Mastering the RSI - How to use it in trading?What will be discussed?
- What is the RSI?
- RSI overbought
- RSI oversold
- RSI divergences
- How to use the RSI
- How to trade with the RSI
What is the RSI?
The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is a popular momentum oscillator used in technical analysis to measure the speed and change of price movements. Developed by J. Welles Wilder Jr., it ranges from 0 to 100 and helps traders evaluate whether a security is overbought or oversold. The RSI typically uses a 14-period timeframe and is calculated based on the average gains and losses over that period. A rising RSI suggests increasing buying momentum, while a falling RSI indicates growing selling pressure.
RSI overbought
When the RSI rises above 70, the asset is generally considered overbought. This condition indicates that the price may have risen too quickly and could be due for a correction or pullback. However, being overbought doesn't automatically mean a reversal will occur, it signals that bullish momentum is strong, and traders should be cautious of potential trend exhaustion.
RSI oversold
Conversely, an RSI reading below 30 is typically seen as a sign that the asset is oversold. This condition suggests the price may have fallen too sharply and could be primed for a rebound. Just like with the overbought condition, an oversold RSI doesn’t guarantee an immediate reversal but serves as a warning that bearish momentum may be overextended.
RSI divergences
Divergences occur when the RSI and the price of the asset move in opposite directions. A bullish divergence happens when the price makes a lower low, but the RSI forms a higher low, potentially signaling a reversal to the upside. A bearish divergence occurs when the price makes a higher high, but the RSI creates a lower high, possibly indicating a downward reversal. Divergences are often used to spot early signs of trend changes.
How to use the RSI?
To use the RSI effectively, traders typically look for overbought and oversold conditions to time entries and exits, combine it with other technical indicators for confirmation, and watch for divergences as a sign of potential reversals. RSI can also be adapted for different timeframes or strategies, depending on whether the trader is looking for short-term swings or long-term trend analysis. While it’s a powerful tool, RSI should not be used in isolation, it works best as part of a broader trading plan that considers market context and risk management.
How to trade with the RSI?
The RSI can be a powerful tool for identifying potential trade setups. When the price approaches a key support zone while the RSI remains in overbought territory, this may signal an early warning of a possible market reversal. However, rather than acting immediately, it's wise to wait for confirmation. A clear candlestick reversal pattern, such as a bullish engulfing candle or a pin bar, a provide stronger evidence that momentum is shifting. By combining RSI readings with price action and support levels, traders can improve the accuracy and timing of their entries.
Disclosure: I am part of Trade Nation's Influencer program and receive a monthly fee for using their TradingView charts in my analysis.
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Biggest What-Ifs in Stocks (or How Investors Live with Regret)You think you’ve got regrets because you didn’t buy Nvidia NASDAQ:NVDA at $50 or sold Tesla NASDAQ:TSLA at $420? Join the club.
The stock market’s history is littered with “almost” trades, missed deals, and facepalm-worthy decisions that turned out to be trillion-dollar pivots.
This is the hall of fame for what didn’t happen — and what those stories teach us about how markets (and human nature) actually work. Call it a free masterclass in greed, fear, FOMO, and the priceless value of just sitting tight sometimes.
Take it easy today, grab your cold brew and read up on the biggest what-ifs in stock market history.
🍏 Ronald Wayne: The Patron Saint of “Oops”
Our first inductee needs no introduction. But let’s do it anyway. Ronald Wayne, the third Apple NASDAQ:AAPL co-founder, sold his 10% stake back in 1976 for the princely sum of $800. He wanted to avoid any debts if things went south. Sensible, right?
That $800 stake today would be worth more than $300 billion. That’s more than the GDP of Finland — and about 1.2 million new iPhones every single day for pretty much the rest of his life. Wayne has since said he doesn’t regret it. Which is probably the biggest lie he’s ever told.
🍿 Blockbuster’s Netflix “Pass”
In 2000, Netflix NASDAQ:NFLX was a DVD-by-mail startup with spotty profits. Reed Hastings, Netflix’s founder, knocked on Blockbuster’s door and offered to sell the whole thing for $50 million — about the price of a Hollywood production.
Blockbuster’s execs reportedly laughed him out of the room. “People will always want to drive to a store to rent a VHS,” they said, basically. Fast forward: Netflix is worth around $560 billion, and Blockbuster is down to one store that’s mostly a selfie museum for millennials who miss rewinding tapes.
💻 Microsoft’s Lifeline That Saved Apple
In 1997, Apple NASDAQ:AAPL was broke. Steve Jobs had returned but was days away from the company flat-lining for good. Enter Bill Gates.
Microsoft NASDAQ:MSFT wrote Apple a $150 million check, partly to keep antitrust regulators off its back. Jobs even appeared on stage with Gates beaming in on a giant screen like Big Brother — a moment that made every Apple fan cringe.
But that deal saved Apple’s hide. The iMac was born. The iPod followed. Then the iPhone. That $150 million is now a rounding error on Apple’s $3 trillion valuation. Sometimes your greatest rival is also your best frenemy.
🔍 Google: The $750K “Meh”
Before “Google it” became a verb, Larry Page and Sergey Brin tried to sell their little search engine to Excite — the Yahoo-lite portal that dominated the ‘90s web. The price? $750,000.
Excite’s CEO said search “wasn’t that important” — one of the worst calls in tech history. Today, Alphabet NASDAQ:GOOGL is worth over $2.1 trillion and always flashing bright on the Stock Heatmap , and Excite is a footnote in a forgotten Web 1.0 graveyard.
The lesson? Never dismiss a side project just because it doesn’t fit the spreadsheet.
💸 Masayoshi Son’s $200 Billion Slip
SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son is known for his giant, risky bets . And in 2017, he made a pretty good one: his Vision Fund scooped up a 5% chunk of Nvidia stock worth about $4 billion. He called GPUs the backbone of the AI revolution. He was right.
But by 2019, SoftBank was under pressure to tidy up its books. So Son sold the whole position for a tidy short-term profit. That stake today would be worth nearly $200 billion, given Nvidia’s rocket-fuel AI rally .
“We can cry together,” CEO Jensen Huang told Masa Son at an AI Summit in Tokyo last year. Early doesn’t always mean patient. And being “kind of right” can be the most painful lesson of all.
📊 Berkshire Hathaway: A Textile Mill’s Rebirth
Think of Berkshire Hathaway NYSE:BRK.A now — a $1 trillion behemoth. Insurance, utilities, railroads, huge piles of Apple shares . But back when Warren Buffett bought it, Berkshire was a dying textile business in New England.
Buffett only bought control because he was annoyed at the CEO’s lowball tender offer. It turned into his permanent holding company. The textile side eventually went extinct — but the insurance side became the cash-printing machine Buffett used to buy everything else.
Sometimes your best trade starts with pure pettiness.
🚀 Tesla: The Short Sellers’ Pain Cave
Here’s a more recent tale. Tesla was not long ago the most shorted stock on Earth. Everyone from hedge funds to your uncle at Thanksgiving was betting on Elon’s dream to fail.
Every now and then, the short-sellers get slapped with billions of dollars in losses, because the stock shoots up out of nowhere. The most recent example? November 12, when those naysayers nursed $7 billion in wiped out cash . Bears have been torched so many times, they might as well switch sides and sell Tesla hoodies instead.
🌌 Yahoo’s Double Miss: Google and Facebook
If you think blowing one chance is bad, try blowing two. Yahoo turned down the chance to buy Google for less than a million bucks. Then years later, they offered $1 billion for Facebook (now META NASDAQ:META ) — but bungled the negotiations and tried to lower the price. Zuck said “nope.”
But back to Google, because the story didn’t end there. In 2002, Yahoo said it wanted to buy Google for $3 billion. Brin and Page said $5 billion and Yahoo said no. Then Microsoft was ready to pay $40 billion to acquire Yahoo in 2008. But Yahoo said no.
Today, Google, Microsoft, and Meta are trillion-dollar titans. Yahoo? Sold itself for $4.5 billion, mostly for its patents, in 2016 to Verizon. Talk about slipping on the same banana peel more than once.
🧃 Apple: The Splits that Keep Giving
Want a reason to love boring old “buy and hold”? Apple NASDAQ:AAPL has split its stock five times since its 1980 IPO. If you’d bought 100 shares back then, you’d now have over 56,000 shares, plus mountains of dividends.
Next time you want to swing trade every squiggle, remember: sometimes the slowest route is the sweetest.
📝 Regret: The Only Universal Asset Class
Every trader has a “coulda, shoulda, woulda.” It’s the cost of doing business in a market that only makes sense in hindsight. Even the pros — billionaires, boards, hedge funds — have stories that make yours look tame.
Ronald Wayne reminds you that selling too soon can cost you your own island. Masayoshi Son proves being right but impatient is still being wrong. Yahoo shows that “almost” is worth exactly zero on a balance sheet.
What these stories prove is that the market’s biggest edge isn’t necessarily timing, genius, or inside scoops — it’s discipline, resilience, and sometimes a stubborn refusal to touch the sell button.
🤗 Bonus Story: Ballmer Regrets Nothing
But not every story has to be a regret story. Just look at Steve Ballmer, Microsoft ‘s former CEO. Since the early 2000s, he’s been holding his 4% stake in the software maker and that’s now worth more than $130 billion. No regrets found.
👉 What’s Your “One That Got Away”?
Now your turn : What’s your personal what-if story? Which ticker haunts you in your sleep? Drop your best missed trade or worst sell in the comments — we promise to laugh with you, not at you. Probably. Stay sharp. Stay patient!
How to Trade Liquidity Sweep in Forex Market (SMC Trading)
I will show you a real example of trading liquidity sweep with Smart Money Concepts.
