Change in state of delivery (CISD)

What it is

A change in state of delivery is a candle body closing through the opening price of the last run of opposite-direction candles. In a fall, find the series of down-close candles that made the latest low; the open of the first one is the CISD level. A body close back above it says price has switched from delivering lower to delivering higher.

Unlike a market structure shift, it does not need a swing to break, so it usually fires earlier. Many traders use the CISD as the alert and the MSS as the confirmation. It comes from ICT's more recent teaching, and the TTrades fractal model uses it as its trigger.

How to spot it

• Find the last run of candles in the current direction (all down-close in a fall).
• Mark the open of the first candle in that run.
• Wait for a candle body to close beyond that level. A wick through it does not count.

How to use it

• At a liquidity sweep or a higher-timeframe zone, use the CISD as the first sign that the reversal has begun.
• Either enter on the pullback after it, or wait for the MSS if you want more confirmation and accept a worse price.

Common mistakes

• Taking every CISD in the middle of a range; it matters at a sweep or a key level.
• Measuring from the wrong candle: it is the open of the first candle of the last run, not the swing high.

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