The Advanced Guide To Fibonacci Trading
The Advanced Guide To Fibonacci Trading
This is guide to trading with Fibonacci numbers. There are many tools based on Fibonacci. You will
learn how to use most popular like Fibonacci Retracement, Fibonacci Extension and Expansion. You
will also learn how to build a trading plan based on Fibo tools.
This is rather long guide and I hope it will help you to build your own trading plan. I show
you some examples of entering and closing positions, but remember that in the end you are
responsible for your trading results. I do not take responsibilities for your trading results and I do
not give any kind of guaranties that with this guide you will make money. This is an educational
material, not ready system.
Part 1. Introduction
In Part 1 you will learn:
What Fibonacci numbers are
What the main difference between trading with classic technical analysis tools and Fibonacci tools
is
What the Fibonacci ratio is
Why is using the Fibonacci tools better idea than buy and hold?
Before we move on to learning more about the Fibonacci numbers, we should answer the question
included in the title of this chapter: why use the Fibonacci tools rather than other tools? What is the
difference?
They withdraw money from invest funds, so the funds have to sell their shares, even those of good
companies.
Just look at the chart ofS&P500. If you bought long contract at this index in 2001,after 10 years your
profit would oscillate around zero dollars!
1.3. Fibonacci trader and his point of view at this same trade.
Naturally, both examples are simplified, so that you can see the difference more clearly. Dont worry
if you dont understand the second example. When you finish this guide, this will be an easy thing for
you to do. For the time being, just follow the decision process of the two traders.
Mind when the first trader made his decision to enter the trade. Look when he closed it. It was very
late to take profit.
And now take a close look at the second trader. Again, it is the same chart, same day, but the second
trader is using different tools. Notice that his enter and exit decisions were made long before
the first traders! He made more money on the same trade, and exit when the first trader was still
hoping for continuation of the trend.
This is the main difference between traders using lagging indicators and those using leading
indicators.
Lagging indicators are based on prices from the past. It may be a price that was open, close,
low, high, but a price from the past in all cases. It does not matter if you are using MACD, moving
averages, RSI, CCI or other oscillators. They all are lagging indicators and they give signal after it
took place, like we could see in the first example.
The Fibonacci tool, on the other hand, is a tool belonging to leading oscillators. These give you
support and resistance levels for the price before it even gets there. You should decide or use others
tools to take the most probable signal. There is a whole chapter about choosing best signals later on
in the guide, so you will understand it better. Using the leading indicator let the second trader get
ahead of the rest people using lagging indicators. This is the main reason why so many investors are
not profitable. Professionals use leading indicators to be the first to enter and exit the
trade.
Soon enough you will join this group!
The two numbers to the left of 34 are 21 and 13. So, we add 21 to 13 and the resultis 34.
This is the answer to where Fibonacci numbers came from. Each Fibonacci number has its own place
in the sequence. The sequence is the base to calculating other Fibonacci numbers, such as ratio or
extension.
Price behavior
Before we learn more about the Fibonacci retracements, lets focus on price behavior for a minute.
Lets start from one tricky question and the basics of price behavior. In which direction can price
move? You will probably answer: up and down. This answer is correct, there isa but though. What
if there is no main trend? If there is no strong trend, the price will probably move sideways. Statistics
say that the price is moving about 30% of time in a trend and rest of this time it is moving in a range.
Why is moving in a rangesuch a bad thing? It is because there is no clear direction and the price
moves up and down, so it is very hard to make money inthis kind of movement. Have a look at the
chart below, is it the way you would like to trade in?
This is the aim of this guide. I am convinced that the Fibonacci tools are your edge in trading. You
have to get to know them and use them well to be successful. It does not matter if you trade stocks,
Forex or bonds. You will find the Fibonacci ratios there.
I focus mainly on the Fibonacci retracement and extension and I will show you how to enter and exit
the trade at best moments. There is also a chapter about money management. It is also a very
important part of trading.
I will only mention other Fibonacci tools like time zones, arc or fan. Is it because they are not useful?
