Friday, March 13, 2026 - Tony's Pre-Market Playbook
Bulls on Noticeby Tony Rago Bulls are stepping into today’s session with some clear lines in the sand. On ES, the 6688–6685 zone is the area to watch — a pocket of support where buyers need to show up and stabilize price. When markets are under pressure, levels like this often become decision points: hold…
Thursday, March 12, 2026 - Tony's Pre-Market Playbook
Crude Driving the Tapeby Tony Rago Right now this tape is moving hand-in-hand with crude. It’s been a clear push-pull dynamic: when crude catches a bid, futures tend to soften, and when crude dips, equities find room to rip. That intermarket relationship is setting the tone early, so it’s worth keeping crude on the screen…
Wednesday, March 11, 2026 - Tony's Pre-Market Playbook
Wide Ranges, Big Wavesby Tony Rago We’re right back inside those wide sideways zones, and the ranges remain big. With the VIX still sitting above 25, volatility hasn’t exactly packed its bags — which means we could easily see some larger waves again today. Bulls did their job yesterday by holding the line, but now…
Tuesday, March 10, 2026 - Tony's Pre-Market Playbook
Relief Rally — Now It’s About Follow-Throughby Tony Rago Markets ripped higher yesterday on headlines suggesting the war could be nearing an end, sparking a powerful relief rally across the board. NQ exploded more than 1,000 points off the lows and powered all the way back toward the 25,000 level — a major psychological area…
Monday, March 9, 2026 - Tony's Pre-Market Playbook
Crude Over $100 — Volatility Is Backby Tony Rago The big macro driver this morning is crude oil pushing through the $100 level, and that move is bleeding into everything across the board. Higher energy prices tend to ripple through markets quickly — impacting inflation expectations, sentiment, and risk appetite. Equity futures initially gapped down…
Map It Before Monday
Hey trader, Tuesday morning, the NQ opened into a firestorm. Yet, I managed to avoid any serious pain. And it’s a lesson I want to share with you today. The VIX was above 25, and the overnight range had already carved out 641 handles. Bars on the five-minute chart were printing 100 points each. I…
Friday, March 6, 2026 - Tony's Pre-Market Playbook
Volatility Spike After Payrollsby Tony Rago The payroll numbers are out, and the market’s initial reaction is clearly risk-off. Futures slipped quickly on the release while the VIX pushed above 26 — a level that tends to signal elevated fear and faster price movement across the board. When volatility spikes like this, intraday ranges often…
Thursday, March 5, 2026 - Tony's Pre-Market Playbook
Holding the Line — Bulls Test Momentumby Tony Rago Bulls managed to hold the rally through yesterday’s session, which now sets the stage for an important follow-through test today. On the board, the key level for me on NQ is 25,000, with 24,912 acting as the true line in the sand. If buyers can keep…
Wednesday, March 4, 2026 - Tony's Pre-Market Playbook
Hold the Weekly Opensby Tony Rago Bulls are working to keep price pinned above the weekly opens — 6,820 on ES and 24,682 on NQ. Those levels matter because the weekly open often acts as a sentiment line in the sand; hold above it and buyers maintain control, lose it and momentum can shift quickly.…
Tuesday, March 3, 2026 - Tony's Pre-Market Playbook
First of the Month Whiplash by Tony Rago Big jam job to kick off the new month — and then the rug gets pulled overnight. We sold off hard, took out yesterday’s lows, and now ES is trading under 6800 with NQ pressing into 25,500. That’s a notable shift in tone. When you see prior lows…