Trade Entry Techniques

Most traders tend to concentrate on pinpointing the perfect entry for a trade. However, in reality the entry price is just one part of the equation. The common entry techniques are:

Channel Breakouts

A trend trader will tend to use channel breakouts to enter trades in order to catch a trend when it is beginning. The general rule is to pick a period length, which could be 20 days for a long term trader or 15 minutes for a daytrader and buy if the high in that period is broken or sell if the low is broken.

Visual Entry based on patterns

The art of technical analysis focuses on the many types of chart patterns that markets tend to form. Such as gaps, spikes, inside days, outside days, triangles, flags and double tops to name a few. These entries are rather more subjective than channel breakouts.

Pure prediction

Prediction techniques include Elliott Wave, Gann and Dow Theory. Again the actual entry price based on such theories is very subjective. Predictive techniques usually try to pin point major turning points in markets and are therefore attempting to go against the current trend rather than with it.

Volatility Breakouts

The theory behind a volatility breakout is that if the market makes a sudden move in a particular direction then it is likely to continue in that direction. The general rule is to add/subtract a pre-determined percentage of the recent average true range to the opening price thus giving buy and sell points.

Moving Averages

Take the average price of the last x periods (minutes, hours or days) and buy if the price crosses above and sell if it crosses below. This technique works well in purely trending markets but will be badly whipsawed in a range bound market. Variations include using 2 or more moving averages and using the cross of those as a signal. The moving averages themselves could be simple or weighted (more emphasise on the latest prices).

Oscillators and Stochastics

I.e. RSI, stochastics, Williams %R etc. Generally these tools are used to determine whether the market is 'overbought' and ready to drop or 'oversold' and ready to rise. They work best in range bound markets by picking tops and bottoms but fail in a trending market.

Tim Wreford runs Online Futures Trading, a website that provides information and resources for traders. Tim also provides a free day trading system, the results of which are updated daily on the site.


AddThis Social Bookmark Button

In The News:


KBS

Gov't to Ease Foreign Currency Trading Rules
KBS, South Korea - 43 minutes ago
Most forms of personal foreign currency trading under ten-thousand dollars will be permitted starting next year. The Ministry of Strategy and Finance said ...

CNBC

Euro Heads for Weekly Drop as Slowdown Spreads Across Europe
Bloomberg - 8 hours ago
The currency headed for its biggest weekly decline versus the yen in more than a year after European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet said the ...
Euro falls to fresh year-low in Asian trade Inquirer.net
GFT: DOLLAR HITS YTD HIGHS, STOCKS PLUNGE: WHAT HAPPENED? Fxtraders.eu
Dollar at lowest level for a year NEWS.com.au
The Age - Bloombergall 405 news articles

Ruble Rises Against Currency Basket After Central Bank Steps In
Bloomberg - 35 minutes ago
Total currency trading volumes reached a record $8.5 billion yesterday, compared with daily trading of about $3 billion to $4 billion, said Denis Uvchukhov, ...
Georgia Sold 13% of its Reserves in August to Prop Up Currency Bloomberg
Georgia August Dollar Sales Surge Amid Russia Crisis (Update2) Bloomberg
all 33 news articles

Sebi Mulls FII Role In Currency Futures
TopNews, India - Sep 3, 2008
The regulatory body is examining the various currency contracts such as rupee-euro and rupee-yen. The present rules in India allow currency trading in ...
'Foreign investors will soon start trading in currency futures' India PRwire (press release)
SC notice to Sebi over Saurashtra exchange plea Daily News & Analysis
all 4 news articles

How to profit from the falling pound
Reuters UK, UK - 1 hour ago
FX trading allows investors to ‘short the market' and speculate that a currency will continue to fall versus another currency and therefore gain returns ...

BHF-BANK Licenses TraderTools' Liquidity Management Platform(TM)
MarketWatch - Sep 3, 2008
... BHF manages large FX trading volumes every day and intends to use TraderTools' LMP as the core front-office system for its Currency Trading Department. ...

StarPhoenix

Canadian Dollar Weakens Before Report as US Currency Rises
Bloomberg - 13 hours ago
``Today it's just the normal back-and-forth trading before tomorrow's very important data and after the central bank indicated it will not raise rates,'' ...
Canada Morning: C$ Little Changed, Cedes Earlier Gains FXstreet.com The Foreign Exchange Market
Longest losing streak in a year sends loonie to US93 cents Financial Post
Canada Afternoon: C$ Ends Higher After Neutral BOC Statement FXstreet.com The Foreign Exchange Market
Bloomberg - FXstreet.com The Foreign Exchange Marketall 113 news articles

Dollar Rises on Speculation Oil Decline to Bolster US Economy
Bloomberg - Aug 25, 2008
``The euro has downside risks before the Ifo data,'' said Motonari Ogawa, director of currency trading in Tokyo at Barclays Capital Inc., a unit of the UK's ...
Daily currency analysis - Aug 28 International Business Times
Dollar Falls Against Yen as Personal Spending Slows in July Bloomberg
Dollar Falls Against Yen as Personal Spending Slows in July Bloomberg
all 261 news articles

Wall Street Journal Blogs

Currency Trading’s Growing Asian Hub
Wall Street Journal Blogs, NY - Aug 28, 2008
A decade ago, some government officials in Southeast Asia lambasted currency traders, blaming them for driving down the value of many Asian currencies. ...

