Higher highs are not a trend until the swing holds
Traders often call a trend the moment price prints a higher high. On a clean impulse that can be fair. On a messy range, that label arrives early and invites entries that sit inside opposing liquidity.
A practical rule we teach in the intensive: a bullish market structure claim needs both a higher high and a higher low that has already defended. Until the low holds on a retest or a clear break of the prior swing high with follow-through, treat the move as unfinished swing anatomy, not a confirmed trend.
Mark the last decisive swing low with a different colour from exploratory wicks. If that low fails, scrap the bullish claim without argument. Structure reading is bookkeeping, not storytelling.