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Timeframes

Timeframes in Trading: Which Chart Tells You WhatHello, traders! 👋🏻 Why can the same chart tell a different story on 1D, 4H, or 15M? You’ve probably been there. BTC looks bullish on the daily… bearish on the 4-hour… and totally sideways on the 15-minute. So, which one is right? The truth is: none of them is wrong. They’re just telling different parts of the story. Understanding timeframes in trading isn’t just a technical skill. It’s how you decode what the market is actually doing. Every Timeframe Has a Role Think of timeframes like zooming in and out on a map: The 1W chart tells you where the mountain ranges are, the macro trend. The 1D chart shows the highways and the current direction within that macro. The 4H chart reveals city streets, the local trend swings. And the 15M chart? That’s the back alleys, where the noise and micro moves live. BTC, for example, doesn't behave the same way across these views, and it shouldn't. What Happens If You Ignore Timeframes? You try to short a "breakdown" on the 15M, only to realize you just sold into 4H support. You enter a 1D bullish breakout, only to panic when price pulls back aggressively on the 4H… forgetting that the 4H was just doing a retest. Or worse, you start trading against the macro trend, thinking the 15M chart holds more weight than it actually does. How Professionals Read Timeframes (BTC Example) Example: You can start high, work down: 1W → 1D → 4H → 1H/15M. Check the macro first. Is BTC bullish, bearish, or ranging on the 1D or 1W? Then, you can map key levels: Support/resistance from higher timeframes is 10x more meaningful on lower timeframes. For example, BTC’s $30K, a weekly level, creates reactions even down on 5-minute charts. And, align context: A bullish setup on 15M is excellent, but check if it aligns with the 4H trend direction. If the 4H is also bullish, your setup has context. If not, expect chop. 🔗 BTC Right Now: Timeframe Confusion in Action Just look at the current BTC structure. On the 1W, BTC is still trending higher, higher highs and higher lows from the $15K bottom in 2023. On the 1D, BTC trades inside a broad consolidation range after a strong uptrend. The price has repeatedly tested the $107K–$112K zone, acting as a key resistance cluster, while forming a series of higher lows. It's not a breakdown but a correction inside a bullish structure, testing previous supply zones. The 4H? Chaos. The price bounces between $105K and $112K, which is pure range behavior. The 15M? Traders are getting whipped trying to catch fake breakouts that mean nothing in the daily or weekly context. Which Chart Tells You What? All of them. But differently. THE 1W TELLS YOU THE NARRATIVE. THE 1D SHOWS YOU THE CURRENT DIRECTION. THE 4H REVEALS TRADEABLE SWINGS WITHIN THAT DIRECTION. THE 15M CAPTURES THE NOISE, THE TRAPS, AND THE MICRO OPPORTUNITIES. If you’re only looking at one timeframe, you’re only seeing part of the picture. So, timeframes aren’t about right or wrong. They’re about perspective. If you’re a day trader, you probably live on the 5-minute to 15-minute charts, while still peeking at the 1H or 4H for structure. If you’re a swing trader, the 4H and 1D are your home base, with the weekly chart guiding the bigger story. And if you’re thinking in months or quarters, the 1W and 1M are what actually matter – everything else is just noise. So next time BTC feels “confusing”… zoom out. Or zoom in. The answer is probably hiding in the chart, just not the one you were looking at. Which timeframe do you trust the most when trading crypto? Drop it in the comments!
Education
by WhiteBIT
How to Set Up Multi-Timeframe Analysis (MTF) in TradingViewThis tutorial video explains what a time frame is, why traders use multiple time frames for their analysis, and how to set them up in TradingView for futures and other products. Disclaimer: There is a substantial risk of loss in futures trading. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Please trade only with risk capital. We are not responsible for any third-party links, comments, or content shared on TradingView. Any opinions, links, or messages posted by users on TradingView do not represent our views or recommendations. Please exercise your own judgment and due diligence when engaging with any external content or user commentary.
