Mack’s Mid-Morning ES Chart 06-17-2026

Prices are in a small range at the moment with light volume. Note that there will be an FOMC announcement at 1 PM CST today, so be flat before that news and do not take any new trades after 12 Noon CST. After Noon, I would wait until after the news is released and prices settle down before taking any further trades.

The news could always be a bust, but nothing can be as volatile as and FOMC rate change, so it is best to be flat going into this news announcement. I normally tell people not to take any new trades an hour prior, because sometimes there is little to no movement going into that announcement, and it is easy to get stuck in a trade that goes nowhere during that hour prior to the announcement. Play it conservatively and exit any trades prior to the 1 PM CST, and do not take any new trades after Noon CST until the news comes out and things settle down again.

Respect the range until we know more. It seems a lot of news gets leaked lately, so we could see some trending before the news, so trade what you see up until Noon CST. There are rumors floating around that a single trader opened a 7.6-million-dollar oil trade 20 mins prior to the announcement that the Strait of Hormuz would be reopening.

That is clearly insider knowledge, but it is doubtful we will ever hear another word about it. Do not believe for one minute that the markets are not manipulated through insider trading. We do not have that luxury as retail traders, so our entries must be perfect or we do not survive. Always follow the rules and stay disciplined and your trading will be better off for it.