I Am Sorry! Here Is a LessonI usually put out a single trade every day prior to markets opening. I do it because it is a fun way for me to share my trading knowledge with others for free. It is also a great way of journaling my thoughts. But I should have been better for all of my followers. The truth is markets have been kicking my ass since late December.
In a normal bull market, my trading strategy is to shoot first and react fast. I enter trades on price action after the Keltner channel is hit and pullback occurs. This can be on first entries, second entries, inside bars or even a complex pullback. Once in a trade I reduce risk quickly or exit a bad trade swiftly. Hence, "shoot first and react fast".
Markets were changing and I saw it, a repeatable pattern. I wanted to write an article before the market changed up but, never got the chance. More and more stocks were entering complex pullbacks. I believe I mentioned it in passing in some videos but never explicitly logged it anywhere. When we are seeing a lot of complex pullbacks in the broader markets it means that something is changing, pullbacks are going deeper. What was once strong is now weakening and that was happening before our eyes. I will link the complex pullback video and articles to this article for your viewing pleasure.
Today, I just went through all of my losing trades for last month and all of them had one thing in common. Not waiting for the right entry. The cycle low entry. In a pure bull market getting in on price action alone is completely sufficient but, with so much uncertainty everywhere, now more than ever we need to be selective. In steps the stochastics indicator...
The apology is a simple reminder to me that markets are tough, and real money is on the line. While I am providing the best information I can with the information I have at the time, it may not always be correct. That is why I don't offer signals and instead opt for trading ideas. Funny thing is, I think a lot more of my one good trade ideas beat out my other personal trades. Regardless, I hope you take this article and learn something from it. I know I have. The last thing I will leave you all with is this MA chart with annotation that is currently playing out. These will be the types of trades that I look for until further notice.
Good Luck and Good Trading.
~ JoeRodTrades
Trend Analysis
How to Predict Market Highs - Lows with Gann Astro Trading.How to Predict Market Highs & Lows with Gann Time & Price Theory
Gann Planetary Time Cycles | The Only Proven Way to Predict Market Reversals With 95% Accuracy.
In this in-depth Video, we explore Gann Astro Trading and uncover how Gann’s time and price square techniques can help predict major market reversals. By understanding Gann’s planetary cycles, you’ll learn how planetary movements influence price action and how traders can use this knowledge for precise entry and exit points.
🔹 What You Will Learn in This Video:
✅ How Gann used planetary cycles to forecast market trends
✅ The connection between time and price and how they square for reversals
✅ Identifying market turning points using planetary trend lines
✅ The significance of planetary longitudes and key angles (e.g., 135°, 180°) in trading
✅ Using major planetary pairs (e.g., Mars-Uranus, Saturn-Sun) to find support & resistance
✅ How traders subconsciously react to planetary movements and price levels
✅ The importance of using long-term charts for accurate forecasting
✅ Finding a universal price conversion for a stock, forex pair, or commodity
📈 Why Gann’s Astro Techniques Work:
Gann believed that financial markets move in harmony with planetary cycles. By applying his time cycles and planetary movements, traders can decode price action and anticipate future highs and lows.
Gann Astro Trading | The Secret to Predicting Market Reversals with Planetary Cycles
Gann Astro trading is a highly advanced market forecasting method that combines W.D. Gann’s time and price principles with planetary cycles, astrology, and mathematical timing techniques to predict market movements with unmatched precision. Gann believed that markets are not random but move in cyclical patterns influenced by celestial forces, planetary transits, and natural laws. By decoding these cycles, traders can anticipate highs, lows, reversals, and trend shifts before they happen, gaining a significant edge in forex, stocks, and crypto trading.
This strategy goes beyond conventional technical analysis by integrating astro-financial patterns, Gann angles, the Square of Nine, and harmonic time cycles to identify the exact moments when time and price align. When this happens, explosive market moves occur, creating high-probability trade setups with minimal risk. Whether you are a day trader or a long-term investor, mastering Gann Astro trading can help you forecast major market turning points, trade with confidence, and maximize profits while minimizing uncertainty.
