8 Most Important Trading Levels of EntryThere are over 30 different elements you can add to your trading journal.
But if you want to start off light and easier, then there are only a few KEY levels you’ll need to get into your trade and track them.
8 to be exact.
These include:
#1: Market (Stocks, Indices, Forex, Commodities, Crypto)
What market are you trading?
There are many different markets to choose from, including stocks, indices, forex, commodities, and crypto.
Each of these markets has its own unique characteristics, including volatility, liquidity, and risk factors.
When you specify what market you’re trading you’ll know which account to measure your portfolio.
#2: Date of Entry
This information will allow you to track your trades over time and evaluate the success of their strategies.
Also, something not many people think about is when you’re profitable and in the money. It is also useful for tax purposes, as you might need to report your gains and losses to the relevant authorities.
#3: Entry Price
The entry price is the price at which a trader enters a trade.
This information is critical for calculating potential profits and losses, as well as for setting stop loss and take profit levels.
You’ll also know how the market is moving relative to their position and make certain adjustments to your trades (following your strategy) as needed.
#4: Type Buy (Go long) or Sell (Go Short)
The type of trade, whether it is a buy or a sell short, is important because it determines the direction of the trade. If a trader buys a security, they are betting that the price will go up, while a sell short trade is a bet that the price will go down.
This information is important for setting stop loss and take profit levels, as well as for understanding the risk profile of the trade.
#5: Stop Loss (Risk level)
A stop loss is an order to close a trade if the price reaches a certain level.
This is a key risk management tool that helps traders limit their losses in case the market moves against them.
Also, it’s used to lock in profits when the trade is going in your favour.
#6: Take Profit (Reward level)
Take profit is the opposite of a stop loss.
It is an order to close a trade when the price reaches a certain level of profit.
This allows traders to lock in their gains and exit the trade at a predetermined level.
#7: Margin (Initial deposit)
Margin is the amount of money a trader needs to deposit in order to open a position.
This is important because it determines the amount of leverage the trader is using and the potential risk exposure.
By recording the margin requirements for each trade, you’ll be able to monitor your overall risk exposure and adjust your positions if needed.
#8: Reason of Entry
The reason for entering a trade is important because it helps traders evaluate the success of their strategy and make adjustments as needed.
This depends on your trading strategy. Are you trading because of a breakout pattern, Moving Averages, Range bounded, Order blocks, Liquidity Sweeps, Volume Spread analyses or indicator analysis – you’ll be able to jot your entry reason for each trade.
So if you’re new to trading or not worried about the extras when plotting in your journal.
You now have the most important elements of a trading:
Markets, the date of entry, entry price, type of trade, stop loss, take profit, margin, reason.
Hope that helps.
Tradingtips
Top 5 Tips to Increase Your Profits in Trading 📈
In this educational article, I will share with you very useful tips how to improve your profitability in trading the financial markets.
1. Decrease the number of financial instruments in your watch list. ⬇️
Remember that each individual instrument in your watch list requires attention. The more of them you monitor on a daily basics, the harder it is to keep focus on them.
In order to not miss early confirmation signals and triggers, it is highly recommendable to reduce the size of your watch list and pay closer attention to the remaining instruments.
2. Avoid taking too many positions. ❌
For some reason, newbie traders are convinced that they should constantly trade and keep many trading positions.
Firstly, I want to remind you that the management of an active position is a quite tedious process that requires time and attention.
Therefore, more positions are opened, more time and effort is required.
Secondly, if the newbies can not spot a good setup, they assume that they are obliged to open some positions and they start forcing the setups.
Remember, that in trading, the quality of the trading setup beats the quantity. I advise taking less trades, but the better ones.
3. Let winners run if the market is going in the desired direction. 📈
Once you caught a good trade and the market is moving where you predicted, do not let your emotions close the trade preliminary.
Try to get maximum from your trade, closing that only after the desired level is reached.
4. Open a trade after multiple confirmations.✅
Analyzing a certain setup remember, that more confirmations you spot, higher is the accuracy of the trade that you take. In order to increase your win rate, it is recommendable to wait for at least 2 confirmations.
5. Don't trade on your cellphone. 📱
A good trade always requires a sophisticated analysis that is impossible to execute on the small screen of the cellphone.
A lot of elements and nuances simply will not be noticed. For that reason, trade only from a computer with a wide screen.
Relying on these tips, you will substantially increase your profits.
Take them into the consideration and good luck to you in your trading journey.
❤️Please, support my work with like, thank you!❤️
Learn What Will Really Make You Profitable in Trading
What brings the consistent profits in trading?