No, but, in my opinion, they are not the most important ones. I know from my experience that using
all the tools at the same time can do more bad than good. Master one tool and then try to use other
tool. That is the main goal for me: to teach you the best techniques and give you solid background in
the Fibonacci trading.
Now, as we understand each other better, lets move on to more advanced topics.
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So far, we have learned that it is very rare for a price to move in one direction for a longer time.
Surely, when there is panic or euphoria on the market because of some big news, prices may
skyrocket and it is hard to enter the trade.
In most cases though,the price moves in zigzag shapes. Some traders call it waves, and there is a
scientific concept called Elliott wave theory. But for us it is important to know the nature of these
moves. First, we need to identify a swing move that is a move from point A to point B.
We know already that after the main swing there should be a correction in the opposite direction to
point C. When we see a move from point A to B, we wait for a move down (correction) to point C.
Point C should be located between points A and B. On a chart illustrating an uptrend it may look like
this:
2.2. Drawing retracement lines from the low to the high (A to B).
If you use candle charts, you should draw from the low of the shadow (or peak) of a candle to the
high of a candle. Please, notice that you get much more accurate results when you apply the
retracement levels to your candle chart. Compare it with the results from the above chart.
2.3. Drawing retracement lines from the low of the shadow to the high of a candle.
How do you know if you have chosen the right top and bottom? It is a little bit like art and comes
with time. At times, when you have two bottoms nearby, even if you have selected the wrong one, it is
not going to change the position ofthe retracement levels so much. Just practice on the price history.
It is very confusing at the beginning, because there are many Fibonacci retracement levels and some
people use only specific ones, while others like to draw all the retracements. My advice is to try to use
the standard levels. Over time, when you gain more experience, you will decide which are the most
important onesand which ones you prefer to use.
So, which levels should you start with?
23.6%
38.2%
50%
61.8%
78%.
Why use the 50%? It is not a Fibonacci retracement, but still an important level (half way up or
down), so traders like to keep this retracement level together with other proper levels. Stick to these
levels and it should be enough to trade well when it comes to price correction.
Option 1
You are willing to take bigger risk in turn for a possible bigger return. When the price (almost)
reaches the 61.8% retracement, you go long at this level or a little bit above it. This level is very
popular among traders, so, very often, at least for a moment, the price stops here and bounces back.
Option 2
The second option is when you wait and watch how the price reacts towards the retracement levels. If
you see that 61.8% is probably the retracement which a bounce back may occur from, you are ready
to take a long position. But unlike the first case, you wait for another confirmation. It could be many
things, such asa confirmation from an oscillator or moving averages simply something that is
written in your trading plan. When there is a confirmation signal, you go long. Of course,
confirmation signals are not always 100% correct, but in that case you have lower chance of failure.
This, in my opinion, is a better way to enter trades. The ratio between risk and possible profit is very
good. In this example, the trader decided that the signal will be a close of price above resistance.
Option 3
In the third case you wait until the price breaks above the recent high (the one you have used to draw
your retracement levels point B). There is a good chance that the move will continue. This way of
trading is the safest one, but your possible profit is the smallest.
price moves back down below point A, there is probably something wrong with the trend strength.
Below, I marked 3 possible places where you can place your stop loss order in such a case:
2.9. Possible places where you can put your stop losses.
It all depends on how aggressive you want to trade. Sometimes I place stop loss just below the 78%
retracement line. If you want to place a tide stop loss, you place it below the retracement that you
think is your point C.
The good thing is that, over time, you will understand the behavior of the price better and you will be
able to place the stop losses in better places.
There is more about the topic in Part 5, where entering a trade is discussed in detail.
Fibonacci works great on the trending markets, so it is a good idea to combine these tools. First, you
have to draw a trend line.
2.12. Break above resistance line now we can look for retracement level!
Lets say that we want to take a long position after a break above this resistance (so we look for a
trade in the area near the right side of the chart). On the lower time frame we canspot swing and
correction very fast, down to the 61.8% retracement. If you take a closer look, the correction ended
almost exactly at the blue line, which now acted as support (because before the price had closed
above that line).
