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Forex Basic Strategies

Scaling Positions Using The Pyramid Trading Strategy

Introduction

You would have heard most of the successful traders and market gurus say ‘let your winning trades run.’ That is very true, but do you know how to do that? You would have probably asked this to yourself many times. In today’s article, let’s understand a strategy that helps you in turning your small trades to big ones using a strategy called Pyramiding.

This Forex Pyramid Strategy helps you in increasing the chances of making consistent returns as a Forex trader. Using this strategy, we can scale our winning position and make the most of the trend. This strategy cannot be used in every market situation. If you do that, it will be the most destructive thing you do to your trading account.

Pyramiding our trades work very well in trending market conditions only. To make consistent returns from the market, we need to buy or sell strategically to add to an existing position. Always remember that when we are right, we must be really right, and when we are wrong, we must cut our trades immediately. The concept of this strategy can be applied to both long and short positions.

We can get a basic idea of the pyramid strategy from the below image. Here, we can see the price action printing brand new higher highs and lower highs continuously. The market is clearly breaking the resistance line and taking that line as a support. Note that the price action must break the resistance line with strong power. The price should also show the sign of holding at the support line.

The key to successful Pyramiding is to have a proper risk to reward ratio in place. That means our risk should never be greater than the reward. So if our target is 50 pips, our stop-loss must not be greater than the 25 pips.

Rules to Trade the Pyramid Strategy

🏁 Pick a market that is in a strong uptrend and wait for the price action to break the significant resistance area. Let the price test that resistance line as support.

🏁 Go long when the market gives you a buy signal. You can even look out for the appearance of any bullish candlestick patterns like Engulfing, Dragonfly, or a Bullish pin bar, etc.

🏁 Let that trade run because the market is in a strong uptrend.

🏁 Then wait for the price to break through the second resistance line and retest it as strong support.

🏁 Notice if the price is holding at the support line, and if it prints any buying candlestick pattern, go long again by extending your buy position. Make sure to trail your stop-loss after taking the second position.

🏁 Repeat the same, and do not forget to place your trailing stop-loss orders just below the entry points.

The same is vice-versa when the market is in a downtrend and when we are going short. By following this, we have built a good amount of buying position with minimum risk involved. Also, as discussed, the key to successful Pyramiding is to maintain proper risk to reward in each of the trades. As a thumb rule, our risk must never be greater than half the potential reward.

Trading The Pyramid Strategy

Market Identification - Strong Uptrend or Downtrend.

The below price chart represents the AUD/CAD Forex pair, which is in a strong uptrend.

To understand the strategy better, let’s consider a $10,000 trading account. In this particular pair, we decided to buy two mini lots on a retest of each of the levels. The take-profit for each trade is varied as per the market conditions, but the stop-loss for each new position should not be more than 15 pips.

Market Entries

In the below chart, we can see the market broke through a resistance level. We have decided to buy 20,000 units right after the price took the broken resistance line as support. In a few hours, we have observed the price action blasting to the north and broke a new resistance level. The price again started to retest the level as new support.

At this point, we decided to buy 20,000 more units. You can see that the buy order 2 in the below chart indicates the second trade, and we have trailed the stop-loss below the second position. We found the trend to be super strong still, so we let this trade to run for the deeper targets.

On the 5th of February, the price again broke through a new resistance level and retests as a support area. By seeing the uptrend’s strength, we have bought another 20,000 units and placed the trailing stop-loss order just below the third position.

We did a lot of buying up until this point and built 80,000 units in one single pair. So the real question by the end of the third position is how much of our money is at risk? Nothing. The worst-case scenario would be us making 10% profit by the end of the third position.

Final Trade Set-Up

In the above chart, we can see the final trade setup of all the three trades we took. By the end of all the three trades, we made a profit of 28 percent. The profits on each of the trades have compounded throughout the process, where the risk in each trade remains the same. Overall, we have generated 12R, 10R, and 6R in the first second and third trades, respectively.