Talking to hundreds of struggling traders from different parts of the globe, I realized that there are the common misconceptions concerning that subject.
In this educational article, we will discuss what really will make you profitable in trading.
🔔The first thing that 99% of struggling traders are looking for is signals.
Why damn learn if you can simply follow the trades of a pro trader and make money?!
The truth is, however, is that in order to repeat the performance of a signal provider you have to open all your trading positions in the same exact moment he does. (And I would not even mention the fact that there will be a delay between the moment the provider opens the trade and the moment he sends you the signal)
Because the signal can be sent at a random moment, quite often it will take time for you to reach your trading terminal and open the position.
Just a 1-minute delay may dramatically change the risk to reward ration of the trade and, hence, the final result.
🤖The second thing that really attracts the struggling traders is trading robots (EA). The systems that trade automatically and aimed to generate consistent profits.
You simply start the program and wait for the money.
The main problem with EA is the fact that it requires constant monitoring. It can stop or freeze in a random moment and may require a reboot.
Moreover, due to changing market conditions, the EA should be regularly updated. Without the updates, at some moment it may blow your account.
Trading robot is the work: trading with the robots means their constant development, monitoring and improvement. And that work requires a high level of experience: both in coding and in trading.
📈The third thing that struggling traders are seeking is the "magic" indicator. The one that will accurately identify the safe points to buy and sell. You add the indicator on the chart, and you simply wait for the signal to open the trade.
The fact is that magic indicators do not exist. Indicator is the tool that can be applied as the extra confirmation. It should be applied strictly in a combination with something else, and its proper application requires a high level of expertise in trading.
🍀The fourth thing that newbie traders seek is luck. They open the trade, and then they pray the God, Powell, Fed or someone else to move the market in their favor.
And yes, occasionally, luck will be on your side. But relying on luck on a long-term basis, you are doomed to fail.
But what will make you profitable then?
What is the secret ingredient.
Remember, that secret ingredient does not exist.
In order to become a consistently profitable traders, you should rely on 4 crucial elements: trading plan, risk management, discipline and correct mindset.
🧠What is correct mindset in trading?
It simply means setting REALISTIC goals and having REALISTIC expectations from the market and from your trading.
📝A trading plan is the set of rules and conditions that you apply for the search of a trading setup and the management of the opened position.
Trading plan will be considered to be good if it is back tested on historical data and then tested on demo account for at least 3 consequent months.
✔️In order to follow the plan consistently, you need to be disciplined. You should be prepared for losing streaks, and you should be strong enough to not break once your trading account will be in a drawdown.
💰Risk management is one of the most important elements of your trading plan. It defines your risk per trade and your set of actions in case of losses. Even the best trading strategies may fail because of poor risk management.
Combining these 4 elements, you will become a consistently profitable trader. Remember, that there is no easy way, no shortcut. Trading is a hard work to be done.
❤️Please, support my work with like, thank you!❤️
Day Trading Tips in 2023 📈
Day trading refers to a style of trading where the trader buys and sells a financial instrument within the same day, or even multiple times a day. With the right strategy and knowledge, you can take advantage of small price movements in the currency exchange market to earn a potential profit. However, it takes a lot of practice and dedication to become successful at day trading forex, so it's important for beginners to understand what they're getting into before starting out.
In this article, we'll discuss five insider tips to help beginners start their journey in day trading forex.
1. Set Aside Funds You Can Afford to Lose 💵
Before you start trading, it is important to understand how much capital you can realistically afford to risk. Almost all successful traders say that you should never trade more than you can afford to lose. So, it is advisable for beginners to start small and gradually increase their trading capital as they gain experience.
Typically, successful day traders commit no more than 1-2% of their account's balance per trade. Additionally, it is wise to earmark a surplus amount of funds that can be used solely for trading purposes, and ensure that you are prepared for any potential losses.
This way, even if your trades go in the wrong direction or don't turn out as well as you expected, you won't be risking your personal savings or other investments.
2. Be Realistic With Your Strategies 💫
Day traders should be realistic when formulating their strategies, as having too high expectations can only lead to disappointment. Namely, strategies do not need to succeed every time in order to be potentially profitable, and day traders often make potential profits on approximately 50-60% of their trades.
Furthermore, it is important to ensure the financial risk on each trade is limited to a specific percentage of the account and that entry and exit methods are clearly defined. By being realistic with their strategies, day traders can better manage risk while improving their chances of achieving long-term success.
