Decode Central Bank Speakers like a Pro🌞Good morning, traders! Want to decode central bank speakers' speeches like a pro? Here are key tips for interpretation:
1️⃣ Context is key: Understand the broader economic landscape, recent policy decisions, and market expectations. This helps decipher the underlying messages and potential policy shifts in the speeches.
2️⃣ Listen beyond words: Pay attention to tone, emphasis, and non-verbal cues during speeches. Central bank officials often communicate subtly through these signals, providing insights into their confidence levels and policy stance.
3️⃣ Identify key keywords: Look for phrases such as "gradual," "data-dependent," or "balanced approach." These can indicate a cautious stance. Conversely, terms like "vigilance," "imminent risks," or "considering options" may signal potential policy changes.
4️⃣ Market impact analysis: Assess the reaction of financial markets to previous speeches by the same speaker. This helps gauge the credibility and influence of the individual and their potential impact on currency, bonds, and equities.
5️⃣ Read between speeches: Compare and contrast speeches by different central bank officials. Look for consensus or divergence in their messages, as it provides insights into potential divisions or unity within the policymaking body.
Interpreting central bank speakers' speeches is an art that combines analysis, intuition, and market knowledge. Stay informed, keep learning, and refine your interpretation skills for better decision-making.
Trading Tools
Mindset and Beliefs: The Foundation of Successful TradingAfter 16 years of trading, I have come to realize that mindset and beliefs are critical to achieving consistent success in the markets.
Through personal experience and countless hours of market analysis, I've discovered that the psychological aspect of trading often makes the difference between consistent gains and recurring losses.
Today we will explore how your mindset and beliefs shape your trading performance and provide practical exercises that I've personally used to develop a winning trading mentality.
Understanding Mindset and Beliefs - The Role of Mindset in Trading
Your mindset encompasses your attitudes, beliefs, and emotional responses towards trading. It influences every decision you make, from the trades you choose to enter to how you react to losses and gains.
A positive, growth-oriented mindset helps traders navigate the volatile nature of the markets, while a fixed, fear-driven mindset can lead to poor decision-making and emotional trading.
Reflecting Beliefs in Trading Results
One of the most profound realizations I've had is that the market will reflect your limiting beliefs back to you in the results you achieve. If you have negative beliefs about money, success, or your self-worth, these beliefs will manifest in your trading outcomes.
For instance, if you subconsciously believe you are not deserving of success or wealth, you may find yourself making decisions that lead to losses, reinforcing those beliefs.
Key Beliefs for Successful Trading
To become a consistently profitable trader, it's crucial to cultivate empowering beliefs. Here are the key beliefs that have transformed my trading journey:
The Market is Neutral: - The market does not act against you personally. It moves based on the collective actions of all participants. Believing the market is neutral helps you stay objective and not take losses personally.
Accepting Uncertainty: - Embrace the uncertainty of trading. Each trade's outcome is unknown and should be viewed as part of a probability game. Accepting this uncertainty reduces emotional reactions to market movements.
Deserving of Success and Wealth: - Develop the belief that you are deserving of success and allowed to make money. This positive self-concept can shift your actions and decisions, aligning them with wealth creation.
Focus on Process Over Outcome: - Successful traders focus on following their trading process rather than fixating on individual trade outcomes. This helps in maintaining consistency and emotional stability.
Practical Exercises to Develop a Positive Trading Mindset
These techniques are not just theoretical. They are exercises I have practiced over the years, transforming me from a consistently losing trader to a consistently profitable one.
Self-Awareness Journaling - Objective: Identify and challenge limiting beliefs.
Exercise:
Step 1: At the end of each trading day, write down any negative thoughts or beliefs you had during trading. For example, "I always lose money on Fridays" or "The market is out to get me."
Step 2: Challenge these beliefs by questioning their validity. Ask yourself, "Is this belief based on facts or emotions?"
Step 3: Replace negative beliefs with positive affirmations. For example, "I am continuously improving my trading skills" or "The market offers opportunities every day."
Frequency: Daily - This exercise helped me recognize and reframe the negative thoughts that were sabotaging my trading efforts.
Visualization Techniques - Objective: Build confidence and a positive mental image of trading success.
Exercise:
Step 1: Sit in a quiet place and close your eyes.
Step 2: Visualize yourself successfully executing trades. Imagine each step, from analyzing the charts to placing the trade and seeing it reach your target.
Step 3: Feel the emotions associated with successful trading, such as confidence and calmness.
Frequency: Daily for 5-10 minutes - Regular visualization has ingrained a sense of confidence and calm, enabling me to approach each trading day with a clear and focused mind.
Cognitive Reframing - Objective: Change negative trading experiences into learning opportunities.
Exercise:
Step 1: Reflect on a recent trading loss.
Step 2: Write down the negative emotions and thoughts associated with the loss.
Step 3: Reframe the experience by identifying what you learned from it. For instance, "I learned the importance of setting stop-loss orders."
Frequency: After every significant trading loss - By reframing losses as learning opportunities, I've been able to grow and improve my trading strategies continuously.
Meditation and Mindfulness - Objective: Enhance focus and emotional regulation.
Exercise:
Step 1: Find a comfortable sitting position.
Step 2: Close your eyes and focus on your breathing.
Step 3: If your mind wanders, gently bring your focus back to your breath.
Frequency: Daily for 10-15 minutes - Meditation has been a game-changer for maintaining emotional control and staying calm during volatile market conditions.
My Transformation in Trading Mindset
Early in my trading career, I struggled with a fixed mindset, believing I wasn't cut out for trading due to a few early losses. I often felt the market was against me and reacted emotionally to trades, resulting in a cycle of poor decisions and further losses.
My beliefs about money, success, and self-worth were reflected in my trading results. The market seemed to mirror my negative beliefs back to me, causing me to lose money consistently.
By incorporating the exercises above, I gradually shifted my mindset:
Self-Awareness Journaling helped me identify and challenge my belief that I would never be a successful trader. I replaced negative thoughts with affirmations of continuous improvement and opportunity.
Visualization Techniques built my confidence by allowing me to mentally practice successful trades, which in turn manifested in real trading scenarios.
Cognitive Reframing turned my losses into valuable learning experiences, reducing my emotional reactions and helping me grow as a trader.
Meditation and Mindfulness enhanced my focus and emotional control, helping me stay calm during volatile market conditions.
Over time, I developed a more positive, growth-oriented mindset. I started to see losses as part of the learning process and focused on following my trading plan diligently.
This transformation in mindset led to more consistent trading performance and increased profitability. The market began to reflect my new, positive beliefs back to me in the form of consistent trading gains.
Conclusion
Your mindset and beliefs form the foundation of your trading success. By developing a positive, growth-oriented mindset and challenging limiting beliefs, you can enhance your trading performance.
The practical exercises outlined above provide a roadmap for transforming your mindset and achieving greater consistency and success in trading.
Remember, the journey to mastering trading psychology is continuous. Stay committed to these practices, and you'll gradually build the mental resilience and confidence needed to thrive in the markets.
These techniques have been instrumental in my journey from a consistently losing trader to a consistently profitable one. I believe they can do the same for you.
How to dollar cost averge with precisionI've seen several dollar cost averaging calculator online, however there is something I usually see missing. How many stocks should you buy if you want your average cost to be a specific value. Usually the calculators will ask how much you bought at each level ang give you the average, but not the other way around (telling you how much to buy to make your average a specific value). For this, I decided to make the calculations on my own.
Here, you can see the mathematical demonstration: www.mathcha.io
HOW-TO: Integrate Probabilities into Mechanical Trading StrategyIf you want to skip all the explanations and start working with the OptiRange indicator right away , skip to the last paragraph.
What are the two main approaches in manual trading?
In the world of manual trading, there are two main approaches: mechanical and discretionary trading.
Mechanical or systematic trading is about sticking to a set of predefined rules, almost like following a recipe. Even though you're still executing the trades manually, the decisions are made based on a systematic approach that doesn’t waver. This method is designed to leverage a specific edge in the market, reducing emotional involvement and decision-making stress.
Discretionary trading is a trading approach that relies heavily on the trader's judgment and intuition. Unlike mechanical trading, which follows strict, predefined rules, discretionary trading involves making decisions based on a subjective evaluation of market conditions , price patterns, news events, and other factors. Traders using this method often seek to add confluence—multiple signals or pieces of evidence—to support their trade decisions.
However, this approach can sometimes mislead traders into believing they are identifying high-probability opportunities .
This can create a false sense of confidence , forcing you more likely to take trades that don't actually align with any proven edge. The result is often poor trading decisions, driven by overconfidence rather than objective analysis.
Why isn't mechanical trading talked about more often?
