Opening Range Breakout for NinjaTrader 8
Automatically marks the high and low of the pre-market opening range before the cash session opens. Draws a visible range box with a midline that extends throughout the trading day, giving you clear reference levels for breakout and fade setups.
See It in Action
Watch how the Opening Range Breakout indicator marks key levels and provides trading context on your NinjaTrader charts.
The Pre-Market Range, Visualized
The hour before the cash market opens often establishes key levels that influence the entire trading session. This indicator captures that range automatically and projects the levels throughout the day.
Marks the Opening Range High & Low
At the end of the configured time window (default: 9:00-10:00 AM ET), the indicator draws a shaded box showing the highest high and lowest low. These levels extend to your configured end time so you can reference them throughout the session.
Draws the Midline
A dashed line marks the middle of the opening range and extends beyond the box. Many traders watch for price to test and react to this midpoint as a reference for intraday mean reversion or trend continuation.
Visual Range Box
Unlike simple line-based indicators, the AM-ORB draws a filled box that clearly shows the contested zone from the pre-market session. This visual representation makes it easy to see when price is inside, above, or below the opening range.
Timezone-Aware
Times are specified in Eastern Time (ET) and automatically converted to your NinjaTrader timezone settings. Whether you're trading from Europe, Asia, or anywhere else, the indicator handles the conversion correctly.
Common Trading Applications
The Opening Range provides objective reference points from the pre-market session. Here's how traders typically incorporate these levels into their decision-making.
Breakout Trades
When price breaks above the ORB High or below the ORB Low with momentum after the cash market opens, some traders look for continuation in that direction. A break of the pre-market range suggests the market has accepted prices outside the early balance zone, often leading to directional moves.
- Entry: After price closes outside the ORB range with conviction
- Stop: Just inside the ORB range
- Target: Prior day high/low or measured move
Fade the Failed Breakout
Not every break of the opening range leads to continuation. When price pokes outside the range but quickly returns inside, some traders interpret this as a failed breakout and look to trade in the opposite direction. The midpoint becomes a natural first target for these reversal plays.
- Look for a wick beyond the ORB level with a close back inside
- Target the ORB midpoint or opposite ORB extreme
- Works best in choppy, rotational market conditions
Midpoint as Value
Throughout the session, the ORB midpoint serves as a value area reference. When price moves away from the midpoint and returns to test it, some traders use this as a decision point—either expecting a bounce (mean reversion) or a break through (continuation of trend).
- Use in combination with other confluence (VWAP, prior day levels)
- Provides a simple above/below directional bias for the session
- Good for quick scalps when price revisits the midpoint
On Real Futures Charts
See how the Opening Range Breakout indicator looks on ES and NQ futures across different days and market conditions.
Indicator Settings
Customize the indicator to match your trading preferences.
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Start Time (ET) | 09:00 | When the ORB calculation begins |
| End Time (ET) | 10:00 | When the ORB range is finalized |
| Extend Lines Until (ET) | 16:00 | Lines and midpoint stop drawing after this time |
| ORB Color | Tan | Color for the range box, lines, and midline |
When the ORB calculation begins
When the ORB range is finalized
Lines and midpoint stop drawing after this time
Color for the range box, lines, and midline
What Users Say
Trusted by futures traders worldwide
This is part of my morning routine now. Used to draw these levels by hand every single day—now they're already there when I open my chart.
Having that 8-9 AM range marked out with the extension levels gives me reference points for the whole day. Pretty simple but super useful.
That midpoint level is great for catching reversals after the morning push. Works exactly like it should, no issues.
I run this with the IB indicator to get the full morning picture. AM ORB shows premarket structure, IB shows the first 5 mins—together they set up the whole day.
Great for spotting failed breakouts. When price pokes out of the box and gets sucked back in, that's usually a solid fade setup.
Timezone stuff works perfect. I trade from Europe and the levels always line up with what US traders see. No more screwing up the time zone math.
NinjaTrader Indicator Pricing & Packages
Choose the option that works best for your trading needs. All purchases include free lifetime updates and personal support from a fellow trader.
Single Indicator
Focus on one powerful tool that gives you a precise edge in identifying trading setups.
$49 /one-time
- 1 Indicator
- Lifetime updates
- Email support
Traders Complete Bundle
Complete suite of professional trading tools for serious futures traders. Get all current indicators plus every new indicator released in the future.
$299 /one-time $980
- 5 Core Indicators
- Initial Balance (IB), Intraday Key Levels, Inverse Fair Value Gap (iFVG), Opening Range Breakout (ORB), Overnight Sessions
- All Advanced Indicators
- Delta Profile, Dynamic Standard Deviations, Profit Forecast, Relative Volume (RVOL), Session-Anchored-VWAP
- All future indicators
- Lifetime updates
- Priority email support
Traders Starter Bundle
$149 /one-time $245
- 5 Core indicators
- Initial Balance (IB), Intraday Key Levels, Inverse Fair Value Gap (iFVG), Opening Range Breakout (ORB), Overnight Sessions
- Lifetime updates
- Priority email support
Common Questions
- The Opening Range (ORB) is the price range established during the pre-market session before the cash market opens. The default configuration uses 9:00-10:00 AM ET, capturing the hour before the NYSE opens at 9:30. This range often reflects overnight positioning and institutional activity, making it a valuable reference for the regular trading session.
- Yes. You can set any start and end time in the indicator settings. Some traders use 8:00-9:00 AM, others use 9:00-9:30 AM to capture just the final pre-market period. The indicator calculates the high/low and midpoint based on whatever time window you configure.
- Both indicators track opening ranges, but they serve different purposes. The AM-ORB tracks the pre-market range (typically 9:00-10:00 AM ET) before the cash market opens and draws a visual box with a midline. The Initial Balance tracks the first 5 minutes after the market opens (9:30-9:35 AM ET) and calculates percentage-based extension levels. Many traders use both for complete morning session context.
- The midline is simply the midpoint between the opening range high and low. If the ORB High is 5000 and the ORB Low is 4990, the midline would be at 4995. This level extends beyond the range box to your configured end time.
- The indicator works on any instrument in NinjaTrader 8—futures, stocks, forex, or crypto. It's most commonly used on index futures (ES, NQ, YM, RTY) where the pre-market session provides meaningful price discovery before the regular session begins.
Frame Your Trading Day with the Opening Range
The Opening Range gives you objective levels from the pre-market session. No more manually drawing boxes or calculating midpoints—it's all automated.
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Testimonials appearing on this website may not be representative of other clients or customers and is not a guarantee of future performance or success.
Hypothetical performance results have many inherent limitations, some of which are described below. No representation is being made that any account will or is likely to achieve profits or losses similar to those shown; in fact, there are frequently sharp differences between hypothetical performance results and the actual results subsequently achieved by any particular trading program. One of the limitations of hypothetical performance results is that they are generally prepared with the benefit of hindsight. In addition, hypothetical trading does not involve financial risk, and no hypothetical trading record can completely account for the impact of financial risk of actual trading. For example, the ability to withstand losses or to adhere to a particular trading program in spite of trading losses are material points which can also adversely affect actual trading results. There are numerous other factors related to the markets in general or to the implementation of any specific trading program which cannot be fully accounted for in the preparation of hypothetical performance results and all which can adversely affect trading results.