3.Follow the Strategy 🎯
Once you have established a concise strategy that works for you, it is important to stick to it. Successful traders do not need to think on their feet or make decisions quickly, as they already have a specific trading strategy in place.
It is essential to follow the strategy closely rather than try to chase potential profits or abandon the strategy when things don't go as expected. Doing so can significantly increase the chances of you being successful in the long run.
4.Stop-Loss Orders 🛑
Risk can be mitigated through stop-loss orders, which exit the position at a specific exchange rate. Stop-loss orders are an essential forex risk management tool since they can help traders cap their risk per trade, preventing significant losses.
5.Journal Your Trades 📝
A printed record is a great learning tool. Print out a chart and list all the reasons for the trade, including the fundamentals that sway your decisions. Mark the chart with your entry and your exit points. Make any relevant comments on the chart, including emotional reasons for taking action.
The steps above will lead you to a structured approach to trading and should help you become a more refined trader. Trading is an art, and the only way to become increasingly proficient is through consistent and disciplined practice.
What do you want to learn in the next post?
CADCHF - Descending channelThe price moves in a descending channel and has reached the upper part of the channel and a strong resistance level. It is expected to move downwards and target previous support levels as well as the lower part of the channel.
1D descending channel:
Good trading!
If you find it useful, like, follow, share!
Maximise your trading success with market analysisWhen it comes to trading, one of the most important skills to develop is market analysis.
When you know how to read the market and make informed decisions, it can be the difference between spotting high, medium and low probability trades.
Here are some ideas to analyse the market and maximise your chance of success.
Start with the Main Indices
The first step in market analysis is to take a look at the main indices.
These indices, such as the JSE ALSI, SP500, Nasdaq, FTSE100, and others, are a good indication of the overall market direction.
Once you have seen the indices, you’ll get a sense of how the market is moving as a whole, and what kinds of opportunities might be available.
Identify the major Trends
Once you’ve looked at the main indices, it’s time to:
Identify any market trends (Market environment)
If the market is showing a strong uptrend (trend, momentum, moving averages analysis)
Then it’s best to ONLY look for longs or buys.
On the other hand, if your indicators suggest that the market has confirmed a downtrend, it’s best to look for sells or shorts.
Look for Breakouts
Sometimes the market doesn’t confirm an up or down trend.
If you see the market is moving in a sideways manner, there’s still an opportunity to profit.
In this case, it’s a good idea to write down the levels of breakouts you’d expect.
If the market breaks up, you’ll expect longs, and if it breaks down, you’ll look for shorts.
This way you’ll prepare for both outcomes And you’ll be able to capitalize on whichever direction the market takes.
Final Thoughts
Market analysis is a critical skill for any trader to master.
When you start with the main indices, to identify trends, and looking for breakouts, you’ll be able to make informed decisions about your trades and get a good idea of where they’re more likely to head.
Top 8 Rules of a Pro Trader
Hey traders,
Consistently profitable traders have a lot of things in common. Watching how they act and following their ideas & thoughts we can spot a lot of commonalities among them.
In this article, I have collected 8 trading habits that a trader should have to become successful.
1️⃣ - Continuous Learning 📚
The markets are infinitely deep in their nature.
Trading & constant monitoring of the market always unveil new, uncharted elements and things.
With 8 years of day trading, I can't help wondering how many new things I learn each and every day.
With continuous learning you evolve, you become better and it improves your trading performance & results.
2️⃣- Emotional Stability 🙏
The market is a wild beast who always wants to bite us.
And most of the time it manages to do that:
drawdowns, losing streaks...
Those who trade for at least 1 year know how unpredictable and unstable the market is.
A perfectly looking trading setup can easily turn into a big losing trade.
Of course, that is painful, of course with more and more losers, the anxiety will pursue us, the stress will overwhelm us.
Only by remaining stable and calm, you will manage to overcome the negative periods.
Learn to control your emotions, learn to take losses!
3️⃣ - Constant Practice 💪
Pro traders never stop, they always watch the charts, they always monitor the prices, and follow the market.
Trading requires constant TRADING.
Just spending one single week on a vacation without charts, you can not imagine how hard it is to return back.
The trading skills must be constantly maintained.
4️⃣ - Trade Journaling 📝
Pro trders always assess their past performance & results.
They track each and every trading position that they opened.
Both losing trades and winning trades require analysis and observations.
Only by studying the past results the trader can improve his trading performance and evolve. Only by identifying mistakes & peculiar commonalities, the trader learns to lose less than he makes.
5️⃣ - Anticipation of Different Outcomes 👁
Everything can happen in financial markets.
