Get started

Learntotrade

How to Apply a Position Size Calculator in Forex Trading In this educational article, I will teach you how to apply a position size calculator in Forex and calculate a lot size for your trades depending on a desired risk . Why do you need a position size calculator? Even though, most of the newbie traders trade with the fixed lot , the truth is that fixed lot trading is considered to be very risky . Depending on the trading instrument, time frame and a desired stop loss, the risks from one trade to another are constantly floating . With the constant fluctuations of losses per trade, it is very complicated to control your risks and drawdowns. A lot size calculation , however, allows you to risk the desired percentage of your capital per trade , limiting the maximum you can potentially lose. A lot size is calculated with a position size calculator . How to Measure Lot Size for Trades? Let's measure a lot size for the following trade on EURUSD. Step 1: Measure a pip value of your stop loss. It is the distance from your entry level to your stop loss level. In the example on the picture, the stop loss is 35 pips. Step 2: Open a position size calculator Step 3: Fill the form. Inputs: Account currency, account balance, desired risk %, stop loss in pips, currency pair. Let's say that we are trading with USD account. Its balance is $10000. The risk for this trade is 1%. Step 4: Calculate a lot size. The system will calculate a lot size for your trade. 0.28 standard lot in our example. Taking a trade on EURUSD with $10000 deposit and 35 pips stop loss , you will need 0.28 lot size to risk 1% of your trading account. Learn to apply a position size calculator. That is the must-use tool for a proper risk management.
Education
by VasilyTrader
8
Learn How to Apply Top-Down Multiple Time Frame Analysis In this article, we will discuss how to apply Multiple Time Frame Analysis in trading . I will teach you how to apply different time frames and will share with you some useful tips and example of a real trade that I take with Top-Down Analysis strategy. Firstly, let's briefly define the classification of time frames that we will discuss: There are 3 main categories of time frames: 1️⃣ Higher time frames 2️⃣ Trading time frames 3️⃣ Lower time frames Higher Time Frames Analysis 1️⃣ Higher time frames are used for identification of the market trend and global picture. Weekly and daily time frames belong to this category. The analysis of these time frames is the most important . On these time frames, we make predictions and forecast the future direction of the market with trend analysis and we identify the levels , the areas from where we will trade our predictions with structure analysis . Above is the example of a daily time frame analysis on NZDCAD. We see that the market is trading in a strong bullish trend. I underlined important support and resistance levels. The supports will provide the safest zones to buy the market from anticipating a bullish trend continuation. Trading Time Frames 2️⃣ Trading time frames are the time frames where the positions are opened . The analysis of these time frames initiates only after the market reaches the underlined trading levels, the areas on higher time frames. My trading time frames are 4h/1h. There I am looking for a confirmation of the strength of the structures that I spotted on higher time frames. There are multiple ways to confirm that. My confirmations are the reversal price action patterns. Once the confirmation is spotted, the position is opened. Analyzing the reaction of the price to Support 1 on 1H time frame on NZDCAD pair, I spotted a strong bullish confirmation - a triple bottom formation. A long position is opened on a retest of a broken neckline. Lower Time Frames 3️⃣ Lower time frames are 30/15 minutes charts. Even though these time frames are NOT applied for trading, occasionally they provide some extra clues . Also, these time frames can be applied by riskier traders for opening trading positions before the confirmation is spotted on trading time frames. Before the price broke a neckline of a triple bottom formation on an hourly time frame on NZDCAD, it broke a resistance line of a symmetrical triangle formation on 15 minutes time frame. It was an earlier and riskier confirmation to buy. Learn to apply these 3 categories of time frames in a combination. Start your analysis with the highest time frame and steadily go lower, identifying more and more clues. You will be impressed how efficient that strategy is.
OANDA:XAUUSDEducation
by VasilyTrader
17
Red Trading DaysDoes this ring a bell?, You lose a trade and you feel the need to instantly reenter. You were absolutely sure that trade would win. So you reenter, this new trade loses as well, now you are furious you wait a bit and you reenter again with the same lot size and yet again you lose - this typically occurs because you are no longer trading based on logic but on pure vibes, pure emotion. You are 3 trades in the hole and your desire to be right is higher than ever. You’re almost seeing red itself as if you had a bloodlust towards the market. So you take a 4th trade but this is where the beginning of the end starts, you decide to go in with a bigger lot size. Once you get here, you’ve already lost the game because now you are no longer willing to listen to reason. You definitely aren’t willing to stop and you won’t rest until you win a trade. And maybe you do win this trade but it wasn’t enough, you’re still just under break even and you need to make back your profit. So you take another trade with the same overleveraged lot size and that trade comes and loses as well, bummer. And now you are delusional thinking that the market must be against you, So by this point you pretty much give up, you yolo the account activating the margin call. Account has been blown. Nobody likes red days, you know what I’m talking about - when almost no matter how hard you try you just can’t seem to win any trades. I promise you aren’t alone in both feeling that way and having red days to begin with. But I’ve found in my experience that learning to be okay with a losing day is one of the keys to trading from a place of peace. It is also instrumental in stopping you from both taking stupid trades and or revenge trading. We’ve all been there, things going good - it seems like you’re finally getting it. Everyday you’re winning, Monday Profit. Tuesday Profit. Wednesday Profit. And then BAM. Thursday you start to lose your first trades. Calm down and relax, what you do next will dictate if you get to keep this account alive or not. I’ve seen it happen to other traders and it has happened to me as well. As soon as you lose a trade you instantly feel wrong and have an immediate desire to make your money back. But if you come to terms with the fact that it was never your money to begin with. You can have a shift in your perception which could help calm your nerves a bit. Many a trader has destroyed their entire account because of one silly losing trade. So we already know that, feeling this way is normal and you are not alone. So why is it other traders can be successful and you can’t? Well the answer is you can but you must control yourself. Trading is more of a mental thing than anything else. For instance, drawdown. Drawdown is a mental thing. It is designed like that to freak you out but in actuality if you are right drawdown is just a part of the process, maintain control and follow your directive. One thing that has greatly helped me better deal with red days is pass it off as a loan towards the market. I like to think as though the market needs to borrow my money, no biggie, sometimes people need to borrow money from you right? But good news, you get to apply interest when they are paying you back because all financial institutions do that, why shouldn’t you? When you are taking money back from the market that is the market paying interest to you. It sounds silly but that is what I do to cope with losing, something I have little to no control over. It stops me from taking stupid ill-advised trades and allows me to justify those “losses”. It is all about the little things that allow you to better control yourself. It isn’t crazy if it works. What if I told you. It is also very important to acknowledge the fact that you cannot win every single trade. By not actively trying to win every single trade what you are actually doing is taking pressure off of yourself because you are prepared for the worst. I say this to say - I will likely be taking the rest of the day off from trading Either Gold or BTC as neither of them have any real opportunity to me currently. Peace out folks!
