---
title: "Participation Groups: The Four Timeframes of FTFC"
canonical: https://thestrat.ai/docs/participation-groups/
updated: 2026-10-22
author: Alex Sopa (AlexsOptions)
source: TheStrat docs (https://thestrat.ai/docs/)
---

Tools for AI agents: https://mcp.thestrat.ai — see https://thestrat.ai/agents/

# Participation Groups: The Four Timeframes of FTFC

By [Alex Sopa (AlexsOptions)](https://thestrat.ai/docs/alex-sopa/) · Updated October 22, 2026

**Definition** A **participation group** is everyone who put on, added to, reduced, or exited a position during one timeframe window. The four major groups are the **monthly, weekly, daily, and 60-minute**. They are how we quantify [full timeframe continuity](https://thestrat.ai/docs/full-timeframe-continuity/), and each one has its own [opening price](https://thestrat.ai/docs/opening-price/).

Because four groups define continuity, we always look at **at least four charts**. One chart posted with “this looks good” shows one group and hides the other three.

## The four major groups

- **Monthly**: the largest group, the institutional group. The big move. One bar for the whole month.
- **Weekly**: everyone active this week. One bar per week.
- **Daily**: who is in control today.
- **60-minute**: who is in control right now. Each bar starts at the bottom of the hour, on [the flip](https://thestrat.ai/docs/the-flip/).

Each candle is a group of transactions, separated by time and price. Watch one year of MU build its yearly, quarterly, monthly, and weekly bars from the same trades:

[Figure: MU 2026, real daily data. One price stream builds the week, the month, the quarter and the year at the same time.]

## Intraday participation groups

Below the four majors: the 60, 30, 15, and 5-minute groups. They gauge the smaller groups against the larger ones. **The greater the volatility, the greater the importance of intraday continuity.** In a fast market a 5 or 15-minute bar can show the movement of a normal day.

[Figure: SPY, June 9 2026, 9:30 to 13:00, real data (Alpaca SIP), built from the 5-minute stream. The same 4-of-4 test on the intraday groups.]

Not every group shows on a standard chart. Traders active from 15 after to 45 after the hour are also a 30-minute group. When price stays inside that window’s range, it is a **sideways inside 30**: no bar shows it, but the group is still in control.

## The sets: same 4-of-4 structure, different windows

[Figure: Three sets, one 4-of-4 test. Check them all at once: Y Q M W D 60 30 15 5.]

For the broad market to break down, FTFC has to flip down on the investing set first. The more aligned opens, the more groups are in profit in the same direction at the same time.

**Related:** [Full Timeframe Continuity](https://thestrat.ai/docs/full-timeframe-continuity/) · [The Opening Price](https://thestrat.ai/docs/opening-price/) · [The Flip](https://thestrat.ai/docs/the-flip/) · [Uncoupling](https://thestrat.ai/docs/uncoupling/)
**Next:** [The 4 C’s of continuity →](https://thestrat.ai/docs/four-cs-of-continuity/)
**Back to:** [Full Timeframe Continuity →](https://thestrat.ai/docs/full-timeframe-continuity/)

TheStrat was developed by Rob Smith. These docs are written by Alex Sopa (AlexsOptions) and quote his teaching.