Introduction

MarketXero Key Levels Pro is a professional-grade session-based key level indicator for NinjaTrader 8 that automatically displays critical price levels that institutional traders monitor. Unlike manual drawing tools, Key Levels Pro automatically calculates and displays previous day highs/lows, overnight ranges, weekly extremes, opening ranges, and psychological levels with sophisticated termination logic.

Key Features

• Previous Day Levels: Automatic HoD, LoD, and Close detection with accurate 4:00 PM ET capture
• Overnight Range: ONH and ONL for monitoring pre-market activity
• Weekly Levels: Previous week high (HoW) and low (LoW) for swing context
• Opening Range: Configurable ORH/ORL with visual fill zone
• Psychological Levels: Round number grid with customizable increments
• Smart Termination: TradingView-style 4-mode termination system
• Session Awareness: Proper RTH/ETH handling with accurate timezone conversion
• Universal Chart Support: Works on ANY chart type (minute, tick, range, volumetric, Renko)
• Full Customization: Per-level colors, styles, opacity, and termination behavior

What are Key Levels?

Key levels are specific price points that traders and institutions monitor for potential support, resistance, or breakout zones. These levels are derived from prior trading sessions and carry forward significance into the current day.

Core Level Types

1. Previous Day High/Low (HoD/LoD)

• The highest and lowest prices traded during the previous RTH session
• Primary support/resistance zones for day traders
• Often tested early in the session

2. Previous Day Close

• The final price at 4:00 PM ET from the previous RTH session
• Key reference point for overnight gap analysis
• Settlement price for futures contracts

3. Overnight High/Low (ONH/ONL)

• The highest and lowest prices during the overnight session (6:00 PM – 9:30 AM ET)
• Represents pre-market sentiment and institutional activity
• Breakouts beyond ONH/ONL often signal trend continuation

4. Previous Week High/Low (HoW/LoW)

• The extreme prices from the entire previous trading week
• Significant swing trading levels
• Weekly breakout/breakdown targets

5. Opening Range High/Low (ORH/ORL)

• The highest and lowest prices during the first N minutes of RTH (configurable)
• Classic Opening Range Breakout (ORB) strategy levels
• Often defines the day’s initial balance

6. Psychological Levels

• Round number prices (e.g., 6000, 6100 for ES)
• Natural support/resistance due to human behavior
• Order clustering zones

Why Key Levels Matter

Traditional Charts Show:

• Where price has been
• Basic support/resistance from pivots
• Manual drawing requirements

Key Levels Pro Reveals:

• Automatic detection of institutionally-relevant levels
• Session-specific context (RTH vs overnight)
• Smart termination when levels are breached
• Clean visual hierarchy with customizable styles

Installation & Setup

License Activation

1. Purchase subscription at portal.marketxero.com
2. Add NinjaTrader username to your portal account settings
3. Install indicator via downloaded ZIP file from portal
4. Restart NinjaTrader – license validates automatically on first load

Adding to Chart

1. Right-click chart → Indicators
2. Search for “MarketXero Key Levels Pro”
3. Click Add → Configure settings → OK
4. Key levels render as horizontal lines across your chart

Quick Start Settings

For ES/NQ Day Trading (Recommended):

• Global Termination Mode: 1stTouch
• Wait for First RTH: Enabled
• Show HoD/LoD/Close: Enabled
• Show ONH/ONL: Enabled
• Show ORH/ORL: Enabled
• Opening Range Duration: 30 minutes
• Show Psychological Levels: Enabled
• Psych Increment: 100 (for ES), 500 (for NQ)

For Swing Trading (Multi-Day Context):

• Show HoW/LoW: Enabled
• Global Termination Mode: AlwaysExtend
• Hide Terminated Lines: Disabled
• Terminated Line Opacity: 40%

Core Concepts

Session Detection

Key Levels Pro uses precise Eastern Time (ET) session boundaries:

RTH (Regular Trading Hours):

• Start: 9:30 AM ET
• End: 4:00 PM ET
• HoD, LoD, and Close are captured from this session

Overnight Session:

• Start: 6:00 PM ET (previous day)
• End: 9:30 AM ET (trading day)
• ONH and ONL are captured from this session

Weekly Session:

• Monday through Friday RTH sessions
• HoW and LoW span the entire previous week

Trading Day Logic

The indicator uses sophisticated trading day mapping:

• Sunday 6:00 PM ET onwards → Monday’s trading day
• Monday-Thursday 4:00 PM – 5:59 PM ET → Next day’s trading day
• Friday after 4:00 PM ET → Monday’s trading day (skips weekend)

Termination Logic

Lines can “terminate” when price trades through them:

• Terminated lines either hide completely or fade (based on settings)
• Active lines extend to the right edge of the chart
• Termination modes control exactly when/if lines end

Global Settings

These settings apply globally to all key levels unless overridden per-level.