OANDA:XAUUSD
by Brandon_evo4
Understanding Technical Indicators - Avoid FaultsI received a question from a member today related to Divergence on RSI or Stochastics. I've been lucky to actually sit down with the creator of Stochastics, George C. Lane, to discuss his indicator and how he used it to trade. I've also been luck to be able to attend multiple industry conferences over the past 20+ years where I've been able to watch and listen to dozens of the best technicians and analysts explain their techniques. Boy, those were the days - right? This video is going to help you understand most technical indicators are designed based on a RANGE of bars (usually 14 or so). This means they are measuring price trend/direction/strength/other over the past 14 bars - not longer. And because of that you need to understand any trend lasting more than 14+ bars could result in FAILURE of the technical indicator. Watch this video. I hope it helps. Get some.
AMEX:IWMEducation
by BradMatheny
The Wisdom of Pro Traders vs. Newbie Naivety Hey traders, In this article, we will discuss the perception of trading by individuals . We will compare the vision of a professional trader and a beginner - trading vs gambling. Most of the people perceive trading performance incorrectly. There is a common fallacy among them that win rate is the only true indicator of the efficiency of a trading strategy. Moreover, newbies are searching for a strategy producing close to 100% accuracy. Such a mindset determines their expectations. Especially it feels, when I share a wrong forecast in my telegram channel. It immediately triggers resentment and negative reactions. Talking to these people personally and asking them about the reasons of their indignation, the common answer is: "If you are a pro, you can not be wrong". The truth is that the reality is absolutely different. Opening any position or making a forecast, a pro trader always realizes that there is no guarantee that the market will act as predicted. Pro trader admits that he deals with probabilities , and he is ready to take losses . He realizes that he may have negative trading days, even weeks and months, but at the end of the day his overall performance will be positive. Remember, that your success in trading is determined by your expectations and perception. Admit the reality of trading, set correct goals, and you will take losses more easily. I wish you luck and courage on a battlefield.
OANDA:XAUUSDEducation
by VasilyTrader
3
WHAT IS TRADING ACCOUNT DRAWDOWN | 3 Types Of Drawdown Explained In my videos, I frequently use the term "trading account drawdown ". Many of you asked me to explain the meaning of that term and share some examples. What is Trading Account Drawdown? The account drawdown is the highest observed loss from the highest value of the deposit to the lowest value of the deposit at a certain period of time. Imagine you started to trade with 10,000$ account. At the end of the year, your account size reached 15,000$ . However, at some point through the year the deposit value dropped to 6,000$ . It was the absolute minimum for the one-year period. At some point, your net loss was -4,000$ or 40% of your account balance. The account drawdown is 40% . ❗️Knowing the account drawdown is very important for the risk assessment of the trading strategy. Usually, 50% and bigger drawdown signifies an extremely high risk. 3 Types of Drawdown 1. Current drawdown - a temporary drawdown associated with the negative total value of opened trading position(s) at present. Once you start trading with 10,000$ deposit, you open several trading positions. Being opened, with the constant price movements, your potential gains fluctuates from positive to negative. For example, with 3 active trades : EURUSD ( -500$ at present); GBPUSD ( +200$ at present); GOLD ( -100$ at present) Your current account drawdown is -400$ or 4% of your deposit. 2. Fixed drawdown - the negative value of the closed trading position(s) at present for a certain period of time. While some of your trades remain active, some are already closed . Imagine the same deposit - 10,000$ . On Monday you opened 6 trades, 2 still remain active ; 4 are already closed . Your total loss from your closed trades is -500$. Your fixed Monday's drawdown is 5%. 3. Maximum Drawdown - the maximum observed loss from the highest value of the deposit before a new maximum is reached. Starting to trade with 10,000$ you are already trading for 5 years . Your account were growing rapidly and at some moment it reached 25,000$ . Then the recession started. You faced a dramatic loss of 12,500$ before you started to recover. That was the maximum observed loss for the period. Your maximum account drawdown was 50% . ❗️Different types of drawdown give a lot of insights about a trading strategy. Its proper assessment will help to spot a high risk strategy and to find a conservative one. Constantly monitor your account drawdown and always check the numbers. What is your highest account drawdown?
OANDA:XAUUSDEducation
by VasilyTrader
1
The ONLY Strategy You Need to Identify The Market Trend In this article, we will discuss a proven price action based way to identify the market trend . ❗️And let me note, before we start, that no matter what strategy do you use in your trading, you should always know where the market is going and what is the current trend . Your judgement should be based on strict and objective rules that proved its accuracy. There are a lot of ways to identify the market trend. One of the simplest and efficient ones is price action based method . This method relies on impulse legs . The market never goes just straight up or down, the price action always has a zigzag shape with a set of impulses and retracements. The impulse leg is a strong directional movement , while the retracement is the correctional movement within the boundaries of the impulse. UPTREND 📈The market is trading in a bullish trend if 3 conditions are met: 1️⃣the price forms an initial bullish impulse , 2️⃣ retraces , setting a higher low , 3️⃣then starts growing again and sets a new high with the second bullish impulse . Once these 3 conditions are met, we consider the market to be bullish, and we expect a bullish continuation in such a manner. Take a look at a price action on USDCAD. According to the trend-analysis rules, the pair is trading in a bullish trend. DOWNTREND 📉The market is trading in a bearish trend if 3 following conditions are met: 1️⃣the price forms an initial bearish impulse , 2️⃣ retraces , setting a lower high , 3️⃣then drops lower and sets a new low with the second bearish impulse . Once these 3 conditions are met, we consider the market to be bearish, and we expect a bearish trend continuation. According to the rules, NZDUSD is trading in a bearish trend on the chart above. CONSOLIDATION ➖The third state of the market is called consolidation . The market is trading in a consolidation if the conditions for bullish or bearish trend are not met . The price chaotically forms bullish and bearish impulses, usually trading within the range . Above is the example of a sideways, consolidating market, where the price sets equal or almost equal highs and lows and conditions for bullish/bearish trend are not met. Knowing the current trend, one always knows whether a current trading position is trend-following or counter trend, or it is a sideways consolidation trade. Learn these simple rules and try to identify the market trend with them.