CME_MINI:ES1!Education
by OptimusFutures
Your ULTIMATE Guide For Time Frames in Gold, Forex Trading If you just started trading, you are probably wondering what time frames to trade. In the today's post, I will reveal the difference between mainstream time frames like daily, 4h, 1h, 15m. Firstly, you should know that the selection of a time frame primarily depends on your goals in trading. If you are interested in swing trading strategies, of course, you should concentrate on higher time frames analysis while for scalping the main focus should be on lower time frames. Daily time frame shows a bigger picture. It can be applied for the analysis of a price action for the last weeks, months, and even years. It reveals the historical key levels that can be relevant for swing traders, day traders and scalpers. The patterns that are formed on a daily time frame may predict long-term movements. In the picture above, you can see how the daily time frame can show the price action for the last years, months and weeks. In contrast, hourly time frame reflects intra week & intraday perspectives. The patterns and key levels that are spotted there, will be important for day traders and scalpers. The setups that are spotted on an hourly time frame, will be useful for predicting the intraday moves and occasionally the moves within a trading week. Take a look at the 2 charts above, the hourly time frame perfectly shows the market moves within a week and within a single day. 4H time frame is somewhere in between. For both swing trader and day trader, it may provide some useful confirmations. 4H t.f shows intra week and week to week perspectives. Above, you can see how nicely 4H time frame shows the price action on EURUSD within a week and for the last several weeks. 15 minutes time frame is a scalping time frame. The setups and levels that are spotted there can be used to predict the market moves within hours or within a trading session. Check the charts above: 15 minutes time frame shows both the price action within a London session and the price action for the last couple of hours. It is also critical to mention, that lower is the time frame, lower is the accuracy of the patterns and lower is the strength of key levels that are identified there. It makes higher time frame analysis more simple and reliable. The thing is that higher is the time frame, more important it is for the market participants. While lower time frames can help to predict short term moves, higher time frames are aimed for predicting long-term trends. ❤️Please, support my work with like, thank you!❤️ I am part of Trade Nation's Influencer program and receive a monthly fee for using their TradingView charts in my analysis.
TRADENATION:XAUUSDEducation
by VasilyTrader
6
“Does size matter?” when it comes to backtesting?It’s the kind of question that gets a few smirks, sure. But when it comes to backtesting trading strategies, it’s not a joke, it’s the difference between confidence and false hope. Let’s get real for a minute: the size of your candles absolutely matters. What you don’t see can hurt you Most people start testing on bigger timeframes. It’s faster, easier on the eyes, and the results look clean. But clean doesn’t mean correct. Larger candles blur the details. That one nice-looking 4-hour candle? Inside, price could’ve spiked, reversed, chopped around, or triggered your stop before closing where it did. You’d never know. And that’s the problem. You might think your entry worked beautifully… but only because the data smoothed out everything that actually happened. A backtest should feel like a real trade Trading isn't just about the final price. It’s about what price does to get there. That messy movement inside the candle? That’s where most trades are made or broken. If your strategy is even remotely reactive, waiting for structure, confirmation, retests, or anything time-sensitive, you need to see what price did between the open and close. And the only way to see that? Use smaller candles. Smaller data, clearer picture 1-minute candles might look overwhelming at first, but they give you something the higher timeframes just can’t: behavior. Not just outcomes. Not just win/loss stats. But the actual shape of the move, the hesitation, the fakeouts, the precise moment when the trade made sense—or didn’t. And once you start testing with that level of detail, your strategy either earns your trust… or shows its cracks. So how small should you go? There’s no one-size-fits-all here. But as a general rule: if your idea relies on precision, go small. Test it on 1-minute or 5-minute charts, even if you plan to execute on higher timeframes. You’ll quickly see if the entry makes sense, or if you’ve been relying on candle-close hindsight. Yes, it takes longer. Yes, you’ll stare at noisy charts for hours. But your strategy will thank you. Watch out for “too good to be true” One last thing, if your backtest results look flawless on 1h or 4h candles, pause. That’s often a sign that you’re testing a story, not a strategy. Zoom in. See what actually happens. You might be surprised at how different the same trade looks when you’re not glossing over the details. TL;DR: In backtesting, size absolutely matters. Smaller candles reveal real behavior. Bigger ones hide the truth. So if you care about how your strategy actually performs not just how it looks. go smaller. Your backtesting will get sharper, and your confidence? Way more earned.
