Short Term High / Short Term Low
Also: STH, STL, short term high, short term low, 3-candle swing, swing high, swing low
A Short Term High (STH) is a 3-candle pattern where the middle candle has a higher high than BOTH the candle to its left and the candle to its right. The middle candle is the pivot candle. Symmetrically, a Short Term Low (STL) is a 3-candle pattern where the middle candle has a lower low than both its neighbors. This is the baseline swing identification method for intraday ICT analysis — the same concept as Larry Williams' market structure definition that ICT references. Short Term Highs/Lows are the raw material for identifying short-term liquidity (buy stops above STH, sell stops below STL), market structure shifts (taking an STL on a bullish MSS, or taking an STH on a bearish MSS), and for nesting within the Intermediate Term and Long Term high/low hierarchy.
Identification5
- Short Term High (STH): middle candle's HIGH is higher than the HIGH of the candle to its left AND higher than the HIGH of the candle to its right.
- Short Term Low (STL): middle candle's LOW is lower than the LOW of the candle to its left AND lower than the LOW of the candle to its right.
- Strictly 3-candle pattern — the pivot candle must be flanked by lower-high candles (STH) or higher-low candles (STL).
- The STH/STL is NOT confirmed until the third (right) candle closes — you need to see both neighbors to classify the pivot.
- ICT attributes this definition to Larry Williams in Ep 11: 'This is basically the same as what Larry Williams teaches for market structure.'
Entry4
- Buy stops rest just above STHs — these are liquidity pools for sell-side entries or targets for buy-side entries.
- Sell stops rest just below STLs — these are liquidity pools for buy-side entries or targets for sell-side entries.
- A bullish MSS requires price to take out an STL (sweep sell stops) then break above an STH (market structure shift). The STH break is the MSS trigger.
- A bearish MSS requires price to take out an STH (sweep buy stops) then break below an STL. The STL break is the MSS trigger.
Invalidation1
- The candle to the right of the potential pivot equals or exceeds the pivot high (STH) / equals or is lower than the pivot low (STL) — the pivot is not yet a confirmed STH/STL.
Inferred Conditions (Unvalidated)
- Short Term Highs and Lows are the lowest tier in the three-level hierarchy: Short Term < Intermediate Term < Long Term. An STH elevated by forming at an FVG rebalancing event becomes an Intermediate Term High.
- ICT says (Ep 11) the STH/STL concept is foundational and borrowed from Larry Williams — this establishes external academic grounding for the definition.
- The 3-candle swing definition applies on ALL timeframes — a daily STH is the same structural definition as a 5-minute STH, just at a different timeframe resolution.
ICT Quotes
"Short term high: we have a higher candle to the left, a pivot candle in the middle that's the highest, and a lower candle to the right. Short term low: lower candle to the left, pivot candle that's the lowest, and a higher candle to the right. This is the same as what Larry Williams teaches for market structure."
"We have a short term high here, a short term low below this, and we're looking for the market to take out the short term low — that sweep of sell stops — and then displace to break the short term high. That's your market structure shift."
Timeframes
Version History1 version
ICT YT - 2022-02-23 - ICT Mentorship 2022 Episode 11.srt
""Short term high: higher candle to the left, pivot candle in the middle, lower candle to the right. This is the same as what Larry Williams teaches for market structure.""
Short Term High/Low formally named and defined as the base tier of the three-level market structure hierarchy in the 2022 mentorship. ICT explicitly credits Larry Williams for this 3-candle pivot definition. Used as the trigger mechanism for Market Structure Shift identification.
Notes
ICT credits Larry Williams for this definition (Ep 11). This establishes the concept as part of established technical analysis methodology, not proprietary to ICT. The ICT-specific value-add is how STH/STL are used operationally: as liquidity pool references, as MSS triggers, and as the base tier of the ITH/ITL/LTH hierarchy. The 3-candle definition means the STH/STL cannot be confirmed in real time — only after the third candle closes. This creates a timing lag that experienced traders account for by anticipating the pivot rather than waiting for confirmation. See also: intermediate-term-high-low.yaml, market-structure-shift.yaml
Asymmetry Notes
Perfectly symmetrical 3-candle definition. STH = higher neighboring candles on both sides. STL = lower neighboring candles on both sides. The pattern is identical for all timeframes and both directions.