A regular divergence is used as a possible sign for a trend reversal.
If the price is making lower lows (LL), but the oscillator is making higher lows (HL), this is considered regular bullish divergence.
http://www.babypips.com/school/images/regular-bullish-divergence-blue.png
If the price is making a higher high (HH), but the oscillator is lower high (LH), then you have regular bearish divergence.
http://www.babypips.com/school/images/regular-bearish-divergence-blue.png
A hidden divergence is used as a possible sign for a trend continuation.
If price is making a higher low (HL), but the oscillator is making a lower low (LL), this is considered hidden bullish divergence.
http://www.babypips.com/school/images/hidden-bullish-divergence-blue.png If price is making a lower high (LH), but the oscillator is making a higher high (HH), then you have hidden bearish divergence.
http://www.babypips.com/school/images/hidden-bearish-divergence-blue.png
There are nine cool rules for trading divergences. Learn 'em, apply 'em, and make money. Ignore them and go broke.
1.In order for divergence to exist, price must have either formed one of the following:
Higher high than the previous high
Lower low than the previous low
Double top
Double bottom
Don’t even bother looking at an indicator unless ONE of these four price scenarios have occurred. If not, you ain’t trading divergence buddy. You just imagining things. Immediately go see your optometrist and get some new glasses.
http://www.babypips.com/school/images/divergences/thumbs_up.gif http://www.babypips.com/school/images/divergences/rule1-yes-s.png http://www.babypips.com/school/images/divergences/thumbs_down.gif http://www.babypips.com/school/images/divergences/rule1-no-s.png
2.Okay now that you got some action (recent price action that is), look at it. Remember, you"ll only see one of four things: a higher high, a flat high, a lower low, or a flat low. Now draw a line backward from that high or low to the previous high or low. It HAS to be on successive major tops/bottom. If you see any little bumps or dips between the two major highs/lows, do what you do when your significant other shouts at you - ignore it.
3.Once you see two swing highs are established, you connect the TOPS. If two lows are made, you connect the BOTTOMS. Don’t make the mistake of trying to draw a line at the bottom when you see two higher highs. It sounds dumb but peeps regularly get confused.
http://www.babypips.com/school/images/divergences/thumbs_up.gif http://www.babypips.com/school/images/divergences/rule3-yes-s.png http://www.babypips.com/school/images/divergences/thumbs_down.gif http://www.babypips.com/school/images/divergences/rule3-no-s.png
4.So you’ve connected either two tops or two bottoms with a trendline. Now look at your preferred indicator and compare it to price action. Whichever indicator you use, remember you are comparing its TOPS or BOTTOMS. Some indicators such as MACD or Stochastic have multiple lines all up on each other like teenagers with raging hormones. Don’t worry about what these kids are doing.
http://www.babypips.com/school/images/divergences/thumbs_up.gif http://www.babypips.com/school/images/divergences/rule4-s.png
5.If you drew line connecting two highs on price, you MUST draw a line connecting the two highs on the indicator as well. Ditto for lows also. If you drew a line connecting two lows on price, you MUST draw a line connecting two lows on the indicator. They have to match!
http://www.babypips.com/school/images/divergences/thumbs_up.gif http://www.babypips.com/school/images/divergences/rule5-yes-s.png http://www.babypips.com/school/images/divergences/thumbs_down.gif http://www.babypips.com/school/images/divergences/rule5-no-s.png
6.The highs or lows you identify on the indicator MUST be the ones that line up VERTICALLY with the price highs or lows.
http://www.babypips.com/school/images/divergences/thumbs_up.gif http://www.babypips.com/school/images/divergences/rule6-s.png
7.Divergence only exists if the SLOPE of the line connecting the indicator tops/bottoms DIFFERS from the SLOPE of the line connection price tops/bottoms. The slope must either be: Ascending (rising) Descending (falling) Flat (flat)
http://www.babypips.com/school/images/divergences/thumbs_up.gif http://www.babypips.com/school/images/divergences/rule7-s.png
8.If you spot divergence but price has already reversed and moved in one direction for some time, the divergence should be considered played out. You missed the boat this time. All you can do now is wait for another swing high/low to form and start your divergence search over.
http://www.babypips.com/school/images/divergences/thumbs_up.gif http://www.babypips.com/school/images/divergences/rule8-s.png
9.Divergences on longer timeframes are more accurate. You get less false signals. You will also get less trades but your profit potential is huge. Divergences on shorter timeframes will occur more frequently but are less reliable. I personally only look for divergences on 1-hour charts or longer. Other traders use 15-minute charts or even faster. On those timeframes, there’s just too much noise for my taste so I just stay away.
http://www.babypips.com/school/images/divergences/rule1-yes-m.png
http://www.babypips.com/school/images/divergences/rule1-no-m.png
http://www.babypips.com/school/images/divergences/rule3-yes-m.png
http://www.babypips.com/school/images/divergences/rule4-m.png
http://www.babypips.com/school/images/divergences/rule3-no-m.png
http://www.babypips.com/school/images/divergences/rule5-yes-m.png
http://www.babypips.com/school/images/divergences/rule5-no-m.png
http://www.babypips.com/school/images/divergences/rule7-m.png
http://www.babypips.com/school/images/divergences/rule8-m.png
[ 本帖最后由 hefeiddd 于 2008-5-24 14:50 编辑 ]
Divergence Cheat SheetPrint and run! Prefer to print out these lessons? Buy the PDF. Only $49.Buy a copy of School of Pipsology for $49 in PDF formatBuy and download a printable and easy-to-read PDF document containing the ENTIRE School of Pipsology. The PDF is an exact copy of the School section, over 250 pages (pictures included), minus advertisements and chapter-ending quizzes. Read it on screen or print it so you can take it with you on the road.
When you buy the PDF you'll receive an email within minutes with (1) a DIRECT LINK to download the PDF and (2) a PASSWORD to open the PDF. You MUST have the password to open the PDF.
I agree to be charged $49 for one copy of "School of Pipsology" in PDF format. PAYPAL is the only form of payment accepted. I understand Im purchasing a single copy for myself and I won't make copies of the book or distribute it to anyone else. If someone else wants a copy I'll encourage them to purchase their own. I also understand that I will need a password to open the PDF each time.
or Cancel
TypeBiasPriceOscillatorDescriptionExample
http://www.babypips.com/school/images/regular.gif
BullishLower LowHigher LowIndicates underlying strength. Bears are exhausted.
Warning of possible trend direction change from down to up.http://www.babypips.com/school/images/regular-bullish-divergence-s.png BearishHigher HighLower HighIndicates underlying weakness. Bulls are exhausted.
Warning of possible trend direction change from up to down.http://www.babypips.com/school/images/regular-bearish-divergence-s.png
http://www.babypips.com/school/images/hidden.gif
BullishHigher LowLower LowIndicates underlying strength. Good entry or re-entry. Occurs during retracements in an uptrend. Nice to see during price retest of previous lows. “Buy the dips”http://www.babypips.com/school/images/hidden-bullish-divergence-s.png BearishLower HighHigher HighIndicates underlying weakness. Found during retracements in a downtrend. Nice to see during price retests of previous highs. “Sell the rallies”http://www.babypips.com/school/images/hidden-bearish-divergence-s.png
http://www.babypips.com/school/images/regular-bullish-divergence.png
http://www.babypips.com/school/images/regular-bearish-divergence.png
http://www.babypips.com/school/images/hidden-bullish-divergence.png
http://www.babypips.com/school/images/hidden-bearish-divergence.png
[ 本帖最后由 hefeiddd 于 2008-5-24 09:30 编辑 ]
While we briefly covered candlestick charts in the previous lesson, we’ll now dig in a little and discuss them more in detail. First let’s do a quick review.
What is a Candlestick?Back in the day when Godzilla was still a cute little lizard, the Japanese created their own old school version of technical analysis to trade rice. A westerner by the name of Steve Nison “discovered” this secret technique on how to read charts from a fellow Japanese broker and Japanese candlesticks lived happily ever after. Steve researched, studied, lived, breathed, ate candlesticks, began writing about it and slowly grew in popularity in 90s. To make a long story short, without Steve Nison, candle charts might have remained a buried secret. Steve Nison is Mr. Candlestick.
Okay so what the heck are candlesticks?
The best way to explain is by using a picture:
http://www.babypips.com/images/candlestick-anatomy.gifCandlesticks are formed using the open, high, low and close.
[*]If the close is above the open, then a hollow candlestick (usually displayed as white) is drawn.[*]If the close is below the open, then a filled candlestick (usually displayed as black) is drawn.[*]The hollow or filled section of the candlestick is called the “real body” or body.[*]The thin lines poking above and below the body display the high/low range and are called shadows.[*]The top of the upper shadow is the “high”.[*]The bottom of the lower shadow is the “low”.