2.13. Closer look at the same situation (from 2.12.) with retracement lines.
Some traders probably took long positions only because price moved back to the support (blue) line.
But you know, with your knowledge about Fibonacci, that when an important support line is in the
same area as the retracement level, then it is a trade you should consider to take, because there is a
much better chance of success.
Another great way to look for support is to combine the retracement levels with moving averages.
You probably know that some popular averages work well as support and resistance.
What are these moving averages? They are: 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 periods long.
Some traders may say that there are more important averages, but this is something you should
decide basing on your trading style. From the above set of averages, the most important are the
longest ones: 50, 100 and 200. When the price moves back to 200 MA, there is a chance it will find a
support there. If you can connect this level with the Fibonacci retracement, you have a potential good
entry point.
Below there is a 4 hour chart of S&P500. You can see that the price is above the 50 moving average.
After a swing, there is a correction down to that moving average and the 50% retracement level
which is in the same place. This is obviously a good point to look for an entry.
2.14. Good entry point example 50 MA and 50% retracement line are working together as a strong
support.
Take a good look at this combination, because on numerous occasions, this is a good point to enter
the trade. Not all tradersuse the Fibonacci retracement for an entry. Some traders tend to enter or
reenter a trade at a moving average, because they know that this is good support. You should join
this group, but only when you have another confirmation from the Fibonacci retracement.
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The most important thing to remember is that you earn money when you closethe trade and book
profit from it! If your position was opened two days ago and it is profitable then good for you. But
until you close the trade and take the profit, it is virtual profit. It changes all the time. There might be
some big news, the price will move against you and in a couple of minutes you will be counting how
big your loss is.
This is the reason why closing trades is so important in trading. For me, closing trades is far more
important than opening them. Even a poorly executed trade can turn out to be profitable if you exit
at the right moment. But when is it the right time and place to take the profit?
The Fibonacci projection is very helpful in solving this problem and I am sure you are going to enjoy
it.
3.2. Next step moving the end of second line to the point C.
Now you have the possible levels where the move may end or stop for a while. The three most
popular are: 61.8, 100 and 161.8. According to this example, it worked very well:
3.3. Expansion lines worked very well 161.8% was a strong resistance.
The move stopped at two points: the 100 and 161.8 expansion.
How is it calculated?
The expansion levels are drawn from point C:
Target 61.8 is 0.618 times of the distance between Points A and B
Target 100 is 1.000 times of the distance between Points A and B
Target 161.8 is 1.618 times of the distance between Points A and B
That is why in the above example the first target (61.8) is below point B. The correction was deep.The
61.8 target from point C ended below point B. Why? Because there ended the 0.618 distance between
A and B.
In another example we will try to find the expansion in a down trend. First, we need to make sure
that the down trend is strong, and then we wait for a swing AB and a correction to C.
We start from drawing the expansion from A to B:
Next, we move the second line to point C (where the correction ended):
3.6. The end result showed on broader view again 161.8% was a good target.
It gets easier when you practice it yourself. Remember, you have all this historical data to practice
with!
Other levels, such as 118%, 150% or 200% are also important and can stop the price action. Over
time, you will decide on your own if it is a good idea to keep them all on the chart or only a few. For
now, you may stick to the most common extension levels.
different swings. The convergence is a situation when you draw the Fibonacci retracement lines for
more than one swing and when some of the levels are close to each other.
In the example below the price moves up making many swings. There are a couple good points to
choose to draw the Fibonacci retracement. Which one would you choose?
3. Wait for the end of the correction to part C. Let other traders play between the retracement lines.
Just be ready and wait to enter the position.
4. Wait for the breakout above the high from swing A-B (to go long) or below the low from swing A-B
(to go short).
