Forex
Trading Education:
The 7 Point Checklist For Using Trendlines
Forex trading education naturally falls into two parts:
First the easy part, learning technical indicators, how to use a trading platform, the terminology, etc.
Secondly Forex trading education must include information on the mindset of a successful trader and the disciplines that need to be learned in order to handle the emotional and mental demands of trading in the market place.
Here we provide a list of 7 guidelines for using trendlines as part of your Forex trading education using technical indicators.
Trendlines may be regarded by some as one of the weaker indicators although still valuable. They can be powerful when used in combination with other factors. That's why an effective Forex trading education doesn't rest on a single magic formula but rather involves an investment of time and energy as the new trader learns to combine the input from a number of tools to reach a clear decision.
When using trendlines to identify an optimum entry point for a high probability trade keep the following points in mind:
1. Trendlines on lower time frames such as 5 minute, 15 minute, or 30 minute, do not have much significance by themselves. Take more note of price reaction around trendlines on the higher time frames, specifically the 60 minute, 4 hour, and daily chart.
2. Trendlines on a daily chart carry a high significance as this is the chart many traders of large institutions use. They do not participate in intra day trading but rather look for position trades as they commit large sums of money to a transaction. The daily chart is often their point of reference.
3. Draw general trendlines across the significant lows in an uptrend or the significant highs in a downtrend and use them as a point of reference to show where support or resistance is likely to be found.
4. If you want to get more specific, use the Tom DeMark method of drawing trendlines. This technical advisor recommends using the current swing high or swing low, depending on the trend, and then connecting that to the previous swing high or low (to the left on a candlestick chart). The line is then extended out into the future. These trendlines can be constantly updated as new highs and lows are reached.
5. For trendlines to be effective indicators, they must be used in conjunction with other technical indicators. So if a trendline is crossed by a support/resistance line, or a pivot point, or a Fibonacci retracement or extension level, you now have a combination of factors indicating this could be a suitable entry point.
6. Add these two trendline methods to your Forex trading education:
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When price has an upward or downward momentum (as opposed to moving within a consolidation channel), look for times when price will come back to bounce the trendline before resuming the momentum.
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When price breaks a trendline, rather than enter a trade at that point, choose a more optimal entry point by waiting for price to return and test the back side of the trendline that has just been broken. This will not always happen and you risk missing being taken in. That's trading! But more often than not this will happen and you get an excellent entry point.
7. Do not use trendline breaks or bounces as an entry signal by themselves. They do not provide a strong enough signal. If you add this crucial piece of information to your Forex trading education you will minimize the number of trades you regret entering.
As part of your Forex trading education, use your demo account to experiment using trendlines.
Remember they have limitations. In themselves they can give a false signal. Used in combination with other technical indicators however, they form a more complete picture, giving you a clearly defined graphical representation of where price is and where it is likely to go.
Keeping the seven point checklist above in mind should help keep you out of troublesome trades when using trendlines!
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