You will learn the essential SMC liquidity basics, a simple and profitable strategy to identify and trade liquidity sweep.
I will share with you an accurate entry confirmation signal that works perfectly on any Forex pair.
Liquidity Basics
In order to trade liquidity sweeps profitably, you should learn to identify significant liquidity zones.
To spot them, analyze a historic price action and find clusters of important historic key levels.
Examine a price action on EURUSD on an hourly time frame.
I underlined multiple horizontal key levels.
The price respected each level, found support on them, and rebounded.
What is so specific about these levels is that they are lying close to each other, composing a liquidity cluster.
That fact that EURUSD strongly bounced from these levels suggests that buying interest and high buying volumes were concentrated around them.
We can unite these levels and treat them as a single demand zone that has just been broken and turned into a supply zone.
After we found a valid liquidity zone, we can look for a liquidity sweep.
First, we should let the price approach that area and look for a specific price behavior then.
That is a perfect example of a liquidity sweep.
You can see that the price formed a wide range candle with a long tail.
Its high went way beyond the underlined area, but its body closed within.
In order to understand, why a liquidity sweep occurred, let's zoom in our chart and try to understand a behavior of the market participants.
Our supply zone concentrated selling orders , we assume that sellers were placing their orders across its entire length.
Their stop losses were presumably lying above that area.
Smart Money know that and with a liquidity sweep they manipulate the market, making sellers close their positions in a loss (buying back their positions from the market) and providing a liquidity for big players.
After a formation of a such a candlestick, a reliable confirmation of a saturation of the Smart Money is a formation of a strong bearish candle - a clear sign of strength of the sellers.
A bearish engulfing candle above confirmed a completion of a liquidity sweep and indicates a highly probable bearish continuation.
Your perfect sell entry is immediately after a close of such a candlestick.
Stop loss should strictly lie above the high of a liquidity sweep.
Take profit is based on a local low.
Look, how quickly the price reached the goal.
Your strategy of trading liquidity sweeps of demand zones is absolutely the same.
Let the price test a demand zone, wait for a formation of wide range bearish candle with a tail going below its lows.
Wait for a bullish imbalance candle and buy immediately then.
Stop loss will be below the low of a liquidity sweep, take profit - a local high.
This SMC strategy works on any time frame and can be applied for trading any Forex pair, Gold, Silver, Crypto and commodities.
Try it by your own and let me know your results.
❤️Please, support my work with like, thank you!❤️
I am part of Trade Nation's Influencer program and receive a monthly fee for using their TradingView charts in my analysis.
A Step-by-step Guide to One of the Chart Analysis Method: VOLTASHello Friends,
Welcome to RK_Chaarts,
Today we're going to learn step-by-step guide to one of the chart analysis Method by analyzing a chart of " VOLTAS LTD. " to identify a trend change opportunity.(Educational Post).
Let's get started!
Applying Elliott Wave Theory
According to Elliott Wave theory, we can see that the high of September 20, 2024, marked the end of the wave III of the cycle degree in Red. After that, a corrective wave unfolded, which reached its low on February 1, 2025. This was the wave IV of the cycle degree in Red, with a low of 1135.
The approximately 6 months correction ended here, and now the wave V of the cycle degree in Red has begun. Within this, there will be five sub-divisions of primary degree in black, which we can label as waves ((1)) to ((5)). Of these, waves ((1)) and ((2)) are complete, and we are possibly now in wave ((3)) of the Primary degree in Black.
Within wave ((3)), there will be five sub-divisions of intermediate degree in blue, of which waves (1) and (2) are complete, and the (3)rd intermediate degree in Blue is underway. Within this, there will be five sub-divisions waves of minor degree in red, of which 1 and 2 are complete, and today we saw the breakout of the 3 of the (3).
Possibly, this is a momentum move according to Elliott Wave theory, which we can call the third of the third of the third.
Now that we have this low of wave IV at ₹1135, it should not go below this level according to Elliott Wave theory. If it does, our current wave count will be invalidated. That's why we have an invalidation level within Elliott Wave, which according to this chart is at ₹1135. This low should not be breached. If it is breached for any reason, we'll have to re-analyze our entire count, and the counts could be different.
However, if this low holds, then the minimum target for wave V, based on the projection of wave theory, would be at least 100% to 123% of the fall from top III to bottom IV, which could take it to around ₹2000 to ₹2100. Shown in chart image below
Possible Elliott Wave Counts on Daily Time Frame Along with Invalidation level & Target levels.
Dow Theory Suggests now Up Trend
After forming the top of wave III, we can see that the price has moved downwards in a pattern of lower highs and lower lows. However, after completing the bottom of wave IV, the price has started forming a pattern of higher highs and higher lows, indicating that an uptrend has begun.
This is a clear signal that supports our wave counts moving upwards, i.e., towards an impulse move, based on Dow theory. The successful completion of wave IV and the initiation of the higher highs and higher lows pattern suggest a strong bullish trend, and we can expect the price to continue moving upwards. Shown in chart image below
Breakout with good intensity of Volumes
In this chart, we've observed a rounding bottom type chart pattern, and today, we've seen a breakout above the upper resistance trend line. Today's candle volume is also significantly higher than the average. Shown in chart images below
Chart Pattern: Rounding Bottom
Resistance Trendline Breakout with Good Intensity of Volumes
Supporting Indicators & Moving Averages
Also we can see that the current price has closed above the 50-day EMA and 100-day EMA. Additionally, indicators like RSI is above 60 and showing momentum, MACD is positive and above the zero line, and the histogram is also showing a breakout. Shown in chart images below
Breakout above 50DEMA & 100DEMA
RSI Breakout above 60+ on Daily Time Frame
Bullish side Breakout in Histogram on Daily Time Frame
MACD running Positive & above zero line on Daily Time Frame
Bollinger Band on Weekly
If we look at the weekly time frame, the current week's candle is above the middle Bollinger Band, indicating that the price is above the 20-period simple moving average on the weekly time frame. which is very good sign. Shown in chart image below
Price Trading above 20 SMA on Weekly Time Frame (Mid.Bollinger Band)
Significant Observation in Price Action & Volumes
Before the breakout, the rounding bottom chart pattern that was forming at the bottom can be interpreted as accumulation, as a red bearish candle with high volume appeared, marking the highest volume. Notably, no candle has closed below the low of that candle since then.
Although a gap-down candle occurred, it opened and closed bullish, indicating no selling pressure below that level. The absence of bearish follow-up and the subsequent breakout today are significant observations, combining price action and volume. This is a positive sign suggesting the price may move upwards. Shown in chart image below
This is how chart analysis is done for investment purposes. We've seen many signs in our favor, and yet we still use a stop loss to prevent significant losses in case the stock or market moves unexpectedly. This is what stop loss is all about - minimizing potential losses.
We've also discussed the target projection based on Wave theory, 123.6% level, which we explained through an image. So, friends, I hope you've understood the entire conclusion and learned how to analyze charts using different methods, one of which we shared with you today.
I am not Sebi registered analyst.
My studies are for educational purpose only.
Please Consult your financial advisor before trading or investing.
I am not responsible for any kinds of your profits and your losses.
Most investors treat trading as a hobby because they have a full-time job doing something else.
However, If you treat trading like a business, it will pay you like a business.
If you treat like a hobby, hobbies don't pay, they cost you...!
Hope this post is helpful to community
Thanks
RK💕
Disclaimer and Risk Warning.
The analysis and discussion provided on in.tradingview.com/u/RK_Chaarts/ is intended for educational purposes only and should not be relied upon for trading decisions. RK_Chaarts is not an investment adviser and the information provided here should not be taken as professional investment advice. Before buying or selling any investments, securities, or precious metals, it is recommended that you conduct your own due diligence. RK_Chaarts does not share in your profits and will not take responsibility for any losses you may incur. So Please Consult your financial advisor before trading or investing.
Direct Access Trading SystemsDirect Access Trading Systems
Direct access trading systems (DATS) offer traders a direct line to financial markets. By bypassing traditional brokerage routes, DATS enable swift, precise trading, essential for strategies reliant on speed and accuracy. This FXOpen article delves into the workings, benefits, and considerations of DATS, providing valuable insights for both seasoned and aspiring traders navigating the fast-paced world of modern trading.
Understanding Direct Access Trading Systems
Direct access trading systems (DATS) revolutionise how traders interact with financial markets, typically in the realm of stock trading. Unlike traditional brokerage platforms, these systems offer direct market access trading, a method allowing traders to place orders directly into the market's electronic order book. Such immediate access is crucial for those who require precision and speed in their trading decisions.
Traditionally, orders placed through brokers are processed internally before reaching the market, potentially causing delays. However, brokers with direct market access provide a conduit for traders to bypass these intermediate steps. These systems typically appeal to day traders and other short-term investors who value the ability to respond swiftly to market movements.
Usually, direct access brokers list Level 2 quotes, where bid and ask prices alongside order sizes are given for the asset, providing an additional layer of valuable information. By offering a more direct link to financial markets, these systems may provide an enhanced trading experience that aligns with the needs of active traders.
Selecting the best direct access broker for day trading involves considering several key factors. Traders look for platforms that offer high reliability and uptime, as any downtime can significantly impact outcomes. Speed of order execution is crucial in capturing market opportunities. Additionally, traders assess the fee and commission structure to ensure it aligns with their trading volume and strategy.
How Direct Access Trading Systems Work
DATS offer a sophisticated network that connects traders directly to financial markets. These systems use specialised software platforms, helping traders make efficient and swift operations:
- Order Entry: Traders use the DATS platform to enter their orders. These platforms are equipped with various order types, such as market, limit, or stop orders, giving traders flexibility in how they execute trades.