BINANCE:BTCUSDEducation
by Maaz_BA
12
Trading Timeframes: Measured Moves and ContextIn the previous post, we introduced the concept of measured moves, a structured framework for estimating future price behavior. This method is based on the observation that each swing move tends to be similar in size to the previous one, assuming average price volatility remains consistent. While not exact, this approach offers a practical way to approximate the potential extension of a swing move. A common question that arises is: which timeframe should you use for measured moves, and how do you choose the correct swing move? These questions open up a completely different and important topic. Imagine analyzing a chart across three timeframes: daily, weekly, and monthly. You’ve projected a viable measured move on each chart. Now, ask yourself: which projection is the correct one? Where is the move most likely to play out? Daily Weekly Monthly The reality is that there is no singular “correct” answer. The appropriate measurement depends entirely on your purpose as a trader, the timeframe you operate in, and trading style. The Fractal Nature of Price Action Price action is fractal by nature. Regardless of whether you’re observing a 30-minute chart, a daily chart, or a weekly chart, the price displayed is the same in real time. However, the purpose of charts is to provide context. Each timeframe offers a unique perspective on how price has developed. For example, a 5-minute chart may reveal details about intraday movements while a daily chart condenses those details into broader a broader structure and context. These perspectives may align or contradict one another, they can confirm or challenge your biases. The key takeaway is that charts and timeframes are tools to contextualize price, not definitive answers. Defining Your Trading Timeframe To navigate the apparent contradictions between timeframes, start by defining your trading timeframe. This is where you analyze price structure, execute trades and define holding periods. This will answer the opening question: measured moves and other tools should in preference align with your trading timeframe. In case one wants to consider context, for various reasons, then multiple timeframes can be utilized. These act as a complement, not replacement. Here’s how different timeframes can be used for context. Higher timeframe: Moving one timeframe up will compress the price data, providing a broader context, but at the expense of detail. Lower Timeframe: Moving one timeframe down will reveal intricate details, but can introduce excessive noise. The balance between these components should match your trading style. Without a clear and defined approach, there is a risk of confusion and contradictory biases. The Concept of "Moving in Twos" Another, more anecdotal observation in price movement is the idea of “moving in twos.” This concept suggests that price often moves in sequences of two swings: an impulse move, followed with a pullback, which then repeats. There tends to be some price disruption after this has played out, but does not always imply that trend movement must stop after two moves. However, measured moves tend to align more reliably with these sequences. While not a scientifically validated principle, this concept has been discussed by traders such as Al Brooks, Mack and more. It provides a practical heuristic for applying measured moves more consistently. Practical Application To apply these ideas, consider the following: Define your trading timeframe. Use it as the primary basis for your measured move projections. If needed, incorporate one higher or lower timeframe to balance context and detail. However, these additional perspectives should not overrule your primary focus. Think in terms of “moving in twos.” Use this concept to locate sequences. This post was about the relationship between timeframes and the fractal nature of price action. The focus is on our role as traders and how we decide to operate, rather than absolute answers. This might be clear to most, but if not, take some time to think about and define your trading style.
NASDAQ:QQQEducation
by StockLeave
Timeframe Tango: Finding Your Trading RhythmWelcome to the thrilling world of timeframes—a place where every minute counts and every candlestick tells a story. You've probably asked yourself a million times, "What's the best timeframe to trade?" Well, buckle up because we're about to dive deep into the mesmerizing world of timeframes and trading strategies! Picture this: timeframes are like puzzle pieces. Lower timeframes, such as the 100 or 500-piece puzzles, are intricate and require patience. Think of them as the fast and furious lanes of trading where every tick matters. Conversely, higher timeframes resemble those 10 or 20-piece puzzles—quicker to solve and offer a broader market perspective. Now, let's talk strategy. It's all about how fast and efficiently you piece those puzzles together. Whether crafting your unique strategy or borrowing a page from the pros, the goal remains: wait for the market to paint your perfect setup. But here's the kicker: you've got to be strategic with your timeframes. Let's break it down with some juicy details! Imagine you're a 9-5 warrior or a student hustling through classes. Your time is precious. So, let's talk hours. How many trade opportunities can you snag in an hour? If you thrive on adrenaline and lightning-fast decisions, the 1- and 5-minute timeframes might be your playground. You're in for a wild ride with 60 to 12 candlesticks printed each hour! Scalping and day trading become your middle names as you seize opportunities left and right. When analyzed correctly, you could see 1-3 opportunities within an hour. But if you've got more wiggle room in your schedule, let's talk swing trading. Picture the 15-minute to minutes—a sweet spot for those seeking a balance between action and analysis. With 4 and 2 candlesticks printed each hour, you've got time to breathe and plan your moves. Now, let's zoom out a bit. Say hello to the 1 and 4-hour timeframes—the realm of short-term swing trading. Here, you're not watching the clock; you're watching the trend unfold over hours and days. With 24 to 6 candlesticks printed in a day, you've got ample opportunities to spot those juicy setups. Think 3-4 trade opportunities a week on the 1-hour timeframe and 1-2 on the 4-hour timeframe. It's the sweet spot between day trading and short-swing trading! Finally, we arrive at the granddaddy of timeframes—the daily chart. Here, we're talking about long-term swings and big-picture analysis. With three to four great opportunities a month, you have time to breathe, plan, and execute precisely. It's like watching the market paint its masterpiece, one candlestick at a time. So, what's your trading style? Are you a scalping sensation, a swing trading maverick, or a long-term visionary? Find the timeframe that fits your schedule like a glove, and let's embark on this epic trading journey together! Catch you on the charts, Shaquan