Many people aren't aware of mechanical trading because most trading mentors and courses focus on discretionary trading. This method is more intuitive and accessible, especially for beginners who are interested in learning how to read charts.
Discretionary trading is often seen as more engaging and gives traders a sense of control, which can be appealing.
If mechanical trading is so effective, why do most mentors teach discretionary trading?
Discretionary trading is easier to understand and start with It also appears to offer more flexibility and engagement. As a result, it's more commonly taught and discussed, which means many traders don't get exposed to the benefits of a systematic, rules-based approach like mechanical trading. This leads to a lack of awareness and understanding about the potential advantages of mechanical trading strategies.
Why aren't more mentors switching from discretionary trading to mechanical trading?
Many mentors stick with teaching discretionary trading because it allows them to cover up losses and highlight their winning trades more easily. They can always justify their trading decisions with various explanations, keeping their clients entertained and engaged. This approach creates a dependency, as clients often feel they need ongoing guidance to navigate the complexities of the market.
In contrast, if a mentor were to teach mechanical trading, students would learn a clear set of rules and strategies. Once these rules are understood, traders can become independent, reducing their reliance on the mentor . This independence can be less appealing to mentors who want to maintain a steady stream of clients. Thus, the lack of transparency and the ability to mystify trading strategies keep the focus on discretionary trading methods.
Why consistency is key in trading?
Consistency is essential in trading because it directly affects your results. When your approach varies, such as with discretionary analysis that changes with each setup, your outcomes become unpredictable. Sticking to a set of rules, however, gives you predictable and reliable results.
When you adhere to a fixed set of rules, your actions remain consistent. This consistency leads to results that are also reliable and predictable.
With mechanical trading rules, you're not relying on guesswork or intuition. You have a clear, predefined set of actions, knowing exactly what to do and when to do it.
What are the first steps I should be taking to become a systematic trader?
The first step towards becoming an independent systematic trader is accepting that consistently beating the market with discretionary trading is highly challenging. Despite what you might see on social media—traders getting funded and posting their success—these stories are often disconnected from the reality of intuition-based trading. Many traders spend thousands on challenges, and while some might get lucky and achieve initial funding, they often end up blowing their accounts after a few emotional sessions.
Instead, I want you to shift your focus to developing your own understanding of systematic trading. Know the fact that sticking to pre-defined rules and executing a mechanical trading strategy is key to long-term success. This approach requires you to take it seriously and act responsibly, adhering to a structured, rules-based system that removes emotion and improves your consistency.
The second step is to study the market on your own and identify setups that occur repeatedly across multiple timeframes. Develop clear, step-by-step rules for your strategy and understand the logic behind each rule. Once your rules are written out, create a flowchart to visualize and follow them daily, ensuring you stick to the strategy without introducing flexibility.
Afterward, spend several months backtesting your strategy to verify that the edge you plan to execute is genuinely profitable. This thorough testing will help confirm that your approach works under different market conditions and provides the consistency needed for systematic trading.
Luckily for you, I have done it all. it took me one year to test and validate the strategy by manually going through data collection and backtesting and one year to fully code the strategy into an indicator so I can trade it as systematic as possible.
I'm more than happy to share this with rule-driven individuals who are serious about excelling their trading business.
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How does the OptiRange indicator work?
Market Structure: The Optirange indicator analyzes market structure across multiple timeframes, from a top-down perspective, including 12M, 6M, 3M, 1M, 2W, 1W, 3D, and 1D all the way down to hourly timeframes including 12H 8H 6H 4H 2H 1H.
Fractal Blocks: Once the market structure or current range is identified, the indicator automatically identifies the last push before the break and draws it as a box. These zones acts as a key area where the price often rejects from.
Mitigations: After identifying the Fractal Block, the indicator checks for price mitigation or rejection within this zone. If mitigation occurs, meaning the price has reacted or rejected from the Fractal Block, the indicator draws a checkmark from the deepest candle within the Fractal Block to the initial candle that has created the zone.
Bias Table: After identifying the three key elements—market structure, Fractal Blocks, and price mitigations—the indicator compiles this information into a multi-timeframe table. This table provides a comprehensive top-down perspective, showing what is happening from a structural standpoint across all timeframes. The Bias Table presents raw data, including identified Fractal Blocks and mitigations, to help traders understand the overall market trend. This data is crucial for the screener, which uses it to determine the current market bias based on a top-down analysis.
Screener: Once all higher timeframes (HTF) and lower timeframes (LTF) are calculated using the indicator, it follows the exact rules outlined in the flowchart to determine the market bias. This systematic approach not only helps identify the current market trend but also suggests the exact timeframes to use for finding entry, particularly on hourly timeframes.
According to the above trade plan, why do we only look for mitigations within Fractal Blocks of X1/X2?
In this context, "X" stands for a break in the market's structure, and the numbers (1 and 2) indicate the sequence of these breaks within the same trend direction, either up or down.
We focus on mitigations within Fractal Blocks during the X1/X2 stages because these points mark the early phase (X1) and the continuation (X2) of a trend. By doing so, we align our trades with the market's main direction and avoid getting stopped out in the middle of trends.
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To illustrate how the script analyzes market data and the thought process behind it, let's go through an example.
Example:
12M Timeframe: FX:EURUSD
6M Timeframe : FX:EURUSD
3M Timeframe : FX:EURUSD
1M Timeframe : FX:EURUSD
2W Timeframe : FX:EURUSD
1W Timeframe : FX:EURUSD
Hourly Entry: FX:EURUSD
Final HTF TP: FX:EURUSD
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Don’t worry about understanding every detail of how the script works.
It's only to show you how the indicator calculates multiple timeframe and how it guides you on when to sell/buy or stay away.
Last paragraph:
You can simply turn on the Screener in user-input so that the indicator instantly does a top-down analysis for you using the strategy flowchart and decides for you what hourly timeframes you should be using to get your entries.
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Now that you understand how the OptiRange indicator works, you can start using it to execute a mechanical edge from today.
If you have any questions or need further assistance, feel free to leave a comment!
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.
Buy call option – at the money / in the money / out of the moneyDefinitions
Buy call option – a stock option is the right to buy a stock (but not the obligation) at a certain price for a limited period of time. The price at which the stock may be bought is called the striking price.
Three terms describe the relationship between the stock price and the options striking price: At the money / In the money / Out of the money
For example; stock XYZ trade at $100
At the money – the strike price of the option is $100
In the money - the strike price of the option is $90
Out of the money – the strike price of the option is $110
The strike price is one of the 6 factors that determine the price of the option.
Those factors are:
1. The price of the stock
2. The strike price of the option
3. The time until the option expires
4. The volatility of the stock also called “implied volatility”
5. The risk-free interest rate (usually the 90-day treasury bills)
6. The dividend rate of the stock.
The last two have less influence on the option price.
The option pricing has two elements, “time premium” and “intrinsic value”.
In this post, I’m not going to elaborate on those two. (But they are important to understand).
The Delta
The delta of an option is the amount by which the call option will increase or decrease in price if the stock moves by 1 point. The values of the delta are between zero to one, if the call option is in the money the delta is closer to 1 if the call option is out of the money the delta is closer to 0.
For example; if the stock option has a delta value of 0.8, this means that if the stock increases or decreases in price by $1 per share, the option price will rise or fall by $0.8.
The option pricing is based on a partial differential equation because of that the behaver of the option pricing is not linear, as we can see from the charts.
In the right chart, we see In the money option with a delta of 0.92, meaning the option price is behaving very similar to the stock price, we see that the lines are nearly flat.
In the left chart, we see Out of the money option with a delta of 0.12, meaning the option price does not move like the stock price, for every $1 the stock will move the option price will move $0.12.
Also, note the difference between the profit lines, to make 3 points with In the money option the stock needs to move to above $190, but the Out of the money option needs only to move above $145.
This was the profit side, the losing side as you can see if the stock will remain at the same place the In the money options will break-even while the Out of the money options will expire worthless and will lose 1 point.
The options that were used (input):
Right chart: Option price -> $25.9, Stock price -> $115 , Strike price -> 90$ , Interest rate -> 0 , Days to expire -> 56 , Implied volatility -> 40.8%
Left chart: Option price -> $1.17, Stock price -> $115 , Strike price -> $140 , Interest rate -> 0 , Days to expire -> 56 , Implied volatility -> 40.8%
One option contract is the right to buy 100 shares so the cost for the options would be: $2590 and $117 respectively, not include commissions.
For clarification: If you hold it to expiration and it is not worthless, that means you need to buy 100 shares at the strike price, $9000 in the right chart, $14,000 in the left chart. (not include what you already paid)
Optimizing Technical Analysis with Logarithmic Scales▮ Introduction
In the realm of technical analysis, making sense of market behavior is crucial for traders and investors. One foundational aspect is selecting the right scale to view price charts. This educational piece delves into the significance of logarithmic scaling and how it can enhance your technical analysis.