Traders who apply Gann’s planetary time cycles understand how astro-trading indicators, retrogrades, conjunctions, and planetary aspects influence market behavior. Learning this powerful yet hidden method allows you to see what most traders miss, making it one of the most profitable and accurate trading techniques available today.
The Billionaire Trader & His Unlikely MentorWhen we think of legendary traders, Paul Tudor Jones stands out as one of the most successful billionaires in the financial world. But what many traders don’t realize is that behind his extraordinary success, there’s a powerful influence—Tony Robbins. Yes, the world-renowned life coach played a crucial role in shaping Jones’ mindset, ultimately helping him navigate markets and life with unparalleled confidence.
The Turning Point: Paul Tudor Jones Meets Tony Robbins
Paul Tudor Jones is best known for predicting the 1987 stock market crash and making a 200% return during the crisis. However, what truly set him apart from other traders wasn’t just his ability to read the markets—it was his mental game.
Jones has openly credited Tony Robbins for helping him gain a psychological edge. In the late 1980s, when Jones was already a successful trader but searching for deeper fulfillment and consistency, he sought Robbins’ mentorship. Robbins, known for his work in peak performance and psychology, introduced Jones to strategies that reshaped his thinking and emotional resilience.
The Mindset Shift That Changed Everything
So, what did Robbins teach Jones that made such a massive impact?
1. The Power of State Control
Robbins emphasizes that emotions drive decision-making. He taught Jones to manage his emotional state, ensuring that fear, greed, and hesitation didn’t cloud his judgment. This allowed Jones to make high-stakes trading decisions with confidence.
2. Priming and Visualization
One of Robbins’ core techniques is priming—training the mind to focus on success. Jones incorporated this by visualizing successful trades and reinforcing positive beliefs about his abilities. This mental conditioning helped him stay composed even in turbulent markets.
3. Wealth Psychology
Many traders fail because of limiting beliefs about money. Robbins helped Jones develop an abundance mindset, reinforcing that wealth creation is a game of psychology as much as it is about strategy.
4. The Importance of Giving Back
Robbins’ influence extended beyond trading. Jones became one of the biggest philanthropists in the financial world, believing that giving back creates a deeper sense of fulfillment and success. His Robin Hood Foundation has donated billions to fight poverty, something Robbins strongly advocates for in his teachings.
The Result: A Billionaire Trader with Unshakable Confidence
While Paul Tudor Jones had the technical skills of a master trader, Robbins’ mentorship gave him the mental and emotional fortitude to sustain long-term success. His ability to stay focused, disciplined, and resilient in volatile markets is a testament to the power of psychology in trading.
Key Takeaways for Traders
- Mindset is everything: The best trading strategies won’t work if your emotions control you.
- Daily mental conditioning matters: Visualization, priming, and self-belief can dramatically improve trading results.
- Success is holistic: Wealth is not just about money—it’s about impact, discipline, and personal growth.
Paul Tudor Jones’ story proves that trading isn’t just about charts and numbers—it’s about mastering your own psychology. And thanks to Tony Robbins, he became not just a billionaire, but an icon of both financial success and mental resilience.
CHOCH vs BOS !!WHAT IS BOS ?
BOS - break of strucuture. I will use market structure bullish or bearish to understand if the institutions are buying or selling a financial asset.
To spot a bullish / bearish market structure we should see a higher highs and higher lows and viceversa, to spot the continuation of the bullish market structure we should see bullish price action above the last old high in the structure this is the BOS.
BOS for me is a confirmation that price will go higher after the retracement and we are still in a bullish move
WHAT IS CHOCH?
CHOCH - change of character. Also known as reversal, when the price fails to make a new higher high or lower low, then the price broke the structure and continue in other direction.
What is Confluence ?✅ Confluence refers to any circumstance where you see multiple trade signals lining up on your charts and telling you to take a trade. Usually these are technical indicators, though sometimes they may be price patterns. It all depends on what you use to plan your trades. A lot of traders fill their charts with dozens of indicators for this reason. They want to find confluence — but oftentimes the result is conflicting signals. This can cause a lapse of confidence and a great deal of confusion. Some traders add more and more signals the less confident they get, and continue to make the problem worse for themselves.
✅ Confluence is very important to increase the chances of winning trades, a trader needs to have at least two factors of confluence to open a trade. When the confluence exists, the trader becomes more confident on his negotiations.