Options on Market Vectors-Nuclear Energy ETF Begin Trading on CBOE(R)
MarketWatch - 17 hours ago
Today, Market Vectors ETFs and ETNs span several asset classes, including equities, municipal bonds and currency markets. Van Eck Global also offers mutual ...
currency trading - Google News
Your Ad Here

Games at Buy.com

Holiday Home Store at Buy.com

Forex Brokers - Helping to Maximize Your Success

A Forex broker is a broker dealing in foreign exchange, just like real estate broker who deals in real estate and properties. Simply, a Forex broker is... Read More

Your Mother Could Make Money In Forex Trading

The question would be not whether she could but rather would she enter the Forex trading market. The Forex day trading arena is a veritable snake pit... Read More

Forex Trading Online - 7 Reasons Why You Should!

Forex trading online is a fast way to use your investment capital to it's fullest. The Forex markets offer distinct advantages to the small and large traders... Read More

Types of Foreign Currency Hedging Vehicles

The following are some of the most common types of foreign currency hedging vehicles used in today's markets as a foreign currency hedge. While retail forex traders... Read More

Stocks Trading - Advantages and Disadvantages

What is Stocks Trading?Companies throughout the world issue new stock shares every day. They do so to raise capital in order to invest in the business. Once... Read More

How Currencies are Traded in the FOREX Market

Currencies are traded in dollar amounts called "lots". At 100:1 leverage, one lot is equal to $1000 which controls $100,000 of a given currency. This leverage is... Read More

Risk and Stock Trading Fees: The Two Barriers To Overcome If You Want A Successful Trading Career.

You know the old joke:"How do you make a million in the stock market? Start with two million?"There is no way around it, risk and stock market... Read More

Online Forex Trading

Foreign exchange currency trading is also known as Forex trading, or FX, and has no single physical marketplace like the New York Stock Exchange does on Wall... Read More

FOREX Trading Philosophy

Keen on starting FOREX trading? Why would you not be? Many beginning FOREX traders are captivated by the allure of easy money. FOREX websites offer 'risk-free' trading,... Read More

10 Steps To Professional Day Trading

Everyone trades a little differently. The trading method outlined below is MY personal approach to trading. This method has worked for me for the last 20 years,... Read More

Day Trading Course or Day Trading Technique Seminar: Learn Day Trading Education

Profitable day traders recognize that momentum trading is among the fastest & most effective ways to harvest BIG piles of cash in the stock market.The problem is... Read More

Forex Made Easy for Everyone

Forex made easy is as simple as you would want it to be. The foreign exchange market is a worldwide market and according to some estimates is... Read More

FOREX - Where Fortunes Are Made Everyday

The Foreign Exchange Market ? better known as FOREX - is a world wide market for buying and selling currencies. It handles a huge volume of transactions... Read More

Where is the Market Going?

If you ask me whether the market will have moved up or down by this time next year, well I may as well flip a coin, because... Read More

Is The U.S. Dollar About To Reverse Course?

For the first time in several years the U.S. dollar has managed to gain value against the world's other major currencies. During the first three months of... Read More

Be a Smarter FOREX Currency Trader: Three Basic Principles

Below I will describe three basic principles that may come in handy for currency traders. They are very easy to implement and potentially take advantage of as... Read More

Trading Profitably on the Foreign Exchange Market

You may be asking yourself "how does one begin to trade profitably as a currency trader?".First, it is important to closely monitor foreign equity markets to attempt... Read More

The Basics of Forex

Foreign exchange market is also known as Forex or FX market. To date, it is the world's biggest "economic bazaar". FX produces an average of over $1... Read More

Day Trading Training ... You need more than just going to a free stock market workshop to learn

Day trading is all about making buy and sell decisions. When you make a trade either your going to lose money or your going to make money,... Read More

Trade Exit - How To Cut Losses And Let Profits Run

Cut your losses short and let your profits run. This is the essence of your trade exit rules.Cutting losses shortA protective stop protects your trading capital, it... Read More

Mechanical or Discretionary Trading - Which is Best?

Discretionary TradingPure discretionary trading will rely solely on the traders judgement. For example a discretionary trader may spot a particular pattern developing on a chart and decide... Read More

Writing A Trading Plan

All professional traders have a trading plan. Trading futures is a zero sum game and those with a plan (and the discipline to apply it) will succeed... Read More

A Look at Online Forex Brokers

An online forex broker is a firm that facilitates retail trading using Internet technologies. Global Forex Trading (GFT), one of the popular online forex brokers. It provides... Read More

Internet and Computer Systems in the FOREX Business

With every passing year the interest in electronic trading is bigger, more especially trading shares and currency through Internet. A new profession came forward ? this of... Read More

Exploring the World of Day Trading

Are you looking into a career in day trading? In the past, the tools for day trading were available only to professionals. But thanks to the power... Read More

Psychology Of Trading

The psychological aspect of trading is usually underestimated by those new to trading. The psychological problem for most traders is the fear of losing - ironically it... Read More