OANDA:XAUUSDEducation
by VasilyTrader
1
From Beginner to Pro - The Evolution of a Trader Hey traders, In this educational article, we will discuss 3 stages of the evolution of a trader . Stage 1 - Unprofitable trader 😞 The unprofitable trader has very typical characteristics: -total absence of trading skills Most of the time, people open a live account simply after completing some beginners course like on babypips website. Being sure that the obtained knowledge are completely enough to start trading, they quickly face the tough reality. -no trading plan Having just basic knowledge, of course, they do not have a trading plan. Why the hell to have it if everything is so simple?! All their actions on the market is just gambling. They open the positions randomly most of the time, simply relying on intuition. -poor risk management In 99% percent of the time, the unprofitable trader does not even think about risk management. The position sizing, stop placement and target selection are completely neglected. Trading performance of the unprofitable traders is characterized by small wins and substantial losses and negatively trending equity. Stage 2 - Boom and bust trader 😶 Usually, traders reach boom and bust stage after 1-2 years of unprofitable trading. At some moment, winning trades start to compensate losing trades, brining non-trending equity. Such traders have very common traits: -not polished trading plan Being unprofitable for so long, traders start to realize the significance of a trading plan. Sticking to the set of rules, they notice positive changes in their trading performance. However, trading plan requires to be polished and modified. It takes many years for a trader to identify all its drawbacks before it starts bringing net profits. -lack of confidence When one starts following a trading system, confidence plays a substantial role. The fact is that even the best trading strategy in the world occasionally produces negative results. In order to not give up and keep following such a system, one needs to build trust in that. The confidence that after a series of losing trades, the strategy will manage to recover. Such a trust can be built after many years of trading that strategy. Stage 3 - Profitable trader ☺️ That is the final destination. After many years of a struggling trading, one finally sees positively-trending equity. Winning trades start to outperform losing ones, leading to consistent account growth. Profitable trader is characterized by iron discipline, confidence and consistency. He knows what he is trading, when and why. His trading plan is polished, he fully controls his emotions. He never stops learning and constantly develops his strategy. Knowing the 3 stages of the evolution of a trader, one can easily identify at what stage he currently is. That will help to identify the things to be focused on to move to the next stage. At what stages are you at the moment?
OANDA:XAUUSDEducation
by VasilyTrader
4
3 Best Fibonacci Tools For Forex Trading Hey traders, In this article, we will discuss 3 classic Fibonacci tools you must know for trading different financial markets. 1️⃣ Fibonacci Retracement Fib.Retracement is my favorite fib.tool. It is aimed to identify strong horizontal support and resistance levels within the impulse leg . We draw this tool based on the high and low of the impulse (from wick to wick) and it shows us POTENTIALLY strong structure levels determined by Fibonacci numbers . Common Fib.Retracement levels are: 0.382, 0.5, 0.618, 0.786 . Once one of the levels is reached, wait for a confirmation before you open a trading positions. Above is the example of an application of a fibonacci retracement tool based on a bearish impulse leg on EURUSD. 2️⃣ Fibonacci Extension Fib.Extension indicates strong horizontal support and resistance levels beyond the impulse . Similar to Fib.Retracement tool, Fib.Extension is drawn relying on impulse's high and low (from wick to wick) and it shows POTENTIALLY strong structure levels where the consequent impulses may complete based on Fibonacci number. Common Fib.Extension levels are: 1.272, 1.414, 1.618 . Once one of the levels is reached, wait for a confirmation before you open a trading positions. Above is the example of fibonacci extension tool based on USDJPY based on a bullish impulse leg. 3️⃣ Fibonacci Channel Fib.Channel shows strong vertical supports and resistances (trend lines) within the channel . The tool is drawn based on the trend line of a valid parallel channel (based on wicks) and it shows POTENTIALLY strong trend lines from where the market may retrace . The trend lines within Fib.Channel rest on 0.382, 0.5, 0.618, 0.786 Fib.Levels . Once one of the levels is reached, wait for a confirmation before you open a trading positions. Above is the example of a fibonacci channel on USDCHF. Remember that Fibonacci's are simply tools in a toolbox. In order to use them properly, you need to build a trading system around them, test it and confirm its efficiency.
OANDA:XAUUSDEducation
by VasilyTrader
3
How to Start Forex Trading. Step-by-Step Learning Plan Hey traders, If you are wondering how to start Forex trading, or you just started to trade, I suggest a 12 weeks intensive learning plan. Each week will be dedicated to a specific topic. Starting from the basics you will gradually mature and by the end of the intensive you will have a complete trading strategy. ✔️Week 1 - Practice market trend identification Learn to identify the direction of the trend. Master the recognition of a bullish trend, bearish trend and sideways market. ✔️Week 2 - Practice support and resistance. Learn to identify key levels. Master support & resistance recognition. ✔️Week 3 - Learn candlestick patterns. Study classic candlestick formations and practice their recognition. ✔️Week 4 - Learn price action patterns. Study classic price action patterns: trend-following patterns, reversal patterns and consolidation pattern and learn to recognize them. By the end of the first month, you will mature the basics of candlestick chart analysis. ✔️Week 5 - Practice supply and demand zones. Learn to identify supply and demand zones. Learn to combine candlestick analysis with support and resistance to identify the potential reversal zones. ✔️Week 6 - Practice multiple time frame analysis. Master top-down analysis. Learn to apply all the techniques studied previously on multiple time frames. ✔️Week 7 - Learn different entry strategies. With all the knowledge being obtained, you can practice different entry techniques. You can try trading candlesticks patterns or price action patterns, or simply key levels. Search what works for you. ✔️Week 8 - Learn risk management. Of course, entry strategies are not enough for profitable trading. Learn how to set stop loss and how to manage your risks properly. By the end of the second month, you will have a foundation for a strategy building. ✔️Week 9 - Practice trade management. Knowing how to enter the trade and how to manage the risks, the next step is to learn how to manage the active position (stop loss trailing, position protection, manual closing, etc.) ✔️Week 10 - Create a trading plan. Combine all the knowledge that you gained in a structured trading plan. ✔️Week 11 - Follow the strategy. Be disciplined and follow your rules. Test them and learn to be consistent. ✔️Week 12 - Review your plan. Following your strategy, you will inevitably find its flaws. Learn to constantly improve it. By the end of the third month, you will have a complete rule-based trading strategy. Of course, that won't be a perfect strategy, but you will have broad knowledge in technical analysis. The next 3 months alone should be sacrificed on polishing and improvement of your trading plan. Try this intensive, traders. I strongly believe that you will see a dramatic improvement in your trading upon its completion.
