T.G.I.F. Setup
Also: TGIF, Thank God It's Friday Setup, TGIF Model, End-of-Week Range Model
Visual Context Required
This concept requires chart visuals for full understanding.
T.G.I.F. (Thank God It's Friday) is a date-based algorithmic ICT trading model designed for end-of-week range retracement on Fridays only. Core premise: After a directional week where price has moved strongly in one direction and reached (or is near) a higher-timeframe premium or discount array, Friday afternoon tends to deliver a mean reversion of 20–30% of the entire week's range. This retracement provides a tradeable short-term move. Measurement: - Bullish week: Draw a Fibonacci from the weekly high (0) to the weekly low (1.0). The 0.2 and 0.3 levels mark the TGIF target zone (20–30% of the weekly range measured down from the weekly high). - Bearish week: Draw a Fibonacci from the weekly low (0) to the weekly high (1.0). The 0.2 and 0.3 levels mark the TGIF target zone (20–30% measured up from the weekly low). The sweet spot is the 20–30% retrace zone. Price may extend to 40% or more, but 20–30% is the primary expectation. The weekly high or low used in measurement is typically established by Friday morning or by 1:30–2:00 PM ET. Entry is taken during the 2:00–3:00 PM PM Session Silver Bullet window using any valid ICT entry model (2022 model, breaker block, FVG, or order block) after a lower-timeframe structure shift in the retracement direction.
Identification7
- Day of week must be Friday.
- The week has been directional — price moved significantly in one direction (bullish or bearish week).
- Price has reached or is approaching a higher-timeframe premium (bullish week) or discount (bearish week) array, suggesting an overextension.
- The weekly high (bullish week) or weekly low (bearish week) has been established by Friday morning or by 1:30–2:00 PM ET.
- Measure the weekly range: draw Fibonacci from weekly high to weekly low.
- Identify the 0.2 and 0.3 Fibonacci levels — this is the TGIF target zone.
- Look for a lower-timeframe setup (structure shift + FVG or entry trigger) in the 2–3 PM Silver Bullet window to initiate the retracement trade.
Entry5
- Use the 2–3 PM PM Session Silver Bullet window as the primary entry trigger.
- Within the window, a shift in market structure on 1m–5m followed by a FVG confirms the entry direction (bearish for bullish-week TGIF; bullish for bearish-week TGIF).
- Any 2022 ICT entry model is valid: breaker block, FVG re-entry, OTE retracement from the day's high/low.
- Short entry (bullish week TGIF): sell into weakness after AM session high is established, targeting the 20–30% retrace zone.
- Long entry (bearish week TGIF): buy into strength after AM session low is established, targeting the 20–30% retrace zone.
Stop3
- Above the weekly high (for bearish/short TGIF trade).
- Below the weekly low (for bullish/long TGIF trade).
- A tight stop above/below the PM session structure shift high/low is also acceptable.
Target3
- Primary target: 0.2 Fibonacci level of the weekly range (20% retracement).
- Secondary target: 0.3 Fibonacci level of the weekly range (30% retracement).
- Extended target: 0.4 Fibonacci level — this level may be reached but is not the primary expectation.
Invalidation6
- Day is not Friday — setup does not apply.
- The week has been range-bound (no clear directional weekly range) — TGIF premise is weakened.
- The weekly extreme has not been established before the entry window — the range measurement is incomplete.
- Higher-timeframe context does not support a reversal (e.g., extremely strong trend with no premium/discount array in sight).
- Price has already retraced more than 40% of the weekly range before the PM window — the move has already delivered.
- DISREGARD TGIF when the market is trading at all-time highs — at all-time highs, the market can continue making new all-time highs and there is no ceiling on the weekly range. The normal 20–30% retracement expectation does not apply when price is in all-time-high discovery. (Source: Sep 20, 2025)
Inferred Conditions (Unvalidated)
- The TGIF setup is most reliable when a clear HTF PD array (e.g., daily premium FVG, weekly order block) aligns with the 20–30% retracement zone.