Pro trader always reasons in probabilities.
He knows that 100% chances do not exist.
Accepting the probabilities the trader (even while opening the trade) is always ready for completely different outcomes and accepts each and every move of the market.
6️⃣ - Flexibility & Adaptivity 🕺
The markets are always changing.
If you were trading before COVID crisis, I guess you feel how the reality among us shifted. With fundamental changes in our daily lives, the markets changed as well.
It is hard to say what exactly has altered though, however, we all can feel it.
In order to survive in a constantly changing environment, one should adapt . One should look for ways to be one step ahead.
To beat an evolving market, the traders should constantly polish their trading strategies, drop the things that don't work anymore, and adopt the new, reliable ones.
That is the only way to stay afloat.
7️⃣ - Selection of Right Markets 📈
The trader always knows what to trade and he always has a reason.
He admits that some financial instruments are appropriate for his trading style while some are completely not.
Pro trader does not wander around aimlessly from one market to another. He has a plan to follow and rules to rely on.
8️⃣ - Realistic Expectations ⭐️
Many newbie traders drop trading just because of wrong expectations.
The desire to get rich quick, to catch 20/1 risk to reward trades without substantial losses is playing a dirty trick with them.
The true trader is not greedy, in contrast, he is humble and the only thing that he wants is simply to win more than he loses and make that amount sufficient enough to have a good living.
Adapting these 8 habits, you will see dramatic improvements in your trading.
And even though most of them require a substantial effort and many years of practicing, trust me, it is worth it and it will help you in your daily life as well.
Would you add some other habits to this list?🤓
Let me know in a comment section.
Let me know, traders, what do you want to learn in the next educational post?
May the Fourth Be With You - And your Stop losses!Star Wars has been around since 1977 which was written and directed by George Lucas.
During that time, there have been phenomenal quotes, lessons and adventures that have been shared.
Instead of telling you different lessons Star Wars can teach you about trading.
How about I share some quotes and how you can apply them?
Here are the ones I find are the most applicable.
#1: "I find your lack of faith disturbing."
Use this as a reminder to stay confident in your trades, even when the market is unpredictable. Have faith in your strategy. Have faith in your commitment. Have faith in your strong mindset.
#2: "Your focus determines your reality."
Stay focused on your trading goals and strategy. It’s not about what others see. It’s not about what others feel. It’s about you in your own work station, planning, preparing and executing accordingly.
#3: "Do or do not, there is no try."
Commit fully to your trades, rather than hesitating or second-guessing. When it’s lined up, ACTION.
When you see a trade setups, write them down and prepare for execution. Don’t try… DO!
#4: "Fear is the path to the dark side."
Stay level-headed and not let fear or panic drive your trading decisions. Fear doesn’t exist. Only danger does. We are fearful most times in our head when there is no apparent danger. Remember this when you feel fear.
#5: "In my experience, there's no such thing as luck."
Successful trading is based on skill, probabilities and strategy, not luck.
#"6: The Force will be with you, always."
Here’s a reminder that your skills and strategy will guide you through both good and bad trading times. In this case the force is your proven strategy, your will, your commitment and your strong mind.
#7: "You must unlearn what you have learned."
Be open-minded and flexible when it comes to adapting your trading strategy. We learn as sheeple to buy low sell high. While I have gone against the idea and instead BUY HIGH, SELL HIGHER.
Also, when everyone buys, is normally where the Smart Money offloads theirs. And when retail dumb money sells, that’s where Smart money BUYS.
Did you find these useful?
Which one resonated the most with you?
RISK less with Drawdowns and more with Winning StreaksA drawdown is a period of decline in the value of a portfolio. This is where you take a number of trades, and the losses drop the portfolio at a marginal level (if you know what you’re doing).
During these times, the market is typically more volatile (jumpy) and unpredictable.
And so you have a higher chance to risk money in unfavourable times.
Risk less with drawdowns
When your portfolio drops 6%, 8% or even 11% – This is where you’re not sure when the market will become more favourable.
This is the time where you decide to risk less money per trade.
You would drop the risk from 3%, 2% to 1.5% or even 1%.
Then keep trading until the markets pick up and start to favour your portfolio…
Once you’re out of the drawdown then…
Risk more money with the winning streak
During the winning streaks, the market is typically more stable and predictable, and the chances of making a profit are higher.
You can then pump up the risk back to 2% or 3% (if you’re a risky biscuit).
When do you do this?
When your portfolio is either BACK to an all-time-high.
Or when you can see the market has broken out of the sideways consolidation and volatile period.