OANDA:XAUUSDEducation
by VasilyTrader
1
Let’s Compare INVESTING, TRADING and GAMBLING Hey traders, In this post, we will compare investing, trading and gambling . 📈 Investing Investing is the act of putting money in a financial market with the expectations of a long-term positive return. The investing decisions are usually made using fundamental analysis. The main goal of an investor is to predict the long-term market trends and benefit on them. Professional investing also involves assets allocation and diversification aimed to hedge potential risks. 💱 Trading Trading is the process of selling and buying financial instruments expecting a short-term (occasionally, mid-term) profit. The trading decisions are usually based on technical and fundamentals analysis. The goal of a trader is to predict local price fluctuations and catch them. Professional trading implies strict, rule-based actions following a trading plan. 🎰 Gambling Gambling is the act of betting on a specific event with the expectations of winning some value. Being completely luck-based, gambling usually involves get rich quick schemes and pursuit of easy money. What differs professional trading and investing from gambling is the fact that professional trading / investing involves objective analysis and strict planning, while gambling remains purely intuition based. Unfortunately, most of the market participants pretend that they trade and invest professionally while acting as gamblers in fact. Remember that long-term, consistent profits can be achieved only with the plan. Your intuition may bring some short-term profits, but in a long-run it will most likely lead you to a bankruptcy.
OANDA:XAUUSDEducation
by VasilyTrader
4
Here is WHY You Must Learn TRADE MANAGEMENT Hey traders, In this post, I will share with you my tips for trade management in Forex trading . But first, let me elaborate on what is exactly a trade management . Trade management is the set of rules and techniques applied for managing of an already active position. Trade management is a very important element of any trading strategy that should never be neglected. 1. Never remove a stop loss Being in a huge loss, many traders refuse to admit that they are wrong. Instead, watching how the price moves closer and closer to a stop loss, they remove stop loss hoping on a coming reversal. The alternative situation may happen when the price is going sharply in the desired direction. Watching the increasing profits, traders remove a stop loss (and occasionally take profit), being afraid to miss bigger profits. Both situations may lead to substantial, higher than initially planned losses. Driven by many factors, the market can easily burn all gains and move against the desired direction much longer than traders stay solvent. Take a look at this long trade on Gold. When the price comes closer and closer to a stop loss, many traders can not take a psychological pressure and remove stop loss, being afraid to take the loss. However, most of the time, stop loss will help you to limit your losses. You can see that after Gold reached stop loss, the price dropped much lower. Removing the stop loss, you would inquire bigger losses. Never remove a stop loss. It must be always set. 2. Never modify your stop loss if a position is in loss Watching how the price moves closer and closer to a stop loss is painful. Instead of removing stop loss, some traders move it and give the market more space for reversal. Even though such a technique is safer than the complete stop loss removal, it is still a very bad habit. Each stop loss adjustment increases the potential loss, not giving any guarantees that the market will reverse. It is highly recommendable to keep your stop loss fixed and let the price hit it and admit the loss. Above is one more example, why the earlier you close the trade in a loss, the better. Modifications and adjustment of your stop loss will most of the time lead to even bigger losses. 3. Know in advance your profit protection strategy Where do you take your profit? Do you have a fixed tp level or do you apply trailing stop? You should always know the answers. Coiling around take profit level but not being able to reach it, the price makes many traders manually close the trade or move take profit closer to current price levels. Another common situation happens when the market so quickly reaches the desired TP level so the traders remove TP hoping to make bigger than initially planned profit. Such emotional interventions negatively affect a long-term trading performance. TP removal may even burn all profits. Do not let your greed intervene, and always follow your rules. Above is the example of trade management rules in Forex trading. After GBPUSD reached a key support, a long position was opened from that. Once the price moves up by a certain distance, stop loss will be moved to entry. Take profit will be the closest key resistance. 4. Never add to a losing position Watching how the price refuses to go in the intended direction and cutting a partial loss, many traders add to a losing trade in hopes that the market will reverse and all the losses will be recovered. Again, such a fallacy usually leads to substantial losses. Remember, you can add to a position only AFTER the market moved in the desired direction, not BEFORE. Just imagine what could happen with your trading account, if you kept adding to a losing short position in a recent crazy bullish market on Gold. 5. Close the trades manually only following rules Quite often, newbie traders manually close their trades because of some random factors: they saw someone's opposite view, or they simply changed their mind. Remember, that if you opened a trade following your trading plan, you should always have strict rules for a position manual close. Do not let random factors affect your trading. Above is the example how you could easily miss a lot of pips on Gold, simply because the market temporarily stuck on some resistance. Following these 5 simple tips, your trading will improve dramatically. Remember, that it is not enough to spot and accurate entry. Once you are in a trade, you should wisely manage that, following your plan.