- Order Routing: After order placement, DATS route these orders directly to the market instead of through a broker. The process often involves Electronic Communication Networks (ECNs), which play a critical role. ECNs are automated systems that match buy and sell orders for assets, eliminating the need for intermediaries like traditional stock exchanges. They also provide a venue for trading outside traditional hours, offering greater liquidity and potential efficiency.
- Execution: Orders are executed via these ECNs or other market venues. The rapid execution capability is a defining feature of DATS, enabling traders to capitalise on fleeting market opportunities.
- Feedback and Reporting: Following execution, the system promptly provides feedback. Traders receive immediate trade confirmations, including execution price and time, essential in maintaining transparency and control over trading activities.
Through this streamlined process, DATS offer a high-efficiency trading environment. Such a setup is particularly advantageous for strategies that require quick decision-making and execution, such as day trading or scalping.
Advantages of Direct Access Trading Systems
DATS offer several compelling advantages over traditional brokerage platforms, particularly for those who engage in frequent trading. These benefits cater to the needs of active traders seeking efficiency and control in their strategies.
- Speed of Execution: DATS enable traders to execute orders almost instantaneously. Rapid processing is crucial in fast-paced markets where prices can fluctuate within seconds.
- Enhanced Control: Traders have greater control over their orders, including the timing, price, and order type. This level of control is especially crucial in volatile market conditions.
- Access to Real-Time Market Data: DATS provide real-time data, allowing traders to make informed decisions based on the latest market movements.
- Lower Transaction Costs: By eliminating the middleman, DATS often result in lower transaction costs, a significant advantage for high-volume traders.
- Customisation and Flexibility: Many direct access trading platforms come with advanced charting and analysis tools. These tools can be customised to fit individual strategies and preferences.
- Direct Market Interaction: Traders can interact directly with market liquidity providers, potentially leading to better pricing and execution quality.
Risks and Considerations
While these systems offer several advantages, they also come with inherent risks and considerations:
- Increased Complexity: DATS are typically more complex than traditional brokerage platforms. They require a sophisticated understanding of market dynamics and trading strategies, making them better suited for experienced traders. The complexity also extends to the technological infrastructure needed to use these systems, which may involve higher setup and maintenance costs.
- Higher Costs: Using DATS may be more expensive than traditional online brokers. The costs go beyond technology requirements; for example, the price of direct access trading systems and the commissions for trades can be higher. This aspect makes it vital for traders to evaluate the cost-benefit ratio of using DATS compared to other trading methods.
- Stricter Trading Rules: Direct market access often comes with more stringent rules. This could include tighter regulations around repeat dealing, deal rejections if trading outside normal market sizes, and potential penalty fees for inactive accounts.
The Bottom Line
In summary, direct access trading systems may enhance efficiency, offering speed, control, and direct market insights. However, they require a careful approach due to their complexity and cost.
This article represents the opinion of the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand only. It is not to be construed as an offer, solicitation, or recommendation with respect to products and services provided by the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand, nor is it to be considered financial advice.
Compounders: 5 Simple Rules to Build Long-Term WealthImagine this:
…it’s 18 years ago. The very first iPhone has just hit the market.
Meanwhile, Nokia’s legendary “Snake” game, once the height of mobile fun, was starting to feel… dated.
⚡ And you can sense it: something big is coming. You don’t know exactly what, but something is about to shake the system.
So, you invest €1,000 into Apple stock. No fancy moves, no day trading. You don’t check the price every morning, you don’t sell at the first dip. You just hold and go about your life, using their products as always.
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Fast forward to today: the iPhone has evolved quite a bit, and so has your bank account, “a bit”.
That modest €1,000 investment would now be worth roughly €70,000. For context, if you had simply invested in the S&P 500 instead, your total profit would be €3,300.
This is what happens when you hold a real compounder. Apple: +6,942%. S&P 500: +334%. Time doesn’t just pass, it compounds!
Big difference, right?
And the craziest part? You didn’t need a crystal ball. Looking back, everything makes perfect sense.
The real question is:
Can you spot the next one before it becomes obvious?
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📈 Compounders: The slow, steady, and surprisingly effective path to wealth
A compounder is a company that steadily grows your investment over time, powered by a strong business model and consistent value creation.
These stocks don’t need to chase headlines. They don’t create drama, and they certainly don’t swing wildly every week on the stock exchange. They simply keep building value.
Strong financials, good products, and a clear direction—like a snowball quietly rolling downhill, gathering momentum with every meter.
As Warren Buffett once said:
That’s exactly what compounders allow you to do. While you rest, they keep working.
It’s definitely not a get-rich-quick strategy. It’s more like a slow, somewhat boring, and failry a “safer” route. But in return, it might just give you something far more valuable than fast gains: financial peace of mind, and perhaps even financial freedom.
🔍 So how do you spot one?
Now, let’s be clear: compounders are not bulletproof. Market crashes, disruptive competitors, and economic shocks can still shake them.But when the foundation is solid, these companies tend to stand strong, even in a storm.
Here are five key traits that define a true compounder. From consistent growth to an unshakable competitive edge.
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📈 1. Steady Growth
What you want to see is a steady upward trend in both revenue and earnings per share (EPS). Not a rollercoaster. A clean, reliable trend.
A strong compounder doesn’t explode one year and crash the next. It grows year after year. It grows calmly, consistently, and predictably…
Microsoft EPS Q Source: TradingView
That’s usually a sign of solid management and sticky customer demand.
Let’s look at a key metric here:
EPS CAGR (5-year) – the compound annual growth rate of earnings per share.
5% = solid → reliable and steady progress
10% = good → suggests a strong business model and real market demand
15%+ = great → this is where the snowball effect really kicks in, fast and orderly
📌 The higher the CAGR, the faster your investment compounds. But it’s not just about speed, it’s about repeatability. If that growth is not random but repeatable and sustainable, you don’t just have a growth stock → you’ve got a true compounder.
⚠️ Always consider the sector: A 15% CAGR might be normal in tech, but in a consumer brand or industrial company, that’s an exceptionally strong result.
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💡 2. Efficient Capital Allocation
A good compounder doesn’t just grow a lot—it grows wisely.
That means every dollar the company reinvests into its business generates more than a dollar in return.
Think of it like a business where every $1 invested turns into $1.20 or more in profit. The more efficiently it can put capital to work, the faster it compounds over time.
🎯 ROIC (Return on Invested Capital) tells you how effectively a company is using all its invested capital—including both equity and debt.
ROIC shows how much profit the company earns after taxes and costs for every dollar it has invested, regardless of where that money came from.It’s broader than ROE, which only considers shareholder equity.
>10% = solid
>15% = good
>20% = great
🎯 ROE (Return on Equity) measures how well the company generates returns specifically on shareholder money:
>15% = solid
>20% = good
>25% = great
📌 In most cases, ROIC is more important than ROE , since it doesn’t get distorted by how much debt the company is using. But when both numbers are high, you’ve got something that creates a lot of value - a true compounding engine.
Just imagine you give a chef $10 to make a dish. If they can turn that into a $15 meal, their ROIC is 50%. That’s the kind of capital efficiency we want to see in companies too, where every dollar invested pulls serious weight.
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💰 3. High Profit Margins
Selling stuff isn’t hard. Any company can sell something, even at a loss.
A true compounder doesn’t just generate revenue, it earns real profit from it.
That’s where operating margins come into play. They show how much money is actually left over after covering everything: salaries, logistics, rent, office coffee, stolen toilet paper, and all the other lovely overhead costs.
⚙️ Operating Margin – the percentage of revenue that turns into operating profit:
10% = solid → stable profitability, usually driven by volume or efficiency
20%+ = great → often signals strong pricing power, lean cost structure, or a dominant brand
📌 Why does this matter?
Because the more profit a company retains after expenses, the more it can:
- reinvest in new products or markets
- pay dividends to shareholders
- or buy back shares (which automatically increases your ownership per share)
All of these create real, recurring value for you as an investor—not just once, but year after year.
⚠️ One important note: What qualifies as a “high” margin depends on the industry. A software company might easily run at 30% margins, while a retail chain or car manufacturer might be thrilled with 5%.
So don’t judge the number in isolation. Always consider the type of business—in some sectors, profits come from volume, not margin.
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🧱 4. Debt Matters
Even if a company is growing fast and making money, it still doesn’t qualify as a true compounder if it’s drowning in debt.
A real compounder moves forward mostly(!) under its own power, not thanks to borrowed money.
Financially strong companies have a healthy buffer, so they’re not in trouble the moment the economy slows down or credit tightens.
📉 Debt-to-Equity (D/E) – how much of the company is financed with debt versus equity:
Under 1 = solid → reasonable leverage
Under 0.5 = great → very strong and conservative balance sheet
📈 Interest Coverage Ratio – how easily the company can pay its interest expenses:
5× = solid
10×+ = great → very safe, meaning debt costs won’t threaten profitability
📌 The lower the debt and the higher the buffer, the lower the risk.A company with a strong balance sheet doesn’t need to refinance debt in a panic or rely on costly tricks to survive downturns.
Think of it like the foundation of a house. Without it, even the most beautiful structure can collapse.
⚠️ Some industries (like real estate or utilities) naturally operate with higher debt levels. But even in those cases, you want to see a business that controls its debt, rather than living “one day at a time.”
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🏰 5. Durable Competitive Advantage (a.k.a. Moat)
Back in the Middle Ages, a moat was a water-filled trench that protected a castle.Today, in investing, a “moat” is what protects great businesses from competition.