Risk management is an important aspect of successful investing, and adjusting the amount of money being invested based on market conditions is one strategy that can help investors achieve their financial goals.
By risking less money during drawdowns and more money during winning streaks, you as the trader can lower your potential losses and maximize your potential gains.
Why YOU NEED a Slice of Humble PieAs a trader, you must approach the market with humility and an understanding that you are at its mercy.
And so you need to remember that the market, doesn’t know you, doesn’t care about you, and doesn’t work to reward you.
Let’s break that down.
The Market Doesn’t Know You
The financial market (Mr. Market) is a complex and dynamic system that is influenced by a multitude of factors.
These factors are beyond our control and are pretty much impossible to predict.
As a trader, you need to remember that the market doesn’t know you, isn’t out to get you and that your success or failure is not a personal reflection of your worth.
The Market Doesn’t Care About You
It can be tempting to think that the market is out to get us and that every loss is a direct result of our own mistakes.
However, the market doesn’t care about us as individual.
They don’t have some personal vendetta against us.
Every trade is simply a result of supply and demand dynamics along with risk, reward and probabilities.
We must accept that sometimes the market will work against us, no matter how skilled or experienced we are.
The Market Doesn’t Work to Reward You
There is such high competition with trading.
This environment is very high-pressured.
It sometimes feels like we are in some race to make as much money as possible.
However, it is important to remember that the market doesn’t work to reward us.
As a trader, you must be humble and understand that success in the markets takes time, patience, and you must be willing to learn from your mistakes.
Also need to approach each and every trade with a level-headed and open-minded perspective.
Focus on this, and you you’ll make which will help us to make better decisions and increase our chances of success.
What is Trading Plan? Detailed Example
A short ⚠️disclaimer before we start:
the rules that will be discussed in this post are applicable only for technicians - traders that are relying on price action/structure/etc.
Also, we assume that structure levels do work and for us, key levels are considered to be the safest trading zones/points.
In order to increase the accuracy of your predictions analyzing different financial markets, you must learn to identify the direction of the market.📈
The identification of the market trend must be based on strict & reliable & testable rules.
It can be based on technical indicators or price action
Personally, I prefer to rely on price action.
There are three main types of market trends:
Bullish Trend
Bearish Trend
Sideways Market
Depending on the current direction of the market, on the chart, I drew a flow chart✔️ that will help you to act safely.
➡️Sideways market signifies consolidation & indecision. Usually being in such a state the market tends to coil in horizontal ranges.
To trade such a market safely, the best option for you will be to wait for a breakout of the range & wait for the initiation of the trend.
➡️Once you spotted a bullish market, do not rush to buy.
Your task will be to identify the closest strong structure support .
You must be patient enough to let the price reach that support first (and by the way, there is no guarantee that it will happen) and then you must wait for a certain confirmation.
Only once you get the needed confirmation you can buy the market.
➡️The same strategy will be applicable to a bearish market.
Spotting a short rally it is way early to just sell the asset from a random point.
You must find the closest strong structure resistance and wait for the moment when the price will approach that.
Then your task will be to wait for a confirmation and only when you got the reliable trigger you short the market.
🦉Try to rely on this flow chart and I promise you that you will see a dramatic increase in your trading performance.
And even though it may appear to you that this flow chart is TOO SIMPLE, in practice, even such a set of rules requires iron discipline and patience.
Thank you so much for reading this article,
I hope you enjoy it!
Let me know, traders, what do you want to learn in the next educational post?
WHY YOU Don't always Receive INTEREST when you are short... Q. I thought that when you go short (sell) that we earn interest (swap fees) per day.
But to my surprise I was actually charged interest on my open trade with AUD/NZD. Was I not meant to earn interest?”
A. Unfortunately, it depends…
With each market you trade, you’ll need to look at the symbol information for each trade you take.
This also depends on the deal the broker has with each market.
For example, when you SELL AUD/NZD you're essentially buying NZD/AUD (as they are currency pairs).
So whether you go long or short, you don't earn interest with short (sell) currencies...
But make sure, you always look at Symbol information and see what swaps are positive when you are short.
With the AUD/NZD you can see you pay -3.35% per year.
That means each day you hold, you’ll have to pay 0.009% per day.
Then with some commodities and indices you’ll either earn interest or you’ll have to pay interest when you short (sell).
For example, with gold you’ll receive an interest of 1.23% per year.
Whereas with cotton you’ll pay 5.4% per year.
With the UK 100 FTSE, you’ll pay an annual interest of -0.24%. And with the Dow Jones you’ll receive 0.74% per year.