Global Termination Mode

• Options: 1stTouch, TouchRthClose, AlwaysRthClose, AlwaysExtend
• Purpose: Default termination behavior for all levels
• Note: Individual levels can override this setting

Wait for First RTH Before Termination

• Purpose: Prevents overnight volume from terminating lines
• Behavior: When enabled, lines won’t terminate until reaching their first RTH session
• Use Case: Prevents Close line from terminating during overnight if price gaps through it

Hide Terminated Lines

• Purpose: Completely remove lines from chart when they terminate
• Alternative: Keep visible but faded (see Terminated Line Opacity)

Terminated Line Opacity (%)

• Range: 0% – 95%
• Purpose: Transparency for terminated lines when not hidden
• Tip: 30-50% allows you to see where levels were while focusing on active levels

Include Overnight Data (HoD/LoD)

• Purpose: Include overnight extremes in HoD/LoD calculation
• When Enabled: HoD = max(RTH high, overnight high)
• When Disabled: HoD = RTH high only (more traditional)

Include Overnight Data (HoW/LoW)

• Purpose: Include overnight extremes in weekly level calculation
• Recommendation: Keep enabled for comprehensive weekly range

Opening Range Duration (minutes)

• Range: 5 – 120 minutes
• Purpose: Defines the Opening Range period from RTH start
• Common Values: 5, 15, 30, 60 minutes

Show Labels

• Purpose: Display date and price labels on lines
• Format: “MM/DD TYPE PRICE” (e.g., “12/30 HoD 6058.25”)

Label Font Size

• Range: 8 – 24
• Tip: Use 10-12 for standard monitors, 14+ for 4K displays

High of Day (HoD)

The previous session’s highest traded price.

Show HoD

• Purpose: Toggle previous day high line visibility

Termination Mode

• Options: Global, 1stTouch, TouchRthClose, AlwaysRthClose, AlwaysExtend
• Purpose: Control how HoD line terminates

HoD Color

• Purpose: Line and label color for previous day high

HoD Line Width

• Range: 1 – 10
• Purpose: Thickness of HoD line

HoD Line Style

• Options: Solid, Dash, Dot, DashDot, DashDotDot
• Purpose: Visual pattern for HoD line

HoD Line Opacity (%)

• Range: 0% – 100%
• Purpose: Transparency of active HoD line

Show Year

• Purpose: Include year in label (MM/DD/YY vs MM/DD)

Low of Day (LoD)

The previous session’s lowest traded price.

Show LoD

• Purpose: Toggle previous day low line visibility

Termination Mode

• Options: Global, 1stTouch, TouchRthClose, AlwaysRthClose, AlwaysExtend
• Purpose: Control how LoD line terminates

LoD Color

• Purpose: Line and label color for previous day low

LoD Line Width

• Range: 1 – 10

LoD Line Style

• Options: Solid, Dash, Dot, DashDot, DashDotDot

LoD Line Opacity (%)

• Range: 0% – 100%

Show Year

• Purpose: Include year in label

Close Line

The previous session’s 4:00 PM ET closing price.

Show Close

• Purpose: Toggle previous day close line visibility

Termination Mode

• Options: Global, 1stTouch, TouchRthClose, AlwaysRthClose, AlwaysExtend
• Purpose: Control how Close line terminates
• Note: TouchRthClose is recommended since Close is often tested multiple times

Close Color

• Purpose: Line and label color for close line

Close Line Width

• Range: 1 – 10

Close Line Style

• Options: Solid, Dash, Dot, DashDot, DashDotDot

Close Line Opacity (%)

• Range: 0% – 100%

Show Year

• Purpose: Include year in label

Overnight High (ONH)

The highest price during the overnight session (6:00 PM – 9:30 AM ET).