It’s a business that others can’t easily reach or replicate.
💪 When a company has a wide moat, it can:
- Defend its market share even when others try to attack
- Command higher prices—because customers stay loyal
- And if a competitor starts gaining ground, it often has enough capital to... just buy them out
Here are some classic moat types with examples:
- Brand Loyalty – People pay more for something familiarExample: Coca-Cola. There are hundreds of alternatives, but the taste, logo, and brand feel... irreplaceable.
- Network Effects – Every new user strengthens the product or platformExample: Visa, Mastercard. The more they’re used, the harder it is for any new player to break in.
- Technological Edge – The company is simply too far aheadExample: Nvidia, ASML. You can throw money at the problem, but patents and experience aren’t things you copy overnight.
- Ecosystem Lock-in / Habitual Consumption – Customers get “stuck,” and switching feels like a hassleExample: Apple. Once you have the iPhone, AirPods, and MacBook… switching to Android just sounds like a lot of work.Or take Procter & Gamble. If your baby’s used to Pampers, you’re not going back to cloth diapers anytime soon. (To be fair—Huggies might actually be better 😄 That’s Kimberly-Clark, ticker KMB.)
📌 A strong moat allows a company to maintain both profitability and growth for the next 10+ years—because no one else can get close enough to steal it.It’s not fighting tooth and nail for every dollar. It rules its niche quietly and efficiently.
---------------------------------------
Now that we’ve covered what makes a business a compounder, the next question naturally follows:
“Okay, but if it’s such a great company... is it still a great price?”
That’s where valuation comes in.P/E ratio: how to know whether you’re paying a fair price or just a premium for the brand.
---------------------------------------
👉 In my April article, I clearly broke down P/E along with eight other key fundamental metrics: straightforward, real-world explanations designed to help you actually use them…
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💵 P/E (Price-to-Earnings Ratio)
The P/E ratio tells you how much you’re paying for every $1 of a company’s earnings.
Think of it like this: are you buying solid value for $20… or paying $70 just because the brand sounds familiar?
Now, for compounders, a high P/E (say, 25–40) can actually be fine, IF(!) the company is growing fast and has a strong moat.
Here’s a quick cheat sheet:
* Under 15 → generally cheap (might be a bargain… or a trap)
* 15–25 → fair price for a traditional business
* 25–35 → reasonable if the company is growing consistently
* 35–45 → starting to look expensive, must be justified by fundamentals
* 45+ → expensive, and the market expects big things. One slip-up and the stock could drop fast.
⚠️ A P/E over 40–45 means the market expects strong, sustainable growth.If that growth doesn’t show up, the stock won’t just stumble—it could crash.
But here’s the key: P/E doesn’t work well in isolation. Context is everything.
Before judging the number, always ask:
- What sector is this company in?
- What’s the sector average?
- How fast is the company growing?
- Are the profits stable and sustainable?
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Real-World Examples:
✅ Visa – P/E around 37The average for financial stocks? Usually 10–15.But Visa grows quickly, is highly profitable, and has an ironclad moat.Is it expensive? Yes. But in this case, justifiably so.
✅ Microsoft – P/E around 35Tech-sector average tends to sit between 25–35.Microsoft has consistent growth, high margins, and clear market leadership.A P/E of 35 is absolutely reasonable—as long as the growth story continues.
🤔 But what if Microsoft trades at P/E 50+?
Then you have to ask:Is earnings growth truly supporting that price?Or are you just paying for the brand... and a bit of FOMO?
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Leave a comment:
What’s the highest P/E you’ve ever paid, and was it worth it?
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📘 Compounder Cheat Sheet
Don’t just stare at absolute numbers. Always compare within the sector, consider the company’s growth pace and business model. Ask yourself:
“How much am I paying today for what this company will earn tomorrow?”
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🧩 Summary
Compounders are like good wine, they get better with time.
Find companies that grow steadily, generate profits, keep debt low, and dominate their niche. Hold tight. Stay patient. Let the snowball roll.
Thanks for reading!
If this article was helpful or resonated with you, feel free to like, comment, or share it with a friend! It motivates me more than you’d think. 🙏
And if you’re new here:
🍷 Like good wine, this channel only gets better with time. Follow and let the ideas compound slowly, steadily, and deliciously.
Cheers
Vaido
When Holding is Suicide, Hope Is a KillerStill holding… just waiting for it to come back?
You’re not alone. Most traders enter with confidence and exit with fear. But in some situations, holding isn’t strategy — it’s just slow motion account suicide.
If you’ve ever lost sleep after refusing to close a position, this one’s for you.
Hello✌
Spend 3 minutes ⏰ reading this educational material.
🎯 Analytical Insight on XRP:
XRP is approaching a major daily support zone, aligned with the psychological level of $2.00. This area has historically provided strong buying interest. A potential rebound from this level could lead to a minimum upside of 16%, with a medium-term target around $2.55. 📈
Now , let's dive into the educational section,
🚩 Still Holding? It’s Probably Not About the Chart Anymore
The biggest lie traders tell themselves:
“It’ll bounce back… just give it time.”
But in reality:
Holding a loser drains your mental capital more than your actual balance
The longer you wait without data, the more emotional your decisions get
The market doesn't care about your entry, your hope, or your patience
As they say in trading:
Hope is not a strategy.
And often, it’s the fastest way to wreck your capital quietly.
📊 TradingView Tools to Know When Holding Is Dangerous
Sometimes, charts whisper before they scream. These 4 tools on TradingView help you see when "holding on" is no longer a smart move but a trap. Let’s break them down and make them practical:
1. Volume Profile
This shows you exactly where most buying and selling occurred. If price drops below the highest volume zone, it means conviction is gone.
How to use it:
Right click the chart → Add Indicator → Select "Volume Profile Fixed Range" → Drag across the last trend leg.
2. RSI Divergence
Still holding while RSI shows bearish divergence? That’s a red flag. It signals trend exhaustion.
How to check:
Apply RSI 14. If price makes a higher high but RSI makes a lower high, you're likely holding into weakness.
3. Smart Money Concepts (SMC)
Look for Liquidity Grabs, Breaker Blocks, or Order Blocks. These reveal where big players exit often while you're still hoping.
How to find it:
Go to Indicators → Search “Smart Money Concepts” → Pick a high rated free version.
4. Session Volume / Ranges
If you’re stuck holding during sideways chop, your money is freezing.
How to identify it:
Add Session Volume or Range indicators. If you see price compressing without expansion, it’s not worth staying in.
🪤 5 Situations Where Holding Is Silent Suicide
The market is ranging with no true breakout in sight
Indicators are flashing weakness but you're still “waiting”
You’re only holding because exiting would feel like admitting failure
You missed the exit and now you’re emotionally attached
You fell in love with the fundamentals of a coin and lost objectivity
🧲 Greed vs Hope — Know the Difference
Greed wants more.
Hope just doesn’t want to lose.
Both will blind you from the truth on your chart.
📉 Real World Case: Holding Through a Pumped Altcoin
Last week, thousands held on to a hyped altcoin.
But here’s what the chart said:
RSI was overbought for 3 days straight
Momentum was fading on every push
Smart money exited and left retail praying
Result?
A 48 percent drop in 5 days.
The ones who held are still "hoping" today.
🧘 The Golden Rule of Holding
Before you decide to hold a losing position, ask yourself:
Is this based on actual chart structure or just denial?
Am I trying to avoid the pain of realizing a loss?
If I had no position, would I open this trade right now?
If the answer is no, it’s probably time to get out.
🧭 Final Take
Sometimes holding is wisdom.
Other times, it’s just avoidance wrapped in hope.
Use real data. Use real tools. Make real decisions.
And if it’s time to close that trade, do it before it drags you down deeper.
✨ Need a little love!
We put so much love and time into bringing you useful content & your support truly keeps us going. don’t be shy—drop a comment below. We’d love to hear from you! 💛
Big thanks , Mad Whale 🐋
📜Please remember to do your own research before making any investment decisions. Also, don’t forget to check the disclaimer at the bottom of each post for more details.
Can Gold Really Drop 10% in a Day?📘 EDUCATIONAL POST: Can Gold Really Drop 10% in a Day? Let’s Break It Down
Alright, traders—before you start thinking the sky is falling, let’s look this chart straight in the face and get real.
⸻
🔍 The Setup Right Now
Here’s what’s showing up:
✅ A bullish pennant forming up top (potential continuation higher).
✅ A big head and shoulders pattern in the middle (bearish).
✅ VWAP bands ranging from ~3,257 to ~3,392.
✅ Volume is underwhelming—426k vs 582k average.
✅ A big target line all the way down near 3,000.
This mix of signals can be confusing. Let’s separate the hype from what’s actually possible.
⸻
🎯 Q: Can the market collapse to 3,000 tomorrow?
Short Answer:
No.
Here’s Why:
1️⃣ Move Size:
• Current price is ~3,357.
• Target is ~3,000.
• That’s a -357 point drop (~10.6%) in one session.
• For gold CFDs, this would be an extreme event only seen in major crises (think 2008 or March 2020).
2️⃣ Volume Context:
• Today’s volume is below average.
• Big crashes are usually preceded by heavy distribution—this isn’t showing yet.
3️⃣ VWAP Anchors:
• The lower VWAP band sits at 3,257.
• Reaching 3,000 would require breaking through 3,257 support, 3,100, and months of prior buying interest.
4️⃣ Market Environment:
• It’s the July 4th holiday in the U.S.—liquidity is thin.
• Thin markets can gap lower but rarely hold a massive drop without a big catalyst (e.g., credit crisis, war headlines).
5️⃣ Pattern Confirmation:
• Yes, the head and shoulders pattern is visible.