✅ The Factors Of Confluence Are:
Higher Time Frame Analysis;
Trade during London Open;
Trade during New York Open;
Refine Higher Time Frame key levels in Lower
Time Frame entries;
Combine setups;
Trade during High Impact News Events.
✅ Refine HTF key levels in LTF entries or setups for confirmation that the HTF analysis will hold the price.
HTF Key Levels Are:
HTF Order Blocks;
HTF Liquidity Pools;
HTF Market Structure.
Market Structure Identification !!Hello traders!
I want to share with you some educational content.
✅ MARKET STRUCTURE .
Today we will talk about market structure in the financial markets, market structure is basically the understading where the institutional traders/investors are positioned are they short or long on certain financial asset, it is very important to be positioned your trading opportunities with the trend as the saying says trend is your friend follow the trend when you are taking trades that are alligned with the strucutre you have a better probability of them closing in profit.
✅ Types of Market Structure
Bearish Market Structure - institutions are positioned LONG, look only to enter long/buy trades, we are spotingt the bullish market strucutre if price is making higher highs (hh) and higher lows (hl)
Bullish Market Structure - institutions are positioned SHORT, look only to enter short/sell trades, we are spoting the bearish market strucutre when price is making lower highs (lh) and lower lows (ll)
Range Market Structure - the volumes on short/long trades are equall instiutions dont have a clear direction we are spoting this strucutre if we see price making equal highs and equal lows and is accumulating .
I hope I was clear enough so you can understand this very important trading concept, remember its not in the number its in the quality of the trades and to have a better quality try to allign every trading idea with the actual structure
Supply and Demand Zones Trading in Forex: A Detailed OverviewSupply and demand zones are a core concept in price action trading, helping you spot areas of strong buying or selling interest. Mastering these zones can help you predict reversals, breakouts, and continuations with high accuracy. Let’s dive in! 🚀
🧠 What are Supply and Demand Zones?
📉 Supply Zone (Bearish): An area of high selling pressure where price tends to drop. It forms when sellers overwhelm buyers.
📈 Demand Zone (Bullish): An area of high buying pressure where price tends to rise. It forms when buyers overpower sellers.
These zones act like magnets for price — when price returns to these levels, you often see strong reactions.
🗂️ Characteristics of Strong Zones
✅ Sharp Price Movement: Strong supply and demand zones create fast and aggressive price moves away from the area. 💥
✅ Multiple Rejections: The more times a zone holds and rejects price, the stronger it is. 🛑
✅ Freshness: The first retest of a fresh zone often yields the strongest reaction. 🆕
✅ Volume Spike: Higher volumes show genuine interest from large players. 📊
🎯 How to Identify Supply and Demand Zones
1️⃣ Find Strong Moves: Look for big bullish or bearish candles after a consolidation or small pullback.
2️⃣ Mark the Base: Draw a rectangle from the start of the strong move to the end of the consolidation.
3️⃣ Adjust for Wick/Body: Include the entire wick for aggressive zones or just the body for conservative zones.
📈 Bullish Supply and Demand Zone Strategies
1️⃣ Demand Zone Bounce (Buy Setup)
🛑 Identify: A clear demand zone with a strong bullish move away.
📉 Wait: For price to return to the zone.
🕯️ Confirm: With a bullish candlestick pattern (like Hammer, Engulfing).
🎯 Enter: A buy order at the zone’s edge.
🛡️ Stop Loss: Below the zone’s low.
🏁 Target: Nearest supply zone or strong resistance.
💡 Example: Price rallies from 1.2000, pulls back to the same zone, then forms a bullish engulfing — you buy.
2️⃣ Demand Zone Breakout (Continuation Setup)
🛑 Identify: A demand zone forming a higher low in an uptrend.
💥 Breakout: Wait for price to break the supply zone above.
📉 Retest: When price retests the broken supply (now demand), enter long.
💡 Example: Price breaks 1.2500 resistance, retests it, and bounces higher — you enter.
📉 Bearish Supply and Demand Zone Strategies
3️⃣ Supply Zone Rejection (Sell Setup)
🛑 Identify: A clear supply zone with a strong bearish move away.