Show ONH

• Purpose: Toggle overnight high line visibility

Termination Mode

• Options: Global, 1stTouch, TouchRthClose, AlwaysRthClose, AlwaysExtend
• Purpose: Control how ONH line terminates

ONH Color

• Purpose: Line and label color for overnight high

ONH Line Width

• Range: 1 – 10

ONH Line Style

• Options: Solid, Dash, Dot, DashDot, DashDotDot

ONH Line Opacity (%)

• Range: 0% – 100%

Show Year

• Purpose: Include year in label

Overnight Low (ONL)

The lowest price during the overnight session (6:00 PM – 9:30 AM ET).

Show ONL

• Purpose: Toggle overnight low line visibility

Termination Mode

• Options: Global, 1stTouch, TouchRthClose, AlwaysRthClose, AlwaysExtend

ONL Color

• Purpose: Line and label color for overnight low

ONL Line Width

• Range: 1 – 10

ONL Line Style

• Options: Solid, Dash, Dot, DashDot, DashDotDot

ONL Line Opacity (%)

• Range: 0% – 100%

Show Year

• Purpose: Include year in label

High of Week (HoW)

The previous week’s highest traded price across all RTH sessions.

Show HoW

• Purpose: Toggle previous week high line visibility

Termination Mode

• Options: Global, 1stTouch, TouchRthClose, AlwaysRthClose, AlwaysExtend

HoW Color

• Purpose: Line and label color for previous week high

HoW Line Width

• Range: 1 – 10

HoW Line Style

• Options: Solid, Dash, Dot, DashDot, DashDotDot
• Note: Solid line distinguishes weekly from daily levels

HoW Line Opacity (%)

• Range: 0% – 100%

Show Year

• Purpose: Include year in label

Low of Week (LoW)

The previous week’s lowest traded price across all RTH sessions.

Show LoW

• Purpose: Toggle previous week low line visibility

Termination Mode

• Options: Global, 1stTouch, TouchRthClose, AlwaysRthClose, AlwaysExtend

LoW Color

• Purpose: Line and label color for previous week low

LoW Line Width

• Range: 1 – 10

LoW Line Style

• Options: Solid, Dash, Dot, DashDot, DashDotDot

LoW Line Opacity (%)

• Range: 0% – 100%

Show Year

• Purpose: Include year in label

Opening Range High (ORH)

The highest price during the Opening Range period (first N minutes of RTH).

Show Opening Range High

• Purpose: Toggle ORH line visibility

Termination Mode

• Options: Global, 1stTouch, TouchRthClose, AlwaysRthClose, AlwaysExtend
• Purpose: ORH typically extends through the day for context

Line Color

• Purpose: Color for ORH line

Line Width

• Range: 1 – 10

Line Style

• Options: Solid, Dash, Dot, DashDot, DashDotDot

Line Opacity (%)

• Range: 0% – 100%

Show Year

• Purpose: Include year in label

Opening Range Low (ORL)

The lowest price during the Opening Range period (first N minutes of RTH).

Show Opening Range Low

• Purpose: Toggle ORL line visibility

Termination Mode

• Options: Global, 1stTouch, TouchRthClose, AlwaysRthClose, AlwaysExtend

Line Color

• Purpose: Color for ORL line

Line Width

• Range: 1 – 10

Line Style

• Options: Solid, Dash, Dot, DashDot, DashDotDot

Line Opacity (%)

• Range: 0% – 100%

Show Year

• Purpose: Include year in label

Opening Range Fill

Visual fill zone between ORH and ORL.

Show Opening Range Fill

• Purpose: Toggle fill between ORH and ORL
• Requires: Both ShowORH and ShowORL must be enabled

Fill Duration

• Options: Opening Range Duration, ExtendToRthClose
• Purpose: Control how long the fill extends

Opening Range Duration:

• Fill only spans the actual OR period (e.g., first 30 minutes)
• Shows where the OR was established

ExtendToRthClose:

• Fill extends from OR start through 4:00 PM ET
• Highlights OR zone for the entire trading day
• Most common for ORB strategies

Fill Color

• Purpose: Color for the fill zone

Fill Opacity (%)

• Range: 0% – 100%
• Tip: Keep very low (5-15%) to avoid obscuring price action

Psychological Levels

Round number price levels that act as natural support/resistance.

