Institutional
Foundations
Understanding the Market. The first volume of the FinLeap curriculum — six chapters covering how markets function, why prices move, and how professional participants think before they trade.
Understanding before execution.
Most people enter the markets searching for the best indicator or the perfect strategy. Professional traders begin somewhere else entirely — by understanding the market itself.
Volume I builds that understanding systematically: what markets are, who participates in them, how structure and liquidity work, what technical analysis can and cannot tell you, how to manage risk, and how professional discipline is developed and maintained.
This volume is issued to every student at their first session and is included in the programme fee.
On completing Volume I, you will be able to:
- Explain what financial markets are and why they exist
- Identify the major asset classes and market participants
- Distinguish retail behaviour from institutional behaviour
- Read market structure, trends, BOS and CHoCH
- Locate internal, external, buy-side and sell-side liquidity
- Apply technical tools as confluence rather than prediction
- Calculate risk per trade and size positions correctly
- Understand probability, expectancy and drawdown
- Write and follow a structured trade plan
- Recognise cognitive biases affecting your own decisions
Six chapters.
Each chapter closes with a summary and a knowledge check. Progress is assessed against demonstrated competency.
Becoming an Institutional Market Participant
- Introduction to Financial Markets
- Why Financial Markets Exist
- Major Asset Classes
- Market Participants
- Retail vs Institutional Participants
- Institutional Mindset
- Ethics & Professional Conduct
Understanding Market Behaviour
- Supply & Demand
- Auction Market Theory
- Market Cycles
- Market Sentiment
- Volatility & Momentum
- Reading Market Behaviour
Market Structure & Liquidity
- Market Structure
- Trends & Trend Identification
- Break of Structure (BOS)
- Change of Character (CHoCH)
- Liquidity Concepts
- Internal & External Liquidity
- Buy-side & Sell-side Liquidity
Technical Analysis Fundamentals
- Introduction to Technical Analysis
- Support & Resistance
- Fibonacci
- Exponential Moving Average (EMA)
- Stochastic Oscillator
- Candlestick Patterns
- Chart Patterns
- Building Trade Confluence
- Professional Trade Checklist
Risk Management & Professional Decision Making
- Capital Preservation
- Risk Per Trade
- Position Sizing
- Risk-to-Reward Ratio
- Probability & Expectancy
- Drawdown Management
- Trade Planning
Trading Psychology & Professional Development
- The Professional Mindset
- Emotional Discipline
- Cognitive Biases
- Building Trading Discipline
- Trading Journal
- Performance Review
- Continuous Improvement
- Preparing for Capital Intelligence
“The first responsibility of a trader is not to make money. It is to protect capital.”
How Volume I is delivered.
Volume I is taught across the early sessions of the programme, one-to-one. Chapters are worked through in sequence, with live chart application following each concept.
A structured Progress Review assesses Volume I competencies before execution material begins. Students who need additional time on a chapter receive it.
What is assessed.
- Market comprehension — can you explain what is happening and why
- Structural reading — can you identify structure without prompting
- Risk discipline — can you size and plan correctly, every time
- Self-awareness — can you identify your own behavioural patterns
See inside the volume.
Sample pages from both published volumes are available on the Publications page.
Begin with a consultation.
A 30-minute conversation to understand your objectives and determine whether the programme is the right fit. No obligation.