OANDA:XAUUSDEducation
by VasilyTrader
8
Top 4 Price Action Signals For Beginners. Best Trading Entries I will reveal 4 accurate price action signals that even a newbie trader will manage to easily recognize. Watch carefully because these signals alone will help you to make a lot of money trading Forex, Gold or any other financial market. Change of Character Change of character is a strong signal that indicates a trend violation and a highly probable market reversal. In a bearish trend, the change of character will be a bullish violation of the level of the last lower high. Check how the change of character accurately indicated a bullish reversal on EURJPY pair. In a bullish trend, a bearish violation of the level of the last higher low will signify a change of character and a highly probable bearish reversal. Bearish violation of the last higher low level and a change of character on USDJPY gave a perfect bearish signal. Breakout of Consolidation No matter what time frame you trader, you probably noticed that quite often the markets become weak and start consolidating . Most of the time, the prices tend to consolidate within horizontal ranges. Breakout of one of the boundaries of the range can give you a strong trading signal. Check how the price acted on GBPCHF. The breakout of the support/resistance of the range always gave an accurate signal, no matter what was the preceding direction of the market. Trend Line Breakout of a Pattern There are a lot of trend line based bullish and bearish price action patterns: the ranges, the wedges, the triangles, the channels. What unites these patterns is that the violation of the trend line of the pattern gives a strong trading signal. A bullish breakout of a resistance line of a falling wedge, a bullish flag and a symmetrical triangle will give us a strong bullish signal. Just look how EURUSD bounced after a bullish breakout of a resistance line of a falling wedge pattern. While a bearish breakout of a support line of a rising wedge, a bearish flag or a symmetrical triangle will indicate a highly probable bearish continuation Here is how a bearish breakout of the support of a symmetrical triangle formation helped me to predict a bearish movement on Gold. Neckline breakout of a horizontal pattern There are a lot of different price action patterns. One element that unites many of them is the so-called horizontal neckline. In bearish price action patterns like double top, head and shoulders, descending triangle, triple top, etc. a horizontal neckline represents a support from where buyers are placing their orders. Bearish violation of such a neckline will be considered to be an important sign of strength of the sellers and a strong bearish signal. In bullish price action patterns like double bottom, inverted head and shoulders pattern, ascending triangle, cup & handle, etc. a horizontal neckline represents a resistance where sellers a placing their orders. Its bullish violation will a strong bullish signal. Below is a perfect example how a bullish breakout of a neckline of an inverted head and shoulders pattern on Bitcoin triggered a strong bullish rally. Here is how a breakout of a neckline of a double top on USDCAD confirmed an initiation of a bearish correctional movement. The most important thing about these price action signals is that it is very simple to recognize them. You should learn the basic price action rules and a couple of classic price action patterns, it will be more than enough for you to identify confirmed bullish and bearish reversals on any time frame and any trading instrument. ❤️Please, support my work with like, thank you!❤️
OANDA:XAUUSDEducation
by VasilyTrader
7
HOW TO SET STOP LOSS | 3 SIMPLE STRATEGIES 📚 Hey traders, In this post, we will discuss 3 classic trading strategies and stop placement rules . I will teach you how to set a safe stop loss, relying on price action. 1️⃣The first trading strategy is a trend line strategy . The technique implies buying/selling the touch of strong trend lines, expecting a strong bullish/bearish reaction from that. If you are buying a trend line , you should identify the previous low. Your stop loss should lie strictly below that. Buying a test of arising trend line on GBPCHF, stop loss is lying strictly below the previous low. If you are selling a trend line , you should identify the previous high . Your stop loss should lie strictly above that. 2️⃣The second trading strategy is a breakout trading strategy . The technique implies buying/selling the breakout of a structure, expecting a further bullish/bearish continuation. If you are buying a breakout of a resistance , you should identify the previous low . Your stop loss should lie strictly below that. If you are selling a breakout of a support , you should identify the previous high. Your stop loss should lie strictly above that. Selling a retest of a broken structure on AUDJPY, Stop Loss is strictly set above the previous high. 3️⃣The third trading strategy is a range trading strategy . The technique implies buying/selling the boundaries of horizontal ranges , expecting bullish/bearish reaction from them. If you are buying the support of the range , your stop loss should strictly lie below the lowest point of support. Opening a long position from the support of the range on Dollar Index, stop loss is placed below its support. If you are selling the resistance of the range , your stop loss should strictly lie above the highest point of resistance. As you can see, these stop placement techniques are very simple. Following them, you will avoid a lot of stop hunts and manipulations. How do you set stop loss?
OANDA:XAUUSDEducation
by VasilyTrader
5
HARMONIC PATTERNS TRADING | ABCD PATTERN & HOW TO TRADE IT Harmonic ABCD pattern is a classic reversal pattern. In this article, I will teach you how to recognize that pattern and trade it properly. This pattern is composed of 3 main elements (based on wicks of the candles): 1️⃣ AB leg 2️⃣ BC leg 3️⃣ CD leg The pattern is considered to be bullish if AB leg is bearish. The pattern is considered to be bearish if AB leg is bullish. AB leg must be a strong movement without corrections within. A is its initial point and B is its completion point. BC leg is a correctional movement from B point after a completion of AB leg. The price may fluctuate within that. B is its initial point and C is its completion point. CD leg must be a strong movement without corrections within. C is its initial point and D is its completion point. ❗️ABCD movement is harmonic if the length and the time horizon of AB and CD legs are equal. By the length, I mean a price change from A to B point and from C to D point. By the time, I mean a time ranges of AB leg and CD leg. If the time and length of AB and CD legs are equal, the pattern is considered to be harmonic, and a reversal will be expected from D point at least to B point. 🛑If the pattern is bullish, stop loss must be placed below D point. 🛑If the pattern is bearish, stop loss is placed above D point. Initial target level is B point. Usually, after reaching a B point the market returns to a global trend. What pattern do you want to learn in the next post?