• But to confirm it, you need:
🔹 A clear break of the neckline with double average volume.
🔹 Follow-through that pushes below 3,257.
• None of this has happened yet.
⸻
✅ What’s Realistically Possible Tomorrow?
If sellers show up, here’s what a big bearish day might look like:
1️⃣ First Move:
• Rejection at 3,357–3,392 resistance.
• Pullback toward ~3,324 (mid VWAP).
2️⃣ Continuation:
• Drop down to ~3,257 (VWAP lower band).
3️⃣ Extreme Scenario:
• Retest of 3,200–3,150 zone.
But a flush all the way to 3,000?
👉 Highly unlikely unless there’s a major global shock.
⸻
💡 Trading Tip: Stay Tactical
If you want to position short:
✅ Wait for rejection at 3,357–3,392.
✅ Short targeting 3,324 first.
✅ Scale profits there.
✅ Only hold runners for 3,200–3,150 if momentum accelerates.
⸻
🔑 Key Takeaway
3,000 is a structural target—this means it’s a price objective that might play out over weeks, not hours.
Trying to catch that in one day is chasing a black swan.
Stay patient. Trade levels, not headlines.
⸻
⚠️ Disclaimer:
This post is for educational purposes only. Always do your own research before trading.
⸻
✅ If you found this helpful, share it with someone who panics every time a red candle shows up.
Top fundamentals that will shape the S&P 500 this summer 2025The summer of 2025 is characterized by a combination of macroeconomic and microeconomic factors that will shape the trajectory of the US equity market. While the S&P 500 is trading close to its all-time highs and at a valuation comparable to that at the end of 2021, the strength of the upward momentum will depend on the conjunction of several key variables. Understanding these fundamentals is crucial to grasping the potential and risks awaiting investors over the coming months.
1) The trade war and economic diplomacy, the main source of uncertainty
The trade issue remains the most unpredictable at the start of the summer. The July 9 deadline for the conclusion or failure of tariff negotiations is crystallizing tensions between the United States and its main partners. The prospect of a new wave of tariffs could have a direct impact on production costs, inflation and business confidence. Trade diplomacy is thus the variable most likely to provoke volatility jolts and challenge positive earnings growth expectations. If trade agreements are signed, then this will help to sustain the S&P 500's uptrend.
2) US fiscal policy: the “One Big, Beautiful Bill”
The Trump administration's major tax bill is another hotspot. This piece of legislation calls for an extension of the tax cuts initiated in 2017 and a dramatic increase in the public debt ceiling, to the tune of $5,000 billion. While these measures potentially support consumption and private investment, their medium-term impact on public finances is uncertain. The real issue for the equity market is to assess whether these decisions will lead to a surge in long-term US bond yields. A slippage in US Treasury yields would increase corporate financing costs and undermine currently high valuation multiples. Conversely, if yields remain contained, the equity market's upward momentum could continue.
3) Inflation and the Fed's monetary policy: a delicate balance
The trajectory of inflation, in particular that of the PCE index, will be a major determinant. US inflation is currently slightly below the Fed's target. Several components, notably the services sector, which accounts for almost two-thirds of the PCE basket, are proving relatively stable. Inflationary risks are more likely to come from commodities, particularly if trade tensions reignite. Oil, which accounts for around 11% of the PCE basket, is currently showing no major warning signs, benefiting from a geopolitical calm. Real estate and healthcare are also showing reassuring indicators. Against this backdrop, the Federal Reserve is adopting a cautious stance: while several major Western central banks are moving towards a neutral rate, the Fed is stalling and conditioning its monetary pivot on visibility regarding tariffs and corporate behavior.
The timing of rate cuts is one of the biggest sticking points. According to recent signals, the first rate cut could take place as early as September. However, influential members of the FOMC, appointed by the Trump administration, are arguing for earlier easing. The political pressure is strong: Trump is calling for immediate cuts, but Chairman Powell remains in control of the agenda, taking care to preserve a consensus within the committee.
4) The job market and the likelihood of a recession
The US employment situation is an advanced barometer of the economic cycle. Weekly jobless claims and the aggregate unemployment rate are closely monitored. Historically, a significant rise in unemployment signals that the economic slowdown is already underway. For the time being, the labor market is proving resilient, but the slightest deterioration could alter investors' central scenario and reinforce recessionary expectations. This risk is one of the potential dampeners to the prevailing optimism, unless it were to accelerate the timetable for resuming the cut in the federal funds rate.
5) Second-quarter results and earnings outlook
The second-quarter earnings season is of particular importance. US companies must demonstrate their ability to deliver earnings growth in line with forecasts, even as valuation multiples remain stretched. Maintaining high price levels on the S&P 500 assumes robust earnings growth and confident guidance from management. Failing this, the risk of a correction would be high, especially as the market has already incorporated many positive factors. The weakness of the US dollar and the price of oil, as well as the current momentum in AI, could hold out some pleasant surprises for second-quarter results.
6) Geopolitics and oil, potential sources of volatility
Finally, global geopolitics is a second-order variable, but one that could suddenly become a priority. A rapid deterioration in the international situation, particularly in the Middle East or the China Sea, could affect trade flows and oil prices, fuelling renewed inflation and financial volatility.
Conclusion :
The summer of 2025 promises to be a period of strategic transition for the US equity market. Between trade diplomacy, fiscal policy, inflation, the trajectory of interest rates and earnings momentum, investors will have to deal with an accumulation of uncertain factors. If these uncertainties gradually dissipate, the uptrend could continue. Conversely, the combination of a geopolitical shock, a rebound in inflation and a political stalemate over the federal budget would have the potential to weaken the current rally.
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All investments carry a degree of risk. The risk of loss in trading or holding financial instruments can be substantial. The value of financial instruments, including but not limited to stocks, bonds, cryptocurrencies, and other assets, can fluctuate both upwards and downwards. There is a significant risk of financial loss when buying, selling, holding, staking, or investing in these instruments. SQBE makes no recommendations regarding any specific investment, transaction, or the use of any particular investment strategy.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. The vast majority of retail client accounts suffer capital losses when trading in CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Digital Assets are unregulated in most countries and consumer protection rules may not apply. As highly volatile speculative investments, Digital Assets are not suitable for investors without a high-risk tolerance. Make sure you understand each Digital Asset before you trade.
Cryptocurrencies are not considered legal tender in some jurisdictions and are subject to regulatory uncertainties.
The use of Internet-based systems can involve high risks, including, but not limited to, fraud, cyber-attacks, network and communication failures, as well as identity theft and phishing attacks related to crypto-assets.
Is Bitcoin Still a Hedge? What the Iran Israel Conflict RevealsAs geopolitical tension between Iran and Israel escalates, markets are once again gripped by fear. Oil prices have surged, gold has rallied, and investors are rebalancing portfolios in anticipation of further instability. Amidst this backdrop, Bitcoin's behavior is raising fresh questions about its role as a geopolitical hedge.
Bitcoin’s Initial Reaction: A Spike and a Slip
When the first reports of conflict broke, Bitcoin spiked alongside gold. Many hailed this as proof that BTC was becoming a reliable safe haven. However, just days later, prices retraced by roughly 6 to 7 percent as volatility intensified.
As usual, Bitcoin is still highly sentiment driven. While gold held its gains, BTC mirrored risk on assets with intraday volatility, undermining its hedge narrative.
BTC vs. Traditional Safe Havens
Let’s compare Bitcoin’s performance to:
• Gold: Continued upward trend, record ETF inflows
• Oil: Strong rally due to supply shock fears
• USD: Moderate gains as a traditional reserve asset
Bitcoin’s pullback during peak uncertainty suggests that in times of extreme stress, traditional assets still dominate flight to safety behavior.
What the On Chain Data Shows
Interestingly, on chain activity also hints at caution. Exchange inflows increased slightly after the conflict news, suggesting profit taking or reduced conviction among holders.
Moreover, stablecoin volume spiked in Middle Eastern regions — a signal that users may prefer capital preservation over speculation during geopolitical risk.
The Takeaway: Not There Yet
Bitcoin is maturing, and its response to global events is evolving. But this conflict reveals it is not yet a full fledged hedge like gold or the dollar.
For investors, the lesson is clear: BTC can act as a partial hedge in medium term macro trends, but during sharp geopolitical escalations, traditional assets still lead.
What Do You Think?
Is Bitcoin still on track to become a true safe haven asset? Or will it remain a risk sensitive speculative instrument?
#AN014: Ursula von der Leyen No Confidence Motion, Market Crisis
Hello, I am Andrea Russo, a Forex trader and today I want to focus on an explosive news that has hit Brussels in the last 24 hours: the motion of no confidence against the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. I thank in advance the Official Broker Partner PEPPERSTONE for the support in carrying out this analysis.
The fact: Motion of No Confidence in the European Parliament
On July 1st, several MEPs from both conservative right and far left groups formally presented a motion of no confidence against Ursula von der Leyen, accusing her of: Non-transparent agreements with Emmanuel Macron, Opaque management of the new “Pact for Europe”, Conditioning of key appointments within the Commission and the Council and above all the violation of the democratic principle of balance of powers.
Although the motion does not seem to have the numbers to pass, it represents a direct attack on the political legitimacy of the outgoing president, just when she is trying to obtain a second term.
The suspicion is that this move is not so much to bring down von der Leyen, but to: Weaken her negotiating position, Force her to make political concessions and reopen the game on the strategic EU appointments 2024–2029.
This internal crisis comes at the worst possible time. A crisis of internal legitimacy in this context can undermine institutional stability and slow down all the economic reforms expected by the markets.