Conclusion

Never forget that the pyramid strategy works very well only in the trending markets. Also, try to avoid using this strategy in volatile markets. Pyramiding is a great way to compound our profits in a winning trade. Knowing when to use and when not to use the pyramid strategy is the crux here. Hence it is advisable to read the different market situations on a demo account first before using this strategy on a live account.

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Forex Basics Forex Daily Topic

Using Trailing Stop: An Art to Be Learned by Traders

Using a trailing stop is a way to lock a profit in trading, at least with some profit. A floating profit trade may not always hit its Take-Profit level. Thus, traders use Trailing Stop to lock-in some profits and let it run to hit the target. Otherwise, some trades may result in a loss instead.

In today’s lesson, we are going to demonstrate an example of that.

The price heads towards the North with good bullish momentum. The buyers are to wait for price correction and bullish reversal candle to go long on the pair. Let us proceed to the next chart to find more about the correction.

The correction looks very bearish. However, a flipped support level holds the price. Thus, it is going to be an interesting battle between the bull and the bear. Let us find out who wins. Does it make a downside breakout or a bullish reversal candle?

The chart produces a bullish reversal candle. We can see that this is an Inside Bar, which is the weakest reversal candle. A flipped support creates a bullish reversal candle but does not make any breakout. The buyers are to flip over to the trigger chart to get consolidation and breakout to go long on this. This is the daily chart. Let us flip over to the H4 chart.

The H4 chart looks suitable for the buyers. The level of support produces a bullish engulfing candle. It has started the price correction. An upside breakout from a good level of support is the signal to trigger a long entry.

The price goes upward and consolidates. Upon finding support, the last candle breaches the level of resistance. Setting Stop Loss below the level of support, an entry may be triggered right after the last candle closes. The Take Profit shall be placed at the highest high of the previous bearish wave.

The price continues to go towards the upside for a while. It has started having consolidation. The price has found its support. An upside breakout is to push the price towards the North further. On the other hand, a downside breakout may push the price towards the South and even change the whole equation. Thus, the buyers are to move their Stop Loss. Have a look at the chart below.

The buyers shall move their Stop Loss below the level of support and hope it makes another upside breakout to hit the Take Profit. Let us find out what happens next.

This is what Forex trading is all about. You never know what exactly happens next. The price comes down. It would hit the Stop-Loss, where it was set at the very outset. By using Trailing Stop, the buyers have made some profit. Otherwise, they would have to encounter some loss.

The Bottom Line

Using Trailing Stop is an art. It needs a lot of practice to be master at it. Without knowing how to use it properly, it may hurt a trader instead. Since it is an important trading feature to save us from encountering a loss with a profit trade, a trader must study/work hard on this.

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Forex Market

Leverage Trading & Important Money Management Rules To Follow

What is Leverage?

Leverage trading, AKA Margin trading involves borrowing extra funds to increase a trader’s bet while they trade. In this aggressive mode of trading, traders take more risk while expecting for additional rewards. This is done by the traders only when they think the odds are in their favor. Leverages is basically represented as a ratio or with an ‘X’ next to the times of leverage. For instance, to take a trade what is double the size of the amount you want to risk, you are essentially taking leverage of 2:1 or 2x.

The main leveraged products available today for Forex traders are spread betting and contract for difference (CFDs). Other products include options, futures, and some exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Before using leverage, a trader needs to understand the risk associated with it. Controlling risk means having money management principles that can be used on a daily basis. Since leverage trading can be risky, as losses can exceed your initial investment, there are appropriate money management tools that can be used to reduce your potential losses. Now let’s look at a few of these tools.

Money management rules

Using stops

Putting a stop-loss to your position can restrict your losses if the price moves against you. As mentioned in previous articles, markets move quickly, and certain conditions may result in your stop-loss not being triggered at the price you’ve set. Do not forget to trail your stop-loss after you get in a profitable position. By trailing your stop-loss, you will be able to lock in the profits you have made on your trade. There is no need to monitor your position nor the need to adjust your stop-loss manually.