Then with local and international stocks, you’ll receive a certain % of interest (swap fees) per year.
So make sure you always check to see what each swap (daily interest fee) entails.
This obviously depends on the Market Maker you're using and if you're using Trading View make sure you see the information from your broker what the interest swaps (fees) are when you go long or short.
4 Ways to ACTION a trade - WHEN TO FIRE!You know that successful trading is…
.
.
.
.
Patience. You need to wait for the setup, reason, system, lining etc…
But then there is the 2% time where you actually ACTION a trade.
We action a trade for three reasons.
To enter
To adjust
To get out
But we need to talk about these reasons more…
Let’s do it.,
ACTION #1: Trade lines up – JUST TAKE THE TRADE!
When your trading signal lines up with your entry, stop loss, take profit, and system:
This is the most obvious time to take action.
It tells you “HELLO AN OPPORTUNITY HS ARISEN”
It is crucial to act quickly and decisively when this happens, as opportunities in the market can disappear just as quickly as they appear.
ACTION #2: Adjust your levels – JUST CHANGE THE TRADE
There are two levels you can adjust with your trades. Stop loss and Take profit.
When the market is moving in your favour, and you have solid rules to move your stop loss in the favour. This is done to lock in minimum gains.
For example. When my trade is 1:1 in the money, I might move my stop loss to just above breakeven. This way I have nothing to lose if it turns against me.
Then when the market is shooting in your favour, you might want to adjust the take profit.
This is because you can see the market wants to move further or…
There is a new setup with a new take profit level in place – which happens often with my analyses.
Action #3: Execute the time stop loss – JUST GET OUT
When an extended period has taken place i.e. 35 days or 7 weeks.
You might want to just get out of the boring trade.
You are either :
• Chowing (eating away at) unnecessary daily costs holding a non performing trade.
• A trade setup seems null and void as a new contrary setup as formed.
• Or it’s just a plain old opportunity cost where you can put your money in better places.
it may be necessary to exit the trade in order to avoid incurring too much in daily fees or missing out on other better opportunities.
Action #4: Exit due to unforeseen circumstances- SERIOUSLY JUST GET OUT!
For example when a black swan event occurs:
A black swan event is a term used to describe a market collapse (10X the standard deviationof its normal price move) that is unexpected and has a significant impact on the market.
In the event of a black swan event, it is essential to exit your trade in order to protect your capital and avoid taking a bigger loss than you expected.
EXPLAINED: A Bearish Fair Value Gap (FVG) - Smart Money ConceptsA Bearish Fair Value Gap is a 3 candle structure with a DOWN impulse candle (2nd) that indicates and creates an imbalance or an inefficiency in the market.
WHAT DO THE IMBALANCES TELL US?
These imbalances tell us that the buying and selling is not equal. Now the market needs to rebalance (move at least to 50% of the fair value gap to fill) to make up for the imbalance and rebalance. For this to happen we need to see orders filled in the prices of the candle with the FVG.
HOW A BEARISH FAIR VALUE GAP IS CONSTRUCTED:
1st Candle
Draw a horizontal line from the bottom of the wick.
3rd Candle
Draw a horizontal line from the top of the wick
2nd Candle
Draw a BOX between the bottom and the top and pull it over to see the FVG range.
BETWEEN CANDLE 1 and CANDLE 3:
Do NOT show common prices. They do NOT touch where the lower & the upper wicks do NOT overlap.
With a Bearish FVG we can expect the market price to move UP.
HOW MUCH?
I believe a Bearish FVG needs to close at least 50%.
So you can drag a Gann Box or a Fib retracement (take out all the other levels except 50%).
Wait for the price to close and fill the prices and boom - Your Bearish Fair Value Gap has been filled.
SO WHAT?
When you see a Bearish Fair Value Gap, you can expect the price to move up. So you can place your stop loss below the downtrend.
You can place your entry where it shows upside is imminent to close the gap.
You can place your take profit above the 50% of the formation, as you expect the price to close.
But also, we use other confirmation signals with the Bearish Fair Value Gap.
Let me know if you have any other SMC (Smart Money Concepts) Questions.
XAUUSD We caught the sells and 18/4/23 Outlook Good evening Gold Gang! what an amazing day on the gold chart
The first sells came after the forecasted fake out of the key level .. i entered as soon as i saw a bearish candle form after the rejections at key level .. i rode it down to the next level and then price continued again. Both levels forecast and its amazing to receive messages from traders who took the same trades as me.