5. Wait until the price moves to the extension line and closes the position at point D
The main difference between a Fibonacci trader and an ordinary trader
It is not complicated. You may have noticed that many other traders are taking positions at
breakouts, because chances that the move will continue in the main trend direction are the best.
But there is one huge difference between a Fibonacci trader and an ordinary trader. The latter is not
sure when he should close the trade. He has opened the position at the right time (at the breakout),
but he has no clue where to close it. He has some exit signals, but he is usually late with his exit
decision.
A Fibonacci trader is able to get the most part of move from the moment of breakout. With the
Fibonacci extension tool he can, on many occasions, exit almost exactly at the end of the move (it is
not the goal of this strategy, but it will happen to you many times).
In this scenario you take less risk. When the price closes above a recent high, there is a strong chance
there will be a continuation of the up movement.
Your exit point will be on one of the extension lines (more about closing positions in the next part).
Your goal is to catch most of the move between 100% and the extension line, so between 100% and
127% or 138.2% or 161.8% etc.
Examples
Below there is a 4-hour chart of Gbp/Usd. From a higher time frame we know that the main trend is
up. There is a deep correction (down to the 61.8% level, C point). At this point we are still waiting for
a breakout. After a while, there is our breakout above point B (recent high). The green field marks
out our potential profit zone (it could get even higher),that is everything between point B and the
extension lines.
In this scenario you are going to take bigger risk, but in exchange for possible bigger profit.
Remember: this is a more risky way of trading with Fibonacci. Try to master the first method which
is safer for new traders. Later, when you will feel more confident, try this method.
In this part you will learn:
How to enter position earlier
What confirmation signals are the best
How to act when price is in range
The first few points are the same as in the previous method, but they differ later on.
1. Identify the main trend. You should know what the main trend is and which direction you will be
looking in to enter a trade.
2. Identify the low-high/high-low swing. Find the swing which you will draw the retracement and
extension lines from.
3. Wait for the correction to part C to end. When there is a bounce back from the retracement line,
get ready.
4. Wait for a confirmation signal. When there is a signal, enter the trade.
5. Close the trade at one of extension lines (later I will show you how).
So as not to confuse you, I will write more about confirmation signals in a separate part. Now, lets
focus on the logic of this method.
You know what the trend direction is, so you know in which direction you will be opening the trade.
After a low-high swing you wait for a correction to point C. You do not open a position right at the
retracement line, because it is too risky. You simply wait for the price to accept the retracement line
as support (or resistance). When the price goes back to move in a trend direction, there should be a
signal somewhere between point C (retracement line) and point B.
What kind of signal? It depends on the trader. It may be a signal from the price action, oscillator,
trend line or moving average. There are somegood candidates here. You will read more about it
shortly.
Lets take a look at the example. The signal was a break above the resistance line.
that the sentiment is changing. As on the chart below, after the correction to 78%, I would wait and
enter after the candle closes back above the 50 MA (red line).
Many people do not know that you can draw support, resistance and trend lines on the oscillators
also! I find it to be very useful. When the price action is too blurry for me, I look for some tips on an
oscillator chart by drawing the trend lines there.
2. A break in the overbought or oversold area.
In an uptrend, when there is a correction, I look at the oscillator and wait until its value is back at the
-20 level and then I enter a long position.
It is not always so easy and obvious to trade with the Fibonacci tools. Not every move is a clear A to
B, correction to C and then strong move up to point D at the extension. Sometimes, the correction to
C may last longer. Anattempt to break towards the extension may be a failure.
On the chart below you can see that the correction ended at the 38.2% retracement level, but the
price failed to move up to the next high.
beginning. It is far different from the trend trading, but still, you can make money in a range. As you
can see above these skills are sometimes useful.
In this guide, I focus on trading with Fibonacci in the trending markets. Trading in a range and using
oscillators as entry/exit signals is a very wide topic.
My advice is to practice the range trading using a demo account. With your real account, go for
trades you know how to trade and have succeeded with in your previous setups.
When there is a range, do not trade your real money in it, trade using the demo account. With time,
you will get better at this and you will have bigger experience. One day, when you feel strong enough,
you will include this in your trading plan.