The right risk to reward ratio

The risk to reward ratio can be calculated by taking the total potential profit and then dividing it by the potential loss. You need to calculate risk based on your trading capital (risking not more than 2% of trading capital) and the leverage that you use to trade, as the leverage can alter your stop-loss.

Choosing the right leverage level

It is hard to determine the right margin level for a trader as it depends on trading strategy and the overall market volatility. But from a risk perspective, there is a maximum level of margin that one should use in order not to overexpose themselves to the market. It is seen that scalpers and breakout traders use high leverage when compared to positional traders, who often trade with low leverage. Irrespective of the type of trader you are, you should choose the level of leverage that makes you most comfortable. Since forex brokers provide a maximum leverage of 1:500, newcomers find it attractive and start trading with that amount of leverage, which is very dangerous.

If you are a novice trader, the optimal leverage to use in Forex should be below 10X. But if you are an experienced trader and are extremely sure about the trade you are about to take, the maximum you can go up to is 50X. But as discussed, Forex brokers offer a maximum leverage of 500X and some time more too. But it is advisable not to go that far until and unless you have the appetite to take that risk. By using less leverage, you can still trade even after having a series of losses in the market as you are taking a calculated risk.

Bottom line

A simple rule to keep in mind is that you shouldn’t be risking more than you can afford in the market. You can open a special type of account with a forex broker known as limited-risk accounts, which ensures that all your positions have a guaranteed stop. They decide your account type and leverage based on the information you give them while opening an account. Hence, leverage can be used successfully and profitably with proper money management techniques.

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Forex Market

What Are The Different Types Of Orders In The Forex Market?

What is an order?

One of the first things every forex trader should know is about the different order types and implications of each one. An order in forex determines how you will enter or exit the market. Today, in trading, more options are available than just buying and selling at the current market price. With different order types, one can make the most of their trading opportunities.

Why are different order types needed in the forex market?

There needs to be some automation in the forex market. As we know that forex is 24 hours market, investors’ holdings, and their net worth keeps changing 24/7. If an open position is not managed regularly, the profit/loss figure can change drastically. Also, it is not possible to manage your positions all the time if you are working full time.

Therefore, in such a scenario, pending orders came in handy. These are tools investors and traders in the forex market use to manage their open positions. ‘Orders’ allow the traders to ensure that the value of their trades remain within certain bounds even though the market is open all day. Now let’s look at different order types.

Market order

Market orders are the most common types of orders used in the forex market. It is just an order to buy an asset at the current market price. Market orders are executed on a real-time basis when placed. Since prices in the forex market are changing rapidly, the order may be completed at a different price than you intended. This is known as slippage in market terminology. Slippage may work in the favor or against an investor. A market order creates an open position immediately.

Pending order

A pending order is an instruction to buy or sell an asset when certain conditions are met. It is a type of market order that gets executed only when certain conditions are fulfilled. It is a conditional market order. Pending orders eliminate the need to monitor the screen for placing trades continuously. It sets up an automatic order system that will execute trades instantly when the conditions are met. There are different types of pending orders. They are:

  • Buy Limit Order
  • Sell Limit Order
  • Buy Stop Order
  • Sell Stop Order

Let’s understand each of these orders below.

Buy & Sell Limit Order

It is an order placed by the traders to buy or sell a currency at a particular price. Typically, this price is better than the current market price. Traders can find both buy and sell limit orders in most of the trading platforms. A buy limit order will always be below the current market price (or sometimes equal), while a sell limit is always above the current market price (or sometimes equal). For instance, if you want to buy EUR/USD at 1.05 and the current market price is 1.11. You can place a limit order at 1.05, and your order will automatically get executed if the currency pair reaches this price.

