ. ICT frequently points to them as buy-side liquidity (buy stops above) or sell-side liquidity (sell stops below) targets.
- The retail interpretation (resistance/support at double tops/bottoms) is explicitly the wrong mental model — those levels attract price precisely because retail stops are there.
- Ep 13: 'Retail Monday traders are going to see that and say, Oh, this is exactly what the textbooks say about resistance. So it's acting as a ceiling. Price acting like a ceiling. What should they expect to see price to go over?'
ICT Quotes
"Notice this high, this high — it creates what? Relatively equal highs. Retail Monday traders are going to see that and say, 'Oh, this is exactly what the textbook says about resistance. So it's acting as a ceiling.' Price acting like a ceiling. What should they expect to see price do? Go over."
"Above these relative equal highs we have what? Buy-side liquidity. So I'm thinking that the algorithm is not letting price go lower. So it's going after everyone that's been profitable going short. So where are their stops?"
"The relative equalizer — you see that? It's gonna go quick and dirty tonight. Alright, so we have relatively close marked out over here. The market has traded down through and created a run higher."
Timeframes
Version History3 versions
ICT YT - 2022-02-26 - ICT Mentorship 2022 Episode 13.srt
""Retail traders are going to see that and say it's resistance. Price acting like a ceiling. What should they expect to see price do? Go over. Because above it there are buy stops — buy-side liquidity.…"
Concept formalized in 2022 mentorship for index futures. The term "relative equal highs/lows" distinguishes approximate double-top/bottom formations from mathematically exact ones. The ICT interpretation (liquidity pool, not resistance/ support) is explicitly contrasted with retail technical analysis interpretation.
22 - ICT 2026 Smart Money Concepts Lecture ⧹ January 12, 2026.en.srt
"engineered liquidity. Now, engineered liquidity is where the market will run to an obvious level. Okay? And now when I say obvious, that is synonymous with retail."
2026 HIGH-PROBABILITY INDICATOR: ICT teaches that relative equal highs are highest probability for a liquidity run when the right-side high is LOWER than the left-side high. This creates the "retail trap" — it looks like classic textbook resistance (price couldn't get as high the second time), which encourages shorts with stops above. ICT also introduces the term "engineered liquidity" for this setup: the market deliberately leaves smooth/obvious highs or lows to accumulate stops before running them. When these smooth levels form during overnight sessions (Asian session, 7 PM to 5 AM ET), they become targets for pre-market session (7 AM) or opening range trading.
24 - ICT 2026 Smart Money Concepts Lecture ⧹ January 02, 2026.en.srt
"these relative equal highs. What makes a high probability or a good candidate for it to be rated? Because the right hand side low is slightly lower than that one. So the relative equal buy side's rest…"
2026 RIGHT-SIDE LOWER RULE: ICT explicitly provides a quality filter for relative equal highs — the right-side high being slightly lower than the left-side high makes it a "good candidate" for a liquidity run. This creates the retail trap appearance (descending resistance) while concentrating buy stops above both highs.
Notes
The concept of relative equal highs/lows as liquidity pools was implicitly present in earlier ICT content (the 2016–2017 teachings reference "buy stops above old highs" and "sell stops below old lows"). The 2022 mentorship formalizes the term "relative equal highs/lows" and makes the contrast with retail double-top/bottom analysis explicit. This concept is related to the liquidity-pool.yaml if it exists — check for overlap. The distinction: a "liquidity pool" is the broader category; "relative equal highs/lows" is the specific visual pattern that creates the liquidity pool. See also: external-range-liquidity.yaml, market-efficiency-paradigm.yaml
Asymmetry Notes
Symmetrical. Relative equal highs = buy stops above = algorithm targets to run them before reversing lower. Relative equal lows = sell stops below = algorithm targets to run them before reversing higher.