For tomorrows price action, price has rejected the major key price level of 1983 with a huge wick. Id like to now start to move upwards to correct the bearish drops. This could be the beginning of the all time high run .. but we will need a biiig news catalyst for this to happen.
Sells below the previous close but be aware of price at 1979 as there may be a reaction from there.
Have a great evening guys, please leave a like and follow along for more xauusd updates
tommyXAU
Why you should NOT view LOSSES as LOSSESI want you to stop thinking of trading losses as losses.
It’s having an effect on you emotionally and is stopping your full potential of growth.
Financial trading, like any other business or aspect of life, involves costs.
That’s just life.
In business, there are costs associated with equipment, rent, salaries, taxes, and legal fees.
In our personal lives, there are costs associated with household expenses like rent, groceries, insurance, medical fees, taxes, and repairs.
Similarly, in trading, there are costs associated with normal losses, daily interest charges, and drawdowns.
It’s crucial to remember that losses are an inevitable part of trading and should be viewed as a necessary cost of doing business.
Just as a business owner must invest money in equipment, rent, and salaries to run their business, traders must also be prepared to invest money in losses in order to be successful in the long run.
If you try to avoid taking a trade, because you are worried about the loses, you will miss out on the greater rewards for when profitable trading opportunities come your way.
When you see trading losses as costs…
You will be able to take a more objective and strategic approach to the trading decisions that you make going forward.
This can help you to minimize losses and maximize profits over time.
So there are few things you need to do to mange your costs (losses) emotionally and physically.
Action #1: Set realistic stop losses
Place your stop loss with every trade and never risk more than 2% of your portfolio per trade.
Action #2: Understand the concept of Risk to Reward better.
The risk-reward ratio is the ratio of the potential profit of a trade to the potential loss.
By understanding the risk-reward ratio, traders can make more informed trading decisions and can better manage their risk.
Action #3: Don’t feel your losses
If you feel 2% is too much to risk, risk less!
Get to the point with your life where a loss isn’t that much as with where the reward isn’t worth celebrating.
Overtime, you’ll slowly grow your account and your mind too.
Patience is a Virtue in Trading! Learn Why:
In trading, timing is everything. Winning traders are patient. They know how to control their impulses so as to act decisively at the opportune moment. Rather than acting on a whim, they carefully devise a detailed trading plan, in which precise entry and exit strategies are specified, and strictly follow it. Discipline is the key to successful trading. Although discipline can be learned, some people are more disciplined and self-controlled than others. It is useful to determine where you stand on this trait, and if you’re impulsive, developing psychological strategies to compensate for it will allow you to trade profitably.
Research studies have demonstrated that some people have difficulty delaying gratification. In the jargon of behavioural economics, they “discount delayed rewards.” That is, they would rather take a small profit now, instead of waiting for a larger profit later. Depending on your style of trading, discounting a delayed reward can be a problem.
For a long-term investor, for example, it is necessary to buy-and-hold long enough for one’s long term strategy to play out. There may be minor fluctuations during the waiting period, but seasoned investors have learned to wait it out. Most novice investors, in contrast, impulsively sell as the masses panic and buy the stock back at a top, which usually results in a losing trade.
If you are a long-term investor, it is necessary to be able to control your impulse to make a profit and allow the price to rise over time. Even shorter-term traders, such as a swing trader, must fight the urge to sell early. Although trades are held for much shorter windows, a swing trader must know how to wait patiently for the optimal time to sell. Selling a winner too early is not going to allow one’s account balance to increase exponentially at an ideal rate.
The scalper is at the opposite end of the spectrum. Most scalpers feel an overpowering need to take a quick profit as soon as they can get it. To some extent, it may be wise for a person who has trouble patiently waiting for the price of an investment instrument to increase to become a scalper.
The conventional wisdom these days, however, is that decimalization has made scalping less viable. It is useful to take other steps to work around one’s inclination to sell prematurely. For example, one can use the automatic settings on one’s trading platform to specify an exit strategy. It has often been said that looking at one’s screen during the trading day is like sitting in front of a slot machine and trying to resist gambling.
It’s hard. Just as the one-armed bandit tempts recreational gamblers, charts and indicators on a computer screen tempt seasoned and novice traders alike to make hasty trading decisions. It may be useful to refrain from constantly looking at how a particular stock or commodity is doing while you’re waiting for your trading plan to play out. If you have to walk away, while having the automatic settings on to manage risk, then, by all means, turn off your screens or walk away.