▮ Understanding Scales
- Linear Scale
This is a common graphing approach where each unit change on the vertical axis represents the same absolute value.
- Logarithmic Scale
Unlike the linear scale, the logarithmic scale adjusts intervals to represent percentage changes.
Here, each step up/down the axis signifies a constant percentage increase/decrease.
▮ Why Use the Logarithmic Scale?
The logarithmic scale offers a more insightful way to analyze price movements, especially when the price range varies significantly.
By focusing on percentage changes rather than absolute values, long-term trends and patterns become more apparent, making it easier to make informed trading decisions.
▮ Comparative Examples
Consider the Bitcoin price movement:
- On a linear scale, a 343% increase from $3,124 to $13,870 looks smaller compared to the same percentage increase from $13,870 to $61,769. This disparity occurs because the linear scale emphasizes absolute changes.
- On the logarithmic scale, both 343% increases appear proportional, giving a clearer representation.
Additionally, in a falling price scenario, a linear graph might show a smaller box for an 84% drop compared to a 77% drop, simply because of absolute values' significance. The logarithmic scale corrects this, showing the true extent of percentage declines.
▮ Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages:
- Fairer comparison of price movements.
- Consistent representation of percentage changes.
- More reliable support and resistance lines.
Disadvantages:
- Potential misalignment of alerts (www.tradingview.com).
- Drawing inclined lines might create distortions when switching scales:
A possible solution is the use the "Object Tree" feature on TradingView to manage graphical elements distinctly for each scale.
▮ How to Apply Logarithmic Scale on TradingView
Enabling the logarithmic scale on TradingView is straightforward:
- Click on the letter "L" in the lower right corner of the graph (the column where prices are shown);
- Another option is use of the keyboard shortcut, pressing ALT + L .
▮ Conclusion
The logarithmic scale is an invaluable tool for technical analysis, providing a more accurate representation of percentage changes and simplifying long-term pattern recognition.
While it has its limitations, thoughtful application alongside other analytical tools can greatly enhance your market insights.
How to start Trading!We (the discord mods) are trying to get a document going where people can look for advice on how to get started in trading, its not an easy question and certainly not an easy answer, but here we go :)
Be prepared that to becoming a profitable trader you will need months (even years) of training and learning, but its worth the time!
The beauty of Tradingview and its tools (Paper trading) is that you can learn it all for free. (All you need is time). You can demo trade for free, learn and experiance how the market moves, learn what you want to do later in life and learn all the nessessary tools you will need!
We realize that certain information is maybe something that you dont agree first or you say "what? that cant be real?", but bear with us for the time being, go through this document and then decide!
So, lets start with the first question for you:
What lifestyle do you have at the moment?
Why is that important? well, for each trade you need a few hours of preparation, and if you are a daytrader (intraday trader or scalper) then you trade each day (even multiple times) and each time you need preparation, can you do that? can you sit 4-6h infront of the computer everyday to analyse a trade?
If not, we have other options for you.. for example swing trader or investor.
What type of person are you?
For example: if you decide to do scalping, be prepared to get more stressful situations then a daytrader.
So it's important to figure out how you want to trade and what you can actually handle (the psychology in trading has a HUGE impact of your trading life.)
If you go and test out some strategies and you realize that this is not for you, then you have a clear sign that you shouldnt explore this further.
What type of assets can you trade?
There are local laws that you have to follow in your country that may be restrictive to certain assets so you have to figure out what you can actually trade. There are plenty of assets outthere, you just have to explore them and search for a broker you can actually sign up with a KYC.
For this, the best option is to go to Brokers and check them out until you find one that is allowed in your country.
(Be careful with brokers not on tradingviews list, for example if you want to trade crypto but its not allowed in your country but you find some broker you can sign up, the problem comes once you want to withdraw and use the money in your country. your local bank is most likely not letting you do that.)
Basics of Trading
No matter what you decide to be (daytrader, scalper, investor..), you will need to learn the basics of all of them.
Learn all the basic Terms such as:
- Long / Short (Bullish / Bearish)
- Bid / Ask (combined with spread below)
- Crypto, Forex, CFD, Stocks, Options (Bonds, Shares, Indices...)
- Market Order / Limit Order (Stoploss (SL), Profit Target (TP), Trailing)
- Leverage
- Margin / Balance
- Spread / Slippage
- Gaps
- Ranges
- Timeframe / Sessions
And then there are the major Indicators:
- RSI
- MACD
- Stochastics
- Moving Averages (simple, exponential, smoothed, and so on..)
- Price trends
- Support and Resistance (Supply & Demand)
- Volume
I know, alot of you reading this go like "What? indicators are useless, price action is the real deal.." but thats not the point here, we are learning the basics of trading. The more you know the better you will be at trading. Knowledge is power.
Also i would advice you to study the math behind them too, while you do that you learn how and why they act the way they do!
Journal
Yes, we all hate it but we all know why its good to do! :)
The simplest method i find is to use the long/short tool of tradingview, write down the notes in a textfield and then hide it in the control-center of your drawings (rightclick into chart -> Object Tree)
Do it! you won't regret it!
Risk Reward
This topic is something so many of you ignore and its one of the most important part of trading.
You all heard the sentence "there is no trading without SL" and some of you may think "yeah, thats not true", but in the Risk Reward section you learn how and why this sentence is as true as it gets. you never, ever trade without SL because otherwise you cant calculate your risk.
There is also the golden rule "Never risk more then 1% of your Money" and with an SL you can manage this sentence, without it, how can you even begin to manage this? you can't.
(Yes, i know some of you risk 2-5%, but not me, im a firm believer you should never break this rule).
If you risk 1% and lose 10 times in a row, you lost 10%. if your RR is 1:3, you need 4 wins to regain your losses.
If you risk 2% and lose 10 times in a row, you lost 20%. if your RR is 1:3, you need 7 wins to regain your losses.
... you see where this goes, right?
For this, and any other topic above, the best thing to use is the Search function on tradingview, input the title and read it all. (yes, all, yes it will take weeks, yes tahts what its all about)
Psychology
Okey, this one is a big one. not gonna lie, that will take the most time because we are all humans.
you will experiance FOMO (fear of missing out), greed, rage, and so on... thats just normal.
Thats the biggest reason to start journaling your trades, write down what you felt, why did you take a trade that you realize you shouldnt have in the first place?
So, in psychology everyone needs to figure out how he/she is obviously, i can just tell you how i do it right now and what steps made the biggest impact:
I do only 1:2 RR trades.
- Yes, after 1:2 im out, i dont care if he goes to the moon, all i care is that im no longer in a trade (my mind plays all kinds of tricks while in a trade.)
- Big impact!
I only trade 1 asset.
- I trade EURUSD all day long for years now. No, i dont look at others while im actively trading.
- Big impact!
I set and forget.
- i put in my SL and TP and once im in the trade (or even set the limit order) im semi-afk from the charts.
- I have 2 alerts on my tradingview, one for the TP and one for the SL. thats it.
those few steps helped me a ton in my trading, and yes, they may not be for everyone but it is just a showcase of hwo you need to find something that works for you.
ELLIOTT WAVES CHEAT SHEET 🏄♂️ 10 RulesHello, here is a cheat sheet for Elliott Waves for top 10 Rules, so you can print this out and keep on your desk.
The Elliott wave principle is a form of technical analysis that finance traders use to analyze financial market cycles and forecast market trends by identifying extremes in investor psychology, highs and lows in prices, and other collective factors. Ralph Nelson Elliott (1871–1948), a professional accountant, discovered the underlying social principles and developed the analytical tools in the 1930s. He proposed that market prices unfold in specific patterns, which practitioners today call Elliott waves, or simply waves. Elliott published his theory of market behavior in the book The Wave Principle in 1938, summarized it in a series of articles in Financial World magazine in 1939, and covered it most comprehensively in his final major work, Nature's Laws: The Secret of the Universe in 1946. Elliott stated that "because man is subject to rhythmical procedure, calculations having to do with his activities can be projected far into the future with a justification and certainty heretofore unattainable." The empirical validity of the Elliott wave principle remains the subject of debate.
How to Send Alerts from Tradingview to Telegram I found a new way for sending alerts from tradingview to telegram channel or telegram group by using webhook. I’ve been looking for a while and most of the ways had problems. Some of them had delays in sending the alerts and were not secure because they were using public bots. Some of them required money and were not free. Some of the ways needed coding knowledge. The way I recommend does not have these problems.