Sexy BodiesJust like humans, candlesticks have different body sizes. And when it comes to forex trading, there’s nothing naughtier than checking out the bodies of candlesticks!
Long bodies indicate strong buying or selling. The longer the body is, the more intense the buying or selling pressure.
Short bodies imply very little buying or selling activity. In street forex lingo, bulls mean buyers and bears mean sellers.
http://www.babypips.com/images/candlesticks/forex-candlestick-long-vs-short.gifLong white candlesticks show strong buying pressure. The longer the white candlestick, the further the close is above the open. This indicates that prices increased considerably from open to close and buyers were aggressive. In other words, the bulls are kicking the bears’ butts big time!
Long black (filled) candlesticks show strong selling pressure. The longer the black candlestick, the further the close is below the open. This indicates that prices fell a great deal from the open and sellers were aggressive. In other words, the bears were grabbing the bulls by their horns and body slamming them.
Mysterious ShadowsThe upper and lower shadows on candlesticks provide important clues about the trading session.
Upper shadows signify the session high. Lower shadows signify the session low.
Candlesticks with long shadows show that trading action occurred well past the open and close.
Candlesticks with short shadows indicate that most of the trading action was confined near the open and close.
http://www.babypips.com/images/candlesticks/forex-candlestick-long-shadows.gifIf a candlestick has a long upper shadow and short lower shadow, this means that buyers flexed their muscles and bided prices higher, but for one reason or another, sellers came in and drove prices back down to end the session back near its open price.
If a candlestick has a long lower shadow and short upper shadow, this means that sellers flashed their washboard abs and forced price lower, but for one reason or another, buyers came in and drove prices back up to end the session back near its open price.
Spinning TopsCandlesticks with a long upper shadow, long lower shadow and small real bodies are called spinning tops. The color of the real body is not very important.
The pattern indicates the indecision between the buyers and sellers
http://www.babypips.com/images/candlesticks/forex-candlestick-spinning-tops.gifThe small real body (whether hollow or filled) shows little movement from open to close, and the shadows indicate that both buyers and sellers were fighting but nobody could gain the upper hand.
Even though the session opened and closed with little change, prices moved significantly higher and lower in the meantime. Neither buyers nor sellers could gain the upper hand, and the result was a standoff.
If a spinning top forms during an uptrend, this usually means there aren’t many buyers left and a possible reversal in direction could occur.
If a spinning top forms during a downtrend, this usually means there aren’t many sellers left and a possible reversal in direction could occur.
MarubozuSounds like some kind of voodoo magic huh? "I will cast the evil spell of the Marubozu on you!" Fortunately, that's not what it means. Marubozu means there are no shadows from the bodies. Depending on whether the candlestick’s body is filled or hollow, the high and low are the same as it’s open or close. If you look at the picture below, there are two types of Marubozus.
http://www.babypips.com/images/candlesticks/forex-candlestick-marubozu.gifA White Marubozu contains a long white body with no shadows. The open price equals the low price and the close price equals the high price. This is a very bullish candle as it shows that buyers were in control the whole entire session. It usually becomes the first part of a bullish continuation or a bullish reversal pattern.
A Black Marubozu contains a long black body with no shadows. The open equals the high and the close equals the low. This is a very bearish candle as it shows that sellers controlled the price action the whole entire session. It usually implies bearish continuation or bearish reversal.
DojiDoji candlesticks have the same open and close price or at least their bodies are extremely short. The doji should have a very small body that appears as a thin line.
Doji suggest indecision or a struggle for turf positioning between buyers and sellers. Prices move above and below the open price during the session, but close at or very near the open price.
Neither buyers nor sellers were able to gain control and the result was essentially a draw.
There are four special types of Doji lines. The length of the upper and lower shadows can vary and the resulting candlestick looks like a cross, inverted cross or plus sign. The word "Doji" refers to both the singular and plural form.
http://www.babypips.com/school/images/doji-examples.gif
When a doji forms on your chart, pay special attention to the preceding candlesticks.
If a doji forms after a series of candlesticks with long hollow bodies (like white marubozus), the doji signals that the buyers are becoming exhausted and weakening. In order for price to continue rising, more buyers are needed but there aren’t anymore! Sellers are licking their chops and are looking to come in and drive the price back down.
http://www.babypips.com/images/candlesticks/forex-candlestick-long-white-candle-doji.gifKeep in mind that even after a doji forms, this doesn’t mean to automatically short. Confirmation is still needed. Wait for a bearish candlestick to close below the long white candlestick’s open.
If a doji forms after a series of candlesticks with long filled bodies (like black marubozus), the doji signals that sellers are becoming exhausted and weakening. In order for price to continue falling, more sellers are needed but sellers are all tapped out! Buyers are foaming in the mouth for a chance to get in cheap.
http://www.babypips.com/images/candlesticks/forex-candlestick-long-black-candle-doji.gifWhile the decline is sputtering due to lack of new sellers, further buying strength is required to confirm any reversal. Look for a white candlestick to close above the long black candlestick’s open.
Prior TrendFor a pattern to qualify as a reversal pattern, there should be a prior trend to reverse. Bullish reversals require a preceding downtrend and bearish reversals require a prior uptrend. The direction of the trend can be determined using trendlines, moving averages, or other aspects of technical analysis.
Hammer and Hanging Man The hammer and hanging man look exactly alike but have totally different meaning depending on past price action. Both have cute little bodies (black or white), long lower shadows and short or absent upper shadows.
http://www.babypips.com/images/candlesticks/forex-candlestick-hammer.gif
http://www.babypips.com/images/candlesticks/forex-candlestick-hammer-hanging-man.gifThe hammer is a bullish reversal pattern that forms during a downtrend. It is named because the market is hammering out a bottom.
When price is falling, hammers signal that the bottom is near and price will start rising again. The long lower shadow indicates that sellers pushed prices lower, but buyers were able to overcome this selling pressure and closed near the open.
Word to the wise… just because you see a hammer form in a downtrend doesn’t mean you automatically place a buy order!More bullish confirmation is needed before it’s safe to pull the trigger. A good confirmation example would be to wait for a white candlestick to close above the open of the candlestick on the left side of the hammer.
Recognition Criteria:
[*]The long shadow is about two or three times of the real body.[*]Little or no upper shadow.[*]The real body is at the upper end of the trading range.[*]The color of the real body is not important.The hanging man is a bearish reversal pattern that can also mark a top or strong resistance level. When price is rising, the formation of a hanging man indicates that sellers are beginning to outnumber buyers. The long lower shadow shows that sellers pushed prices lower during the session. Buyers were able to push the price back up some but only near the open. This should set off alarms since this tells us that there are no buyers left to provide the necessary momentum to keep raising the price. .
Recognition Criteria:
[*]A long lower shadow which is about two or three times of the real body.[*]Little or no upper shadow.[*]The real body is at the upper end of the trading range.[*]The color of the body is not important, though a black body is more bearish than a white body.
Inverted Hammer and Shooting StarThe inverted hammer and shooting star also look identical. The only difference between them is whether you’re in a downtrend or uptrend. Both candlesticks have petite little bodies (filled or hollow), long upper shadows and small or absent lower shadows.
http://www.babypips.com/images/candlesticks/forex-candlestick-inverted-hammer.gifhttp://www.babypips.com/images/candlesticks/forex-candlestick-shooting-star.gifThe inverted hammer occurs when price has been falling suggests the possibility of a reversal. Its long upper shadow shows that buyers tried to bid the price higher. However, sellers saw what the buyers were doing, said “oh hell no” and attempted to push the price back down. Fortunately, the buyers had eaten enough of their Wheaties for breakfast and still managed to close the session near the open. Since the sellers weren’t able to close the price any lower, this is a good indication that everybody who wants to sell has already sold. And if there’s no more sellers, who is left? Buyers.
The shooting star is a bearish reversal pattern that looks identical to the inverted hammer but occurs when price has been rising. Its shape indicates that the price opened at its low, rallied, but pulled back to the bottom. This means that buyers attempted to push the price up, but sellers came in and overpowered them. A definite bearish sign since there are no more buyers left because they’ve all been murdered.
Support and resistance is one of the most widely used concepts in trading. Strangely enough, everyone seems to have their own idea on how you should measure support and resistance.
Let’s just take a look at the basics first.
http://www.babypips.com/images/support-resistance.gifLook at the diagram above. As you can see, this zigzag pattern is making its way up (bull market). When the market moves up and then pulls back, the highest point reached before it pulled back is now resistance.
As the market continues up again, the lowest point reached before it started back is now support. In this way resistance and support are continually formed as the market oscillates over time. The reverse of course is true of the downtrend.