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Way no. 1
The tool we will be using to define the exit point is the Fibonacci extension. If you do not remember
what it is, go back to Part 3 and read it once again.
There are some rules which traders follow, basing on how deep the correction was. Have a look at the
table below and then move on to examples.
Correction to: Look for the exit at the extension of:
38.2% 138.2%
50% 161.8%
61.8% 161.8%
The best way to explain this method is upon examples.
Lets assume that we have found an uptrend. We wait for a correction to enter a long position.
Correction is shallow, only the 38.2% retracement line. We go long and now there is a question
when to close this trade? Many traders follow the rule that the move up from the 38.2% retracement
may end at the 138.2% extension line (exactly as in the table presented).
It is not something written in the stone. They are simply aware of the statistics and probability. They
know that there is a big chance that the move will end or stop for a while there.
Check the daily chart of Eur/Usd. The small correction ended at 38.2% and after that, the price
continued to move up. Eventually, there was resistance just at the 138.2% extension line.
Does it always work like this? Should you simply buy at 50% and sell at 161.8%? Is it that simple? No,
it is not. It does not always work like this. In the example below, after a shallow correction to the
38.2% line, there is a strong move up to 161.8%.
we are not here to catch bottoms and tops. We just want to make money. When you see that the price
action is fast and you are confused about it, follow the table.
You can connect this with the money management system. Divide your position into 2 or 3 parts.
Close the bigger part at the extension level based on the table, and let the rest of the position catch
the rest of the move or scratch it when the move ends.
Let me assure you that, having a plan of when to exit, you place yourself in the top 20% of traders.
The remaining 80% have no idea when to exit. They just go with the flow, hoping for the best. In the
meantime, you make money.
Is it perfect? No, but it is a plan and you can include it into your trading plan.
The lower time frame you trade, the more you should follow rules from the table. On lower time
frames, moves are very fast. People and robots trade here very actively and you should adjust to it.
Do not try to catch the whole move from the beginning to the end. There are many opportunities
here. Are you in a profitable trade? It is great. Now, if you are not sure where to exit, follow the table.
Way no. 2
Exiting a trade is very important, yet it is not so easy. We want to exit at the very best moment, but it
is hard to tell when this moment comes. What is worse, the price very often climbs slowly to a certain
level, and then suddenly it can fall hard.
Trying to exit at the top does not make sense, because there is always a chance that there will be
another top and this one is only a stop. Be not concerned about catching tops.
In order to define a good exit point, we have to connect the Fibonacci extension levels, technical
analysis and money management. With this, it is easier to decide when to close the position. I am not
going to cheat you on numerous occasions you will close your trade too early or too late. It is
normal and you have to work on your exit strategy to make it better.
Any exit plan is better than simply letting the trade run and hoping for the best.
Thanks to the Fibonacci extension we get the potential levels where the price will stop, or where even
the whole trend can stop and reverse. As you have seen in the previous chapter, it can be very
accurate. The problem is that we do not know which of those levels is going to work.
That is why we use money management. You can read more in the chapter about money
management, and now I will show you a good way of using the MM in closing trades.
When it looks like that you have been correct and your trade is profitable, you move your stop loss to
the entry point. This way, even when the price moves back, you will protect your capital.
extension (or at 138.2% if you think that the trend is not so strong). You let the third part to rise and
you can close it manually at a different extension level or a technical trigger.
This way, you protect your profit, but you let it grow.
In the example below, the correction ends at the 61.8% retracement level. The entry signal is the
close of the candle above the 50 moving average. When the trade is profitable, the 1st part is closed at
the 127% extension. It continues to rise, so the 2nd part is closed at the 161.8% extension. The 3rd
part is still open. You can close it manually at any moment.
7.6. Move down to the 127% extension and strong bounce back.
It is goingnicely down to the 127% extension, where the 1st part of the position gets closed. Suddenly,
buyers show up and start to buy. The price reverses and starts to rise. There are still 2 parts of the
position open, but the stop loss is raised to the entry point. It is important to remember to raise your
stop loss to the entry pointwhile managing your trade.
