What Is a Stop Run?

What traders call a stop run—and what actually matters

Imagine NQ moves above a previous session high, triggers breakout entries, and then quickly falls back below that level.

Traders often describe this as a stop run or liquidity sweep.

The important question is what happens after the move.

Does price establish itself above the high and continue upward? Or does it fail to hold the breakout and return to the previous range?

A move through a previous high doesn't prove that someone deliberately hunted retail stops. It may reflect many orders interacting around a widely watched level.

I focus on the observable behavior rather than the story behind it.

A failed breakout can provide a trading opportunity, but only when the setup and risk are clearly defined.