Top-Down Analysis (The CORRECT Approach!)In this video I go through how to effectively do a top-down analysis, and avoid common mistakes.
This can apply to any type of trading methodology, but here the focus will be on ICT’s liquidity and inefficiency concepts.
This topic is important to traders who are keen on improving their win-rate and catching those higher RR trades. Whilst those things don’t define a successful trader, only consistent profitability and sound risk management do, I believe an effective top-down approach to framing trades is a worthwhile endeavor. Better trade setups give you less stress, more profits, and more freedom of time.
What is a "top-down analysis"?
It is basically doing your analysis on a higher timeframe to get in line with where you or your strategy is showing price is likely moving to, then on a lower timeframe to wait for your trade setup to form, and then either entering on that timeframe or going to an even lower timeframe for an entry signal. For example, if the weekly chart is bearish, and you see a bullish candle on the hourly chart, you may be fooled into trading in the wrong direction. For the highest probability, you need to be in sync with the higher timeframe.
My approach is split into 3 parts:
1. I have my BIAS which is built on the monthly, weekly, and daily timeframe. This helps me determine the direction I want to trade in. If my analysis is bullish, I want to look for longs, and vice versa for shorts.
2. Then I have my NARRATIVE, aka my ‘story’ of how my setup may form on a lower timeframe, usually the 1-4h timeframe. For example, I may be looking for a specific pool of liquidity to be swept at a certain time of the day.
3. Thirdly, I have my CONFIRMATION, which is usually based on the 5-15m timeframe.
I hope you found this video insightful and that it helps enhance your trading.
If you need clarification about the content, or you are still struggling with finding your groove as a trader and need personal guidance or mentorship, feel free to reach out to me via TradingView’s private message or on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Til next time, happy trading.
- R2F