The rise continues and eventually we get stopped out, but still, we closethe trade with a profit. All
thanks to the 1st part closed at the 127% extension and the raised stop loss.
This is how it works. At times, you get lucky, the trend is strong and you close all three parts at
higher levels. On other occasion you will be stopped out with a loss, or only a small profit from the
first extension level.
If this rule is a too complicated for you, start from dividing your position into two parts. When you
manage your trades carefully, you should be making good money on it.
This is the main way I manage my trades, but you may want to choose some technical tool to confirm
the exit signal (for example for parts 2 and 3). In such a case I would recommend something simple.
Just lower your time frame. If you trade with a 4-hour chart, lower it to a 1-hour chart and watch the
reaction of the price and the extension levels closely. You can draw some short moving average (5 or
10 periods) as help.
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Part 8. My template
In this part you will learn:
How to decide in which direction you should trade
And thats it. But this is one of the most important things when it comes to trading with Fibonacci
tools.
At the beginning, it might be hard for you to decide in which direction you should trade or even take
a position at the moment. That is why I have prepared this template for Metatrader, which will help
you make better decisions.
What can you see on the chart? Lets go through this:
- A candlestick chart
- The 200 simple moving average
- The linear weighted moving averages from 5 to 154 periods long (the rainbow)
- Two Kijun-sen lines from Ichimoku (one is 26 periods long and and the other is 60 periods long)
It may look like there are a lot of things on the chart, but this is only to help you visualize what the
current situation is. Go to the end of the guide to read how to install this template in detail.
Candlesticks and the 200 simple moving average should be familiar to you by now. Lets discuss the
other tools in detail.
The linear weighted moving averages from 5 to 154 periods are also called the rainbow. There are
many types of the rainbow chart sometimes they are built from averages ranging from 2 to 200
periods. In this case, we have averages from 5 to 154 sorted in three groups: blue, green and red. You
look at them to find out what the current trend is and how strong it is. It is very simple. When the
blue group is at the bottom, green in the middle and red at the top, then we probably have a strong
downtrend.
8.6. Clear ABCD formation and confirmation from averages about direction of trend.
Now lets see what it lookslike in the downtrend. Notice that the moving averages suggest a
downtrend. There is also a confirmation from the Kijun-Sen lines. We know that the safest option
here is to look for an ABCD pattern for a short opportunity. After a strong correction, there is one
great opportunity.
The key to successful trading with Fibonacci is to trade in the direction of the main trend. That is
why you draw the retracement levels.You want to enter the trade with a better price. You do not want
to buy blindly at some random place and guess the direction of the trend. You define the trend, wait
for the correction and take a position in the same direction as the trend goes.
If the trend is up, you go long (that is, you buy).
If the trend is down, you go short (that is, you sell).
When there is no trend in place, you do not take any position.
It sounds simple, but it is not that easy to define the correct direction of the trend. Unfortunately,it is
necessary to open a position in the right direction to make money. If the trend is up and you go short,
you will most likely end with a loss.
What is worse, if you make a mistake and define the trend incorrectly, you might be fooled by
Fibonacci, because it works in both ways. Let me show you what I mean. Below you can see the
retracement levels and a bounce from 61.8%. Basing on this chart you might think that going long is
a good idea.
You will not be 100% correct every time when it comes to deciding in which direction you should
draw the retracement levels and place a trade order. You should have some tools which will help you
to recognize in which direction the main trend goes.
There are many tools to choose among, but I will give you some propositions. Test them and choose
the one which works best for you.
It is a very simple and yet, an effective tool. Of course, you may want to use a shorter moving average
like the 100 SMA. Some traders use an even shorter MA,such as a 50 or 30 periods long. It is up to
you.
On the chart below, the price is above the 200 SMA, so you draw the retracement levels only to look
for long opportunities.