It has three simple steps:
1. Creating a telegram channel or group;
2. Creating a telegram bot by using botfather;
3. Signing in/up in pipedream.com.
I made a video for presenting my way. I hope it was helpful and if you have any questions make sure to comment so I can help you.
Thank you!
Social Media - and its danger!Social Media... the part of the Internet that is very dangerous when it comes to promises, money, and wealth.
We've all seen it: on social media, you can supposedly make millions in under 15 minutes. Pictures with a Lamborghini and a TradingView chart above it...
Let's go through some thoughts new traders may not be aware of and how to look at them with a critical mind!
(🚩 -> Red Flag)
📍 MetaTrader / Think or Swim / NinjaTrader / cTrader 📍
There are more, but let's focus on the more popular ones.
Pictures of winning trades are useless when it comes to trading. Trading is done over years in a consistent manner, not over a few trades.
Pictures of MT5, NT, or any other platform can easily be faked.
You can set up your own little server for MetaTrader, play it out, and you have your fake trades.
📍 Fancy Cars / Travels / Houses 📍
Showing a fancy lifestyle is another big 🚩.
All those people with fancy cars have leased or rented them for the image of being successful. It's to lure you in with false promises!
(Although trading can be very fulfilling if you are willing to put in the work!)
📍 New Setup Every Few Weeks 📍
If a channel has a new setup every few weeks, this is only made for scamming new traders, not to have a setup that works.
(Think about it, if you have a setup that works, why would you change?)
Explore their profile, look for this pattern, and sometimes you will find it. Simple step :)
📍 Selling Courses / Mentorship 📍
You can learn all of trading for free.
TradingView has a very nice paper trading feature that you can use and a very unique ideas section where you can find all the information you need!
Here we come to a golden rule when it comes to starting trading: NEVER buy a course or mentorship. Never! You don't need it!
(And also, TradingView's paper trading is free!)
📍 Very Basic Information Available Only 📍
Trading is hard; trading needs a lot of concepts fitting together like RR-System, Money Management, Multi-Timeframe Analysis.
If you see a social media post with 1 chart with some boxes and another picture with a money screenshot, this is 100% fake.
You need A LOT more than 1 chart and a lot more knowledge than you can ever show on even 3 charts.
📍 AI 📍
Oh, we all love AI, but I'm afraid that AI is not in the picture (yet).
Pine can't code it, and the current state of "AI" is a "guessing" game.
(AI just guesses what comes next, in the form of vectors... it's extremely complex, but it doesn't exist in trading.)
📍 Indicators 📍
Indicators are a very nice thing to have AFTER you have your strategy down, not before.
There is no indicator that works on its own; you plug it in and it makes money... that doesn't exist!
(Think about it critically: if that existed, why wouldn't we solve world hunger?)
📍 Typical Selling Point Sentences 📍
"Learn trading in 15 minutes" or "This is all you need" or "Only trade for 10 minutes a day" are the typical scam titles that you see, and with those, you know 100% they are fake.
Trading is not done in 15 minutes, trading is hard work, and trading takes a long time to learn. There are no shortcuts.
📍 Things You Can Ask Them 📍
Typically speaking, they will not answer any of these questions because they can't.
Like "How do you calculate your position size with your current RR setup?" This means they studied this, and you can be sure they didn't :)
Or "How does leverage exactly work?" and like 99.99% of the YouTubers got it wrong.
But a very nice thing to ask is a simple "Can I have a broker statement of your account?" and boom, they are gone.
🏆 Golden Rules 🏆
Never buy anything (you can learn 100% everything for free).
Ask critical questions and follow up on them.
Trading is hard; there is no 15-minute setup.
Trading can't be 100% automated.
HOW-TO: Cyato Grid BotThe grid strategy is one of the most popular and interesting in the world of crypto and forex trading.
Simply because it abuses volatility, market fluctuations, and those markets are well known for it.
In this guide, I will explain the strategy and showcase a powerful grid trading indicator that can help traders to better understand and implement this strategy.
█ The Key to the strategy
It involves placing buy and sell orders at predetermined intervals or levels, called "Grid Steps". If a step is crossed to the downside, the strategy will buy. If price crosses a step to the upside, the strategy will sell. The last step to be crossed becomes inactive.
When configuring the strategy, the process is pretty simple.
The user can choose the number of steps with a higher and lower step price. With just these 3 settings, you can create a strategy.
Now, the challenge with grid trading, is to optimize these 3 settings.
█ Maximizing its effectiveness
The first thing you want to do before even going into the settings is to find a suitable market for it.
You want these 3 requirements:
• A ranging/going sideways market
• High volatility
• High liquidity
For example, ETH/BTC is one of the most traded pair in grid trading. It has good volume for the strategy, behaves in a range since late 2021, and has decent volatility daily.
█ Knowing the risks
Very often, the lowest step is used as a stoploss.
As with every trading strategy, there are risks and it is important to understand it.
With grid trading, we take a bet that price will fluctuate in a range, and abuse that assumption to profit from price action.
If price decides to leave the range, there is one scenario that will put us at risk.
In the scenario where price breaks to the top, we are fine, this is take profit.
However, if price breaks through the bottom (lowest step), we will find ourselves with a lot of buy orders above current price.
That means we have unrealised loss. Now two difficult two choices are in our hands: sell at a loss, expecting price to go lower, and stop the strategy to start a new one at lower prices. Or wait until price climbs back up.
In this example, we set a stop loss at 0.063 BTC below the lowest step, and price falls down to 0.048 BTC. If we decided to hold, the unrealised loss would grow bigger as price drops.
Now that we know what are the risks, let's see how is profit calculated.
█ Calculating Grid Profit
We will have two types of profit when grid trading. One this called grid profit.
Grid profit is generated every time a step is bought and sold at a higher price. The grid step "height" is the spacing between two steps, usually visualised in a % percentage of price.
The sum of all the profits generated from the grid steps is the grid profit.
The second type of profit is the open profit. This one is really important and should not be forgotten when calculating your strategy PNL.
To put it simply, it is the profit or loss that would be realised if you would close all the open orders at current price.
The open profit can vary a lot and it is crucial to know its value when you are looking to take profit or stop the strategy.
In this example, I chose round numbers to make it easier. I used 2000 usd as initial capital for the strategy, which contains 20 steps. The strategy will therefore split this equally through the steps, so 100 usd per steps. I chose a grid step of 1.1% of price, which is makes around 1% after fees. It will consequently take 20 closed steps to generate 1% grid profit from the initial capital.
After running the strategy for 74 days, we have 21 steps closed, which makes a tiny bit more than 1% grid profit in total.
However, the open profit from the 12 orders still open is negative because price dropped.
If we were to close all open orders and stop the strategy right now, the total profit would be 1.03 - 4.35 = -3.32 %
We can see that it would not be a good time to stop the strategy, and shows that grid trading needs time to generate grid profit. That is why even though it is run on low timeframes, it remains a long term strategy.
█ Cyato Grid
Cyato Grid is a powerful indicator that can help to better understand and implement this strategy.
I will now explain the key features and settings of the indicator, provide examples of how to use it in real-world trading scenarios, and offer tips and advice for maximizing its effectiveness.
Backtesting
As soon as you set the 3 settings - number of steps, lowest and highest price -, you will get results in the Strategy Tester and in the Backtest table in the top right of the chart.
Those results will vary based on your strategy initial capital and order size. The order size being the amount to buy on each step, and is usually the same for each step. A good practice is to divide your inital capital by the number of steps to make sure you will never run out of funds to run the strategy.
Order Type
The strategy can be configured to use market or limit orders, as you prefer.
With market order type, the strategy will place market orders at the current price every time a step is crossed.
This allows to ensure that every order is filled, however you are subject to buy and sell a bit higher or lower than the exact grid step prices, and you will pay taker fees.
With limit order type, the strategy will place limit orders.
This allows to ensure that the strategy will buy and sell at the exact step prices and pay maker fees, which are usually less than taker fees.
To make it work, the "Start Date" setting comes into place.
Key Features
• Price percentage % step
Lets you set a price percentage between steps. The grid is then generated starting from lower or upper, configurable.
• Trailing Up
Automatically creates new steps when price climbs out of range.
• Trailing Stop
When trailing up is activated, the stop loss will dynamically follow the lowest price.
• Take Profit
Secure profits by stopping the strategy once total volume (grid profit and open profit) reaches a configurable percentage %.
Automation
You can fully automate the strategy through its alerts.
Set the alert messages for buy, sell, take profit, stop losses directly in the indicator settings.
Use the parameter "alert() function calls only" and you're good to go.
It will use only 1 alert slot to run the whole strategy.
Since it is not possible to place orders directly in TradingView, you will need a bot-software to do it.
You can use any bot that work with TradingView alerts.