Education
by ShaquanLopez
What timeframes to trade on?Timeframes are crucial. If you get them wrong, the ENTIRE strategy fails. But If you get them right, you can earn a good amount of money. So, let me show you the best ones to trade on. Timeframes are broken into 3 scopes: 1. Macro - This is where you’ll look at a higher timeframe and extract your bias from. It’s your foundation. 2. Micro - This is where you build context for your setup. 3. Entry/Confirmation - This is where you place & manage your trades. For a quick answer, here are the timeframes you can trade on: 👉 Position traders (who hold trades for a quarter) - Monthly as macro, Weekly as micro, Daily as entry/confirmation 👉 Swing traders (who hold trades for 1-2 weeks) - Weekly as macro, Daily/12hr as micro, 8/4hr as entry/confirmation 👉 Intraday traders (who hold trades for 1-2 days) - Daily as macro, 8/4hr as micro, 30/15min as entry/confirmation 👉 Scalpers (who hold trades for under an hour) - 4/1hr as macro, 30/10min as micro, 5min/1sec as entry/confirmation The timeframe is related to the volume in the market. There is a direct correlation between the two. The higher the volume in the market, the higher your timeframe should be. Your macro, micro and entry timeframes will be higher timeframes if the volume is high. They’ll be on lower timeframes if the volume is low. For checking the volume, go to a forex volatility calculator. It will help you check how many pips price is moving everyday which will help you know how much volume is there. The higher the pips, the higher the volume. The higher the volume, the higher your timeframe should be. Please test and experiment with this to find out what suits you best. I hope you got value from this! 😁
Education
by SamaaraDas
1
🕰️ The 4 Pillars of Trading Timeframes🔷Scalping: Scalping is a trading strategy that involves making multiple quick trades within a short time frame, typically holding positions for just a few minutes. Traders who employ this strategy are referred to as scalpers. The main objective of scalping is to capitalize on small price movements and accumulate small profits that can add up over time. When engaging in scalping, traders focus on short-term charts, such as 1m,5m,15m charts, to identify rapid price fluctuations. They often use technical analysis such as order flow and volume , to spot entry and exit points. The key is to identify highly liquid instruments with tight bid-ask spreads and sufficient volatility. Scalpers must closely monitor their trades and maintain discipline, as the rapid pace of trading can be mentally demanding. Risk management is crucial in scalping and it is advised towards experienced traders that backtest their strategy before taking on scalping. 🔷Day Trading: Day trading involves executing trades within a single trading day, with all positions closed before the market closes. Day traders aim to profit from intraday price fluctuations and take advantage of short-term trends. This style of trading requires active participation and constant monitoring of the market. Day traders typically use charts with shorter time frames, such as 15m,1h,4h to identify patterns and trends. 🔷Swing Trading: Swing trading is a medium-term trading strategy that aims to capture price movements over a few days to several weeks. Swing traders seek to profit from short-term price fluctuations within the context of a larger trend. This approach allows traders to participate in more significant market moves while avoiding the need for constant monitoring. Swing traders typically use 1H,5h or daily charts to identify potential trade setups. They focus on technical analysis tools, such as trendlines, chart patterns, and indicators like moving averages or the Relative Strength Index (RSI). The objective is to enter positions when there is a high probability of a trend reversal or continuation. 🔷Positional Trading: Positional trading, also known as long-term trading or investing, involves holding positions for weeks, months, or even years. Position traders aim to capture larger market trends and ride significant price movements. They often base their decisions on fundamental analysis, considering factors like macroeconomic data, company financials, and market trends. Position traders primarily use higher time frame charts, such as weekly or monthly charts, to identify long-term trends. They rely on fundamental indicators, news events, and market sentiment to make informed trading decisions. 👤 @QuantVue 📅 Daily Ideas about market update, psychology & indicators ❤️ If you appreciate our work, please like, comment and follow ❤️
Education
by QuantVue
6
The Daily TimeframeI am commonly asked what is the most important time frame to analyse your pairs on. Which doesn't always result in a simple answer since multiple time frames must be taken into consideration for successful trading e.g. weekly/daily/4h/1h. However, there is the one that is universally considered to be principal and that is the daily time frame. Here are some of the main reasons why so many traders rely on a daily time frame and why you should to: 1️⃣ - Daily time frame shows a global market trend at the same time reflecting a mid-term and short-term perspective allowing the trader catch trend following moves and spot early reversal signs. The simple nature of one candle closure per day keeps things a lot more simple compared to lower timeframes. 2️⃣ - Covering multiple perspectives, the daily time frame is the foundation of the majority of the trading strategies and is the main source of key levels & pattern analysis. 3️⃣ - Filters out news events that happened during the trading day. It shows the composite reaction of the market participants to all the data posted in the economic calendar. 4️⃣ - Daily time frame reflects all trading sessions. Within one single candle, we see the outcome of the Asian, London, and New York Sessions. 5️⃣ - Daily candle filters out all the noise from lower time frames & intraday price fluctuations and sudden spikes & rejections. 6️⃣ - Similar to covering all the trading sessions, daily time frame also mirrors the activities of big players like hedge funds and banks. Showing us the flow & direction of big money. ⚠️ Please note: Despite the daily timeframe being so important for analysis, still do not neglect other time frames. The most accurate trading decision can be made only relying on a combination of intraday and daily time frames.