My set of tools
I personally use the template from Part 8. If you prefer to start with something simpler, try three
moving averages:
The 20 linear weighted moving average (typical price)
The 35 linear weighted moving average (typical price)
The 50 linear weighted moving average (typical price)
If the 20 MA is above the 35 MA and the 50 MA, and the 35 MA is in the middle, then the main trend
is probably up and I open a long position.
You have to learn how to use it every time when you are in doubt. Testing the higher time frame is a
good idea, because it gives you the answers to your questions.
9.12. On 1-hour chart we can see that the main trend is up.
Wait a minute! Going short was a bad idea, because the main trend is up. That was only a correction.
Notice that the retracement levels seemed to fit perfectly. It looked like the 38.2% retracement level
was going to stop the price. As I have mentioned earlier, you have to be very careful because the
Fibonacci retracement levels work both ways and it is your job to identify the correct trend. In the
example it looked like you should the draw retracement levels for a short position, but the higher
time frame gave you an answer not to.
In another example, we look to take a long position at the S&P500 index. On a 1-hour chart it looks
like an uptrend, and there is a potential swing where we can draw the retracement levels:
The correction ended and new highs were made, which stopped at the 138% extension from that
move.
The logic behind this is obvious. The trend from the higher time frame is going to last longer, so it is
stronger. When there is a correction, on the lower time frame it looks like there is a change of the
trend direction. However, it is not the truth.The correction ends on the higher time frame and the
price moves in the previous direction.
Remember about that simple rule and always invest in the direction of the higher time frame. This
way, your win/loss ratio will be much higher.
When you try to enter a position at the time the news is published, there might be a slippage. It
means that the difference between the ask and the bid price may be considerable and the cost of
entering the position may be very high. Check with your broker what their policy about slippage is.
The advice is to risk only a very small part of your capital for trading the news.
A lot of things can go wrong here, so do not risk too much!
You know the risk now, so lets see how to trade the news in practice. I will show you a chart from the
time when the NFP were released. You can trade on the major pairs or main US indexes. In the
examples below, I am going to use the SP500 chart.
The main idea is that the NFP release very often (but not always!) leads to a stronger move. This
move is very specific. The first moment after the news release, short term traders are opening and
closing positions that is why there are a lot of messy moves. We do not want to trade the market
like this, so we wait. After the news release, the data is known. Many investors holding back before
the releaseget back to trading. That is why the market starts to trend stronger. Where there is a
trend, there are also corrections, and we can use the Fibonacci tools to enter and exit positions.
Look at the 1-minute chart from December 2nd. After the release, there was quite a mess for 5
minutes, but after that time a strong trend occurred.
9.17. Few more possible setups later during the same day.
This was a good day to practice your trading skills. There were a lot of opportunities where you could
use the Fibonacci retracement and extension lines, but you had to make decisionsquickly in which
direction should you open the trade? This is a very good opportunity to practice, but again risk
was greater here! Remember about smaller positions!
It is very important to learn how to use tools like the retracement and extension first in order to be
comfortable with them. Then, you can move on and use other tools, such as fan or arcs. You will
understand how they work very quickly because the logic is similar to that of the extensions and
retracements. You can find the 38.2%, 61.8% and other Fibonacci levels working as
support/resistance, so it wont be something totally new for you.
[go to top menu]
The most important levels to watch are the S2 and R2. At S2 many sellers close trades and buyers try
to buy there. There is a chance for a strong bounce from the S2 level.
At R2 many traders close transactions and open short positions. A strong sell-off is possible at that
level.
moment. On the first chart I have the levels from Pivot points and on the second one I only have a
few moving averages. When it comes to trading, I can quickly check if this is a good point to enter or
exit a trade.
monthly Pivot points. I look for the nearest resistance and I see that the nearest one is the weekly R1
line.
As stated before the most important are S2 and R2, but at R1 and S1 you can also expect some
reaction, even if only a few hours long. Since I am opening the position for a short period of time, I
do now need to check if there will be some reaction.
support. Compare this technique with some trend following systems how slow and lagging are they
in comparison?