Now, I offer a bot system for Binance along with the indicator. More info on my website, link below.
Sample Use cases
Crypto
BNB/BTC
BNB/ETH
LTC/BTC
Forex
GBP/JPY
EUR/JPY
NZD/USD
Tips and advice
1 — Set up the grid properly: Make sure you have a clear understanding of the asset you're trading and the market conditions that are affecting it. Set your grid levels based on your analysis of the asset's price movements and volatility.
2 — Adjust the grid as necessary: Keep an eye on market conditions and adjust your grid levels as needed. This will help you capture gains and limit losses as the market moves.
3 — Use proper risk management: Make sure you have a clear understanding of your risk tolerance and use appropriate risk management techniques, such as setting stop-loss orders, to limit your potential losses.
4 — Don't overtrade: Grid trading involves placing a large number of orders, so be mindful of transaction costs and don't overtrade. This will help you maximize your profits and reduce the potential for losses.
5 — Consider using automated software: Grid trading can be automated using software, which can save time and reduce the potential for human error. Consider using a reputable software provider and test your strategy thoroughly before using it in live trading.
6 — Keep a trading journal: Keeping a trading journal can help you evaluate your strategy and make improvements over time. Record your trades, including the grid levels and any adjustments you make, and evaluate your performance regularly.
7 — Stay disciplined: Stick to your strategy and avoid making emotional decisions based on short-term market movements. Stay disciplined and focus on the long-term profitability of your grid trading strategy.
═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
█ SCRIPT ACCESS
Indicator and automation tools access can be purchased on my website. The link is in my signature below.
TradingView Masterclass: The power of Bar Replay🚀 Unlocking Your Trading Potential with Bar Replay on TradingView
In the whirlwind of trading, having ace tools up your sleeve can dramatically shape your strategy and success. The spotlight shines bright on TradingView’s Bar Replay feature, a gem that offers a rewind on market movements, setting the stage for strategic mastery. Let's dive into what makes Bar Replay a must-use for traders eager to refine their game.
🕒 Understanding Bar Replay on TradingView
Bar Replay is one of TradingView's standout features, allowing traders to select any point in history on their chart and watch the market's movements replay from that moment. It's a game-changer for visualizing price actions and volume changes without the stakes of live trading. Whether you're aiming for an in-depth analysis or a quick market recap, the adjustable speed of Bar Replay caters to all your needs with unmatched flexibility.
🤿 Why Dive into Bar Replay ?
The magic of Bar Replay lies in its exceptional ability to simulate market scenarios, offering a practice ground for strategy testing and gaining insights from historical market behavior. Newcomers find a safe space to learn and experiment, while the pros get a robust tool for refining strategies. Our tutorial video steps it up by walking you through practical uses on a top company's chart—marking crucial levels, applying indicators, and making trade decisions, all within the Bar Replay environment.
✨ Conclusion: ReplayYour Path to Trading Excellence
Bar Replay isn't just another tool; it's your companion in the quest for trading excellence, turning theory into actionable insight. Whether you're just starting or fine-tuning your strategy, it bridges the gap to more informed and decisive trading.
Ready to explore Bar Replay 's power and make each session a step closer to your trading goals? Let's embark on this journey together.
❓ Ever tried Bar Replay in your trading adventures?
We're all ears! 📢 Whether it's been a strategy game-changer or you're navigating its integration, drop your stories below. Let’s navigate the market's waves together.
💖 TradingView Team
PS: Check out our other Masterclasses in the Related Ideas below 👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽 and give us a 🚀 and a follow if you don't want to miss any of our future releases!
How to Use Stop Loss Orders in Trading?Stop loss order is the order that automatically closes your trade once it reaches a specified price target. Learn all about it here.
Table of Contents:
🔹What Is a Stop Loss Order?
🔹Why Stop Loss Orders Matter?
🔹Setting Stop Loss Levels
🔹Types of Stop Loss Orders
🔹Adjusting Your Stop Loss Orders
🔹Summary
In trading, reducing risks is oftentimes all that matters to achieving success. One of the essential tools to protect your investments from steep or unexpected losses is the stop loss order. Understanding how to use stop loss orders can unlock your path to profitability by allowing you to balance your risk and reward ratio. In other words, with the right stop loss setup, you can shoot for asymmetrical risk returns by keeping your drawdown small and letting your profits run.
Let’s dive into the exciting world of trading and see how stop loss orders can be your greatest ally in trading.
📍 What Is a Stop Loss Order?
A stop loss order is an essential risk management tool used by traders to limit potential losses on a trade. By using a stop loss order, you instruct your broker to automatically sell the asset you’re holding when it reaches a predetermined price level that is below your purchase price, or entry.
A stop loss order allows you to control your losses and protect your investments so you don’t have to sit glued to the screen all the time.
📍 Why Stop Loss Orders Matter
Stop loss orders play a big role in risk management. These easy-to-set trading tools help traders stick to predefined risk tolerance levels by limiting the amount of money they are willing to lose on any given trade.
Without a stop loss order in place, traders may give in to emotional decision-making during periods of market volatility, leading to potential losses. If you have a hard time cutting your losses If you have a hard time cutting your losses when —ok, we get it, you're a bigshot— IF positions go against you, setting a stop loss when you enter the market will do the hard work for you.
➡️ Risk Management: One of the primary reasons stop loss orders are essential is because they help traders manage risk effectively. This is crucial in volatile markets where prices can fluctuate rapidly, as it prevents significant losses that could otherwise occur if trades were left unattended.
➡️ Emotional Control: Trading can evoke strong emotions such as fear and greed, which can lead to irrational decision-making. Without a stop loss order in place, traders may be tempted to hold onto losing positions in the hope that the market will reverse in their favor.
➡️ Peace of Mind: Knowing that there is a safety net in place can provide traders with peace of mind. Stop loss orders allow you to do your thing in the market without obsessively watching charts and tickers. Set your stop loss orders and focus on other aspects of your market study like catching up on the latest market-moving news and analysis .
➡️ Preventing Catastrophic Losses: In extreme market conditions, prices can experience sudden and significant declines. Without stop loss orders, traders risk experiencing catastrophic losses that could wipe out a significant portion of their capital.
➡️ Enforcing Discipline: Successful trading requires discipline and adherence to a well-defined trading plan. Stop loss orders help enforce discipline by striving to ensure that traders stick to their predetermined risk management rules. If trading is about discipline and consistency, then stop loss orders are the stepping stone to success.
📍 Setting Stop Loss Levels
Choosing the appropriate stop loss level is a critical aspect of using stop loss orders effectively. Traders should consider various factors, including their risk tolerance, investment objectives, market conditions, and the volatility of the asset being traded.
A common approach is to set the stop loss below a significant support level or a recent low in an uptrend (if you have a long position) and above a significant resistance level or a recent high in a downtrend (if you have a short position).
Example: Suppose you purchase shares of a company called X (not Elon Musk’s privately held X Corp., which he created by rebranding Twitter) at $50 per share. You estimate that a 5% decline in the stock price would indicate a potential trend reversal. Therefore, you set your stop loss order at $47.50 per share to limit your potential loss to 5% of your investment.
📍 Types of Stop Loss Orders
There are several types of stop loss orders that traders can utilize, each with its own special characteristics. The most common types include:
➡️ Market Stop Loss: a type of stop loss order that triggers a market order to sell the instrument at the prevailing market price once the stop loss level is reached.
➡️ Stop Limit: with a stop limit order, you have to deal with two types of prices. The first one is the price that will trigger a sell and the limit price. But instead of converting your order into a sell based on current market prices, you set a limit price.
➡️ Trailing Stop Loss: A trailing stop loss order is dynamically adjusted based on the movement of the instrument’s price. It allows traders to lock in profits while giving the trade room to move in their favor.
Example: You purchase shares of a big tech company at $100 per share, and the stock price then rises to $120 per share. You set a trailing stop loss order with a 10% trail. If the stock price declines by 10% from its peak, the trailing stop loss order will trigger, selling the shares at prevailing market prices.
📍 Adjusting Stop Loss Orders
While setting stop loss orders is essential, monitoring and adjusting them as market conditions evolve is equally important. Traders should regularly reassess their stop loss levels to account for changes in volatility, price action, and overall market sentiment. Additionally, as profits accumulate, trailing stop loss orders should be adjusted to protect gains and minimize potential losses.
📍 Summary
In conclusion, stop loss orders are one of the most essential and effective tools for traders seeking to manage risk and preserve and grow capital in the challenging world of trading. By understanding how to use stop loss orders effectively, you can rein in emotional decision-making, protect your investments, and increase your chances of long-term success.