Education
by NimmoCapital
Bitcoin: Multiple time frame analysisWhat is your favorite time frame? When you finally decide on your preferred time frame, that’s when the fun begins! SHORT-TERM (SWING) PERSPECTIVE: "Earning assets with trades. Looking to sell near the top to buy near the bottom.". Short-term traders use hourly time frames and hold trades for several hours to a week. ADVANTAGE: More opportunities for trades. Less chance of losing months. DIFFICULT: HARD - The smaller the time frame, the greater the difficulty. Study the market daily and be prepared for the worst. MEDIUM-TERM Mix of shorts and longs. It's my favorite. LONG-TERM Trades usually from a few weeks to many months, sometimes years. PERSPECTIVE: "Buy and to forget and when it falls, buy more." ADVANTAGE: Don’t have to watch the markets intraday.Fewer transactions mean fewer times to pay the spread. More time to think through each trade. DIFFICULT: EASY - With cash in reserve to take advantage of opportunities, it's easy.
Education
by RNiedson
1
RULE OF THREE TIMEFRAMESHello traders, this time I came with an educational post, because on Friday I don't take any trades due to sloppy markets. Most of the times I see question like how many and what timeframes should you use when trading. Rule of three timeframes says, that we should use at least two but no more than three timeframes. Personally, I use W,D and 4h. Here is how I use 3 TF in my trading strategy: 1) The highest TF should be used for spotting an overall and long-term trend and plotting an important key levels. So I basically do my charting on the W timeframe, identify the trend and plot the key levels. 2) Everyday I start on the D, that's where I do my analysis and what I call my main TF. I use Daily to plot daily structures, identifying the trend from short-term perspective, plot trend lines etc. When I spot a good opportunity in the market, I check W if I am going with the trend 3) After spotting an opportunity on the D, checking if I am with trend, I go to the smallest TF I use-4h. That's where I am looking for a good entry. Hope this small summary will help you, thanks for stopping by and checking my post! Don’t forget to let me know your opinion on this in the comment section below! 💬 Sharing is caring! 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Have a wonderful and profitable day! ❤️ - ProfitalzTrading
COINBASE:BTCUSDEducation
by profitalztrading
3
What Are The Best Indicator Settings & Timeframes?Timeframes and technical indicator settings are ubiquitous concepts to technical analysts, two things that they will have to interact with at some point in point. For certain traders, they make part of the million-dollar questions: "What is the best timeframe to use?" "What are the best indicator settings to use?" Where "best" refers to the timeframe/settings that lead to the most profits. Both questions are very interesting and very difficult to answer, yet traders have tried to answer both questions. 1. What Is The Best Timeframe To Use? Timeframes determine the frequency at which prices are plotted on a chart and can range from 1 second to 1 month. We can notice that price charts tend to be similar to each other from one timeframe to another, having the same irregular aspect and the same patterns, this explains the fractal nature of market prices, where shorter-term variations make up of longer-term variations found in a higher time-frame. Based on this particularity, methods used to determine the start/end of a trend can be the same regardless of the selected time-frame, as such traders could choose a time-frame based on the trend they want to trade, for example, daily/weekly timeframes could be used to trade primary trends while other could use intraday timeframes to trade intraday trends, note that it is still possible to trade a specific trend by using any time-frame you want, however using a timeframe that is too low for trading long term trends might result in an excess of parasitic information while using a high timeframe for trading short term trends will result in a lack of information. It is important to note that lower time-frames will return price change of lower amplitude, as such trading the variations of a lower timeframe will make a trader more affected by frictional processes, particularly frictional costs, as such trading lower time-frames aggressively might require more precision, which is why beginner traders should stick with higher time-frames. So "the best timeframe to use" should be chosen based on the trend the trader wants to trade, with a timeframe giving the right amount of information to trade the target trend optimally. Your target trend will depend on your trader profile (risk aversion, trading horizon...etc). 1.1 Multi Timeframe Analysis Some traders might use multiple timeframes, such practice is called multi-timeframe analysis and consists of getting entries in a certain time-frame while using the trend of a higher timeframe for confirmation. There are various methods in order to choose both timeframes, one consisting of choosing a timeframe such that the trend of the lower one is an impulse of the trend of the higher timeframe. 2. Best Technical Indicators Settings When using technical indicators, reducing whipsaw trades often introduce worse decision timing, finding settings that minimize whipsaw trades while keeping an acceptable amount of lag is not a simple task. Most technical indicators have user settings, these can be numerical, literal, or Boolean and allows traders to change the output of the indicator. In general, the main setting of a technical indicator allows making decisions over longer-term price variations, as such traders should use indicator settings in order to catch variations of interest like one would do when selecting a timeframe, however, technical indicator settings often allow for a greater degree of manipulation, and can have a wider range of values, as such setting selection is often conducted differently. 