Plotting Support and Resistance One thing to remember is that support and resistance levels are not exact numbers. Often times you will see a support or resistance level that appears broken, but soon after find out that the market was just testing it. With candlestick charts, these "tests" of support and resistance are usually represented by the candlestick shadows.
http://www.babypips.com/school/images/resistance-s.gif
Notice how the shadows of the candles tested the 2500 resistance level. At those times it seemed like the market was "breaking" resistance. However, in hindsight we can see that the market was merely testing that level.
So how do we truly know if support or resistance is broken?
There is no definite answer to this question. Some argue that a support or resistance level is broken if the market can actually close past that level. However, you will find that this is not always the case. Let's take our same example from above and see what happened when the price actually closed past the 2500 resistance level.
http://www.babypips.com/school/images/resistance2-s.gif
In this case, the price had closed twice above the 2500 resistance level but both times ended up falling back down below it. If you had believed that these were real breakouts and bought this pair, you would've been seriously hurtin! Looking at the chart now, you can visually see and come to the conclusion that the resistance was not actually broken; and that it is still very much in tact and now even stronger.
So to help you filter out these false breakouts, you should think of support and resistance more of as "zones" rather than concrete numbers. One way to help you find these zones is to plot support and resistance on a line chart rather than a candlestick chart. The reason is that line charts only show you the closing price while candlesticks add the extreme highs and lows to the picture. These highs and lows can be misleading because often times they are just the "knee-jerk" reactions of the market. It's like when someone is doing something really strange, but when asked about it, they simply reply, "Sorry, it's just a reflex."
When plotting support and resistance, you don't want the reflexes of the market. You only want to plot its intentional movements.
Looking at the line chart, you want to plot your support and resistance lines around areas where you can see the price forming several peaks or valleys.
http://www.babypips.com/school/images/zones-s.gif
Other interesting tidbits about support and resistance: [*]When the market passes through resistance, that resistance now becomes support.[*]The more often price tests a level of resistance or support without breaking it the stronger the area of resistance or support is.http://www.babypips.com/images/chart-types/support-and-resistance-sm.gif
Trend lines are probably the most common form of technical analysis used today. They are probably one of the most underutilized as well.
If drawn correctly, they can be as accurate as any other method. Unfortunately, most traders don’t draw them correctly or they try to make the line fit the market instead of the other way around.
In their most basic form, an uptrend line is drawn along the bottom of easily identifiable support areas (valleys). In a downtrend, the trend line is drawn along the top of easily identifiable resistance areas (peaks).
http://www.babypips.com/images/chart-types/uptrend-downtrend-chart-sm.gif
If we take this trend line theory one step further and draw a parallel line at the same angle of the uptrend or downtrend, we will have created a channel.
To create an up (ascending) channel, simply draw a parallel line at the same angle as an uptrend line and then move that line to position where it touches the most recent peak. This should be done at the same time you create the trend line.
To create a down (descending) channel, simple draw a parallel line at the same angle as the downtrend line and then move that line to a position where it touches the most recent valley. This should be done at the same time you created the trend line.
When prices hit the bottom trend line this may be used as a buying area. When prices hit the upper trend line this may be used as a selling area.
http://www.babypips.com/images/chart-types/channels-sm.gif
In an uptrend, the general idea is to go long the market on a retracement to a Fibonacci support level. In order to find the retracement levels, you would click on a significant Swing Low and drag the cursor to the most recent Swing High. This will display each of the Retracement Levels showing both the ratio and corresponding price level. Let’s take a look at some examples of markets in an uptrend.
http://www.babypips.com/images/video.gif Watch how to draw Fibonacci retracement levels on a chart
This is an hourly chart of USD/JPY. Here we plotted the Fibonacci Retracement Levels by clicking on the Swing Low at 110.78 on 07/12/05 and dragging the cursor to the Swing High at 112.27 on 07/13/05. You can see the levels plotted by the software. The Retracement Levels were 111.92 (0.236), 111.70 (0.382), 111.52 (0.500), and 111.35 (0.618). Now the expectation is that if USD/JPY retraces from this high, it will find support at one of the Fibonacci Levels because traders will be placing buy orders at these levels as the market pulls back.
http://www.babypips.com/images/chart-types/fibonacci-retracement-sm.gif
Now let’s look at what actually happened after the Swing High occurred. The market pulled back right through the 0.236 level and continued the next day piercing the 0.382 level but never actually closing below it.Later on that day, the market resumed its upward move. Clearly buying at the 0.382 level would have been a good short term trade.
http://www.babypips.com/images/chart-types/fibonacci-retracement-2--sm.gif
Now let’s see how we would use Fibonacci Retracement Levels during a downtrend. This is an hourly chart for EUR/USD. As you can see, we found our Swing High at 1.3278 on 02/28/05 and our Swing Low at 1.3169 a couple hours later. The Retracement Levels were 1.3236 (0.618), 1.3224 (0.500), 1.3211 (0.382), and 1.3195 (.236). The expectation for a downtrend is if it retraces from this high, it will encounter resistance at one of the Fibonacci Levels because traders will be placing sell orders at these levels as the market attempts to rally.
http://www.babypips.com/images/chart-types/fibonacci-retracement-downtrend-sm.gif
Let’s check out what happened next. Now isn’t that a thing of beauty! The market did try to rally but it barely past the 0.500 level spiking to a high 1.3227 and it actually closed below it. After that bar, you can see that the rally reversed and the downward move continued. You would have made some nice dough selling at the 0.382 level.
http://www.babypips.com/images/chart-types/fibonacci-retracement-downtrend-after-sm.gif
Here’s another example. This is an hourly chart for GBP/USD. We had a Swing High of 1.7438 on 07/26/05 and a Swing Low of 1.7336 the next day. So our Retracement Levels are: 1.7399 (0.618), 1.7387 (0.500), 1.7375 (0.382), and 1.7360 (0.236). Looking at the chart, the market looks like it tried to break the 0.500 level on several occasions, but try as it may, it failed. So would putting a sell order at the 0.500 level be a good trade?
http://www.babypips.com/images/chart-types/fibonacci-false-retracement-before-sm.gif
If you did, you would have lost some serious cheddar! Take a look at what happened. The Swing Low looked to be the bottom for this downtrend as the market rallied above the Swing High point.
http://www.babypips.com/images/chart-types/fibonacci-false-retracement-after-sm.gif
You can see from these examples the market usually finds at least temporary support (during an uptrend) or resistance (during a downtrend) at the Fibonacci Retracements Levels. It’s apparent that there a few problems to deal with here. There’s no way of knowing which level will provide support. The 0.236 seems to provide the weakest support/resistance, while the other levels provide support/resistance at about the same frequency. Even though the charts above show the market usually only retracing to the 0.382 level, it doesn’t mean the price will hit that level every time and reverse. Sometimes it’ll hit the 0.500 and reverse, other times it’ll hit the 0.618 and reverse, and other times the price will totally ignore Mr. Fibonacci and blow past all the levels like similar to the way Allen Iverson blows past his defenders with his nasty first step. Remember, the market will not always resume its uptrend after finding temporary support, but instead continue to decline below the last Swing Low. Same thing for a downtrend. The market may instead decide to continue above the last Swing High.
The placement of stops is a challenge. It’s probably best to place stops below the last Swing Low (on an uptrend) or above the Swing High (on a downtrend), but this requires taking a high level of risk in proportion to the likely profit potential in the trade. This is called reward-to-risk ratio. In a later lesson, you will learn more money management and risk control and how you would only take trades with certain reward-to-risk ratios.
Another problem is determining which Swing Low and Swing High points to start from to create the Fibonacci Retracement Levels. People look at charts differently and so will have their own version of where the Swing High and Swing Low points should be. The point is, there is no one right way to do it, but the bad thing is sometimes it becomes a guessing game.
The next use of Fibonacci you will be applying is that of targets. Let’s start with an example in an uptrend.
In an uptrend, the general idea is to take profits on a long trade at a Fibonacci Price Extension Level. You determine the Fibonacci extension levels by using three mouse clicks. First, click on a significant Swing Low, then drag your cursor and click on the most recent Swing High. Finally, drag your cursor back down and click on the retracement Swing Low. This will display each of the Price Extension Levels showing both the ratio and corresponding price levels.
http://www.babypips.com/images/video.gif Watch how to draw Fibonacci extension levels on a chart
On this 1-hour USD/CHF chart, we plotted the Fibonacci extension levels by clicking on the Swing Low at 1.2447 on 08/14/05 and dragged the cursor to the Swing High at 1.2593 on 08/15/15 and then down to the retracement Swing Low of 1.2541 on 08/15/05. The following Fibonacci extension levels created are 1.2597 (0.382), 1.2631 (0.618), 1.2687 (1.000), 1.2743 (1.382), 1.2760 (1.500), and 1.2777 (1.618).
http://www.babypips.com/images/chart-types/fibonacci-extension-before-sm.gif
Now let’s look at what actually happened after the retracement Swing Low occurred.