Whether you're a novice or an experienced trader, integrating stop loss orders into your trading strategy is a smart approach to navigate the twists and turns of the financial markets. Remember, trading involves inherent risks, but with proper risk management techniques like stop loss orders, you can tilt the odds of success in your favor.
❓Do you use stop loss orders when trading? Which type ? Let us know in the comments ⬇️
Mindfulness : The Zen approach to Trading SuccessMindfulness is a practice that involves being fully present and engaged in the moment, aware of your thoughts and feelings without judgment. It originates from ancient Buddhist meditation practices but has been adopted widely in various forms across the world for its mental health benefits. In this post, we'll dive a bit deeper into what it is, where it comes from, and how it can help you when trading. Some practical tips and where to start are included as well, so keep on reading till the end.
❔ What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is like having a special tool that helps you pay close attention to what's happening right now, in this very moment, without wishing it was different. It's about noticing the little things - how your breath feels going in and out, the way your body feels sitting or standing, or even the sounds around you. It's all about being fully present and aware, like watching a movie and noticing every detail on the screen without getting distracted by thoughts of what you will do later.
When you practice mindfulness, you're training your brain to focus on the present moment. It's like when you use a magnifying glass to look at something closely; you see a lot more detail than you would if you were glancing at it. Mindfulness works the same way, but instead of looking at something outside, you're paying close attention to your thoughts, feelings, and sensations.
By practicing mindfulness, you learn to respond to situations with more calmness and less knee-jerk reactions. Instead of getting immediately upset or stressed by something, you give yourself a moment to decide how you want to react. It's like pressing a "pause" button, giving you the chance to choose your response.
In simple terms, mindfulness changes your mindset by helping you live more in the "now," handle your emotions better and be kinder to yourself. It's like having a secret garden inside your mind where you can go to find peace, no matter what's happening around you.
❔ Where does it come from?
Mindfulness, originating over 2,500 years ago within Buddhist meditation practices, transcends its ancient spiritual roots to address a universal human need: the desire to be fully present and aware in our lives. This practice, once cultivated in the serene landscapes of ancient India, has evolved beyond its religious confines, finding a place in various Eastern traditions such as Taoism and Zen Buddhism . Each culture enriched the concept, emphasizing awareness, intention, and compassion, and highlighting mindfulness's universal appeal and applicability.
The late 20th century witnessed a significant cultural bridge as mindfulness made its way into the Western world, largely thanks to pioneers like Jon Kabat-Zinn . His approach through the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program at the University of Massachusetts Medical School showcased mindfulness as a powerful tool for psychological well-being, stress reduction, and enhanced quality of life, irrespective of its religious origins. Today, mindfulness is embraced across diverse fields for its profound benefits, embodying a timeless practice that enhances the human experience by promoting a deeper connection with the present moment.
❔ Why Mindfulness for Trading?
Why is mindfulness important for trading? Think of trading like a big room full of buttons. Each button can make you feel something different – happy when you win, sad or scared when you lose. Mindfulness is like having a special guide in this room. This guide helps you walk through without hitting every button by accident. It teaches you to notice the buttons (your feelings) without having to press them all. This way, you can feel happy about the good things and not feel too bad about the not-so-good things, keeping your mind steady no matter what happens.
Mindfulness helps you stay calm and clear-headed. When you're trading, it's easy to get caught up in the excitement or worry a lot. Mindfulness is like putting on a pair of glasses that helps you see everything more clearly. You learn to pay attention to what's happening right now, instead of getting lost in thoughts about what might happen next or what happened before. This can help you make better decisions because you're thinking clearly and not just reacting to your feelings. It's like having a secret weapon that keeps you feeling good and thinking smart, no matter how wild the trading world gets.
❔ How does it help in trading?
Emotional Regulation : Trading can be an emotionally charged activity, with the potential for high stress, anxiety, and strong emotional reactions to wins and losses. Mindfulness helps traders recognize their emotional states without becoming overwhelmed by them, promoting a balanced approach to decision-making.
Improved Focus and Concentration : Mindfulness enhances the ability to concentrate on the task at hand. For traders, this means being able to focus on analyzing markets, monitoring trades, and making decisions without being distracted by irrelevant information or internal chatter.
Reducing Impulsive Behavior : By fostering an increased awareness of thoughts and feelings, mindfulness can help traders avoid impulsive decisions driven by short-term emotions such as fear, greed, or frustration. This can lead to more disciplined and considered trading strategies.
Stress Management : The practice of mindfulness has been shown to reduce stress levels. Given that trading can be a high-stress occupation, particularly during volatile market conditions, mindfulness can help traders manage stress, maintain clarity, and avoid burnout.
Enhancing Decision Making : Mindfulness promotes a state of calm and clarity, allowing traders to evaluate situations more objectively. This can improve decision-making by reducing the likelihood of decisions being clouded by emotions or cognitive biases.
Learning from Mistakes : Mindfulness encourages an attitude of non-judgmental observation. This perspective can help traders view losses or mistakes as learning opportunities rather than personal failures, cultivating a growth mindset that is crucial for long-term success.
Incorporating Mindfulness into Your Trading Routine
Here are a few things you can do to build in mindfulness routines in your trading day.
🧘🏽♀️Daily Meditation : Start with just 5 minutes a day. There's a plethora of apps like Headspace or Calm to guide you.
🤯Setting Intentions : Each morning, remind yourself of your trading goals and how you want to approach the day mindfully.
😤Mindful Breathing : Feeling overwhelmed? Pause and take ten deep breaths to reset your mental state.
⏸️Mindful Pauses : Before you click that trade button, take a moment to ensure this decision feels right in the gut.
✍🏽Reflective Journaling : End your day by jotting down your emotional journey alongside your trades. You might be surprised by the patterns you find.
📚 Get started:
Interested in expanding your mindfulness repertoire? Here are some resources to get you started:
Jon Kabat-Zinn's " Wherever You Go, There You Are " for mindfulness 101. ISBN 978-0-7868-8070-6
The Headspace Guide to Meditation and Mindfulness by Andy Puddicombe for those looking to integrate mindfulness into everyday life. ISBN-10 1250104904
10% Happier for meditation skeptics who want practical insights. ISBN-10 0062265423
✅ Takeaway
Who knew that the path to trading success could involve a bit of Zen? By embracing mindfulness, you're not just becoming a better trader; you're investing in your overall well-being. So, here's to trading mindfully and finding that inner peace amidst the market's chaos. Remember, in the world of trading, the best investment you can make is in yourself.
📣 Join the Conversation!
Now, it's your turn! Have you tried integrating mindfulness into your trading routine? Notice any shifts in your decision-making or emotional resilience? Or maybe you've got some mindfulness tips and tricks of your own to share. Drop your stories, insights, or even your skepticism in the comments below. Let's build a community of mindful traders, learning and growing together. Can't wait to hear about your experience!
Mastering Support and Resistance: Part 1Hello Traders, and welcome to a new year of endless learning opportunities! Today, we will kick off 2024 by exploring the concept of support and resistance, how to identify these levels and common misconceptions about them. Support and resistance levels play a crucial role in technical analysis and can greatly impact your trading strategy. Understanding these levels and knowing how to effectively use them can make all the difference in your trading success. We will be doing a deeper dive in a subsequent article later this week where we will cover more advanced techniques and the psychology behind support and resistance. In the meantime, are you ready to dive in?
Understanding Support and Resistance Levels in Trading
Support and resistance levels are key aspects of technical analysis that traders incorporate into several different trading decisions. Support refers to a price level where buying pressure is expected to be strong enough to prevent the price from falling further. On the other hand, resistance is a price level where selling pressure is expected to be strong enough to prevent the price from rising higher. These levels are based on the idea that markets often go through similar patterns and respond to certain prices.
The Importance of Support and Resistance in Technical Analysis
Support and resistance levels are crucial in technical analysis for several reasons. Firstly, they provide traders with valuable information about market sentiment. When the price approaches a support level, it indicates that buyers are likely to step in and try to push the price up. Conversely, when the price approaches a resistance level, it suggests that sellers are likely to enter the market to push the price down. Understanding market sentiment can help traders avoid potential losses.
Secondly, support and resistance levels act as a reference point for setting profit targets and stop-loss levels. By analyzing historical price movements, traders can identify key support and resistance levels that are likely to be tested in the future. These levels can be used to determine when to take profits or cut losses, providing a clear framework for risk management.
Lastly, support and resistance levels can act as confirmation tools for trading signals. For example, if a trader receives a buy signal from a set of technical indicators and the price is approaching or bouncing off of a strong support level, it adds credibility to the signal.
Similarly, if a sell signal is generated and the price is approaching or moving away from a major resistance level, it strengthens the validity of the signal. By combining support and resistance levels with other technical indicators, traders can increase the accuracy of their trading signals.