2.2 Indicator Settings From Optimization When using technical indicators to generate entry rules it is common to select the settings that yield the most profits, various methods exist in order to achieve optimization, certain software will use brute force by backtesting a strategy for every indicator setting. It is also possible to use more advanced procedures such as genetic algorithms (GA). GA's are outside the scope of this post but simply put GA's are a search algorithm mimicking natural selection and are particularly suitable for multi-parameter optimization problems. When using a GA the setting is as genes in a chromosome. Such a selection method has some limitations, the most obvious being that optimal settings might change over time, rending useless the process of optimization. Optimization can also take a large amount of time when done over large datasets or when using a large combination of indicator settings, it might be more interesting to analyze the optimized settings of a technical indicator over time and try to find a relationship with market prices. 2.3 Dominant Cycle Period For Setting Selection Certain technical analysts have made the hypothesis that the dominant cycle period should be used as a setting for technical indicators instead of a fixed value, this method can be seen used a lot in J. Elhers technical indicators. Most technical indicators using the dominant period as a setting are bandpass filters, which preserve frequencies close to the dominant one. There are several limitations to such a selection method, first, it depends a lot on the accuracy and speed of the dominant cycle period detection algorithm used, the noisy nature of the price makes it extremely difficult to measure the dominant period accurately and in a timely manner, in general, more accurate methods will have more lag as a result. Another downside is that it is not a universal solution, technical indicators can process market price differently. 3. Conclusion From the two questions highlighted at the start of this post the one involving technical indicators remains the most challenging one to answer, which is often the case with "what is the best..." kind of questions. What is certain is that there isn't a universal setting for each indicator, certain settings might be more adapted to specific market conditions (such as ranging or trending conditions), and the presence of a setting in itself will always mean that interaction will occur at some point, as such recommending an indicator setting or timeframe must be done with a significant rationale. The problem of the best technical indicator settings offer a great challenge for any technical indicator developer, but it is important for the common traders to lose some focus about them, while important, these should not be adjusted in opposition to your trader profile , having a well-defined trader profile will help you adjust these settings more effectively, as such a reasonable answer to "what are the best timeframe/indicator settings?" could be "the ones that are adapted to your trader profile".
NASDAQ:AMDEducation
by LuxAlgo
28
The BEST Timeframe to Trade ForexYou got into trading for one reason and one reason only. To change your life. For freedom, for freedom to do the things you want to do. To spend time doing what you want to do when you want to do it. NOT to be a slave to the screen. Not to stare at the charts all day. And here is the thing. If that is what was required, to stare at the charts for hours at a time watching each tick, then you would do it. You would do whatever it takes to succeed. The thing is and I want you to pay attention to what I am going to say right now because it is very important, the very thing you are doing is actually the thing preventing you from success. You are spending too much time watching the markets and taking way too many trades. Trade less. Avoid the noise. Take strong signals with a different mindset and increase your win ratio and profitability.
Education
by JordanLindsey
7
The Secrets to Forex & Miller's Planet (pt.3)You must read the preceding parts first. This one is a real doozy. Watch your reading comprehension levels go up in realtime. ------------------------------ "Very, very few people could appreciate the bubble. That's the nature of bubbles – they're mass delusions." - Buffett Last time we talked about how people who speculate are inherently delusional and are all in the process of losing; usually just money. The only way to 'win at losing' is to survive the delusion game by understanding the players and their psychology; not by guessing if price will be higher or lower in 10 years. When you survive, you are rewarded; all the money from big losers goes to the remaining players at the table. That's the derivatives, near zero-sum market in a nutshell. Sometimes players take their winnings and walk away, sometimes new players join the table. But in the end, 'the bucks are all that matter, everything else is just conversation.' The charts, the econ news, the geopolitical shocks... they only matter insofar as they influence the psychology of the players at the table. This is why you have to align your trading philosophy with player psychology first, and at the same time, reduce your risk presence when you take 'bets' in the market. Think of 'reducing risk presence' as surviving or holding on and think of 'surviving' as taking a piece of the pie from the losers when they hit zero. Remember, markets existed long before Adam Smith 'invented' capitalism. The original merchants and traders achieved longterm profitability by two methods: collusion, or by navigating wars, famine, oppression... Things haven't changed as much as you might think. Chapter 1: The Margin of Psychology Now, after the 2 parts, you've probably had enough of this distilled pseudo-academic