Right… after that buttock clenching moment, I won my four trades and I’m quitting 1.9% ahead
2 Likes
Well, it’s always 9 am somewhere in the world. So some bank is going to take on some trades. Maybe not the top ones because they’re asleep, but more and more parts of the world are getting in on forex these days. But yeah, that 2-3 hour window at the start of the day can do some incredibly wild things. Like the GBP flash crash back in early October 2016. I’m pretty sure it happened in that 5-8pm est window where liquidity is almost non-existent. Now, this flash drop was not as bad as the G/U that tanked about 1150 pips in mere minutes. But the E/J dropped 470 pips in one minute. Depending on your ping/latency, I think this is a good example of why a trader should get a VPS if your account is large enough. Having your opens and closes be triggered anywhere between 5-10 milliseconds, is far preferable to 100+/ms when the markets get chaotic.
1 Like
Ahh … what a great start to the New Year
I am switching off now because I am up another 2.2%, thank you Mr NFP
In the past I have over traded and ended up giving most of it back, but this year I am trying to be sensible. 
So next week’s goal is to not give back any of this week’s gains.
4 Likes
Good deal Ex. That’s at least 4% on the week. I did some analytic work over the holidays and did couple fine tunes which will probably be the last for the foreseeable future. Strictly scalping now. Where I’ve made my money. Majority of angst and tension over longer term trades.
Three things are major to me. Patience – waiting for the entry I like. Get out of a trade immediately if Ithink it’s turned sour. Shut the screen down immediately if I lose my “feel” (that ol’ mojo). Overtrading will always get ya profits.
Ya doing great, mate. Hope you and others have a spectacular year!
3 Likes
- Weekly Charts January 6th, 2019 -
USDIndex, Weekly
EURUSD,Weekly
USA500, Weekly
USOIL,Weekly
2 Likes
She continues to compress. Generally the longer and tighter the compression, the more violent the breakout. Won’t be on the screen much this week – so green pips, y’all!
1 Like
Over trading has been mentioned a bit lately, so here is my view.
Is there really such a thing ? Or do we mean spending too many hours at the screens ?
I say this because whenever I sit at the screen it is my intention to take every trade I can that fits my criteria. Some days that might be 1 trade others 20+. On a 20+ day I never consider that it was over trading, it was just taking the opportunity that had presented.
So it is my view that if you take every trade that is valid, that can never be over trading.
I think we tend to maybe misuse the term for sitting in front of the screens for too long and that is something I have definitely done and at one point made me stop trading full-time and go back to my former day job. I had slowly let the hours creep up to some days sitting 18-20 hours at the screen for months. The trades were valid but the screen time caused a total burn out. I think mental tiredness is the worst and the rest periods between trading just don’t give a full recharge, I think the only thing that prevented physical sickness was still managing to squeeze in physical exercise.
So only sit at the screen if it is your intention to trade and take all valid setups. Give yourself a time limit, that can vary but take my advice and never let it creep up to the levels I did. If opportunity doesn’t present in time period you have allotted, don’t chase it, walk away. Don’t get in front of the screen if you are feeling unwell, tired etc !
I tend to spend more hours trading during the colder months, for obvious reasons but still take regular breaks for a walk etc and overall I just don’t fight mental tiredness and recognise when I’ve had enough, regardless of how many trades I’ve taken.
Scalpers really do need to have some rules about their trading time and not just trade criteria.
I personally don’t set profit targets etc but that is one way and time based limits another. It doesn’t matter how you do it but just make sure you have time away from the market as IMO it is just as important as the time spent in the market.
2 Likes
What about tracking profitable times of day, do you do that?
Hi SM
Not really no. I miss more than I take probably now. Depending on what I’m doing I set alarms for levels etc but if I miss, I don’t fret as it generally isn’t too long before something comes along. Even on a crappy 20 pip range day can generally squeeze at least 1 or 2 trades in.
If there is a pattern that you have recognised as more profitable for you for example London Open, The Fix etc etc go for it. It makes sense to be shopping at the time you feel presents the most opportunity for your method.
You are right, the term over trading is misused.
Your rule is correct, its execution requires considerable self-discipline.
By over trading I mean not being strict enough with one’s self, i.e. opening trades when you should not because the number of positive reasons is insufficient.
edit: I generally trade the EU/US overlap, and try to avoid opening trades after 4pm unless the expected duration is only a few minutes.
1 Like
That is why I thought it best to explain EX. I know “WE” know but the term can be confusing if you are green.
Over Trading and not trading as per your own set parameters are two different things.
If there is a pattern that you have recognised as more profitable for you for example
Thanks. Yes, 3pm UK time or 10am US time seems to be good for an hour.
Gold Fix 3 pm London Fix 4pm
1 Like
One of the best pieces of advice on scalping I have seen. I only have a couple rules now and I do have a weekly profit goal I shoot for. Scalping fits my personality and the fact I help my son in the building business made me adapt to spending only a few hours screen time a week but make those hours productive. I trade very high risk so I have to be accurate and “fresh mentally” when I open the platform.
I agree that us “seasoned” traders need to be careful about using terms we understand but could be misleading to those just starting. Be gone remainder of week – so y’all have a good’un! 
Current trade, short eurusd. Good time of day. Lots of reasons to short even if it is against the higher timeframe context. I think the picture says it all. Fingers crossed.
Edit: might be wrong, price reversed almost instantly.
GL SM, where is your risk at for this trade ?
I was happy to let it go up to the top of the structure, I guess I can be criticised for R/R and all that, but I listened to advice like that for years and watched stops get nicked out etc etc. The price movement here was perfectly predictable, I was just trying to take a trade when there was none. My fault, I should chase not retracements. Look at the what price did and it so obvious.
In hindsight, the break of the trendline should have been the entry for the reversal and not the H&S pattern.
Thanks.
I think the problem is not the crappy R/R, actually, it is my need to receive some sort of confirmation when I enter the market. For example, I wanted for break of the H&S when the break of the 3-point trendline had already told me that the trend had changed. I don’t wait for the confirmation, then I enter with lower risk. This aligns with your message about trying to reduce risk as much as possible so I need to change this.
SM these aren’t my words but this guy trades in a similar way to me in that he is always looking for the reversal point, he uses limits more than 80% of the time and is an excellent trader. I’m not sure if he still posts at FF but credit to him (GDR3K) as I can’t say it any better about my thoughts on confirmation.
" Find out where the market will hit and most likely bounce away from, fuck all that confirmation bollocks, you want to be first in and first out and let the peasants fight for the scraps, as in, the price drops, you have a buy limit down way under at whatever price, you get filled and the only drawdown you go into is the spread, then market immediately turns the other way and slams through your take profit level like a whore on crack. They are the positions you want. You don’t want to be in the market any longer than you have to as it’s an unpredictable beast open to any and all manipulation. On that note regarding slamming through profit levels like whores, most amateurs in this game would not even think to have a buy limit at the turning point but would wait for ‘confirmation’ or whatever that means, then enter long on a small pullback, only to get cleaned out by the dogs dangleys, mr market and his rotten crotch.
The key is, knowing where the price will hit and most likely bounce away from on first touch. Then it’s having the balls to put a limit order there when all conventional wisdom and every forex site in existence tells you absolutely not to do it and to do it this way or that way. "
3 Likes
Thanks. As he says, they key is knowing where (and when) to put those orders. I like the idea of limit orders, it is just much harder to do.