Suspension Block
A single candle suspended between two volume imbalances, without being a Fair Value Gap itself.
A suspension block is a single candle that acts as a support or resistance zone, on the same principle as a Fair Value Gap — without being one. It is a recent addition to the ICT body of concepts, introduced by Michael J. Huddleston in September 2025.
Its definition fits in one image: this candle has a volume imbalance above it and a volume imbalance below it — it is "suspended" between the two, with no balanced two-sided trade having taken place on either side of its body.
The nuance that sets it apart from a simple "candle sandwiched between two FVGs" is precise. A Fair Value Gap requires a wick-to-wick void, measured across three consecutive candles. A suspension block instead has a wick overlapping its body on at least one side — which is exactly what rules out an FVG forming there. What is left on both sides is a body-to-body gap: a volume imbalance, not a textbook FVG.
How to spot one, three conditions to meet: a bullish or bearish candle; its body fully clear of the neighbouring candles' bodies, above and below; and, on at least one side, the neighbouring candle's wick overlapping its body — confirming that side is a volume imbalance rather than an FVG.
Why it matters: a candle body untouched by any balanced trade above or below it concentrates, like an order block, orders that were never filled. The difference from a classic order block is the nature of the void surrounding it — here, two volume imbalances rather than a single impulsive imbalance on one side.
How do you trade it? Like other ICT zones: you wait for a Market Structure Shift confirming the direction you want, then a return of price to the suspension block — ideally within the premium or discount half of the current range depending on the trade direction — before looking for an entry.
The classic mistake: mistaking any candle wedged between two small imbalances for a suspension block. Without the wick overlap that rules out an FVG on at least one side, and without both body-to-body voids clearly identified, it is just an isolated candle with no particular status.
Second trap: treating it as a long-established, well-proven zone. This is still a young concept in the ICT body of work; its statistical reliability is far less documented than that of the order block or the FVG, and it deserves to be tested before being trusted the same way.