Impact on Forex
1. EUR under pressure
European political risk is back in the spotlight. Even if there was no immediate shock to the euro, institutional trading rooms are already pricing in more internal instability. This translates into:
Downward pressure on EUR/USD, especially if the motion receives more votes than expected (even if it does not pass).
EUR/CHF at risk of retracement, as the Swiss franc is seen as a safe haven currency in the event of EU institutional crises.
EUR/GBP with potential loss of strength, especially if London takes advantage of the crisis to relaunch bilateral agreements.
2. Push for safe haven currencies
JPY, USD and CHF have shown anomalous movements in the last few hours: political uncertainty is pushing traders to seek safe havens. The EUR/USD futures curve also shows a slight downward revaluation.
3. Upcoming events to monitor
The real threat will be if the number of votes in favor of the no-confidence motion exceeds 30–35% of Parliament → in that case, even if the motion does not pass, von der Leyen will be delegitimized.
The euro, in this case, could undergo a technical correction extended up to 1.0650, especially if accompanied by weak macro data.
Follow me, if you like, for other updates.
#AN013: USD and AUD under pressure, Euro advances
1. India: New strategy on FX volatility
The Indian Respondents' Bank (RBI) is allowing more volatility on the USD/INR exchange rate, prompting many companies to hedge with forward contracts. This is the highest level of coverage since 2020.
We thank in advance our Official Broker Partner PEPPERSTONE who supported us in writing this article.
FX Impact:
Potential weakening of the rupee in the short term, but increased stability in the medium-long term.
Volatility on USD/INR, EUR/INR, JPY/INR ? opportunities for carry trades and short-term shorts if the dollar strengthens.
2. Australia hit by extreme storms
Severe storms hit New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria: 100 km/h winds, torrential rains and blackouts on over 30,000 homes.
Australian economic sentiment pressured ? AUD weak.
Opportunities on AUD/USD, AUD/JPY and AUD/NZD from a short perspective.
Monitor agricultural and insurance developments ? risk of extended downside.
3. Iran: Fordow nuclear site severely damaged
US strike hits Iranian nuclear site. In response, Iran has threatened to mine the Strait of Hormuz, a critical point for global oil transport.
Geopolitical volatility expected to rise.
Increased flows to safe haven currencies: JPY, CHF and USD.
Also impacting CAD and AUD due to oil ? risk of short-term upside but corrections if stalemate persists.
4. US $3.3 trillion fiscal package under discussion
Senate considering mega stimulus plan. This fuels fears of new debt ? dollar falls to 4-year low against euro.
EUR/USD long strengthened (break above 1.17 already underway).
GBP/USD and NZD/USD potentially in push.
Risk of FED rate cut? increased volatility on dollar and bonds.
Strategic Conclusion
Recommended operations: long on EUR/USD, short on AUD/USD, long on USD/INR (only with confirmation).
Watch out for the next 48 hours: possible spike on CHF, JPY and CAD.
Institutional timing: probable fund inflows on EUR and USD in case of confirmed breakouts; stay ready but avoid front-running.
Stay updated for other news.
Do You Have a Trading Edge?A Practical Guide to Figuring Out if What You’re Doing Is Actually Working
There comes a point in every trader’s journey when you stop asking “what indicator should I use” and start asking something much more important.
Is what I’m doing actually working?
It’s an honest question. When the P&L has been chopping sideways or dipping red for weeks, it’s easy to feel stuck. Maybe you’ve been grinding for months, jumping from one setup to another, but still not seeing consistent progress. Before you give up or double down, it’s worth stepping back and looking at the one thing that matters most.
Do you have an edge?
What Is a Trading Edge, Really?
A trading edge isn’t about being right all the time. It isn’t some secret indicator or a feeling in your gut. It’s a cold, hard number.
Your edge is the amount of money you can expect to make or lose on average every time you place a trade. If the number is positive, you’re on the right side of probability. If it’s negative, then no amount of motivation or mindset work will stop the account from bleeding over time.
Thankfully, there’s a simple formula that tells you exactly where you stand.
The Formula: No Hype, Just Maths
Edge per trade = (Average Win × Win Rate) − (Average Loss × Loss Rate)
Or more simply:
Edge = W × R – L × (1−R)
Where:
• W is your average winning trade in pounds
• L is your average losing trade (as a positive number)
• R is your win rate, written as a decimal (so 55% becomes 0.55)
This is your trading edge. It’s not a concept. It’s a number. And it either works or it doesn’t.
Let’s Put It Into Practice
Say you win 45% of the time. Your average winning trade makes £180. Your average losing trade costs £120. Plug the numbers in.
Edge = £180 × 0.45 minus £120 × 0.55
Edge = £81 minus £66
Edge = £15
That £15 is your expected value per trade. So if you take 100 trades following that same pattern, you’d expect to make £1,500 before costs. That’s the kind of maths you want working in your favour. It’s not glamorous. It’s not loud. But it’s sustainable.
What if the Edge Is Negative?
This is where a lot of traders lose heart. But it’s actually good news. If the formula tells you the edge isn’t there, you can stop guessing. It means you’ve identified the problem.
A negative edge just tells you that, on balance, either:
• you’re winning too infrequently
• your losses are too large
• your winners aren’t big enough
And every one of those can be adjusted. This isn’t about tearing down your whole system. Often, a small shift in one variable is all it takes to turn a negative edge into a positive one.
Three Ways to Nudge the Numbers in Your Favour
1. Improve the win rate slightly
Look for trades with more confluence. Stick to clearer trends. Avoid taking marginal setups during unpredictable conditions. You don’t need a huge jump, even going from 40% to 47% can have a big impact.
2. Increase the size of your winners
Let trades run a little longer when the conditions are right. Take partials if it helps your mindset, but keep a portion on to capture the extended move. Most traders cut profits too early and let losers drift too far.
3. Tighten up the losses
Use hard stops. Respect them. Review your biggest losing trades and ask yourself if they really had to be that big. Often they didn’t. The goal is to keep losses small and repeatable, not devastating and unpredictable.
A Note on Sample Size
Five or ten trades won’t give you a reliable read on your edge. You need a bigger pool. Ideally 50 to 100 trades minimum. Patterns emerge over time, not in the heat of one session.
A strong edge can go through losing streaks. A poor strategy can get lucky for a while. But when you track your numbers over enough trades, the truth becomes very clear.
You’re Probably Closer Than You Think
If you’ve never done this calculation before, don’t feel behind. Most retail traders never actually work out their edge. They focus on indicators, entry techniques, or mindset work without ever stopping to ask if the numbers stack up.
But once you do the maths, things start to change. You stop judging yourself by your last trade and start thinking in averages. You stop chasing every setup and start focusing on quality. You stop worrying about being right, and start focusing on being consistent.
That’s what separates hobbyists from professionals. The numbers are the difference.
Summary:
If your edge is negative, you now know where to look. If it’s positive, even just slightly, you’ve got something worth building on. Either way, the path forward is clearer.
Trading is hard, no question. But it’s not magic. It’s probability, risk control and discipline applied consistently. And it all starts with understanding the maths behind what you’re doing.
So next time you’re questioning whether your system is any good, don’t ask how it feels. Run the numbers.
Do you have a trading edge?
If yes, protect it. If not, now you know what to fix.
Disclaimer: This is for information and learning purposes only. The information provided does not constitute investment advice nor take into account the individual financial circumstances or objectives of any investor. Any information that may be provided relating to past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results or performance. Social media channels are not relevant for UK residents.
Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 85.24% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Wait for your EDGE...
Discipline is what separates professionals from amateurs.
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From Congestion to Collapse: Understanding Distribution and H&S A Simple Lesson: How to Identify Congestion Zones in the Market — Schabacker’s Approach and the Head and Shoulders Pattern
⸻
👤 Who Was Schabacker?
🔹 Richard Schabacker was one of the pioneers who authored seminal works on technical analysis.
🔹 He lived over 90 years ago and served as Editor-in-Chief of Financial World magazine.
🔹 His most notable book is:
Technical Analysis and Stock Market Profits
🔹 Published around 1932 in the United States.
🔹 Schabacker is often considered the “grandfather” of technical analysis, and much of the methodology traders use today can be traced back to his insights.
⸻
🟢 What Did He Teach?
🔹 Schabacker introduced a critical concept:
✅ The Congestion Zone
🌟 What Does It Mean?
When the market makes a strong move—either a sharp rally or a steep decline—price often becomes trapped in a range:
• Buyers at higher levels wait for further gains.
• Sellers at lower levels expect more downside.
But in reality, retail traders aren’t moving the market. Large institutions and funds—the so-called smart money—are in control.
👈 When these big players want to exit positions, they avoid selling everything at once to prevent a sudden collapse in price and to avoid revealing their hand.
✅ Their Playbook:
• Keep price contained within a narrow band between support and resistance.
• Gradually increase volume over time.
• Attract new buyers who believe the trend is still intact.
• Quietly distribute their holdings without alarming the market.
🌟 Why Do They Do This?
If they were to dump all at once:
• Price would drop rapidly.
• Everyone would realize a large seller was active.
• Institutions would get stuck, unable to exit at favorable prices.
🔻 So They Create Congestion and Distribution:
1️⃣ Sell discreetly over time.
2️⃣ Maintain the illusion that the trend is healthy.
3️⃣ Trap latecomers who buy into the range.
⸻
🟢 How Do You Recognize This on a Chart?
🎯 A Simple Example:
• Price climbs steadily from 3,000 to 3,300.
• Suddenly, it surges to 3,450.
✅ Most traders think the rally will continue.
🌟 What happens next:
• Price stalls between 3,380 and 3,450.
• Numerous candles form in this area.