Show Psychological Levels

• Purpose: Toggle psych level grid visibility

Termination Mode

• Options: Global, 1stTouch, TouchRthClose, AlwaysRthClose, AlwaysExtend
• Purpose: Psych levels typically extend across entire chart

Increment

• Range: 0.0001+
• Purpose: Price spacing between psychological levels
• Examples: ES: 100 (5950, 6000, 6050…) | NQ: 500 (21000, 21500, 22000…) | CL: 1 (71, 72, 73…)

Levels Above/Below

• Range: 0 – 20
• Purpose: Number of levels drawn above and below current price
• Total Lines: (Levels Above/Below × 2) + 1

Line Color

• Purpose: Color for psych level lines

Line Width

• Range: 1 – 10

Line Style

• Options: Solid, Dash, Dot, DashDot, DashDotDot

Line Opacity (%)

• Range: 0% – 100%

Show Labels

• Purpose: Display price value on psych levels
• Format: Price only (no date prefix)

Termination Modes Explained

Key Levels Pro uses a 4-mode termination system matching TradingView’s approach:

1stTouch

Behavior: Line terminates immediately when price first trades through the level.

Best For:

• Clean charts with minimal clutter
• Identifying which levels have already been “used”
• Aggressive traders who only care about active levels

Example: HoD at 6050 – line ends the moment any bar trades at or above 6050.

TouchRthClose

Behavior: Line extends to RTH close (4:00 PM ET) if touched during the session.

Best For:

• Levels that may be tested multiple times
• Close line (often revisited)
• Traders who want to see where levels were even after breach

Example: Close at 6000 touched at 10:30 AM – line remains visible until 4:00 PM.

AlwaysRthClose

Behavior: Line always terminates at RTH close, regardless of whether it was touched.

Best For:

• Daily levels that should reset each session
• Opening Range levels (inherently single-day)
• Clean daily reset workflow

Example: ORH created at 10:00 AM – line visible until 4:00 PM, then disappears.

AlwaysExtend

Behavior: Line never terminates, extends indefinitely to the right.

Best For:

• Weekly levels (HoW/LoW)
• Psychological levels
• Historical context analysis

Example: HoW at 6100 – line extends across all future sessions until manually disabled.

Wait for First RTH

Special Modifier: When enabled, prevents ANY termination until the line reaches its first RTH session start.

Why It Matters:

• Close line created at 4:00 PM – without this, overnight gap through the level would terminate it immediately
• With this enabled, line survives overnight and only terminates during RTH if touched

Troubleshooting

Lines Not Appearing

1. Check visibility toggles: Ensure “Show [Level]” is enabled for desired levels
2. Check price range: Zoom chart to include historical price levels
3. Check data: Ensure chart has sufficient historical data for previous day/week
4. Verify license: Check NinjaTrader output window for license validation messages

Incorrect Session Times

1. Verify timezone: Indicator uses Eastern Time (ET) – ensure system clock is correct
2. Check DST: During Daylight Saving Time, ET adjusts automatically
3. Custom sessions: Indicator assumes standard ES/NQ RTH (9:30 AM – 4:00 PM ET)

Lines Terminating Too Early

1. Check “Wait for First RTH”: Enable this setting to prevent overnight termination
2. Verify Termination Mode: Ensure Global or per-level mode is set correctly
3. Consider TouchRthClose: This mode keeps lines visible longer than 1stTouch

Lines Not Terminating

1. Check Termination Mode: Ensure it’s not set to AlwaysExtend
2. Verify price touched level: Termination only occurs when price actually trades at the level
3. Check “Wait for First RTH”: If enabled, termination won’t occur until RTH starts

Opening Range Not Appearing

1. Wait for OR period to complete: ORH/ORL only display after the full OR duration passes
2. Check OR Duration setting: Ensure it’s configured (default 30 minutes)
3. RTH must have started: OR only calculates during RTH session

Psychological Levels in Wrong Place

1. Adjust Increment: Set appropriate value for your instrument (100 for ES, 500 for NQ)
2. Check Levels Above/Below: Increase if you don’t see enough levels
3. Price moved: Psych levels auto-adjust based on current price

Pro Tips

Combining with Volume Profile

Key Levels Pro pairs perfectly with Volume Profile Pro:

• HoD/LoD + POC: When HoD aligns with previous POC = strong resistance
• Close + VAH/VAL: Close within prior Value Area = balanced open expected
• ONH/ONL + LVN: Overnight levels at LVN = high-probability breakout zone
• ORH/ORL + POC: OR levels near POC = significant acceptance zone

Template Saving

After configuring Key Levels Pro to your preferences:

1. Right-click the configured chart
2. Select Templates → Save As…
3. Save as your default workspace template
4. Apply to all charts for consistent setup