Identifying Support and Resistance Levels on Price Charts
Identifying support and resistance levels on price charts is a fundamental skill for any trader. Several methods can be used to identify these levels, depending on the trader's preference and trading style. Here are a few common techniques:
Swing Highs and Lows: Horizontal support and resistance levels can be identified by analyzing price charts. A support level is typically formed by connecting multiple swing lows, where the price has previously bounced back up. Conversely, a resistance level is formed by connecting multiple swing highs, where the price has previously reversed its upward trajectory. By identifying these levels, traders can anticipate potential reversals or breakouts and adjust their trading strategy accordingly.
It is important to note that support and resistance levels are not exact price points, but rather zones where buying or selling pressure is expected to be strong. Traders should use a combination of these techniques and exercise discretion to identify the most relevant support and resistance levels on their price charts.
Moving Averages: Moving averages are commonly used to identify trends in price charts, but they can also act as dynamic support and resistance levels. For example, a 200-day moving average is often considered a strong support or resistance level. When the price approaches this moving average, it is likely to either bounce off or breakthrough, depending on the prevailing trend.
Fibonacci Levels: Fibonacci levels are based on mathematical sequences. These levels are used to identify potential support and resistance levels based on the percentage retracement of a previous price move. Traders often look for confluence between Fibonacci levels and other technical indicators to increase the reliability of their analysis. Several different tools on TradingView can be used to identify these levels such as a Fibonacci retracement or Fibonacci Channel.
How to Effectively Use Support and Resistance in Your Trading Strategy
Once you have identified support and resistance levels on your price charts, it is important to know how to effectively use them in your trading strategy. Here are some key considerations:
Combine with other indicators: Support and resistance levels should not be used in isolation but should be combined with other technical analysis techniques. Relying solely on support and resistance levels can result in false signals, as price can break through or reverse at unexpected times. Consider using trend lines, candlestick patterns, or oscillators to confirm your support and resistance levels and increase the accuracy of your trading signals.
Price Action: Observing price action around support and resistance levels can provide valuable insights into market sentiment. Look for signs of price rejection, such as long wicks or multiple failed attempts to break through a level. Price patterns may also form around support or resistance levels. These signs can indicate potential reversals or breakouts.
Risk Management: Support and resistance levels can be used to determine stop-loss levels and profit targets. When entering a trade, set your stop-loss just below a support level for long positions or just above a resistance level for short positions. Similarly, set your profit target at the next significant support or resistance level to ensure a favorable risk-reward ratio.
Multiple Timeframes: Analyzing support and resistance levels across multiple timeframes can provide a broader perspective on market dynamics. A level that appears strong on a daily chart may be insignificant on a weekly or monthly chart. Consider higher timeframe levels for long-term trades and lower timeframe levels for short-term trades.
Common Misconceptions About Support and Resistance
There are several common misconceptions about support and resistance levels that traders should be aware of. Understanding these misconceptions can help you avoid common pitfalls and make better trading decisions. Here are three common misconceptions:
Support and Resistance Levels Are Fixed: One of the most common misconceptions is that support and resistance levels are fixed and remain unchanged over time. In reality, these levels are dynamic and can shift as market conditions change. Traders should regularly reevaluate and adjust their support and resistance levels based on new price information.
Support Turns into Resistance and Vice Versa: Another misconception is that support levels always turn into resistance levels when broken, and vice versa. While this can sometimes be the case, it is not always true. Market dynamics can change, and a support level that has been broken may become irrelevant in the future. Traders should not blindly assume that a broken support level will act as a strong resistance level.
Support and Resistance Levels Are Foolproof: Many traders mistakenly believe that support and resistance levels are infallible and always result in predictable price movements. While these levels can provide valuable guidance, they are not guaranteed to hold or reverse the price. Traders should always use support and resistance levels in conjunction with other technical analysis tools and exercise proper risk management.
By understanding these misconceptions, traders can avoid relying solely on support and resistance levels and develop a more comprehensive trading strategy. We implore you to be thorough in practice and understanding of S&R as there is a great degree of subjectivity to them. The more you understand about these levels the greater accuracy you can obtain.
Tips for Mastering Support and Resistance
Mastering support and resistance requires practice and experience. Here are some tips to help you improve your skills in identifying and utilizing these levels:
Backtesting: Backtesting is a valuable tool for evaluating the effectiveness of support and resistance levels in historical price data. By analyzing past price movements, you can assess how well your identified levels have held or reversed the price. This can provide valuable insights into the reliability of your levels and help you refine your approach.
Focus on Key Levels: Not all support and resistance levels are equally significant. Focus on key levels that have been tested multiple times and have resulted in strong price reactions. These levels are more likely to hold or reverse the price and can provide more reliable trading opportunities.
Practice Patience: Support and resistance levels often require patience to be effective. Wait for clear confirmation before entering a trade, and avoid chasing price or making impulsive decisions based on a single level. Patience and discipline are key to successful trading.
By incorporating these tips into your trading routine, you can enhance your mastery of support and resistance levels and improve your trading performance.
What Does it All Add Up To?
In conclusion, understanding and mastering support and resistance levels is crucial for successful trading. These levels provide valuable information about market sentiment, act as reference points for setting profit targets and stop-loss levels, and can confirm trading signals. By identifying support and resistance levels on price charts using techniques like swing highs and lows, moving averages, and Fibonacci levels, traders can make better judgments in deciding what actions to take. However, it is important to use support and resistance levels in conjunction with other indicators and consider price action for confirmation. Overall, integrating support and resistance levels into a trading strategy can help break through barriers and achieve trading success.
What is Inside a PROFESSIONAL TRADING Plan
Hey traders,
One month ago I wrote an article about the importance of a trading plan. Now it is time to discuss what should be inside your trading plan.
Before we start let me note that a trading plan is a very personal thing and depending on your personality you may have some other elements. In this article, we discuss key elements that must be in every trading plan.
🔰Trading Strategy.
I want you to realize that a trading strategy is not a trading plan. A trading strategy is simply one of its main elements.
A trading strategy defines a set of rules and market conditions that one is looking for to open a trade and then manage that.
🔰Trading Time.
Relying on your trading strategy you should know exactly when you trade. The time range must be precise and fixed. If you think that today you can trade the opening of the London session, tomorrow the Asian one, and then the US opening, I have very bad news for you.
Your trading hours must be fixed and objective.
🔰Trading Instruments.
As with your trading time, you should have a fixed trading list.
A set of financial instruments that you monitor on a daily basis.
🔰Trading Journal.
You should learn to journal your trades. Just a single performance is not enough.
You should note the exact market conditions that made you open the trade and many other factors that you consider to be important.
Then learn from your mistakes and improve your trading strategy based on your journal.
🔰Risk Management.
Having the best trading strategy in the world one can fail simply because of neglecting the rules of risk management.
Define your risk per trade, maximum drawdown, and biggest losing streak you can take.
Optimize your trading to keep your losses under control.
Of course, that list can be extended. We can add, for example, trading psychology into that.
As I said, a trading plan is a very personal thing and while you mature in trading it will become more and more sophisticated.
The elements that we discussed in this article are crucial for your success in trading. In my view, their absence will lead you to a failure.
What do you want to learn in the next article?
Hey traders, let me know what subject do you want to dive in in the next post?
Discover The Main Difference Between Scalping, Day, Swing TRADES
How long to hold your trading position?
Everything depends on your trading style.
In this post we will discuss the preferable holding period for your trading positions.
First,
Let's define 4 main trading styles:
Scalper, intraday trader, swing trader and investor.
One of the core differences between these styles is the time horizon of their predictions of a market behavior.
1️⃣ Scalper attempts to predict minor price fluctuations. His goal is not to pursue the waves, rather a minor moves up and down.
For that reason, pro scalpers tend to hold their position minutes, sometimes even seconds.
Expanding the time horizon, they are risking to be stopped out from their positions.
Above, you can see the examples of short-term scalping trades,
that were taken on a 15m time frame on Gold.
2️⃣ Intraday traders operate on intraday time frames.
They are trying to predict the price movements within a day or even a trading session.
The average holding period of a pro intraday trader is ranging from minutes to hours.
Above, EURUSD on an hourly time frame.
The trades were opened and closed within one single trading day.
3️⃣ Swing traders are aiming to catch swing moves - the waves.
Typically, by a wave, we call a trend following movement.
Pro scalpers usually close their positions once the market starts retracing (correcting itself).
Following such a strategy, scalpers tend to hold their trades days to weeks.
GBPUSD - 4H time frame. There, you can see the examples of swing trades that had a holding period of several days.
4️⃣ In contrast to a swing trader, the investor does not care about the retracements and pullbacks.
The investor is trying to pursue the entire movement within the trend.