[*]The market rallied to the 0.500 level[*]fell back to the retracement Swing Low[*]then rallied back up to the 0.500 level[*]fell back slightly[*]rallied to the 0.618 level[*]fell back to the 0.382 level which acted as support[*]then rallied all the way to the 1.382 level[*]consolidated a bit[*]then rallied to the 1.500 levelhttp://www.babypips.com/images/chart-types/fibonacci-extension-after-sm.gifYou can see from these examples that the market often finds at least temporary resistance at the Fibonacci extension levels - not always, but often. As in the examples of the retracement levels, it should be apparent that there are a few problems to deal with here as well. First, there is no way of knowing which level will provide resistance. The 0.500 level was a good level to cover any long trades in the above example since the market retraced back to its original level, but if you didn’t get back in the trade, you would have left a lot of profits on the table.
Another problem is determining which Swing Low to start from in creating the Fibonacci Extension Levels. One way is from the last Swing Low as we did in the examples; another is from the lowest Swing Low of the past 30 bars. Again, the point is that there is no one right way to do it, and consequently it becomes a guessing game.
Alright, let’s see how Fibonacci extension levels can be used during a downtrend. In a downtrend, the general idea is to take profits on a short trade at a Fibonacci price extension level since the market often finds at least temporary support at these levels.
On this 1-hour EUR/USD chart, we plotted the Fibonacci extension levels by clicking on the Swing High at 1.21377 on 07/15/05 and dragged the cursor to the Swing Low at 1.2021 on 08/15/15 and then down to the retracement High of 1.2085. The following Fibonacci extension levels created are 1.2041 (0.382), 1.2027 (0.500), 1.2013 (0.618), 1.1969 (1.000), 1.1925 (1.382), 1.1911 (1.500), and 1.1897 (1.618).
http://www.babypips.com/images/chart-types/fibonacci-extension-downtrend-before-sm.gifNow let’s look at what actually happened after the retracement Swing Low occurred.
[*]The market fell down almost to the 0.382 level which for right now is acting as a support level[*]The market then traded sideways between the retracement Swing High level and 0.382 level[*]Finally, the market broke through the 0.382 and rested on the 0.500 level[*]Then it broke the 0.500 level and fell all the way down to the 1.000 levelhttp://www.babypips.com/images/chart-types/fibonacci-extension-downtrend-after-sm.gif
Alone, Fibonacci levels will not make you rich. However, Fibonacci levels are definitely useful as part of an effective trading method that includes other analysis and techniques. You see, the key to an effective trading system is to integrate a few indicators (not too many) that are applied in a way that is not obvious to most observers.
All successful traders know it’s how you use and integrate the indicators (including Fibonacci) that makes the difference. The lesson learned here is that Fibonacci Levels can be a useful tool, but never enter or exit a trade based on Fibonacci Levels alone.
A moving average is simply a way to smooth out price action over time.By “moving average”, we mean that you are taking the average closing price of a currency for the last ‘X’ number of periods.
http://www.babypips.com/images/ma/moving-average-small.gif
Like every indicator, a moving average indicator is used to help us forecast future prices.By looking at the slope of the moving average, you can make general predictions as to where the price will go.
As we said, moving averages smooth out price action. There are different types of moving averages, and each of them has their own level of “smoothness”.Generally, the smoother the moving average, the slower it is to react to the price movement.The choppier the moving average, the quicker it is to react to the price movement.
Simple Moving Average (SMA)A simple moving average is the simplest type of moving average (DUH!).Basically, a simple moving average is calculated by adding up the last “X” period’s closing prices and then dividing that number by X.Confused???Allow me to clarify.
If you plotted a 5 period simple moving average on a 1 hour chart, you would add up the closing prices for the last 5 hours, and then divide that number by 5.Voila!You have your simple moving average.
If you were to plot a 5 period simple moving average on a 10 minute chart, you would add up the closing prices of the last 50 minutes and then divide that number by 5.
If you were to plot a 5 period simple moving average on a 30 minute chart, you would add up the closing prices of the last 150 minutes and then divide that number by 5.
If you were to plot the 5 period simple moving average on the a 4 hr. chart………………..OK OK, I think you get the picture!Let’s move on.
Most charting packages will do all the calculations for you.The reason we just bored you (yawn!) with how to calculate a simple moving average is because it is important that you understand how the moving averages are calculated. If you understand how each moving average is calculated, you can make your own decision as to which type is better for you.
Just like any indicator out there, moving averages operate with a delay.Because you are taking the averages of the price, you are really only seeing a “forecast” of the future price and not a concrete view of the future. Disclaimer: Moving averages will not turn you into Ms. Cleo the psychic!
http://www.babypips.com/images/moving-averages.gif
Here is an example of how moving averages smooth out the price action.
On the previous chart, you can see 3 different SMAs. As you can see, the longer the SMA period is, the more it lags behind the price. Notice how the 62 SMA is farther away from the current price than the 30 and 5 SMA.This is because with the 62 SMA, you are adding up the closing prices of the last 62 periods and dividing it by 62. The higher the number period you use, the slower it is to react to the price movement.
The SMA’s in this chart show you the overall sentiment of the market at this point in time.Instead of just looking at the current price of the market, the moving averages give us a broader view, and we can now make a general prediction of its future price.
Exponential Moving Average (EMA)Although the simple moving average is a great tool, there is one major flaw associated with it.Simple moving averages are very susceptible to spikes.Let me show you an example of what I mean:
Let’s say we plot a 5 period SMA on the daily chart of the EUR/USD and the closing prices for the last 5 days are as follows:
Day 1: 1.2345
Day 2: 1.2350
Day 3: 1.2360
Day 4: 1.2365
Day 5: 1.2370
The simple moving average would be calculated as
(1.2345+1.2350+1.2360+1.2365+1.2370)/5= 1.2358
Simple enough right?
Well what if Day 2’s price was 1.2300?The result of the simple moving average would be a lot lower and it would give you the notion that the price was actually going down, when in reality, Day 2 could have just been a one time event (maybe interest rates decreasing).
The point I’m trying to make is that sometimes the simple moving average might be too simple.If only there was a way that you could filter out these spikes so that you wouldn’t get the wrong idea.Hmmmm…I wonder….Wait a minute……Yep, there is a way!
It’s called the Exponential Moving Average!
Exponential moving averages (EMA) give more weight to the most recent periods.In our example above, the EMA would put more weight on Days 3-5, which means that the spike on Day 2 would be of lesser value and wouldn’t affect the moving average as much.What this does is it puts more emphasis on what traders are doing NOW.
http://www.babypips.com/images/sma-vs-ema.gif
When trading, it is far more important to see what traders are doing now rather than what they did last week or last month.
Congratulations on making it to the 5th grade! Each time you make it to the next grade you continue to add more and more tools to your trader’s toolbox.“What’s a trader’s toolbox?” you say…Simple! Your trader’s toolbox is what you will use to “build” your trading account.The more tools (education) you have in your trader’s toolbox (YOUR BRAIN), the easier it will be for you to build.
So for this lesson, as you learn each of these indicators, think of them as a new tool that you can add to that toolbox of yours. You might not necessarily use all of these tools, but it’s always nice to have the option, right? Now, enough about tools already!Let’s get started!
Bollinger BandsBollinger bands are used to measure a market’s volatility.Basically, this little tool tells us whether the market is quiet or whether the market is LOUD!When the market is quiet, the bands contract; and when the market is LOUD, the bands expand. Notice on the chart below that when the price was quiet, the bands were close together, but when the price moved up, the bands spread apart.
http://www.babypips.com/images/ma/bollinge-bands-small.gif
That’s all there is to it. Yes, we could go on and bore you by going into the history of the Bollinger band, how it is calculated, the mathematical formulas behind it, and so on and so forth, but we really didn’t feel like typing it all out.
In all honesty, you don’t need to know any of that junk.We think it’s more important that we show you some ways you can apply the Bollinger bands to your trading.
Note: If you really want to learn about the calculations of a Bollinger band, then you can go to www.bollingerbands.com
The Bollinger BounceOne thing you should know about Bollinger Bands is that price tends to return to the middle of the bands. That is the whole idea behind the Bollinger bounce (smart, huh?).If this is the case, then by looking at the chart below, can you tell us where the price might go next?
http://www.babypips.com/images/bollinger-bounce.gif
If you said down, then you are correct!As you can see, the price settled back down towards the middle area of the bands.
http://www.babypips.com/images/bollinger-bounce-2.gif
That’s all there is to it. What you just saw was a classic Bollinger bounce.The reason these bounces occur is because Bollinger Bands act like mini support and resistance levels. The longer the time frame you are in, the stronger these bands are.Many traders have developed systems that thrive on these bounces, and this strategy is best used when the market is ranging and there is no clear trend.