OANDA:XAUUSDEducation
by VasilyTrader
1
DON'T TRADE THESE SUPPORTS AND RESISTANCES When it comes to technical analysis, the understanding of which support and resistance levels to not trade can be as important as knowing which ones to trade. In this article, I will show you the structure levels that professional traders avoid to maximize their profits and minimize losses. Invalidated support and resistance Invalidated support/resistance is the structure that has a clear historical significance, but that lost its strength and was neglected by the market during the last 2 tests. Have a look at that key horizontal support. We can see that in the recent past, the price bounced from that multiple times, confirming its significance. Then, the price suddenly broke and closed below that support. According to the rules, that structure should turn into a resistance after a violation. However, after its test, the price bounced and violated that to the upside. The structure became invalid, and you should not trade that in future. Resistance in a Bullish Trend If the market is trading in a bullish trend, according to the rules its last higher high composes a key horizontal resistance. USDJPY is trading in a strong bullish trend. The price dropped once it set a new higher high higher close. It composes a key horizontal resistance. Always remember, that in a bullish trend, the price tends to set new higher highs and higher lows over time. Quite often, the test of the level of the last high leads to a further bullish continuation and a formation of a new higher high. For that reason, it is better not to trade such resistances. Support in a Bearish Trend In a bearish trend, the last lower low is always considered to be a key horizontal support. Above is a price action on USDCHF. The pair is bearish and recently set a new lower low. It is a key horizontal support now. However, in a bearish trend, the price tends to set a new low after a retracement. Most of the time, it does not respect the support based on the last lower low. I recommend you not to trade such supports. I always repeat to my students that key levels work, but they are not equal in their significance. While some of them are very strong, some are better to be avoided. ❤️Please, support my work with like, thank you!❤️
OANDA:XAUUSDEducation
by VasilyTrader
3
Learn to Take Losses. Trading Psychology Basics Hey traders, In this post, we will discuss a typical psychological mistake that a lot of traders frequently make, facing a losing streak. 🤑 Analyzing different charts, we may spot a decent trading setup. Being 100% sure in our predictions, we open a trading position. After some time, we are stopped out. Instead of admitting that we were wrong, we are looking for a reason why it is not our fault: market manipulation, stop hunting, news. Instead of reevaluation of our analysis, we start forcing our previous predictions. 🧠 We open a position again, being sure that it is a perfect moment for us to recover the loss. And we are wrong one more time. What the hell is going on? Who to blame? Of course, that is not us. These ugly hedge fund managers again sunk our trade. 😢 But we stay strong, we have a big trading account, so we decide to show this schmo who is a real pro here. Consistency! That is the secret of success in trading. So we open the third position again. And... we screwed. 🤬 Eureka! The market reversed! It's time to open the position in the opposite direction. The trend has changed, and it's time to get on board and recover this losing streak. We open a trade, however, it's too late already: while we were forcing our previous predictions a new impulse has already gone exhausted. We s*ck... That is a typical situation every struggling trader faced. The psychological barrier to take the loss and admit the mistake makes many people leave this game. The only way to proceed is to learn to take losses. Take losses and reevaluate your analysis. "It's ok to be wrong. It's unforgivable to stay wrong!"
OANDA:XAUUSDEducation
by VasilyTrader
5
What to Do If You Are Losing in Trading? Have you ever been in the following situation? You pick a trading strategy, you make nice profits and then, for some unknown reasons, you start losing. You take one trade after another and the strategy stops working. That is a very common thing that happens will every trader. I am trading for more than 9 years, and you know what, this year I got a trading week when I got 4 losing trades in a row. In this article, I will explain to you what to do in such a situation and how to deal with losses. So here are the trades that I took. I shorted EURJPY, EURNZD, GBPJPY and USDCAD. I bought AUDJPY. All the trades a rule based, they were strictly taken in accordance with my trading strategy. AUDJPY, EURJPY, EURNZD, GBPJPY trades closed in a loss and USDCAD closed on breakeven. It is a l osing streak of 4 trades. Does it mean that a trading strategy doesn't work anymore? What 90% of traders do when they face the situations like that, they start trading with a new strategy. They win, they face a losing streak and the cycle repeats. The truth is that there is no trading strategy that does not lose occasionally. Losing streaks are the part of the game. For the last 5 years, my strategy shows 64% average win rate. It means that among 10 trades, the first 4 can be the losing ones and the 6 remaining can be the winners. It is the game of statistics. Now, imagine the potential distribution of winners and losers in 100 trades. If you know that your strategy is historically profitable , if you back tested that, and it proved its efficiency what you should do, you should keep trading that. The more losses you face, the higher is the probability that the winning streak is coming. Each losing trade will increase the chance that the next one will be finally profitable. With so many years of trading and faced various drawdowns and losing streaks, what I learned is that if you keep trading your strategy, if you keep trusting that, the market will always give you a chance to recover. But if you stop, if you drop the strategy once you face a losing streak and pick a new one, you will simply miss the winning streak. Repeating that cycle at the end of the day you will lose everything. That is the hard truth about rule-based trading. ❤️Please, support my work with like, thank you!❤️
FOREXCOM:XAUUSDEducation
by VasilyTrader
3
What is Spread in Trading | Everything You Need to Know Hey traders, It turned out that many newbie traders completely neglect spreads in their trading. In this post, we will discuss what is the market spread and how it can occasionally spoil a seemingly good trade. 💱No matter what financial instrument we trade, in order to buy the asset we need to have a counterpart that is willing to sell it to us and vice versa, if we want to sell the asset, we need to have someone to sell it to. The market provides a convenient exchange between buyers and sellers. The asset price is determined by a current supply and demand. However, even the most liquid markets have two prices: bid and ask. 🙋‍♂️ Ask price represents the lowest price the market participants are willing to sell the asset to you, while 🙇‍♂️ bid price shows the highest price the market participants are willing to buy the asset from you. Here is how bid and ask prices look like. Bid and ask price are almost never equal. The difference between them is called the spread . 📈The spread size depends on liquidity of the market. 📍Higher liquidity implies bigger trading volumes and greater number of market participants, making it easier for them to make an exchange. On such markets we see lower spreads. 📍From the other side, less liquid markets are categorized with low trading volumes, making it harder for the market participants to find a counterpart for the exchange. On such market, spreads are usually high. For example, current EURUSD price is 1.0249 / 1.0269. Bid price is 1.0249 - you open short position on that price. Ask price is 1.0269 - you open long position on that price. The spread is 2 pips. ❗️Spreads must always be considered in a calculation of a risk to reward ratio for the trade. For scalpers and day traders, higher than usual spread may spoil a seemingly good trade. Always check spreads before you open the trade. Check how the spread is displayed in the trading terminal. In 2020, for example, we saw unusually high spreads on Gold during UK/NY trading sessions. Spreads were so high that I did not manage to open a trade for a couple of days. Not considering spreads in such a situation would cost you a lot of money. Do you consider spread when you trade?🤓
OANDA:XAUUSDEducation
by VasilyTrader
7