It is like information you heard on theradio that the road you are on is blocked or very icy. You can
decide if you want to go back, select other route or just keep driving but try to be very careful.
Another, similar example: this time the price went higher above the weekly R1 resistance. Lets say
you take a long position here and you are now in profit. When should you close the position?
Another way is to open the same chart and checkthe lower time frame. Sometimes the price tends to
overshoot some resistance and then go back below. When you see the first signal of the price moving
back, you close the second half of the position. In the example above, the price almost touched the
weekly R2 (missed it only for 4 pips), but the 161.8% extension was holding the price.
From the beginning this trade was intended as a short term trade. Do you wait with opening the
position and hope that the price will move up even more? As you remember the R2 levels tends to be
a strong resistance. In the example above, it was Thursday when the price reached the weekly R2. Of
course, there is a chance that on Friday there will be a continuation of the move up. But what if there
is a correction and you still wait with your position open? You are going to lose most of your profit
because the corrections are often very strong and fast.
When you follow my advice and you close your position in parts, you protect your profit. If you
believe that there is a chance for the move to continue up, just leave 1/3 of your position open and
watch how it goes.
Keeping the whole position open under the weekly R2 and 161.8% at the end of the week is not a
good decision you have to trust me on this one.
At the end of this guide you can find instructions how to install Pivot points in the MetaTrader
software. If this is too much information for you on one chart, just open another chart with the same
index, stock or currency. Look how Fibonacci and Pivot point lines work great together sometimes.
When you spot the convergence, you are much ahead of other traders! [go to top menu]
Yes, if you want to place bigger positions, increase your account size. I know this is hard, but you
cannot count that you will get lucky and make 100.000$out of 1000$.
Without a proper account size you are not able to create a good money management system, and
therefore, most probably you are going fail soon. This is the harsh truth.
It is true especially in our case when we use the Fibonacci tools. Entries are fast, stop losses are tight,
and our main goal is to get a few points of profit on the bigger leverage. To be able to do that, you
must have enough money to invest.
If you are short of money but want to make millions, you start to take very risky positions and, as a
result, you are probably going to lose everything.
Now you have two accounts in the first one there is 80% of your money, and the rest 20% is in the
second one. You are going to trade both these accounts, but with a different approach. With the
bigger one, you are still going to stick to the 1% rule. It is because this is where most of your money is
and you want to protect it.
You are going to trade with a bigger risk using your second account, so you can increase the
maximum loss you can take up to 3-4% of your account. It may not seem a lot, but believe me it is.
If you can make good investing decisions, both your accounts will grow, even the smaller one. You
are going to have bigger profits from that account because your positions are going to be quite big.
If you fail to trade successfully, your loss wont be so painful. Of course, you are probably going to
lose most money from your smaller account, but most of your cash is safer at in the bigger one.
As I have already said, I recommend usingthe 1% rule for all of your trading money. But if you want
to trade bigger positions, try my way and divide your account into two separate ones. This way, you
are going to monitor your readiness to trade big positions.If not, you should stick to the 1% rule and
build your main account.
Following the 1% rule and managing your trade by closing parts at the extensions and raising the
stop loss increase your chances of success in trading considerably!
When you enter a trade, you place your stop loss in the first place, somewhere below the entry point
(in the uptrend). When you see that your entry has been correct and the trend is going up nicely, you
should raise your stop loss up to the entry point. This way, even when there is a strong sell-off, you
just scratch your position and avoid loss.
In the example below,there is a 1-hour Eur/Jpy chart. After a break above the resistance the 200
SMA, there is a great place to open the position. You place the stop loss below the moving averages,
around 97.50 points.
the direction of the breakout. In the example there were plenty of trade opportunities on the 1-hour
chart (and other time frames):
Now run Metatrader, click the right mouse button and select the rain-template from the templates
available.
In such cases at point A there will be the 100% line and at point B the 0% line.