Now let’s look at a way to use Bollinger Bands when the market does trend.
Bollinger SqueezeThe Bollinger squeeze is pretty self explanatory.When the bands “squeeze” together, it usually means that a breakout is going to occur.If the candles start to break out above the top band, then the move will usually continue to go up.If the candles start to break out below the lower band, then the move will usually continue to go down.
http://www.babypips.com/images/bollinger-squeeze.gif
Looking at the chart above, you can see the bands squeezing together.The price has just started to break out of the top band.Based on this information, where do you think the price will go?
http://www.babypips.com/images/bollinger-squeeze-2.gif
If you said up, you are correct! This is how a typical Bollinger Squeeze works.This strategy is designed for you to catch a move as early as possible. Setups like these don’t occur everyday, but you can probably spot them a few times a week if you are looking at a 15 minute chart.
So now you know what Bollinger Bands are, and you know how to use them. There are many other things you can do with Bollinger Bands, but these are the 2 most common strategies associated with them. So now you can put this in your trader’s toolbox, and we can move on to the next indicator.
MACDPrint and run! Prefer to print out these lessons? Buy the PDF. Only $49.Buy a copy of School of Pipsology for $49 in PDF formatBuy and download a printable and easy-to-read PDF document containing the ENTIRE School of Pipsology. The PDF is an exact copy of the School section, over 250 pages (pictures included), minus advertisements and chapter-ending quizzes. Read it on screen or print it so you can take it with you on the road.
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MACD is an acronym for Moving Average Convergence Divergence. This tool is used to identify moving averages that are indicating a new trend, whether it’s bullish or bearish.After all, our #1 priority in trading is being able to find a trend, because that is where the most money is made.
http://www.babypips.com/images/macd.gif
With an MACD chart, you will usually see three numbers that are used for its settings.
[*]The first is the number of periods that is used to calculate the faster moving average.[*]The second is the number of periods that are used in the slower moving average.[*]And the third is the number of bars that is used to calculate the moving average of the difference between the faster and slower moving averages.For example, if you were to see “12,26,9” as the MACD parameters (which is usually the default setting for most charting packages), this is how you would interpret it:
[*]The 12 represents the previous 12 bars of the faster moving average.[*]The 26 represents the previous 26 bars of the slower moving average.[*]The 9 represents the previous 9 bars of the difference between the two moving averages.This is plotted by vertical lines called a histogram (The blue lines in the chart above).There is a common misconception when it comes to the lines of the MACD.The two lines that are drawn are NOT moving averages of the price.Instead, they are the moving averages of the DIFFERENCE between two moving averages.
In our example above, the faster moving average is the moving average of the difference between the 12 and 26 period moving averages. The slower moving average plots the average of the previous MACD line. Once again, from our example above, this would be a 9 period moving average.
This means that we are taking the average of the last 9 periods of the faster MACD line, and plotting it as our “slower” moving average. What this does is it smoothes out the original line even more, which gives us a more accurate line.
The histogram simply plots the difference between the fast and slow moving average.If you look at our original chart, you can see that as the two moving averages separate, the histogram gets bigger.This is called divergence, because the faster moving average is “diverging” or moving away from the slower moving average.
As the moving averages get closer to each other, the histogram gets smaller.This is called convergence because the faster moving average is “converging” or getting closer to the slower moving average. And that, my friend, is how you get the name, Moving Average Convergence Divergence!Whew, we need to crack our knuckles after that one!
Ok, so now you know what MACD does. Now I’ll show you what MACD can do for YOU.
MACD CrossoverBecause there are two moving averages with different “speeds”, the faster one will obviously be quicker to react to price movement than the slower one.When a new trend occurs, the fast line will react first and eventually cross the slower line.When this “crossover” occurs, and the fast line starts to “diverge” or move away from the slower line, it often indicates that a new trend has formed.
http://www.babypips.com/images/macd-crossover.gifFrom the chart above, you can see that the fast line crossed under the slow line and correctly identified a new downtrend. Notice that when the lines crossed, the histogram temporarily disappears. This is because the difference between the lines at the time of the cross is 0.As the downtrend begins and the fast line diverges away from the slow line, the histogram gets bigger, which is good indication of a strong trend.
There is one drawback to MACD.Naturally, moving averages tend to lag behind price.After all, it's just an average of historical prices. Since the MACD represents moving averages of other moving averages and is smoothed out by another moving average, you can imagine that there is quite a bit of lag. However, it is still one of the most favored tools by many traders.
Parabolic SARPrint and run! Prefer to print out these lessons? Buy the PDF. Only $49.Buy a copy of School of Pipsology for $49 in PDF formatBuy and download a printable and easy-to-read PDF document containing the ENTIRE School of Pipsology. The PDF is an exact copy of the School section, over 250 pages (pictures included), minus advertisements and chapter-ending quizzes. Read it on screen or print it so you can take it with you on the road.
When you buy the PDF you'll receive an email within minutes with (1) a DIRECT LINK to download the PDF and (2) a PASSWORD to open the PDF. You MUST have the password to open the PDF.
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Up until now, we’ve looked at indicators that mainly focus on catching the beginning of new trends.And although it is important to be able to identify new trends, it is equally important to be able to identify where a trend ends. After all, what good is a well-timed entry without a well-timed exit?
http://www.babypips.com/images/parabolic-sar.gif
One indicator that can help us determine where a trend might be ending is the Parabolic SAR (Stop And Reversal).A Parabolic SAR places dots, or points, on a chart that indicate potential reversals in price movement. From the chart above, you can see that the dots shift from being below the candles during the uptrend, to above the candles when the trend reverses into a downtrend.
Using Parabolic SARThe nice thing about the Parabolic SAR is that it is really simple to use.Basically, when the dots are below the candles, it is a buy signal; and when the dots are above the candles, it is a sell signal.This is probably the easiest indicator to interpret because it assumes that the price is either going up or down.With that said, this tool is best used in markets that are trending, and that have long rallies and downturns.You DON’T want to use this tool in a choppy market where the price movement is sideways.
StochasticsPrint and run! Prefer to print out these lessons? Buy the PDF. Only $49.Buy a copy of School of Pipsology for $49 in PDF formatBuy and download a printable and easy-to-read PDF document containing the ENTIRE School of Pipsology. The PDF is an exact copy of the School section, over 250 pages (pictures included), minus advertisements and chapter-ending quizzes. Read it on screen or print it so you can take it with you on the road.
When you buy the PDF you'll receive an email within minutes with (1) a DIRECT LINK to download the PDF and (2) a PASSWORD to open the PDF. You MUST have the password to open the PDF.
I agree to be charged $49 for one copy of "School of Pipsology" in PDF format. PAYPAL is the only form of payment accepted. I understand Im purchasing a single copy for myself and I won't make copies of the book or distribute it to anyone else. If someone else wants a copy I'll encourage them to purchase their own. I also understand that I will need a password to open the PDF each time.
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StochasticsStochastics are another indicator that helps us determine where a trend might be ending.By definition, a stochastic is an oscillator that measures overbought and oversold conditions in the market.The 2 lines are similar to the MACD lines in the sense that one line is faster than the other.
http://www.babypips.com/images/stochastics.gif
How to Apply StochasticsLike I said earlier, stochastics tells us when the market is overbought or oversold.Stochastics are scaled from 0 to 100.When the stochastic lines are above 70 (the red dotted line in the chart above), then it means the market is overbought.When the stochastic lines are below 30 (the blue dotted line), then it means that the market is oversold.As a rule of thumb, we buy when the market is oversold, and we sell when the market is overbought.
http://www.babypips.com/images/overbought.gif
Looking at the chart above, you can see that the stochastics has been showing overbought conditions for quite some time.Based upon this information, can you guess where the price might go?
http://www.babypips.com/images/overbought-2.gif
If you said the price would drop, then you are absolutely correct!Because the market was overbought for such a long period of time, a reversal was bound to happen.
That is the basics of stochastics.Many traders use stochastics in different ways, but the main purpose of the indicator is to show us where the market is overbought and oversold.Over time, you will learn to use stochastics to fit your own personal trading style. Okay, let's move on to RSI.
Relative Strength IndexPrint and run! Prefer to print out these lessons? Buy the PDF. Only $49.Buy a copy of School of Pipsology for $49 in PDF formatBuy and download a printable and easy-to-read PDF document containing the ENTIRE School of Pipsology. The PDF is an exact copy of the School section, over 250 pages (pictures included), minus advertisements and chapter-ending quizzes. Read it on screen or print it so you can take it with you on the road.