Application limit orders

Let us assume that the market is in a downtrend. As a trend, you wish to sell precisely at the support and resistance line. Since a market order does not assure the precise price, you can prefer placing a sell limit order instead. This is because, with a limit order, your order will get executed at the exact price you were willing to take the trade.

Buy & Sell Stop Order

This is the converse of Limit order. By using this order, traders can place a buy order above the market price and a sell order below the market price. By doing this, they can increase the odds of entering or exiting the trade at their preferred price.

Application of stop orders

Let’s say the market is in a range and there is some news coming up which you think will break above the range and head north. You being a breakout trader wish to buy it after the breakout. During the news, the volatility is so high that it is hard to get hold of a good price if executing a market order. So, here is where a stop order comes to action. With this order, you can keep a buy stop order just above the range, as it will execute the trade automatically when the price hits the buy stop price.

Stop-loss order

It is an order placed by the traders to limit their losses on the trades they take. By using this order, a currency pair can be bought or sold once its price reaches a particular price, also known as ‘Stop Price.’ For instance, if you buy USD/CAD for $1.31 and not willing to lose more than $0.1 when you exit, you can place your stop-loss order at $1.21. This order only gets executed if and only if the price of the currency goes below $1.21.

Conclusion

There are more premium orders that are being provided by the advance brokerage firms. Some of them include Trailing Stop-Loss Order, After Market Order, and Bracket Order, etc. The forex market is gradually moving towards artificial intelligence for executing trades. The latest development in ‘orders’ is the creation of dependent orders. This means the investor can place two orders simultaneously, and based on the input, only one of the two will be executed. Dependent orders use complex algorithms that execute trades with minimal human intervention.

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Forex Basics

Let Profit Trade Run

There is a saying in the financial market, “Cut your losses short and let your profit run.” Letting the profit trade run is not as easy as it sounds. Traders try to do it in many different ways, such as taking partial profit, using a trailing stop, etc. Both are very handy, but traders are to use them sensibly.

At the time of entering a trade, a trader has to determine the next level of support/resistance (take profit) at where the price may lose its momentum. If the price hits the level, he gets the reward. The length difference between the entry point and the support/resistance (stop loss) is the risk. The risk and reward ratio shall be at least 1:1. The more, the better it is.

Let us think of an example. A trader is about to take a long entry. He measures the next level of resistance offers enough space for the price to travel towards the upside. The price reacts at a level of support and is about to produce a bullish reversal candle. Let us assume the Risk-Reward ratio is 1:1, which he is happy with. He takes the entry, and the price heads towards the direction according to his anticipation. The trend looks strong, and he decides that he would let the trade run.

Traders can do it in many ways. Let us get acquainted with two popular ways to do it.

Trailing Stop Loss: Though his initial calculation offers him a 1:1 risk and reward ratio, he sets Take Profit far away. He makes sure that he sets Stop loss where he planned before initiating the trade. Once the price has gained some profit, he shifts the Stop Loss along with the price by having enough gap. This is how he gives himself a chance to grab some extra pips.

To do that accordingly, minor time frames may be used to spot out support level. Using trailing Stop Loss is not always that rewarding. However, if it works well, it may give you a huge return.

Taking partial profit: Taking partial profit is another way that he can let his profit run. Once the price is at the first resistance, he shall take half of the profit; let the rest of it run and shifts the Stop Loss at the breakeven point. This means he has free trade, which does not have anything to lose. He has already taken some profit (50%) out. Let us assume that the first resistance level gets broken and the price heads towards the second resistance level. What does he do?

Think for twenty seconds, what would you do?

He takes some part of the profit again, shifts his Stop Loss up, and lets the rest of it run. This is what he keeps doing with at least 10% of his original trade until the Stop Loss gets hits by the price.

If a trader can do it accordingly, he maximizes his chances to grab some extra pips. Both of them need a lot of practice. Backtesting, demo trading, or letting a very tiny part of the profit, such as a 5% run, can help us learn the art of taking partial profit.