Who This Is For
- NQ traders building a preparation routine before the open.
- Traders learning to connect price levels with written entry rules.
- Anyone reviewing trades against a consistent checklist.
Levels Glossary
PDH, PDL, ONH and ONL: NQ Price Levels Explained
PDH and PDL are the previous day's high and low. ONH and ONL are the overnight high and low. Learn how traders use these reference levels.
Market Health command center showing NQ context, levels, and bias.
What You Will Learn
Start with these essentials
- PDH/PDL are prior day extremes.
- ONH/ONL are overnight boundaries.
- Levels guide scenarios, not guarantees.
Before You Use This Guide
- This guide does not provide guaranteed market predictions.
- This guide does not replace a trade plan, stop, or position-size limit.
The Problem This Guide Helps You Solve
Knowing an abbreviation is only the first step. Decide what you would watch for if price holds a level, breaks beyond it, or returns inside it.
Level Usage
Work through these checks in order. The examples explain a process; they are not instructions to place a trade.
1. Mark
Mark the previous-day high and low and the overnight high and low. Check the session and timezone definitions used by your chart.
2. Observe
Observe whether price stays beyond a level, turns away from it, or briefly crosses it and returns.
3. Respond
Compare that behavior with the plan you wrote before the session. A level by itself does not tell you to buy or sell.
Level Reads
PDH Sweep Fails
Price crosses the previous-day high and returns below it. A trader might watch for a failed-breakout pattern rather than assume the return must continue.
ONL Defended
Price crosses below the overnight low and moves back above it. Watch whether that level holds on a later test before interpreting the reaction.
Common Execution Mistakes To Avoid
- Marking levels but not defining action rules for each behavior.
- Adding too many custom levels and diluting decision quality.
- Treating every test as equal regardless of session timing.
Map PDH/PDL/ONH/ONL faster with Market Health
Review the session levels in Market Health, then mark how you would respond if price holds a level, breaks through it, or returns inside.
Explore the free Market Command Center →
Review Market Health, Nasdaq market context, and the available dashboard tools. Create a free account to use the dashboard; a market summary is not a buy or sell instruction.
Want to see analysis on your chart? Watch the Elev8+ indicator walkthrough to compare the separate TradingView subscription.
Related Guides
- Trading Discipline: A Practical Guide to Robotic Execution Learn what the free Robotic Execution ebook covers: moving stops, adding to losing trades, and building rules you can review after the session.
- NQ Premarket Bias: Build a Plan for Both Directions A premarket bias is a working view of market direction, not a forecast. Define what would support that view and what would make you change it.
- NQ Liquidity Sweeps: Spot the Break and Reclaim A liquidity sweep briefly moves beyond a recent high or low. Learn to distinguish a possible failed breakout from a move that keeps going.
- Free NQ Market Dashboard: What to Check Before the Open Use an NQ dashboard to review market direction, important price levels, and Nasdaq stock participation before you plan a trade.
Further Reading
About this guide
Published by Elev8+ Trading to explain trading concepts and our products. Elev8 sells the tools linked here; these guides are not independent product rankings or personalized financial advice. Chart examples illustrate a process, not audited trading results.
Dates identify substantive content updates, not a claim of independent expert review. Check current exchange, broker, and prop-firm rules before relying on a calculation. Ask a question or report a correction.
Next Step
Ready to prepare for your next session?
Use Market Health for session preparation and the free email course to learn how to read levels, signals, and potential exits.
Daily levels and context from Market Health
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