At a glance
The short version
SMT divergence is a comparison, so it needs two charts. When NAS100 makes a higher high and SP500 does not, one of them is lying about strength — that crack is the signal ICT traders trade. Most tools fake it with a single chart and a guess. CRTLAB replays both markets side by side, in lockstep, and its SMT marker only fires when the paired market's own candles confirm the divergence.
Two charts that move as one
Open a second market beside yours from the top bar or the chart's right-click menu. The second chart is an exact mirror: same timeframe, same zoom, same scroll, same current candle — zoom, scroll, switch timeframe or replay on your chart and the other follows with no lag, and both forming candles build together.
Hover a candle on your chart and the same moment is boxed on the second one, with an arrow at the swing, so you compare the right two highs rather than two that merely look close.
An SMT marker that checks the other market
The SMT concept reads the paired market's real candles and marks a divergence only when: your market confirms a swing and its previous swing of the same side is close enough to compare; the paired market has candles at both swing times and its swing there is confirmed too; and one market makes the higher high (or lower low) while the other does not.
Every candle it judges is at or before your replay cursor — it never peeks forward to see which market was right. Pairs: NAS100 ↔ SP500, US30 ↔ NAS100, EURUSD ↔ GBPUSD, gold ↔ silver, Bitcoin ↔ Ethereum, and the New York session versions of the US indices.
Testing SMT so the result means something
Decide your SMT rule before you start: which timeframe, which swing size, and whether it has to happen at a key level or in a killzone. Then step through and log every divergence, taken or not, with what price did next. SMT on its own fires often; SMT at a liquidity sweep inside the New York session is a different trade, and only a count tells you whether it is a better one.
Frequently asked questions
Is the SMT divergence backtester free?
CRTLAB is free to try. You get the synced second chart and the SMT marker on every pair, with every tool the product has, for your first 10,000 candles of replay — roughly two hours of stepping through a chart, no card needed. After the sample, unlimited replay is $14.99 a month, cancel any time.
Which pairs does SMT work on?
NAS100 with SP500, US30 with NAS100, EURUSD with GBPUSD, XAUUSD with XAGUSD, BTCUSD with ETHUSD, and the NY-session versions of the US indices.
Does the SMT marker repaint?
No. Both markets' swings must be confirmed using only candles up to the replay cursor.
Can I watch both charts at once while replaying?
Yes. The second chart mirrors your chart's timeframe, zoom, scroll and current candle in real time, with both candles forming together.