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Relative Strength Index, or RSI, is similar to stochastics in that it identifies overbought and oversold conditions in the market.It is also scaled from 0 to 100. Typically, readings below 20 indicate oversold, while readings over 80 indicate overbought.
http://www.babypips.com/images/rsi.gif
Using RSIRSI can be used just like stochastics.From the chart above you can see that when RSI dropped below 20, it correctly identified an oversold market.After the drop, the price quickly shot back up.
http://www.babypips.com/images/oversold.gif
RSI is a very popular tool because it can also be used to confirm trend formations.If you think a trend is forming, take a quick look at the RSI and look at whether it is above or below 50.If you are looking at a possible uptrend, then make sure the RSI is above 50.If you are looking at a possible downtrend, then make sure the RSI is below 50.
http://www.babypips.com/images/rsi-cross-50.gif
In the beginning of the chart above, we can see that a possible uptrend was forming.To avoid fakeouts, we can wait for RSI to cross above 50 to confirm our trend.Sure enough, as RSI passes above 50, it is a good confirmation that an uptrend has actually formed. Okey dokey, we've covered a smorgasbord of indicators, let's see how we can put all of what you just learned together...
Extra Credit!Use Bollinger Bands as S&R Levels and Trade Breakouts
Learn this simple technique to trade breakouts by using Bollinger Bands as dynamic support and resistance levels.
http://www.babypips.com/images/video.gifWatch the movie.
Oscillators / Leading IndicatorsPrint and run! Prefer to print out these lessons? Buy the PDF. Only $49.Buy a copy of School of Pipsology for $49 in PDF formatBuy and download a printable and easy-to-read PDF document containing the ENTIRE School of Pipsology. The PDF is an exact copy of the School section, over 250 pages (pictures included), minus advertisements and chapter-ending quizzes. Read it on screen or print it so you can take it with you on the road.
When you buy the PDF you'll receive an email within minutes with (1) a DIRECT LINK to download the PDF and (2) a PASSWORD to open the PDF. You MUST have the password to open the PDF.
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An oscillator is any object or data that moves back and forth between two points. In other words, it’s an item that is going to always fall somewhere between point A and point B. Think of when you hit the oscillating switch on your electric fan.
Think of our technical indicators as either being “on” or “off”. More specifically, an oscillator will usually signal “buy” or “sell”, with the only exception being instances when the oscillator is not clearly at either end of the buy/sell range.
Does this sound familiar? It should! Stochastics, Parabolic SAR, and the Relative Strength Index (RSI) are all oscillators. Each of these indicators is designed to signal a possible reversal, where the previous trend has run its course and the price is ready to change direction.
Let’s take a look at a few examples.
On the 1-hour chart of USD/EUR below, we have added a Parabolic SAR indicator, as well as an RSI and Stochastic oscillator. As you have already learned, when the Stochastic and RSI begin to leave their “oversold” region that is a buy signal.
Here we get buy signals between the hours 3:00 am EST and 7:00 am EST on 08/24/05. All three of these buy signals occurred within one or two hours of each other, and this would have been a good trade.
http://www.babypips.com/images/oscillators/oscillators-s.gif
We also got a sell signal from all three indicators between the hours of 2:00 am EST and 5:00 am EST on 08/25/05. As you can see, the Stochastic indicator remained in the overbought for a pretty long time - about 20 hours. Usually when an oscillator remains in the overbought or oversold levels for a long period of time, that means there is a strong trend occurring. In this example, since Stochastic stayed overbought, you see there was a strong uptrend present.
Now let’s take a look at the same leading oscillators messing up, just so you know these signals aren’t perfect. Looking at the chart below, you can quickly see that there were a lot of false buy signals popping up. You’ll see how one indicator says to buy, while the other one is still saying sell.
http://www.babypips.com/images/oscillators/oscillators_2-s.gif Around 1 am EST on 08/16/05, both RSI and Stochastic gave buy signals, while Parabolic SAR still showed a sell signal. Yes, Parabolic SAR gave a buy signal 3 hours later at 4 am EST, but then Parabolic SAR turned into a sell signal one bar later. If you actually look at the bar with the Parabolic SAR below it, notice how it’s a strong looking red bar with very short shadows. Also, notice how the next bar closed below it. This would not have been a good long trade.
On the last two oversold (buy) signals given by Stochastic, notice how there is no indicator at all for RSI, but Parabolic SAR is giving sell signals. What’s going on here? They are each giving you different signals!
What happened to such a good set of indicators?
The answer lies in the method of calculation for each one. Stochastic is based on the high-to-low range of the time period (in this case, it’s hourly), yet doesn’t account for changes from one hour to the next. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) uses change from one closing price to the next. And Parabolic SAR has its own unique calculations that can further cause conflict.
That’s the nature of oscillators – they assume that a particular chart pattern always results in the same reversal. Of course, that’s hogwash.
While being aware of why a leading indicator may be in error, there’s no way to avoid them. If you’re getting mixed signals, you’re better off doing nothing than taking a ‘best guess’. If a chart doesn’t meet all your criteria, don’t force the trade! Move on to the next one that does meet your criteria.
Momentum / Lagging IndicatorsPrint and run! Prefer to print out these lessons? Buy the PDF. Only $49.Buy a copy of School of Pipsology for $49 in PDF formatBuy and download a printable and easy-to-read PDF document containing the ENTIRE School of Pipsology. The PDF is an exact copy of the School section, over 250 pages (pictures included), minus advertisements and chapter-ending quizzes. Read it on screen or print it so you can take it with you on the road.
When you buy the PDF you'll receive an email within minutes with (1) a DIRECT LINK to download the PDF and (2) a PASSWORD to open the PDF. You MUST have the password to open the PDF.
I agree to be charged $49 for one copy of "School of Pipsology" in PDF format. PAYPAL is the only form of payment accepted. I understand Im purchasing a single copy for myself and I won't make copies of the book or distribute it to anyone else. If someone else wants a copy I'll encourage them to purchase their own. I also understand that I will need a password to open the PDF each time.
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So how do we spot a trend? The indicators that can do so have already been identified as MACD and moving averages. These indicators will spot trends once they have been established, at the expense of delayed entry. The bright side is that there’s less chance of being wrong.
On this 1-hour chart of EUR/USD, there was a bullish crossover for MACD at 3:00 am EST on 08/03/05 and the 10 period EMA crossed over the 20 period EMA at 5:00 am. These two signals were all accurate, but if you waited for both indicators to give you a bull signal, you would have missed out on the big move. If you calculate from the start of the uptrend at 10:00 pm EST on 08/02/05 to the close of the candle at 5:00 am EST on 08/03/05, you would have watched a gain of 159 pips while sitting on the sidelines.
http://www.babypips.com/images/oscillators/lagging-s.gif
Let’s take a look at the same chart so you can see how these crossover signals can sometimes give false signals. We like to call them “fake-outs”. Look at how there was a bearish MACD crossover after the uptrend we just discussed.
Ten hours later, the 20 EMA crossed below the 10 EMA giving a “sell” signal. As you can see, the price didn’t drop but stayed pretty much sideways, then continued its uptrend. By the time both indicators were in agreement, you would’ve entered a short trade at the bottom and set yourself up for a loss. Bummer, dude!
http://www.babypips.com/images/oscillators/laggin-2-s.gif
Symmetrical TrianglesPrint and run! Prefer to print out these lessons? Buy the PDF. Only $49.Buy a copy of School of Pipsology for $49 in PDF formatBuy and download a printable and easy-to-read PDF document containing the ENTIRE School of Pipsology. The PDF is an exact copy of the School section, over 250 pages (pictures included), minus advertisements and chapter-ending quizzes. Read it on screen or print it so you can take it with you on the road.
When you buy the PDF you'll receive an email within minutes with (1) a DIRECT LINK to download the PDF and (2) a PASSWORD to open the PDF. You MUST have the password to open the PDF.
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Symmetrical triangles are chart formations where the slope of the price’s highs and the slope of the price’s lows converge together to a point where it looks like a triangle. What is happening during this formation is that the market is making lower highs and higher lows.This means that neither the buyers nor the sellers are pushing the price far enough to make a clear trend.If this was a battle between the buyers and sellers, then this would be a draw.
This type of activity is called consolidation.
http://www.babypips.com/school/images/sym-triangle.gif
In the chart above, we can see that neither the buyers nor the sellers could push the price in their direction. When this happens we get lower highs and higher lows.As these two slopes get closer to each other, it means that a breakout is getting near. We don’t know what direction the breakout will be, but we do know that the market will break out. Eventually, one side of the market will give in.
So how can we take advantage of this? Simple. We can place entry orders above the slope of the lower highs and below the slope of the higher lows.Since we already know that the price is going to break out, we can just hitch a ride in whatever direction the market moves.
http://www.babypips.com/school/images/sym-triangle-2.gif
In this example, if we placed an entry order above the slope of the lower highs, we would’ve been taken along for a nice ride up. If you had placed another entry order below the slope of the higher lows, then you would cancel it as soon as the first order was hit.