• Volume remains elevated.
🔥 Inside this range:
1️⃣ Institutions sell into every upward move.
2️⃣ Early buyers remain committed, hoping for new highs.
3️⃣ New participants enter, unaware of the distribution.
🔻 What Do You See?
• Repeated candles oscillating within the same band.
• Failed breakouts above resistance.
• Sustained high volume.
✅ This is the classic Congestion Zone.
⸻
💡 How Can You Tell If It’s Distribution, Not Accumulation?
• Persistent high volume indicates steady selling.
• Price struggles to make fresh highs.
• Long upper wicks signal selling pressure.
• A Head and Shoulders pattern may start forming.
⸻
🎯 What Happens After Congestion?
• Institutions complete their distribution.
✅ Price breaks sharply below the range.
✅ The market drops quickly.
✅ Late buyers are forced to sell at losses.
⸻
🟢 Practical Illustration:
Visualize the range like this:
| |
| The Range |
| |
3380 ————> Resistance
| Multiple Candles |
| Multiple Candles |
| Multiple Candles |
3300 ————> Support and Neckline
✅ If price breaks below 3,300 on heavy volume:
• The distribution is complete.
• Price declines rapidly.
⸻
📌 Key Takeaway:
After any strong move, expect congestion as large players exit. Once they’re done, the trend often reverses.
⸻
🎯 Quick Tips:
✅ Never rush to buy inside congestion after a big rally.
✅ Watch volume—if it’s high, it’s likely distribution.
✅ Wait for a clear breakdown before shorting.
✅ Your target should at least match the size of the preceding move.
⸻
🔥 Let’s Cover the Head and Shoulders Pattern:
✅ What Is It?
A reversal pattern appearing after a strong uptrend, signaling the end of bullish momentum.
⸻
✅ Pattern Components:
1️⃣ Left Shoulder:
• Price makes a high.
• Pulls back.
2️⃣ Head:
• Rallies to a higher high.
• Declines again.
3️⃣ Right Shoulder:
• Attempts to rise but fails to exceed the head’s high.
4️⃣ Neckline:
• Connects the lows between the shoulders and the head.
🔻 When the Neckline Breaks Down:
It’s a strong sell signal. The market often drops decisively.
⸻
💡 Example in Numbers:
• Price moves from 3,200:
1️⃣ Up to 3,350 (Left Shoulder)
2️⃣ Down to 3,300
3️⃣ Up to 3,400 (Head)
4️⃣ Down to 3,300
5️⃣ Up to 3,350 (Right Shoulder)
6️⃣ Down to 3,300
✅ If price closes below 3,300 on strong volume, the pattern is confirmed.
🎯 Target Calculation:
• Head = 3,400
• Neckline = 3,300
• Distance = 100 points
• Target = 3,200
⸻
🟢 How To Trade It:
1️⃣ Don’t preemptively sell during the right shoulder.
2️⃣ Wait for a confirmed breakdown.
3️⃣ Enter a short position targeting 3,200.
4️⃣ Set your stop loss above the right shoulder.
⸻
🟢 Final Advice:
✅ The Head and Shoulders is powerful if confirmed by volume.
✅ Always wait for the neckline break—otherwise, it could be a false signal.
✅ Keep monitoring volume for confirmation.
⸻
🔥 Be disciplined in your analysis and decisive in your execution.
🔥 As Warren Buffett said:
“The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient.”
⸻
If you found this valuable, let me know—I’d be glad to prepare more lessons. 🌟
Debugging Pine Script with log.info()log.info() is one of the most powerful tools in Pine Script that no one knows about. Whenever you code, you want to be able to debug, or find out why something isn’t working. The log.info() command will help you do that. Without it, creating more complex Pine Scripts becomes exponentially more difficult.
The first thing to note is that log.info() only displays strings. So, if you have a variable that is not a string, you must turn it into a string in order for log.info() to work. The way you do that is with the str.tostring() command. And remember, it's all lower case! You can throw in any numeric value (float, int, timestamp) into str.string() and it should work.
Next, in order to make your output intelligible, you may want to identify whatever value you are logging. For example, if an RSI value is 50, you don’t want a bunch of lines that just say “50”. You may want it to say “RSI = 50”.
To do that, you’ll have to use the concatenation operator. For example, if you have a variable called “rsi”, and its value is 50, then you would use the “+” concatenation symbol.
EXAMPLE 1
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
//@version=6
indicator("log.info()")
rsi = ta.rsi(close,14)
log.info(“RSI= ” + str.tostring(rsi))
Example Output =>
RSI= 50
Here, we use double quotes to create a string that contains the name of the variable, in this case “RSI = “, then we concatenate it with a stringified version of the variable, rsi.
Now that you know how to write a log, where do you view them? There isn’t a lot of documentation on it, and the link is not conveniently located.
Open up the “Pine Editor” tab at the bottom of any chart view, and you’ll see a “3 dot” button at the top right of the pane. Click that, and right above the “Help” menu item you’ll see “Pine logs”. Clicking that will open that to open a pane on the right of your browser - replacing whatever was in the right pane area before. This is where your log output will show up.
But, because you’re dealing with time series data, using the log.info() command without some type of condition will give you a fast moving stream of numbers that will be difficult to interpret. So, you may only want the output to show up once per bar, or only under specific conditions.
To have the output show up only after all computations have completed, you’ll need to use the barState.islast command. Remember, barState is camelCase, but islast is not!
EXAMPLE 2
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
//@version=6
indicator("log.info()")
rsi = ta.rsi(close,14)
if barState.islast
log.info("RSI=" + str.tostring(rsi))
plot(rsi)
However, this can be less than ideal, because you may want the value of the rsi variable on a particular bar, at a particular time, or under a specific chart condition. Let’s hit these one at a time.
In each of these cases, the built-in bar_index variable will come in handy. When debugging, I typically like to assign a variable “bix” to represent bar_index, and include it in the output.
So, if I want to see the rsi value when RSI crosses above 0.5, then I would have something like:
EXAMPLE 3
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
//@version=6
indicator("log.info()")
rsi = ta.rsi(close,14)
bix = bar_index
rsiCrossedOver = ta.crossover(rsi,0.5)
if rsiCrossedOver
log.info("bix=" + str.tostring(bix) + " - RSI=" + str.tostring(rsi))
plot(rsi)
Example Output =>
bix=19964 - RSI=51.8449459867
bix=19972 - RSI=50.0975830828
bix=19983 - RSI=53.3529808079
bix=19985 - RSI=53.1595745146
bix=19999 - RSI=66.6466337654
bix=20001 - RSI=52.2191767466
Here, we see that the output only appears when the condition is met.
A useful thing to know is that if you want to limit the number of decimal places, then you would use the command str.tostring(rsi,”#.##”), which tells the interpreter that the format of the number should only be 2 decimal places. Or you could round the rsi variable with a command like rsi2 = math.round(rsi*100)/100 . In either case you’re output would look like:
bix=19964 - RSI=51.84
bix=19972 - RSI=50.1
bix=19983 - RSI=53.35
bix=19985 - RSI=53.16
bix=19999 - RSI=66.65
bix=20001 - RSI=52.22
This would decrease the amount of memory that’s being used to display your variable’s values, which can become a limitation for the log.info() command. It only allows 4096 characters per line, so when you get to trying to output arrays (which is another cool feature), you’ll have to keep that in mind.
Another thing to note is that log output is always preceded by a timestamp, but for the sake of brevity, I’m not including those in the output examples.
If you wanted to only output a value after the chart was fully loaded, that’s when barState.islast command comes in. Under this condition, only one line of output is created per tick update — AFTER the chart has finished loading. For example, if you only want to see what the the current bar_index and rsi values are, without filling up your log window with everything that happens before, then you could use the following code:
EXAMPLE 4
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
//@version=6
indicator("log.info()")
rsi = ta.rsi(close,14)
bix = bar_index
if barstate.islast
log.info("bix=" + str.tostring(bix) + " - RSI=" + str.tostring(rsi))
Example Output =>
bix=20203 - RSI=53.1103309071
This value would keep updating after every new bar tick.
The log.info() command is a huge help in creating new scripts, however, it does have its limitations. As mentioned earlier, only 4096 characters are allowed per line. So, although you can use log.info() to output arrays, you have to be aware of how many characters that array will use.
The following code DOES NOT WORK! And, the only way you can find out why will be the red exclamation point next to the name of the indicator. That, and nothing will show up on the chart, or in the logs.
// CODE DOESN’T WORK
//@version=6
indicator("MW - log.info()")
var array rsi_arr = array.new()
rsi = ta.rsi(close,14)
bix = bar_index
rsiCrossedOver = ta.crossover(rsi,50)
if rsiCrossedOver
array.push(rsi_arr, rsi)
if barstate.islast
log.info("rsi_arr:" + str.tostring(rsi_arr))
log.info("bix=" + str.tostring(bix) + " - RSI=" + str.tostring(rsi))
plot(rsi)
// No code errors, but will not compile because too much is being written to the logs.
However, after putting some time restrictions in with the i_startTime and i_endTime user input variables, and creating a dateFilter variable to use in the conditions, I can limit the size of the final array. So, the following code does work.