Head and Shoulders Tutorial on Crude Oil ChartI have decided to start a short series of tutorials covering common instruments used in technical analysis. In today's tutorial, we observe a successfully identified head and shoulders pattern on the 4-hour chart of Crude Oil, resulting in a substantial movement of around 17%. Here's how to find the instrument: navigate to the left sidebar and select 'Patterns,' where you will find 'Head and Shoulders.' Analyzing and trading correctly involve the following steps: 1) Both shoulders must form within a rising or falling trend. In the case of that Oil chart, we observe a rising trend, indicating a potential short position. 2) The size of the head becomes our target for take profit (TP), and upon reaching TP, we close 80% of the position. 3) Ideally, volumes at the right shoulder should decrease, and upon breaking, they should increase. Risk Management Strategy: 1) Limit each trade to no more than 2% of your deposit. 2) Always utilize stop-loss and take-profit orders. 3) Never trade money you are not prepared to lose. 4) Start with small budgets. It is crucial to emphasize that risk management must be adhered to whenever you engage in trading! Register and trade stocks and crypto using my link with a discount on commissions: bingx.com/invite/E6RCUFJT
TVC:USOILEducation
by CarpBuro
LEARN THE MOST IMPORTANT FOREX FUNDAMENTALS 📰 Even though I am a pure technician and I rely only on technical analysis when I trade, we can not deny the fact that fundamentals are the main driver of the financial markets. In this post, we will discuss the most important fundamentals that affect forex market. You can check coming fundamental news on TradingView in the economic calendar. The calendar button on the right side will display the coming news. Click "only high importance" button and the system will display only the most important news. Here are the most important fundamental releases that you should pay close attention to: 📍Unemployment rate. Unemployment rate reflects the percentage of people without a job in a selected country or region. Rising unemployment rate usually signifies an unhealthy state of the economy and negatively affects the currency strength. 📍Housing prices. Housing prices reflect people's demand for housing. Rising rate reflects a healthy state of the economy, strengthening purchasing power of the individuals and their confidence in the future. Growing demand for housing is considered to be one of the most important drivers in the economy. 📍Inflation. Inflation reflects the purchasing power of a currency. It is usually measured by evaluation of the price of the selected basket of goods or services over some period. High inflation is usually the primary indicator of the weakness of the currency and the unhealthy state of the economy. 📍Monetary policy. Monetary policy is the actions of central banks related to money supply in the economy. There are two main levers: interests rates and bank reserve requirements. Higher interest rates suppress the economy, making the currency stronger. Lower interests rates increase the money supply, making the economy grow but devaluing the national currency. 📍Political discourse. Political discourse is the social, economical and geopolitical policies of the national government. Political ideology determines the set of priorities for the ruling party that directly impacts the state of the economy. 📍Payrolls and earnings. Payroll reports reflect the dynamic of the creation of new jobs by the economy, while average earnings show the increase or decrease of the earnings of the individuals. Growing earnings and payrolls positively affect the value of a national currency and signify the expansion of the economy. Pay closes attention to these fundamentals and monitor how the market reacts to that data. What fundamentals do you consider to be the most important? ❤️Please, support my work with like, thank you!❤️
FOREXCOM:XAUUSDEducation
by VasilyTrader
1
5 Elements of the Best Key Level in Trading What are the best key levels to trade? Last year I analysed more than 1500 key structures on Forex, Gold, Crypto and Indexes. In the today's article, I prepared for you a list of 5 elements of a perfect support and resistance for trading. As always, remember that the best key levels are always on a daily time frame. So all the structures that we will discuss will be strictly on a daily. Also, all the structures that I analyzed and traded are available on my TradingView page, so you can back test them by your own. 1. Clear historical significance The structure that you spotted should act as a significant historical support or resistance. Here are the important historical support and resistance that I spotted on USDCAD on a daily time frame. 2. Psychological significance The structure that you identified should match with round numbers. All the structures that we spotted on USDCAD match with psychological numbers. 3. Confluence with other technical tools The best structure should align with other trading tools such as trend lines of Fibonacci levels, strengthening its significance. After adding fibonacci levels and a significant falling trend line on the chart, the confluence was found in Resistance 6, Resistance 3, Resistance 2, Resistance 1, Support 2. Other structure does not match with technical tolls. 4. Volume The level experiences high trading volumes, indicating strong participation and interest from market participants, especially smart money. All the structures that we underlined show significant volume spikes. By volume spike, I mean a volume being higher than the average volume - a blue curve on volume. 5. Multiple touches The more, the better. There are numerous instances where price has respected and reacted to the structure, confirming its strength (at least 2). Only these 3 structures were confirmed by the multiple touches. These resistances will be considered the strongest ones. That checklist will help you to identify the most significant structures from where you will be able to catch impulsive movement and make nice profits. ❤️Please, support my work with like, thank you!❤️
OANDA:XAUUSDEducation
by VasilyTrader
5
Why Traders Often Fail and How to Turn the Tide in Your FavorAs a day trader, I understand the allure of making your mark trading financial instruments. The idea of making quick profits and essentially being your boss can be incredibly enticing. However, the reality is that day trading is more challenging than it may seem. The statistics are alarming - the majority of day traders lose money. But why is that? Today, I will delve into the truths behind why day traders often fail and provide you with methods to begin turning the tide in your favor. So, let's get started and uncover the not-so-secret secrets to successful day trading. The Alarming Statistics of Day Traders Losing Money It's essential to begin by acknowledging the harsh reality that day trading is NOT a guaranteed path to riches. Studies have shown that a significant percentage of day traders end up losing money. Depending on which study or report you look at, the deck is stacked against the average day trader, with 70-90% of traders losing money within the first year of trading. That's a tough pill to swallow for anyone who wants to pursue day trading as either a full-time gig or a supplemental means of generating income. So, how does one stack the odds in their favor to become a successful trader? Understanding the Psychology of Day Traders There are three factors contributing to the high failure rate among day traders. Those factors include but are not limited to mindset, psychology, and discipline. I want to break these down for you so we can take a look at where most traders go wrong. Mindset: One may believe that mindset and psychology are the same, and though they are connected, they are not the same. In trading, mindset plays a crucial role in shaping a trader's attitude toward the market. A trader's mindset encompasses their beliefs, perspectives, and overall mental framework towards trading, risk, and uncertainty. Traders often have short-term sights set on finding unicorn gains or high win rates with little thought on a fundamental foundation to build upon for long-term growth. Having a strong and disciplined mindset is essential for navigating the complexities of the market, as it fosters critical traits such as patience, adaptability, and a long-term growth-oriented outlook. A resilient mindset can help traders weather the inevitable ups and downs of the market, maintain discipline in executing their trading strategies, and stay focused on their long-term goals. Ultimately, a positive and disciplined mindset can contribute significantly to a trader's ability to navigate challenges they will inevitably face. Psychology: Day trading can be an emotionally intense endeavor, and many traders fall victim to their emotional state. Emotions such as fear, greed, and hope, as well as cognitive