It is also useful to objectify the trade. The more you can learn to view the trade objectively, as if you just don’t care what happens, the more you’ll be able to resist the temptation to close out a trade prematurely. A cold, rational approach to trading, along with a detailed trading plan, is the best defence against impulsive trading decisions.
Patience is a virtue when attempting to trade profitably. It is useful to remember that humans have a strong, natural tendency to avoid risk and loss at all costs. This tendency often protects us from harm, but there are times when it can compel us to act impulsively. We are naturally inclined to avoid losses at all costs, even if it means selling a potentially winning trade before it reaches fruition. Unless one can let winners increase in price sufficiently, profits won’t balance out losses. The ability to control one’s impulses and wait for larger, delayed rewards is vital for long-term survival. It’s worth developing this ability.
Hey traders, let me know what subject do you want to dive in in the next post?
4 TYPES OF TRADING GAPS Less is more... And this is just a summary of the most common 4 types of Gaps you may see,...
1. Break-away – Breaks out of a current trend
2. Exhaustion – Ends a current trend
3. Runaway – Runs in the direction of the trend
4. Common – Just an ordinary gap
Can you think of any more gaps?
BIG TIP OF THE DAY - Ride Winners and Cut losers BIG TIP OF THE DAY:
If you want to ride up winners, lock in profits and reduce losers here is what to do.
1. Place your Entry Stop loss and Take profit
(But have a TP 2 and TP 3 in place).
2. When the price approaches TP 1
(Close half of your position and move your stop loss to Breakeven)
3. When the price hits TP 2
(Close half of your position and move your stop loss half-way)
4. When the price hits TP 3
(Close your entire position).
This is how to ride your profits and winners.
Why we MAKE Excuses as tradersIt is an innate habit to make excuses in life.
We make excuses because it is the easy way out.
And let me tell you.
With trading, there is no EASY way.
As I like to say trading is the easiest hard way to make money.
It starts with NOT making stupid excuses such as:
Excuse #1: “I don’t know enough about the markets – so I won’t trade yet”
People don’t trade because of one thing.
Ignorance.
People may make this excuse because they have not put in the time and effort to research and understand the stock or market they are trading in.
They make this excuse that they believe the market is a difficult, advanced and complex world to financially grow.
If you passed school, or university – you can definitely learn how trading charts work and how the market operates.
Besides, it’s just demand, supply and volume and the rest is micro and macro economics (which you don’t even need). I know some 20 year olds who dropped out of school to learn to trade the markets and they are doing fine (for now).
Excuse #2: “I’m scared of losing money – so I’m not going to trade”.
Sure you’re worried about financial loss and that you can blow your account.
Besides 98% of traders fail, because of this.
But you do know you can start with a demo (paper) account in the mean time. Once you see consistent paper returns and that you have a solid and adept strategy, you can start depositing little by little.
Money is no excuse when you can learn to trade – for free!
Excuse #3: “I won’t be able to stick to the strategy”
Most people make this excuse because either:
They do not have a proven and profitable strategy.
They do have a strategy but do not have the confidence to trade it.
They do NOT have the faith to actually take the discipline to take a trade when the system lines up according to the strat.
They don’t think they’ll be able to focus on trading because, they are distracted by other things in their lives.
This is a mind game, so work on yourself before you trade for yourself.
Excuse #4: “I can’t stand the fact of losing”
Back to ego, pride and integrity.
Let me try and help you with this one.
When you buy yourself clothes, cars or other material stuff.
You do know you’re spending your hard earned money – poof – gone.
With business, you have monthly costs fixed and variable.
With life you have expenses and unexpected doctor appointments.
All of these come with an opportunity cost. I lose this to get that.
Trading shouldn’t be any different. You lose a bit of capital off one trade, to bank a higher return the next time.
Rinse and repeat and your losses will start to feel like costs of the business. Your winners will feel like the money to pay for some of the costs next month.
Cut your ego out because every week and month you spend and waste money – it’s called maturity.
Excuse #5: “I’m waiting for better conditions”
When the market Is not that favourable, how do you know when it will turn back?
You just need one day, one week or one month – and your portfolio could head to all time highs.
It’s not our jobs to trade when markets are favourable or not. It’s our job to follow the proven strategy because we know it will yield a consistent return over time.
Also… When you do eventually get into trading – then what?
Are you going to stop trading again because the market isn’t feeling right for your strategy? I should hope not. You’ll be entering into a discretion and subjective form of trading which eventually ends up to be a losing strategy.
I hope this helps and makes you realise that excuses are nothing more than going back into a comfort zone of no change and progress…
When later in life you’ll realise.
Your comfort zone, was uncomfortable to begin with.