- The PM Silver Bullet (2–3 PM) is the canonical entry window; the ICT 'One Setup For Life' framework's PM session context (1:30–4:00 PM) provides the broader backdrop.
- Live trade example from June 20, 2023: 15 contracts NQ short at 15,357, covered at 15,280 — approximately 77 handles, within the 20–30% weekly range retrace zone.
ICT Quotes
""TGIF thank God, it's Friday, the pattern or setup is simply using 20 to 30% of the weekly range as the draw on liquidity on a Friday.""
Timeframes
Version History4 versions
ICT YT - 2023-06-20 - ICT Mentorship 2023 - T.G.I.F. Setup
Original full definition with live NQ execution example. Fibonacci measurement method and 20–30% sweet spot established. PM Silver Bullet named as entry window.
ICT YT - 2024-09-20 - ICT 2024 Mentorship - Lecture 31.srt
"because it's Friday, because it's TGIF, TGIF is a scenario I like to look for, for the weekly range, whatever the highest high in the lowest low is... it's likely to see a pullback on Friday to 20 to …"
Live-session context confirms 20–30% rule. Friday opening gap midpoint (previous day 4:14 PM close to current 9:30 AM open) shown as coincident target with TGIF zone.
ICT YT - 2024-09-27 - ICT 2024 Mentorship - Lecture 35.srt
"doing the TGIF measurement, I just take the five off and then toggle the 0.3 so what that's going to show me is 20% and 30% respectively on the range. And here's 20% retracing from the highest high th…"
Full Fibonacci technique on camera: use Fibonacci from weekly low to weekly high, toggle the 0.25 level to display 20% and the 0.3 to display 30% of the weekly range retrace. Also introduces the Monday carryover rule: if Friday fails to retrace, Monday delivers the 20–30% retracement into the prior week's range.
ICT YT - 2025-09-20 - Trading All Time Highs and Disregarding TGIF.srt
""obviously when we're at all time highs, we want to disregard the TGIF, because it can keep going and keep going and keep going.""
All-Time High exception rule: when the market is trading at all-time highs, TGIF should be disregarded entirely. The logic is that at ATH, there is no overhead resistance or reference range for a mean-reversion retracement — the market is in price discovery and can continue making new all-time highs without delivering the expected Friday retrace. The standard 20–30% retrace rule only applies when the market is within an established range, not at record highs. This is the first explicit exception condition to the TGIF rule.
Notes
No prior 2016 or 2022 TGIF content identified — this is a new 2023 model. The concept of weekly range retracement on Fridays is consistent with the 2016/2022 teachings on weekly range and algorithmic delivery cycles, but the explicit TGIF label and Fibonacci measurement rule are new. The Fibonacci is applied to the weekly range (high-to-low), NOT to any intraday swing — a common source of confusion. 2024 refinements (Lectures 31, 35): (1) Fibonacci setup: ICT uses the 0.25 and 0.3 levels explicitly ("toggle the 0.3 so what that's going to show me is 20% and 30% respectively on the range"). The 0.2 level equals 20% and 0.3 equals 30% of the weekly range retrace. (2) Monday carryover: If price does not deliver the 20–30% retrace on Friday, the expectation carries to Monday — "usually on Monday, you'll have some kind of a retracement into that previous week's range to amount of 20 to 30%." (3) Bearish-week confirmation: If bullish week, expect Friday retrace down to 20–30% zone. If bearish week, expect Friday rally up to 20–30% zone. (4) The TGIF level frequently aligns with the opening gap midpoint on Friday, making both the gap fill and the TGIF target the same price — a confluence ICT notes as "built in 70% likelihood."
Asymmetry Notes
ICT notes explicitly that the TGIF setup does NOT require price to reverse the entire weekly trend — it targets only a partial retracement. The 20–30% zone is a "sweet spot" — price sometimes does more, sometimes less. The model is algorithmic in nature (date-based), reflecting end-of-week position squaring and profit-taking by institutional players. The entry is best refined using the PM Silver Bullet rather than anticipating without a trigger.