Usually he hold his position till the trend lasts and closes that only when the market starts reversing.
Investors tend to hold their positions months, even years.
Long position on a daily time frame on Bitcoin on a chart above is a perfect example of a longer-term position - the investment.
Recognizing an average holding period is crucially important for a selection of your trading style.
Which one do you prefer?
Hey traders, let me know what subject do you want to dive in in the next post?
Deciphering DXY: The Dollar Index Explained 💵📊
The world of forex and global finance is filled with acronyms and indices that influence markets daily. One of the most critical and widely tracked indices is DXY, which represents the U.S. Dollar Index. In this comprehensive guide, we'll dive into what DXY is, why it matters to traders and investors, and how it can impact your financial decisions. By the end, you'll have a clear understanding of this essential indicator and its role in the financial world.
Unveiling DXY: The Dollar Index
What is DXY?
DXY, often referred to simply as the Dollar Index, is a measure of the value of the United States dollar relative to a basket of foreign currencies. It provides a weighted average of the dollar's exchange rates against some of the world's most traded currencies.
Composition of DXY
The Dollar Index is composed of six major world currencies, each assigned a specific weight:
1. Euro (EUR) - 57.6%
2. Japanese Yen (JPY) - 13.6%
3. British Pound (GBP) - 11.9%
4. Canadian Dollar (CAD) - 9.1%
5. Swedish Krona (SEK) - 4.2%
6. Swiss Franc (CHF) - 3.6%
Why DXY Matters
DXY is a crucial indicator for several reasons:
1. Global Benchmark: DXY is widely considered the primary indicator for measuring the value of the U.S. dollar globally. It serves as a benchmark for comparing the dollar's strength or weakness against other major currencies.
2. Currency Movements: Traders and investors use DXY to gauge the dollar's performance and predict potential currency movements. A rising DXY indicates a stronger dollar, while a falling index suggests a weaker dollar.
3. Influence on Markets: Changes in DXY can have a significant impact on various markets, including forex, commodities, and equities. For instance, a strengthening dollar can lead to lower commodity prices, affecting commodity-dependent economies.
4. Policy Implications: Central banks and governments closely monitor DXY to inform their monetary and fiscal policies. A rising DXY may influence a central bank to consider policies to counteract a strong dollar's effects on exports.
DXY's Impact on Forex
DXY, the Dollar Index, is a vital tool in the financial world, providing insights into the relative strength of the U.S. dollar. Its composition of major world currencies and its widespread use make it a key indicator for traders, investors, and policymakers alike. By understanding DXY's significance and monitoring its movements, you can make more informed financial decisions and navigate the complexities of the global markets. 💵📊
What do you want to learn in the next post?
Candlestick Patterns Unveiled: Your Guide to 6 Key Signals🕯📈📉
Candlestick patterns are a trader's secret language, revealing potential market movements and trends. Among the multitude of candlestick formations, six key patterns stand out for their significance in technical analysis. In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore these patterns, providing real-world examples to help you decipher their bullish and bearish implications. With this knowledge, you'll be better equipped to make informed trading decisions in the dynamic world of finance.
Exploring 6 Key Candlestick Patterns
Candlestick Pattern 1: Bullish Engulfing 🐂🕯
The Bullish Engulfing pattern is a potent bullish signal that appears after a downtrend. It involves a small bearish candle followed by a larger bullish candle that completely engulfs the previous one.
Candlestick Pattern 2: Bearish Engulfing 🐻🕯
The Bearish Engulfing pattern is its bearish counterpart, signaling a potential reversal at the end of an uptrend. It consists of a small bullish candle followed by a larger bearish candle that engulfs the previous one.
Candlestick Pattern 3: Bull Flag 🐂🚩
The Bull Flag is a continuation pattern that often appears in uptrends. It consists of a sharp upward price movement (flagpole) followed by a period of consolidation (flag).
Candlestick Pattern 4: Bear Flag 🐻🚩
The Bear Flag is the bearish counterpart of the Bull Flag. It appears in downtrends and consists of a sharp downward price movement (flagpole) followed by consolidation (flag).
Candlestick Pattern 5: Morning Star 🌄🕯
The Morning Star is a bullish reversal pattern that appears after a downtrend. It comprises three candles: a large bearish candle, a small indecisive candle (often a Doji), and a large bullish candle.
Candlestick Pattern 6: Evening Star 🌇🕯
The Evening Star is the bearish counterpart of the Morning Star and signals a potential reversal at the end of an uptrend. It also consists of three candles: a large bullish candle, a small indecisive candle, and a large bearish candle.
These six key candlestick patterns are essential tools in a trader's arsenal, providing insights into potential reversals and continuations. However, remember that successful trading requires considering other factors like trend analysis, volume, and market context. By mastering these patterns and applying them judiciously, you can enhance your trading skills and make more informed decisions in the dynamic world of finance. 🕯📈📉
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Countries with the Highest Debt-to-GDP Ratio 🌍💰📈
The world's financial landscape is a tapestry of economic prowess and fiscal challenges. A critical indicator of a nation's economic health is its debt-to-GDP ratio, a measure that reveals the extent to which a country's debt burdens its economy. In this insightful exploration, we'll delve into the figures that highlight countries grappling with the highest debt-to-GDP ratios. With real-world examples, we'll shed light on the complexities of global debt dynamics and their potential impact on the world economy.
Understanding Debt-to-GDP Ratio
The debt-to-GDP ratio is a crucial metric that reflects a country's ability to manage its debt relative to the size of its economy. A higher ratio indicates a greater level of indebtedness. Let's examine why this metric is so significant and its implications:
1. Greece: A Tale of Economic Turmoil
Greece serves as a prominent example of a country with a high debt-to-GDP ratio. In the early 2010s, Greece faced a sovereign debt crisis that shook the European Union. Its debt-to-GDP ratio exceeded 180%, signaling unsustainable levels of debt. The crisis forced Greece to implement severe austerity measures and seek international bailouts.
2. Japan: A Unique Fiscal Challenge
Japan represents a distinctive case where a high debt-to-GDP ratio coexists with economic stability. Japan's debt-to-GDP ratio is among the highest globally, surpassing 200%. However, it has maintained economic stability due to unique factors such as a high domestic savings rate and central bank policies.
3. United States: Juggling Debt and Economic Growth
The United States, with a debt-to-GDP ratio exceeding 100%, showcases the balance between debt and economic growth. While a high ratio can raise concerns, the U.S. has managed its debt effectively, leveraging its economic strength to service its obligations.
The debt-to-GDP ratio is a critical barometer of a nation's fiscal health and economic stability. Understanding the complexities and nuances of this metric is essential for evaluating a country's financial resilience and potential risks. As we explore countries with the highest debt-to-GDP ratios, it becomes evident that each nation's economic circumstances are unique. While a high ratio can signal challenges, factors such as economic policies, domestic savings, and global financial dynamics play pivotal roles in shaping a country's fiscal destiny. Ultimately, the global economy is an intricate web of financial interdependencies, and monitoring these debt ratios is a vital component of navigating this complex landscape. 🌍💰📈
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Exploring the Different Types of Orders in Trading 📊📈💹
Ordering success in the dynamic world of trading requires precision and strategy. Understanding the various types of orders at your disposal is akin to wielding different tools for different situations. In this comprehensive guide, we'll delve into the diverse universe of order types in trading, unraveling their purposes and when to employ them. Through real-world examples, you'll gain a profound understanding of how these orders can be the pillars of your trading success.
Types of Orders in Trading
Trading platforms offer a plethora of order types, each designed to serve a specific purpose. Here are four fundamental order types:
1. Market Order: The Need for Speed
A *market order* is executed at the current market price, guaranteeing immediacy but not a specific price. Traders use market orders when they want to enter or exit a position quickly.
2. Limit Order: Price Precision
A *limit order* specifies a particular price at which you're willing to buy or sell an asset. It ensures price precision but doesn't guarantee execution if the market doesn't reach your set price.
3. Stop Order: Managing Risk
A *stop order* becomes a market order when a specified price level (the "stop price") is reached. Traders use stop orders to limit potential losses or trigger entry into a trade when a particular price is breached.
4. Stop-Limit Order: Precision and Control
A *stop-limit order* combines elements of a stop order and a limit order. It involves two prices: the "stop price" and the "limit price." When the stop price is reached, the order becomes a limit order, specifying the minimum price at which you're willing to buy or sell.
Understanding the various types of orders in trading is crucial for executing your strategies effectively. Whether you're aiming for speed, price precision, risk management, or a combination, there's an order type that suits your needs. By mastering these tools and deploying them judiciously, you can navigate the complex world of trading with confidence and strategy. Remember, the right order at the right time can be the key to your trading success. 📊📈💹
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