EXAMPLE 5
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
// CODE DOES WORK
//@version=6
indicator("MW - log.info()")
i_startTime = input.time(title="Start", defval=timestamp("01 Jan 2025 13:30 +0000"))
i_endTime = input.time(title="End", defval=timestamp("1 Jan 2099 19:30 +0000"))
var array rsi_arr = array.new()
dateFilter = time >= i_startTime and time <= i_endTime
rsi = ta.rsi(close,14)
bix = bar_index
rsiCrossedOver = ta.crossover(rsi,50) and dateFilter // <== The dateFilter condition keeps the array from getting too big
if rsiCrossedOver
array.push(rsi_arr, rsi)
if barstate.islast
log.info("rsi_arr:" + str.tostring(rsi_arr))
log.info("bix=" + str.tostring(bix) + " - RSI=" + str.tostring(rsi))
plot(rsi)
Example Output =>
rsi_arr:
bix=20210 - RSI=56.9030578034
Of course, if you restrict the decimal places by using the rounding the rsi value with something like rsiRounded = math.round(rsi * 100) / 100 , then you can further reduce the size of your array. In this case the output may look something like:
Example Output =>
rsi_arr:
bix=20210 - RSI=55.6947486019
This will give your code a little breathing room.
In a nutshell, I was coding for over a year trying to debug by pushing output to labels, tables, and using libraries that cluttered up my code. Once I was able to debug with log.info() it was a game changer. I was able to start building much more advanced scripts. Hopefully, this will help you on your journey as well.
You trade. You learn. You test. But results still slip. Why? Sometimes you feel like you know it all. You've tried dozens of strategies. Studied with the best. But in your head — there’s no clarity, in your trades — chaos, and in the end — you’re stuck in the same place. I’ve been there too. If this sounds familiar — keep reading.
Every day, thousands of traders enter the market and do everything "by the book": they open their terminal, draw levels, learn from the pros, read the analysis. Yet years later, they’re still in the same spot. Their results are random, unstable, or negative. Why?
🔹 Not because you didn’t study enough.
🔹 Not because you can’t read a chart.
💡 Most likely, your system isn’t fully built — or your goal is still unclear.
A goal is not a wish. "I want to make money" is not a goal. A real goal sounds like: to consistently earn $1,000 a month, spending 3 hours a day on trading. Or: to live off trading income and leave my job.
Different goals require different systems: daily routines, trade evaluation criteria, analysis frequency, and risk approaches.
Here are some examples of goals and the systems they require:
Goal: Consistent side income $1,000 a month with 3 hours of trading a day → You need a system with a clear schedule, ready-made analysis templates, minimal manual effort, asset/time priorities, clear trade filters, trade logging, and weekly/monthly feedback loops (what works, what doesn’t).
Goal: Passive income through investments (e.g. 15% annual return on capital) → You need a system that includes regular fundamental analysis, long-term trend evaluation, clear rules for portfolio formation and rebalancing, risk limits per asset, profit/loss realization strategies, trade logging, and quarterly feedback reviews.
Goal: Full-time trading income, consistently earning $10,000 per month → You need a system with strict risk control, a daily trading rhythm, emotional stability support, trade tracking, and daily/weekly feedback (what’s working, what’s not).
What happens without a goal and system?
The trader opens a chart and starts "looking for an opportunity." Today it’s scalping, tomorrow swing, the next day — "I’m just observing."
📉 They don’t know what to focus on.
📉 They lose concentration.
📉 They jump into trades because "something must be done."
📉 They burn out. Because there’s no sense of progress.
Without a goal, you can’t build the system you need. A goal sets the direction and evaluation criteria.
Without a system, you can’t reach the goal: you might have knowledge, actions, and effort — but they don’t add up to results. Just noise, fatigue, and the feeling of being out of sync with the market.
A system is what connects your goal and actions. It gives you stability, filters out distractions, keeps you focused, and reduces impulsive behavior.
If this feels familiar — it’s a signal. Your system and goal need an upgrade. Many start with a random mix of actions hoping for results. Few take the step toward clarifying their goal and building their system. You can be one of them — if you have a map and a direction.
Everything starts with a clear personal goal — not a generic one, but truly yours.
You can use 3 practices to help you:
Goal — what you truly want from trading, specifically in numbers and timelines.
Sub-goals — how to break the path into clear steps based on your resources.
Hypothesis — what exactly you’re testing right now to stay focused.
Each of these is a practical step that brings clarity and direction.
📌 Define your goal — and keep it.
It’s your starting point. It marks the transition from reactive trader to conscious professional.
See you in Part Two — where we’ll build the system that brings you to that goal.
Let your chosen goal inspire and support you on the journey.
Value every step and your own effort.
Take care — and trust your path.
How I screen for long term investmentsIn this video, I’ll show you the exact stock screener I use to find long-term investment opportunities — the kind of stocks you can buy and hold for years.
I’ll walk you through the key metrics to look for, how to use free tools like TradingView screener, and what red flags to avoid. This strategy is perfect for beginner and experienced investors who want to build long-term wealth, not chase hype.
Whether you're looking for undervalued stocks, consistent compounders, or just trying to build your long-term portfolio, this screener can help.
Hope you enjoy!!
How to Trade Double Tops & Bottoms in TradingViewLearn how to identify, validate, and trade double top and double bottom reversal patterns using TradingView's charting tools in this comprehensive tutorial from Optimus Futures. Understanding these classic chart formations can help you spot potential trend reversals and capitalize on contrarian trading opportunities in the futures markets.
What You'll Learn:
• Understanding contrarian vs. continuation trading strategies and when to use each approach
• The psychology behind buying low and selling high through reversal pattern trading
• How to identify double top and double bottom formations on any timeframe
• Key characteristics of valid double tops and bottoms, including volume confirmation
• Using TradingView's XABCD pattern tool to validate potential double top/bottom setups
• Real-world example analysis using crude oil futures charts
• Risk management techniques for trading reversal patterns
• How to calculate appropriate entry points, stop losses, and profit targets
• Setting up 1:1 risk-reward ratios for mathematical trading edge
• Understanding win rate requirements for profitable pattern trading
• How double bottom patterns work as the inverse of double top formations
This tutorial may benefit futures traders, swing traders, and technical analysts interested in contrarian trading strategies and reversal pattern recognition. The concepts covered could help you identify potential turning points in market trends and develop systematic approaches to trading these classic chart formations.
Visit Optimus Futures to learn more about trading futures with TradingView: optimusfutures.com/Platforms/TradingView.php
Disclaimer:
There is a substantial risk of loss in futures trading. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Please trade only with risk capital. We are not responsible for any third-party links, comments, or content shared on TradingView. Any opinions, links, or messages posted by users on TradingView do not represent our views or recommendations. Please exercise your own judgment and due diligence when engaging with any external content or user commentary.
This video represents the opinion of Optimus Futures and is intended for educational purposes only. Chart interpretations are presented solely to illustrate objective technical concepts and should not be viewed as predictive of future market behavior. In our opinion, charts are analytical tools—not forecasting instruments. Market conditions are constantly evolving, and all trading decisions should be made independently, with careful consideration of individual risk tolerance and financial objectives.
USDJPY FXAN & Heikin Ashi exampleIn this video, I’ll be sharing my analysis of USDJPY, using FXAN's proprietary algo indicators with my unique Heikin Ashi strategy. I’ll walk you through the reasoning behind my trade setup and highlight key areas where I’m anticipating potential opportunities.
I’m always happy to receive any feedback.
Like, share and comment! ❤️
Thank you for watching my videos! 🙏
Master the Trio => to Level Up Your Trading🧠Most traders obsess over chart patterns and price action—but lasting success comes from mastering three pillars together:
Technical Analysis. Risk Management. Trading Psychology.
Miss one, and the structure collapses.
Let’s dive into each one, and see how they work together like a high-performance trading engine:
📈 1. Technical Analysis – Think in Layers, Not Lines
Most traders draw lines. Great traders read behavior.
Instead of asking “Is this support holding?”, ask “Why would smart money defend this level?”
Markets aren’t driven by lines—they’re driven by liquidity, trapped traders, and imbalances. That’s why:
A fakeout isn’t failure—it’s often a feature.
A breakout isn’t a buy signal—it’s bait.
Trendlines aren’t magic—they’re just visualizations of collective bias.
🔍 Advanced tip: When analyzing a chart, map out:
Where liquidity is resting (above equal highs/lows, tight consolidations)
Who’s likely trapped (late buyers at resistance, early sellers during accumulation)
Where the market must not go if your bias is correct (invalidations)
The real edge? Seeing the chart as a battle of intentions, not just candles.
🛡️ 2. Risk Management – Your License to Play the Game
Every trade is a bet. But without proper risk, it’s a gamble.
Risk management isn’t just about stop losses—it’s about position sizing, asymmetry, and survival.
I risk no more than 1% per trade , regardless of conviction.
I aim for 2R minimum —because even with a 50% win rate, I still grow.
I define my invalidation before I enter, never after.
You can’t control the outcome, but you can control your exposure. That’s professional.
🧠 3. Trading Psychology – Where Most Traders Break
You can have the perfect setup and smart risk, but still sabotage yourself.
Why? Because emotion overrides logic —especially when money is on the line.
Ever moved your stop? Chased a candle? Closed a trade too early, only to see it hit your TP later?
That’s not lack of skill—it’s lack of emotional discipline.
What works for me:
Journaling every trade—not just the result, but how I felt
Practicing “sit tight” discipline after entries
Reminding myself that no single trade matters—only the process does
You don’t trade the chart—you trade your beliefs about the chart. Master yourself first.
🔄 Final Thoughts
Trading isn’t just about entries.
It’s a mental game played on financial charts, where edge lies in understanding market mechanics, protecting capital, and staying emotionally grounded.
TA shows you the “what”
Risk shows you the “how much”
Psychology decides the “how well”
Master all three—and you’ll separate yourself from 95% of traders.
💬 Which of the three is your strongest? And which one needs more work?
Let’s grow together—drop your thoughts in the comments 👇
All Strategies Are Good; If Managed Properly!
~Richard Nasr