fluff and you're ready for the valuable details. Too bad chief, here's another fluffy paragraph. Again, get used to losing. In the last part, I ended it by questioning if disorder can be consistent enough to be orderly. Now, we don't have to assume an orderly interpretation of disorder. It's proven by the presence of profitable traders/investors. The household names like Buffett and Soros. They operated, to a degree, on something investors call a 'margin of safety.' Which is: 'the intrinsic value versus the current or last price offer.' This is similar to what I've been presenting all along, only I disregard this Plato-like intrinsic value notion; please refer to my part 2 sectioned 'Emergence of Estimation' and read through 'Fact, Fiction, & Forecast' if you want the full take on this. Using fair value, or the center of price gravity, or more simply: 'resilient value;' especially when we are talking about derivatives and forex, serves as a better frame of mind. Because.. value only exists in the mind in a near zero-sum game. But thanks to psychology, there is some element of order present in the otherwise disorderly markets. You can worry about the ethical issues of big zero-sum money games later, after you can afford to read Das Kapital on your yacht. Chapter 2: Counting Cost I have spent a long time trying to find reliable patterns or orderly events in derivative markets. I have used or tested over 3000 indicators, experts, or scripts. So many that my MT4 terminal stopped showing them and I had to start an indicator genocide worthy of a binding UN resolution. Countless all-nighters across both small and large forums evaluating both the popular and wildly unconventional strategies and theories of forex. Books, videos, etc. 4, 5, 6 years and on. The stranger and more contrarian the idea, the more interested I became. More interesting to me than the idea itself was the line of thinking that created the idea in the first place. Why did retail traders think this way? Why did commercial traders think this other way? I was able to both regard and disregard the most qualified, and do the same for the least qualified. It's not a surprising lesson, but you have to go out of your comfort zones and destroy your biases to learn valuable things. Peter Thiel's contrarian thinking runs on this kinda stuff. Think about what has happened in the past several years. Contrarian thinking can turn idiots into geniuses these days. Chapter 3: Hidden vs Too Close to See Eventually, I stopped looking for a hidden far-off solution and started looking closer. You ever search your house to find your lost car keys only to later realize it was in your jacket pocket all along? Too poor to have a house, a car, or a jacket? Well, then keep reading. So I started looking at the in-betweens. What's as close as possible to the decision making agent itself? The first finding is that charts rarely have clear patterns, but human minds often do. From then on, research became straightforward and fruitful. How do I turn that theory into something that makes money, or at least doesn't lose money? I found the major candidates, the independent variables that create these flashes of order, these predictable events or parameters. It's not perfectly rigid, but its the next best thing in the highly volatile world of forex. Chapter 4: Executing 66 Orders First off, it's not as simple as a single mind's biases resulting in huge moves on a chart. To use a basic military analogy, you have to think in terms of a chain of command. From a few big 'minds' to many small 'minds.' Or, you have to follow the killchain step by step. From psychological origination to execution. Obviously, execution is when the order is filled and liable to p&l. We have lots of charting and analytical tools for market movement and execution. But what is the origination? How do you properly connect them? Can you chart or summarize origination and its 'plane?' So far I've talked a lot about psychology, but not much about specific biases relevant to forex. Or how a collection of 'psychologies' in the 'real world' might constitute a broader social factor, which, as a unit of analysis, goes on to influence markets in predictable ways. Does a commercial fund have biases? Does a central bank have biases? Does Wall Street have different biases than the City? Four broad but related questions: What is psychological origination and why do social factors matter? Based on the above, how do you setup or build an 'orderly' chart to find that resilient value? How do you use that knowledge to better manage risk and reduce uncertainty? And by extension, how exactly does that make you a more profitable trader? These questions will be fully addressed across the next several parts (maybe 7 or 8 more). I'm going to skip a deep dive into the first question for now, so you don't get too bogged down on the abstract thinking stuff, and instead mix it a bit with something familiar and more visual in question 2. For the rest of this article, we gotta talk timeframes and contracts first. Chapter 5: Murph's Law Time matters in forex. It matters a lot, and in ways some of you probably have yet to consider. In markets and finance, time shapes the parameters of most contracts. I would use a long analogy from Interstellar and Miller's planet (just watch the movie), but the key here is that: SOME RISK IS NEARLY GUARANTEED (written into the contract) while SOME RISK IS TIED TO SPECULATION ONLY. It's the difference between limited risk that is insured by the past versus unlimited risk that exists only via the future (you can have both as well). Up until now, we have dealt with the second, and not the first. Forex standards and practices (de facto contract rules), give us the first. Let me introduce timeframes, and then return to this so everything connects neatly. There are many different approaches to categorizing timeframes. By the common candlebar