Quick answer
- An SMC indicator draws market structure for you: swing highs and lows, BOS, CHOCH and order blocks.
- The best ones also tell you which setups to take and where to exit, not just where structure broke.
- Valhalla SMC grades every setup A, B or C, draws TP1 Swing, TP2 OB and TP3 Liq the moment a setup prints, and doesn't repaint.
Smart Money Concepts work. Marking them by hand doesn't. By the time you've drawn every swing, labeled every break of structure and boxed the order blocks, the setup is gone, and half the time you've marked it differently from yesterday.
An SMC indicator should do all of that for you, the same way every time, and then tell you which setups actually deserve your attention. Here's what that looks like on TradingView.
What is an SMC indicator?
An SMC (Smart Money Concepts) indicator automatically maps market structure on your chart: swing highs and lows, BOS (break of structure, the trend continues), CHOCH (change of character, the trend shifts) and order blocks. The best SMC indicators go further: they grade each setup and draw the targets, so you know which ones to take and where to get out. On TradingView, Valhalla SMC does exactly that.
Why is marking SMC by hand so hard?
- It's subjective. Which swing counts? Which candle is the order block? Two traders mark the same chart two different ways.
- It's slow. Structure changes every few candles. Re-drawing it on every market and timeframe eats your whole session.
- It's emotional. After a loss, you start "seeing" structure that isn't there.
- It doesn't tell you what to do. A CHOCH on its own isn't a trade plan. You still need an entry, targets and an invalidation.
How does Valhalla SMC map market structure?
Press play and watch a trend shift unfold candle by candle: bearish structure, two breaks of structure, then the CHOCH, the graded label and the plan.
[[widget:smc-replay market=XAUUSD tf=15m]]
1. BOS and CHOCH, drawn for you
Valhalla SMC tracks swings and draws every break automatically. A thin BOS line means the trend continued. A gold CHOCH line means the trend just changed character. No more arguing with yourself about which swing counts.
2. Every setup graded A, B or C
This is the part manual SMC can't give you. Every setup gets a grade: A = high conviction, B = standard, C = low conviction. Want a cleaner chart? Set Minimum Grade to Show to B (or A) and the weaker setups disappear.
Start with the A and B setups. That's the advice we give every new member: they're the highest-conviction structure shifts and pullbacks on the chart.
3. Two entry types: catch the turn or join the trend
- BULL / BEAR + grade = a reversal entry, printed on the CHOCH.
- BUY / SELL + grade = a continuation entry, when price pulls back to the trend band after the CHOCH.
The label prints on the candle that breaks structure, once that candle closes. It's never placed back in time.
4. The trade plan is on the chart the moment the setup prints
Each new label comes with a grey entry line and up to three targets built from real chart levels:
- TP1 Swing: the nearest swing beyond the entry,
- TP2 OB: the edge of the nearest opposing order block,
- TP3 Liq: the nearest untaken 4h or daily high/low, where the liquidity sits.
If a level doesn't exist, it's skipped. Prefer fixed reward-to-risk? Switch to Fixed R mode (0.5R / 1R / 1.5R by default). The invalidation is the swing that created the CHOCH, and you can show the stop line with one setting.
5. Order blocks with strength and volume
BULL OB and BEAR OB boxes mark the zones where the move started, with their strength (+, ++, +++) and volume. Once price moves through a block, it disappears, so your chart only shows the zones that still matter.
6. Read the whole market in one second
- A 3-line trend band: cyan below price when bullish, red above when bearish.
- Clarity candles: cyan in bullish structure, red in bearish, orange/purple when price is reacting at the band (where continuation setups form).
- A dashboard with the trend, trend age (FRESH / MID / OLD), the session (Asia / London / New York) and the multi-timeframe bias (1h / 4h / D).
What is the most important SMC setting?
Time Horizon. It decides which swings count as structure (range 3 to 40, default 10). A low value gives you short-term structure and more labels. A higher value, like 40, only counts bigger swings: fewer labels, longer trends. Same chart, one setting, a completely different story. If you prefer longer trends, try 40 and compare.
Valhalla SMC vs marking SMC by hand
[[widget:compare-table left=Marking_SMC_by_hand right=Valhalla_SMC]]
- BOS and CHOCH — You draw every swing yourself — Drawn automatically, the same way every time
- Which setups to take — Gut feeling — Graded A, B or C
- Targets — You guess — TP1 Swing, TP2 OB, TP3 Liq on the chart
- Order blocks — Boxes you have to clean up — Strength + volume, removed once taken
- Trend at a glance — Flip between timeframes — Band, candles and MTF dashboard
- Alerts — None — BULL, BEAR, BOS and continuation alerts
How do you set up SMC alerts on TradingView?
- Add Valhalla SMC from Indicators → Invite-only scripts.
- Pick your Time Horizon and, if you want, set Minimum Grade to Show to B.
- Create an alert and pick the conditions by name: BULL, BEAR, BOS Bullish, BOS Bearish, Continuation BUY or Continuation SELL. Start with BULL and BEAR.
Valhalla SMC is included with every Valhalla plan, together with the main Valhalla Indicator and the Valhalla Scalper. And like the rest of the suite, it doesn't repaint. Full details are in the SMC docs.
FAQ
What is the best SMC indicator for TradingView?
The best SMC indicator draws BOS, CHOCH and order blocks automatically, grades each setup and gives you the targets. Valhalla SMC grades every setup A, B or C, draws TP1 Swing, TP2 OB and TP3 Liq the moment a setup prints, and shows the trend, trend age, session and multi-timeframe bias in one dashboard.
What is the difference between BOS and CHOCH?
A BOS (break of structure) is a break in the direction of the current trend, so the trend continues. A CHOCH (change of character) is the first break against the trend, so the trend may be shifting. Valhalla SMC draws BOS as a thin line and CHOCH as a gold line.
Does Valhalla SMC repaint?
No. A BULL or BEAR label prints on the candle that broke structure, once that candle closes, and it stays there. It's never moved back in time.
What do the A, B and C grades mean?
A is a high-conviction setup, B is standard and C is low conviction. Most traders start with A and B only, using the Minimum Grade to Show setting.
Which Time Horizon should I use?
The default is 10. Lower values show short-term structure and more setups; higher values, up to 40, focus on bigger swings and longer trends. Compare 10 and 40 on your market and keep the one that fits your style.
Which markets does Valhalla SMC work on?
Any market on TradingView: gold, forex, indices, futures, stocks and crypto, on any timeframe.
Stop chasing moves. Plan them.
Get the next entry, three targets and a stop on your chart before price gets there, on crypto, stocks, indices, forex and gold.
Get Valhalla now →Every plan has a 7-day money-back guarantee.