Ascending TrianglesPrint and run! Prefer to print out these lessons? Buy the PDF. Only $49.Buy a copy of School of Pipsology for $49 in PDF formatBuy and download a printable and easy-to-read PDF document containing the ENTIRE School of Pipsology. The PDF is an exact copy of the School section, over 250 pages (pictures included), minus advertisements and chapter-ending quizzes. Read it on screen or print it so you can take it with you on the road.
When you buy the PDF you'll receive an email within minutes with (1) a DIRECT LINK to download the PDF and (2) a PASSWORD to open the PDF. You MUST have the password to open the PDF.
I agree to be charged $49 for one copy of "School of Pipsology" in PDF format. PAYPAL is the only form of payment accepted. I understand Im purchasing a single copy for myself and I won't make copies of the book or distribute it to anyone else. If someone else wants a copy I'll encourage them to purchase their own. I also understand that I will need a password to open the PDF each time.
or Cancel
This type of formation occurs when there is a resistance level and a slope of higher lows. What happens during this time is that there is a certain level that the buyers cannot seem to exceed. However, they are gradually starting to push the price up as evident by the higher lows.
http://www.babypips.com/school/images/asc-triangle-1.gif
In the chart above, you can see that the buyers are starting to gain strength because they are making higher lows. They keep putting pressure on that resistance level and as a result, a breakout is bound to happen. Now the question is, “Which direction will it go? - Will the buyers be able to break that level or will the resistance be too strong?”
Many charting books will tell you that in most cases, the buyers will win this battle and the price will break out past the resistance. However, it has been my experience that this is not always the case. Sometimes the resistance level is too strong, and there is simply not enough buying power to push it through.
Most of the time the price will in fact go up. The point we are trying to make is that we do not care which direction the price goes, but we want to be ready for a movement in EITHER direction. In this case, we would set an entry order above the resistance line and below the slope of the higher lows.
http://www.babypips.com/school/images/asc-triangle-2.gif
In this scenario, the buyers won the battle and the price proceeded to skyrocket!
Descending TrianglesPrint and run! Prefer to print out these lessons? Buy the PDF. Only $49.Buy a copy of School of Pipsology for $49 in PDF formatBuy and download a printable and easy-to-read PDF document containing the ENTIRE School of Pipsology. The PDF is an exact copy of the School section, over 250 pages (pictures included), minus advertisements and chapter-ending quizzes. Read it on screen or print it so you can take it with you on the road.
When you buy the PDF you'll receive an email within minutes with (1) a DIRECT LINK to download the PDF and (2) a PASSWORD to open the PDF. You MUST have the password to open the PDF.
I agree to be charged $49 for one copy of "School of Pipsology" in PDF format. PAYPAL is the only form of payment accepted. I understand Im purchasing a single copy for myself and I won't make copies of the book or distribute it to anyone else. If someone else wants a copy I'll encourage them to purchase their own. I also understand that I will need a password to open the PDF each time.
or Cancel
As you probably guessed, descending triangles are the exact opposite of ascending triangles (we knew you were smart!). In descending triangles, there is a string of lower highs which forms the upper line. The lower line is a support level in which the price cannot seem to break.
http://www.babypips.com/images/descending-triangle-1.gif
In the chart above, you can see that the price is gradually making lower highs which tell us that the sellers are starting to gain some ground against the buyers.Now most of the time, and we did say MOST - the price will eventually break the support line and continue to fall.
However, in some cases the support line is too strong, and the price will bounce off of it and make a strong move up.
The good news is that we don’t care where the price goes.We just know that it’s about to go somewhere.In this case we would place entry orders above the upper line (the lower highs) and below the support line.
http://www.babypips.com/images/descending-triangle-2.gif
In this case, the price did end up breaking the support line and proceeded to drop rather quickly.(*note- The market tends to fall faster than it rises which means you usually make money faster when you are short).
A double top is a reversal pattern that is formed after there is an extended move up. The “tops” are peaks which are formed when the price hits a certain level that can’t be broken. After hitting this level, the price will bounce off it slightly, but then return back to test the level again. If the price bounces off of that level again, then you have a DOUBLE top!
http://www.babypips.com/images/double-top.gif
In the chart above you can see that two peaks or “tops” were formed after a strong move up. Notice how the 2nd top was not able to break the high of the 1st top. This is a strong sign that a reversal is going to occur because it is telling us that the buying pressure is just about finished.
With double tops, we would place our entry order below the neckline because we are anticipating a reversal of the uptrend.
http://www.babypips.com/images/double%20top%202.gif
Wow! We must be psychic or something because we always seem to be right! Looking at the chart you can see that the price breaks the neckline and makes a nice move down. Remember, double tops are a trend reversal formation. You’ll want to look for these after there is a strong uptrend.
Double bottoms are also trend reversal formations, but this time we are looking to go long instead of short. These formations occur after extended downtrends when two valleys or “bottoms” have been formed.
http://www.babypips.com/images/double-bottom.gif
You can see from the chart above that after the previous downtrend, the price formed two valleys because it wasn’t able to go below a certain level. Notice how the 2nd bottom wasn’t able to significantly break the 1st bottom.
This is a sign that the selling pressure is about finished, and that a reversal is about to occur. In this situation, we would place an entry order above the neckline.
http://www.babypips.com/images/double-bottom-2.gif
Would you look at that!
The price breaks the neckline and makes a nice move up. Remember, just like double tops, double bottoms are also trend reversal formations. You’ll want to look for these after a strong downtrend.
A head and shoulders pattern is also a trend reversal formation. It is formed by a peak (shoulder), followed by a higher peak (head), and then another lower peak (shoulder). A “neckline” is drawn by connecting the lowest points of the two troughs. The slope of this line can either be up or down. In my experience, when the slope is down, it produces a more reliable signal.
http://www.babypips.com/images/head-shoulders.gif
In this example, we can visibly see the head and shoulders pattern. The head is the 2nd peak and is the highest point in the pattern. The two shoulders also form peaks but do not exceed the height of the head.
With this formation, we look to make an entry order below the neckline. We can also calculate a target by measuring the high point of the head to the neckline. This distance is approximately how far the price will move after it breaks the neckline.
http://www.babypips.com/images/head-shoulders-2.gif
You can see that once the price goes below the neckline it makes a move that is about the size of the distance between the head and the neckline.
The name speaks for itself. It is basically a head and shoulders formation, except this time it’s in reverse. A valley is formed (shoulder), followed by an even lower valley (head), and then another higher valley (shoulder). These formations occur after extended downward movements.
http://www.babypips.com/images/reverse-head-shoulders.gif
Here you can see that this is just like a head and shoulders pattern, but it’s flipped upside down. With this formation, we would place a long entry order above the neckline. Our target is calculated just like the head and shoulders pattern. Measure the distance between the head and the neckline, and that is approximately the distance that the price will move after it breaks the neckline.
http://www.babypips.com/images/reverse-head-shoulders-2.gif
You can see that the price moved up nicely after it broke the neckline. WE know you’re thinking to yourself, “the price kept moving even after it reached the target.”
And our response is, “DON”T BE GREEDY!”
If your target is hit, then be happy with your profits. However, there are strategies where you can lock in some of your profits and still keep your trade open in case the price continues to move your way. You will learn about those later on in the course.
Professional traders and market makers use pivot points to identify important support and resistance levels. Simply put, a pivot point and its support/resistance levels are areas at which the direction of price movement can possibly change.
Pivot points are especially useful to short-term traders who are looking to take advantage of small price movements.
Pivot points can be used by both range-bound traders and breakout traders. Range-bound traders use pivot points to identify reversal points. Breakout traders use pivot points to recognize key levels that need to be broken for a move to be classified as a real deal breakout.
Here is an example of pivot points plotted on a 1-hour EUR/USD chart:
http://www.babypips.com/images/pivot-points/pivots.gif
The pivot point and associated support and resistance levels are calculated by using the last trading session’s open, high, low, and close. Since Forex is a 24-hour market, most traders use the New York closing time of 4:00pm EST as the previous day’s close.
The calculation for a pivot point is shown below:
Pivot point (PP) = (High + Low + Close) / 3
Support and resistance levels are then calculated off the pivot point like so:
First level support and resistance:
First support (S1) = (2*PP) – High
First resistance (R1) = (2*PP) – Low
Second level of support and resistance:
Second support (S2) = PP – (High – Low)
Second resistance (R2) = PP + (High - Low)
Don’t worry you don’t have to perform these calculations yourself. Your charting software will automatically do it for you and plot it on the chart.
Also keep in mind that some charting software also provides additional pivot point features such as a third support and resistance level and intermediate levels or mid-point levels (levels in between the main pivot point and support and resistance level).
