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Understanding the Significance of a TrendlineWe want to trade trendlines, but not all trendlines have equal importance. Whether price has touched a trendline or violated it, we should act based on whether the trendline is significant or not. The following three factors are usually considered when evaluating the significance of a trendline: the length of the line, the number of times it has been touched, and the angle of ascent or descent. 1. The length of the line: Since a trendline measures a trend, the longer the line the longer the trend it is monitoring and the more significant the trendline. 2. Number of times the trendline has been touched or approached: The larger the number of touches or approach to a trendline, the more significant is the trendline. Note that because a trendline represents a dynamic area of support and resistance, each touch or approach increases the significance of that trendline because it better represents the underlying trend. Some traders tend to ignore a move close to the line, that is, an approach, but this is as significant as the actual touch. This USDZAR trendline has two factors working for it. One, it is long, extending from March 13 to April 2 and has a good number of touches. 3. Angle of ascent or descent: A very sharp trend is difficult to sustain and liable to be easily broken by a short sideways movement. Flatter trendlines or lines with smaller angles of ascent or descent then are better in reflecting price. Since steep trendlines are likely to be violated much easily, the violation of a particularly steep trend is not as significant as the violation of a more gradual one. That is why the penetration of a steep trendline usually represents a continuation rather than a reversal break. The following chart shows a steep USDTRY (dollar Turkish lira) trend that resulted in a continuation of the prevailing trend. Measuring implications: Trendlines have measuring implications when they are broken. The measurement is calculated as the maximum vertical distance between the price and the trendline. The distance is then projected in the direction of the new trend from the point of penetration. This is known as the measuring objective. It should be noted that measuring objectives in trendlines are sometimes misleading because when a trendline violation turns out to be a reversal, objectives are usually reached and exceeded. Therefore, you should take the measuring objective as more of a minimum expectation. The chart below shows how the measuring objective can be calculated for a GBPUSD uptrend, taken from the maximum vertical distance between the price and the trendline.
Education
by Emekadavid
Forecast: Highly probable break of support at 1.0786 for a shortPrice has touched that 1.0786 support about 4 times within three weeks. Therefore, the sellers have been testing the resolve of the buyers, showing the buyers are getting weaker each time. This reasoning is confirmed by the descending triangle that is forming at that support. So, it is highly probable that price will break that support when trading resumes next week. Look out for short opportunities on the short term.
Short
by Emekadavid
Trendlines and how to trade themTrendlines are one of the simplest tools in technical analysis and about one of the most effective for price patterns since they form the building block for pattern identification and interpretations. What is a trendline? – A trendline is a straight line connecting a series of ascending swing lows in a rising market or the top of descending series of swing highs in a falling market. The trendlines that are constructed by joining swing lows are called upward trendlines and those connecting swing highs are called downward trendlines. How to draw trendlines: A downward trendline is constructed by joining the first swing high in a downtrend with another swing high. When price breaks above the trendline, a trend change signal is given. The upward trendline is drawn by joining the first swing low in an uptrend to another swing low. When the trendline is broken, a trend reversal signal is given. Notice how the trend reversed when the trendline above was broken. We have said that in order to be a true trendline a line must connect two or more swing highs or lows, otherwise it is not significant. This is a fundamental point because a true trendline is a graphic way of representing the underlying trend. Trendlines can be primary trendlines or secondary trendlines. The primary trendline connects the first top or bottom with the next swing point. If price then moves sharply, this could create a second trend within the primary trendline. Then we connect the first two swing points again to form the secondary trendline. Trendlines can alert you to changing market conditions. How? By paying attention to the steepness of the trendline. If the trendline is getting flatter, it means the market is moving into a range condition. If the trendline is getting steeper, it means that the trend is getting stronger (or possibly going into a climax). Thus, you can be able to adjust your trading strategy accordingly. Also, note that trendlines are not always diagonal. There are also horizontal trendlines and these are seen in the case of some price patterns such as head-and-shoulders pattern or the upper and lower boundaries of rectangles. When these lines are penetrated, they usually warn of a change in the trend as would the violation of upward or downward trendlines.
Education
by Emekadavid
How to determine if a support or resistance will holdWhen price goes to a key level, that is, a support or resistance level, it will either hold and reverse price or it will break and be violated. There are no hard and fast rules for determining if a key level will hold and reverse price but I can give you some guidelines on what to look out for that would increase the odds that a support or resistance would hold. 1. The greater the speed and extent of the previous move, the more significant the support or resistance will be. In this case, watch out for big candles leading up to the key level. Consecutive big green candles in an uptrend or consecutive big red candles in a downtrend shows that the move has speed or momentum. Also, the candles have high volatility or the ranges are large. This big move towards the key level shows that the buyers or sellers in the previous move are overextended and they might be getting exhausted, and so would be lacking enthusiasm to continue their move at that key level. 2. Examine the amount of time elapsed. By looking at when the market touched that key level in the past and the general market conditions, it could tell you whether the market is likely to regard that key level as important. The longer the price has been away from that key level, the more significant it is that the level would hold as support or resistance because other traders who trade in higher time frames would be attracted to that level. 3. Look for strong price rejection. The presence of rejection candlesticks at a key level, like pin bars and also rejection patterns like two bar reversals, three bar reversals and engulfing bar patterns is a high probability sign that the level will hold. When you see strong price rejection at a key level, you should be confident that the level would hold as support or resistance. Some reversal strategies are based on this effect.
Education
by Emekadavid
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