duration (1h, 4h, D; in other words it's categorized specifically by the 24hr clock); group A , or by abstract accumulation (like renko or heatmaps or orderbook data); group B . Now, the latter is a loose fit for a timeframe concept, it can be discrete and confusing, but you can argue 'realtime' or 'all-time' as a timeframe in itself. I won't be discussing realtime very much, and I strongly recommend you read the disclaimer far below if you are a crypto trader or have access to prime data or level two data in general. IF you are a forex trader that fits into group B, let's say a Renko trader, then you need not worry about the indicators or models I present. However, I've only known one successful Renko trader, and he had custom designed analytics. So good luck with Renko, gentlemen. I will focus on the group A category of timeframes: OHLC, Henken, line, etc. Everything that follows will be based on those. Chapter 6: Don't Fail Science Class The more you think of markets by real life principles, the clearer everything becomes. Which is why I want to explain timeframes by analogy. You could argue that markets share some basic similarities, at least from a layman's impression, to classical and quantum mechanics. The smaller the timeframe, the more random and chaotic they appear. And vice-versa. The center of price gravity at higher timeframes is more resilient to chaotic bits of new information. It's more certain . To use Bohm's term, you could argue its 'enfolding' or 'enfolded.' That while the general state of things is a chaotic flowing river, whirlpools with a set of persistent parameters can still exist in those rivers. All this really means is that different timeframes/sessions/days require different indicators and/or applications of those indicators. In addition, a full risk management approach takes into account the pairs/currencies chosen as well since their behavior may vary (choosing the river), and the nature of the contract itself (does it have a waterfall or extend forever?). Simple summary: some things are more certain at long-term timeframes and some things are more uncertain at short-term timeframes . Most of you will already know this. Chapter 7: Slaves to the Timezones When I'm talking about short-term timeframes and long-term timeframes, I mean intra-day versus weekly or monthly. Technically you could trade something like the 4h or daily within a single day. (but to avoid confusion, I want to focus on timeframes as the periods from which you open and close positions, not the duration of the candlebar). In other words, opening and closing positions within the 24 hour period (from open to market close). Versus. Positions held across multiple days/weeks. This is very important because they are effectively different types of market contracts because of the risk of rollover. (unless you have an Islamic account) In general: IF YOU ARE HOLDING POSITIONS ACROSS MULTIPLE WEEKS, you need to have either a genius technical or fundamental system OR, you need to be designing your trades with carry conditions in mind. 99% of you will fit the latter. Inevitably, this means your long term risk management must be quite different than short term risk management; particularly in the weighting of seasonality models and interest rates. I'll explain this stuff in the next article, but for now, make a selection: Imagine owning a stock that pays you a dividend (😏), now imagine owning a stock that pays no dividend (😴), and now imagine owning a stock where you pay the company a dividend (😂). Keep your "obvious" selection in mind, because it's gonna upset retail paradigms when I tell you why you're trading the wrong pairs on the wrong timeframes. See you next time. ------------------------------------ DISCLAIMER: Now, I should've mentioned this earlier but IF you are a cryptocurrency trader, and some of you reading this may very well be, let this be clear: I did not design these articles for your consumption. Though crypto is arguably a currency, it's core mechanics are different, as is the psychology of the players involved and the market structure. The legal, tax, and broader financial components vary (the nature of the contracts, the timezone/session influences). Indeed, regulation is the main fundamental in cryptocurrency right now, making it a market potentially susceptible to a near-total collapse (at least for blocks of investors) depending on the providence of your broker or income tax obligations.
Education
by CountofCoins
Moving averages as great tool when used on shorter timeframes!Since MA's are usually a bit slow in showing the best entry and exit points its good to use them on shorter timeframes and see what story are they saying. In this example, it is quite clear how shorter MA's cross down longer MA's and confirms the bear trend and how shorter MA's then cross longer MA's on the upside and confirm the bull trend! MA's used here are: - 20 - 50 - 100 - 200 Hope you will use them wise and well! Do you see the confirmation for the upside that is most probably coming now since the 3rd breakout try is usually the successful one? We already had 2! ;-)
KRAKEN:BTCUSDEducation
by Samoto
HOW TO BUILD YOUR CONFIDENCE AS A TRADER (WIN BIG & LOSE SMALL)** In the video I say EURO / Swiss Pound. I think I meant to say Swiss FRANC ** :) This video is meant to cover a really important topic that I think holds back most people from being successful in the markets. In this video I cover: 1) There's a difference between being a good analyst and being a good trader 2) How to empower yourself by learning to trust your analysis 3) 3 optimal trading environments and how top-down timeframe analysis lets us identify which environment we are in If you find this video helpful, please leave a like and a comment! Good luck out there and remember ALWAYS win BIG and lose SMALL :)
Education
by ImreSG
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