These “extra levels” aren’t as significant as the main five but it doesn’t hurt to pay attention to them. Here’s an example:
http://www.babypips.com/images/pivot-points/full-pivot-points-s.gif
Breakout TradesThe pivot point should be the first place you look at to enter a trade, since it is the primary support/resistance level. The biggest price movements usually occur at the price of the pivot point.
Only when price reaches the pivot point will you be able to determine whether to go long or short, and set your profit targets and stops. Generally, if prices are above the pivot it’s considered bullish, and if they are below it’s considered bearish.
Let’s say the price is hovering around the pivot point and closes below it so you decide to go short. Your stop loss would be above PP and your initial profit target would be at S1.
However, if you see prices continue to fall below S1, instead of cashing out at S1, you can move your existing stop-loss order just above S1 and watch carefully. Typically, S2 will be the expected lowest point of the trading day and should be your ultimate profit objective.
The converse applies during an uptrend. If price closed above PP, you would enter a long position, set a stop loss below PP and use the R1 and R2 levels as your profit objectives.
Range-bound TradesThe strength of support and resistance at the different pivot levels is determined by the number of times the price bounces off the pivot level.
The more times a currency pair touches a pivot level then reverses, the stronger the level is. Pivoting simply means reaching a support or resistance level and then reversing. Hence, the word “pivot”.
If the pair is nearing an upper resistance level, you could sell the pair and place a tight protective stop just above the resistance level.
If the pair keeps moving higher and breaks out above the resistance level, this would be considered an upside “breakout”. You would also get stopped out of your short order but if you believe that the breakout has good follow-through buying strength, you can reenter with a long position. You would then place your protective stop just below the former resistance level that was just penetrated and is now acting as support.
If the pair is nearing a lower support level, you could buy the pair and place a stop below the support level.
Theoretically Perfect?In theory, it sounds pretty simple huh? Dream on, pal!
In the real world, pivot points don’t work all the time. Price tends to hesitate around pivot lines and at times it’s just ridiculously hard to tell what it will do next.
Sometimes the price will stop just before reaching a pivot line and then reverse meaning your profit target doesn’t get reached. Other times, it looks like a pivot line is a strong support level so you go long only to see the price fall, stop you out, then reverse back into your direction.
You must be very selective and create a pivot point trading strategy that you intend to strictly follow.
Let’s go look at a chart to see just how difficult and easy pivot points might be.
http://www.babypips.com/images/pivot-points/pivot-point-3-s.gif
Ooooh pretty colors! We like...
Look at the orange oval. Notice how the PP was a strong support but if you went long on PP, it never was able to rise up to R1.
Look at the first purple circle. The pair broke down through PP but failed to reach S1 before reversing back to PP. On the second break down though (second purple circle), the pair did manage to reach S1 before once again reversing back to PP.
Look at the pink oval. Again, PP acted as strong support but never was able to rise up to R1.
On the yellow circle, the pair broke out to the downside again, sliced right through S1, and managed to fall all the way down to S2.
If you ever attempted to go long on this chart, you would have been stopped out every single time.
Personally, we would have not even thought about buying this pair - Why not? Well we have a little secret. What we didn’t show you regarding this chart was that this pair was trending down for quite some time now.
Remember the trend is your friend. We don’t like to backstab our friends, so we try our best to never trade against the trend.
In the next lesson, you will learn how to use multiple timeframes to trade with the correct trend direction so you’re able to minimize possible mistakes such as the one above.
If you ever look at a currency pair on different timeframes, you probably noticed that markets can move in different directions at the same time. A moving average may rise on a weekly chart, giving a buy signal, but fall on a daily chart, giving a sell signal. It may rally on an hourly chart, telling us to go long, but sink on a 10 minute chart, telling us to short. What the hell is going on?
Let’s play a quick game called “Long or Short”. The rules of the game are easy. You look at a chart and you decide whether to go long or short. Easy. Okay ready?
5 Minute ChartLet’s a take a look at a EUR/USD 5-minute chart on 11/03/05 around 4 am EST. Oooh it’s so nice. It’s trading above its 100 simple moving average which is bullish and look! It just broke out and closed above it’s previous resistance! Perfect time to go long right? I’ll take that as a yes.
http://www.babypips.com/images/multiple-timeframes/eur-5min-s.gif
Oh! You are WRONG! Look what happens next! It’s goes up a little bit but then drops like rock. Oh too bad.
http://www.babypips.com/images/multiple-timeframes/eur-5min-after-s.gif
60 Minute ChartLet’s look at the same exact chart on a higher timeframe. It’s the same date, 11/03/05 and the same time, around 4 am EST.
Holy cow! The pair broke out of its down channel which is bullish. It’s trading above its 100 simple moving average which is bullish. The last candle broke and closed above its previous resistance which is bullish. Looks like a bull, smells like a bull. Nothing but up from here right? You say long.
http://www.babypips.com/images/multiple-timeframes/eur-1hr-before-s.gif
OOOHHHHH! Zero for two! How do you like your steak cooked? Because from the looks of this chart…the bull got slaughtered. The pair even dropped back into its old down channel. Look at that last candle, it was dropping so much, it couldn’t even stay inside my chart! Amazing!
http://www.babypips.com/images/multiple-timeframes/eur-1hr-after-s.gif
4 Hour ChartOkay, we’ve now moved up to an even higher timeframe chart. A 4-hour chart. It’s still the same date and time, just a higher timeframe. If you had looked at this chart first, would you still have been quick to go long on either the 5-minute or 1-hour chart?
It’s currently trading in a down channel which is bearish. The pair is hitting the upper trend line of the down channel which is extremely bearish. Yes, it’s still trading above the 100 simple moving average which would count as bullish, but that channel would still make me cautious. Especially since it’s trading around the upper trend line.
http://www.babypips.com/images/multiple-timeframes/eur-4hr-before-s.gifLook what happens! Droppin’ like its hot! The pair stayed true to its channel. It hit the upper trend line and traveled down.
http://www.babypips.com/images/multiple-timeframes/eur-4hr-after-s.gif
Daily ChartFor fun’s sake, let’s go up one more timeframe to the daily chart.
Wow, will you look at that? The pair is trading in an obvious down trend. It’s below its 100 simple moving average and its in a down channel. On this chart, the trend direction is so obvious! Do you also notice the last candle? It tested the upper trend line and reversed. Not a very good bullish sign. Let’s look at what happens next.
http://www.babypips.com/images/multiple-timeframes/eur-daily-before-s.gif
Hallelujah! The downtrend continues!
http://www.babypips.com/images/multiple-timeframes/eur-daily-after-s.gif
So what's the point?
All of the charts were showing the same date and time. They were just different timeframes. Do you see now the importance of looking at multiple timeframes?
We used to just trade off 15-minute charts and that was it. We could never understand why when everything looked good the market would suddenly stall or reverse. It never crossed our minds to take a look at a larger time frame to see what was happening. When the market did stall or reverse on my 15-minute chart, it was often because it had hit support or resistance on a larger time frame.
It took me a couple of hundred bucks to learn that the larger the timeframe, the more important support and resistance levels were. Trading using multiple time frames has probably made us more money than any other one thing alone. It will allow you to stay in a trade longer because you’re able to identify where you are relative to the big picture.
Most beginners look at only one timeframe. They grab a single timeframe, apply their indicators and ignore other timeframes. The problem is that a new trend, coming from another timeframe, often hurts traders who don’t look at the big picture.
Take a broad look at what’s happening. Don’t try to get your face closer to the market, but push yourself further away.
Select your preferred timeframe and then go up to the next higher timeframe. There you make a strategic decision to go long or short based on the direction of the trend. You would then return to your preferred timeframe to make tactical decisions about where to enter and exit (place stop and profit target). Adding the dimension of time to your analysis gives you an edge over the other tunnel vision traders who trade off on only one timeframe.
There is obviously a limit to how many timeframes you can study. You don’t want a screen full of charts telling you different things. Use at least two, but not more than three timeframes because adding more will just confuse the geewillikers out of you and you’ll suffer from paralysis analysis and go crazy.
We like to use three time frames. The largest time frame we consider our main trend, the next time frame down as my medium trend and the smallest time frame as the short-term trend.
You can use any time frame you like as long as there is enough time difference between them to see a difference in their movement. You might use:
[*]1 minute, 5 minute, and 30 minute[*]5 minute, 30 minute, and 4 hour[*]15 minute, 1 hour, and 4 hour[*]1 hour, 4 hour, and daily[*]4 hour, daily, and weekly and so on.When you’re trying to decide how much time in between charts, just make sure there is enough difference for the smaller time frame to move back and forth without every move reflecting in the larger time frame. If the timeframes are too close, you won’t be able to tell the difference which would be pretty useless.