biases, play a crucial role in shaping day-to-day trading decisions. For instance, the fear of missing out (FOMO) can prompt impulsive trading, while the aversion to realizing a loss can lead to holding onto losing positions for too long. Day traders must recognize and control these emotions to improve their chances of success. If you let your emotions best you, you will end up giving your money to someone who keeps those emotions in check. Overcoming psychological hurdles such as these is essential for making rational trading decisions. Additionally, being aware of cognitive biases like confirmation bias and recency bias can help traders avoid making decisions based on flawed reasoning. Understanding and managing these psychological factors is vital for maintaining discipline, especially in the face of market volatility and uncertainty. Discipline: I feel like discipline is wildly overlooked in the world of trading. There is so much toxicity bred in the field by so-called gurus who tell you trading is so simple and that massive gains are just around the corner. That is not the case in the realm of trading or any skill you hope to master. Olympic athletes do not wake up one day being the masters of their respective sport. They spend years practicing their skills with the highest level of discipline imaginable. Is trading the Olympics? No, but the principle is the same. If trading is a lifelong skill that you want to acquire, then you must commit to self-discipline in your approach to trading. So, from here, where do we start? How do we turn these three pillars in our favor and become successful in the long term? Lack of Proper Risk Management One of the primary reasons why day traders lose money is their failure to implement proper risk management strategies. Our brains are not wired to embrace loss; our minds will make every mental backflip to avoid it. This is why traders often let losers run rampant and cut their gains short. Think back to any of your previous trades. Did you justify staying in a losing trade based on some afterthought? An example justification could be, "This price can't go any higher; look how overbought XYZ stock is!" Additionally, day traders often need to pay more attention to potential profits and pay attention to potential losses. This can lead to reckless trading decisions and a failure to cut losses when necessary. With so much focus in the industry on winning, many overlook the discipline of being a great loser. Could you let that last sentence sink in for a second and give it some deep thought? Day trading inherently involves the risk of loss, and without a solid risk management plan in place, traders are essentially gambling with their money. It's essential to set clear risk limits, determine the maximum amount of capital you are willing to risk on each trade and stick to your plan. Implementing Effective Risk Management Strategies Now that we understand the importance of risk management, let's explore some practical strategies that day traders can implement to protect their capital and improve their chances of success. Use stop-loss orders: A stop-loss order is a predetermined price at which you will automatically exit a trade to limit your losses. By setting stop-loss orders at strategic levels, you can protect yourself from significant losses and maintain your risk management plan. A critical aspect of stop-losses is that they need to be a one-way street. It's okay to move a stop-loss up as a trade moves in your favor. However, never push your stop-loss back or make it wider after your trade has been initiated. This is only setting you up for long-term failure. Think of it this way: allowing a stop loss to do its job is like subjecting yourself to paper cuts compared to letting losers run, which would be akin to taking a slash from a sword. Which do you think you would better withstand in the long term? In a previous article, I highlighted different methods for setting stoplosses. I will link that article below this one, as I highly recommend you read it if you have further questions on how to set a stop-loss. Though that is only half the battle, the real challenge comes with maintaining discipline and respect for that stop-loss on every trade you take. Size your positions appropriately: It's crucial to determine the appropriate position size for each trade based on your risk tolerance and the specific trade setup. Avoid risking a significant portion of your capital on a single trade, as it can have devastating consequences if the trade goes against you, especially if you do not heed the previous advice of a disciplined stop loss. Never risk more than you are willing to lose! Diversify your portfolio: Only a few people want to day trade forever; it is a stepping stone for building wealth that you can diversify and let grow. However, if you have the capital early on to spread your investments across multiple stocks or assets, you can reduce the impact of a single trade going wrong. Diversification helps to mitigate risk and increase the likelihood of positive returns over the long term. The Importance of Having a Solid Trading Plan How do we implement discipline and solid risk management in our daily trading? We turn to the often underutilized trading plan. Day trading without a well-defined trading plan is akin to sailing without a compass. A trading plan serves as your roadmap, guiding you through the ups and downs of the market. It outlines your entry and exit strategies, risk management rules, and overall trading approach. Without a solid plan, day traders are more likely to make impulsive decisions based on emotions or market noise. This is where your discipline can help keep your emotions in check. When creating your trading plan, consider the following elements: Define your goals: Please be sure to determine your financial goals and the timeframe in which you aim to achieve them. This will help you stay focused and avoid chasing unrealistic profits. This is where you formulate your mindset and build your long-term foundation. Choose a trading strategy: Select a trading strategy that aligns with your risk tolerance and trading style. Whether it's trend following, breakout trading, or any other approach, make sure to thoroughly back-test and validate your strategy before implementing it. Set realistic expectations: Understand that day trading is not a get-rich-quick scheme. It requires dedication, continuous learning, and patience. Set realistic expectations and avoid succumbing to the allure of overnight riches. By having a well-defined trading plan and sticking to it, you can significantly increase your chances of success in the challenging world of day trading. Learning from Past Mistakes and Analyzing Trading Data One of the most effective ways to improve as a day trader is to learn from your past mistakes and analyze your trading data. It's essential for you to keep a detailed record of your trades, including entry and exit points, profit or loss, and any relevant notes or observations. By reviewing your trading data, you can identify patterns, strengths, and weaknesses in your trading strategy. This process allows you to make data-driven adjustments and refine your approach over time. Additionally, learning from your mistakes helps you avoid repeating them in the future. Practicing Patience and Emotional Control Patience and emotional control are two crucial qualities that successful day traders possess. The ability to wait for the right opportunities and avoid impulsive trading decisions can make a significant difference in your overall profitability. Day trading often involves rapid market movements and fluctuations, which can trigger emotional responses. It's essential to remain calm and composed, sticking to your trading plan and strategy. Emotions such as fear and greed can cloud judgment and lead to irrational decisions. By practicing emotional control, you can make rational and objective trading choices, increasing your chances of success. The Path to Success in Day Trading Day trading is undoubtedly challenging, but it's not an impossible endeavor. By understanding the truths behind why day traders often fail and implementing effective strategies, you can turn the tide in your favor. However, you should know that this is not an overnight ordeal. There are no shortcuts worth taking and endless hours of practice to achieve the feat of becoming an elite trader. Remember, day trading requires discipline, risk management, and continuous learning. Develop a solid trading plan, analyze your trading data, and practice patience and emotional control. By doing so, you can navigate the unpredictable waters of the financial markets with confidence and increase your chances of achieving long-term success as a day trader. Good luck and happy trading!
Education
by LeafAlgo
4