📈 Wait: For price to return to the zone.
🕯️ Confirm: With a bearish candlestick pattern (like Shooting Star, Engulfing).
🔻 Enter: A sell order at the zone’s edge.
🛡️ Stop Loss: Above the zone’s high.
🏁 Target: Nearest demand zone or strong support.
💡 Example: Price spikes up to 1.3000, then drops sharply — on a retest, you short.
4️⃣ Supply Zone Breakout (Continuation Setup)
🛑 Identify: A supply zone forming a lower high in a downtrend.
💥 Breakout: Wait for price to break the demand zone below.
📈 Retest: When price retests the broken demand (now supply), enter short.
💡 Example: Price breaks 1.1800 support, retests it, and drops further — you enter short.
🛠️ Tools to Enhance Supply and Demand Trading
🧰 Support & Resistance Levels – Combine zones with horizontal levels for added confluence.
📐 Fibonacci Retracements – Zones aligning with Fibo levels are extra strong.
📉 Trendlines – A zone break + trendline retest makes a powerful entry signal.
📊 Volume Analysis – High volume confirms genuine buying or selling pressure.
⏳ Timeframes & Zone Strength
⏱️ Higher Timeframes (4H, Daily, Weekly):
Stronger & more reliable zones.
Great for swing trading.
⏱️ Lower Timeframes (5M, 15M, 1H):
More frequent but weaker zones.
Ideal for day trading or scalping.
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
❌ Forcing trades: Not every zone gives a valid signal — be patient.
❌ Ignoring context: Always follow the trend unless there’s clear reversal evidence.
❌ Skipping confirmation: Wait for candlestick patterns and rejections.
❌ Poor risk management: Always set a stop loss and manage position size.
HOW TO use the Acceleration Bands HTF indicatorYou can access this indicator HERE:
For details about the indicator, please see the indicator's description.
This idea is about the use of it.
You always want to go with the trend and trade into the direction that "accelerates" according to the indicator.
When the price accelerates, it is more likely to continue than to reverse.
Also, the volatility will be much greater (momentum) to the acceleration direction.
All the explosive moves happen outside of the acceleration bands.
You can go over many charts and see that the indicator methodology is aligned with good trading principles of great traders such as Darvas Box Trading, and Jesse Livermore entries, and also SMC.
How to Find Best Supply and Demand Zones/Areas in Forex & Gold
In this article, I will show you the strongest supply and demand zones.
These zones are called confluence zones.
I will teach you to identify these areas properly and explain how to apply it in Forex and Gold trading.
Let's start with a short but important theory.
In technical analysis, there are 2 types of supports and resistances.
Horizontal structures are supports and resistance that are based on horizontal key levels.
Vertical structures are supports and resistance that are based on trend lines.
A confluence supply or demand zone, will be the area of the intersection between a horizontal and vertical structures.
Look at GBPJPY pair. I underlined a significant horizontal support and a rising trend line - a vertical support.
We see a clear crossing of both structures.
The trend line and a horizontal support will compose a narrow, contracting area. It will be a confluence demand zone.
Within, with a high probability, a high volume of buying orders will concentrate, and a strong bullish movement will initiate after its test.
Above is one more example of a powerful demand zone.
It was spotted on a Gold chart.
Now let's discuss the supply zone.
There are 2 strong structures on GBPNZD: a vertical resistance - a falling trend line and a horizontal resistance.
These 2 resistances will constitute a confluence supply zone.
That is a powerful resistance cluster that will concentrate the selling orders. Chances will be high to see a strong bearish movement from that.
There is a strong supply zone on CHFJPY that is based on the intersection of a wide horizontal resistance and a falling trend line.
Supply and demand zones that we discussed are very significant. Very often, strong bullish and bearish waves will initiate from these clusters.
Your ability to recognize these zones will help you to make accurate predictions and identify a safe point to open a trading position from
❤️Please, support my work with like, thank you!❤️
How to Use the VRVP Tool – A Complete Guide for All TradersThe Visible Range Volume Profile (VRVP) is a powerful tool on TradingView that helps traders identify key price levels where significant trading activity has occurred. It offers a unique view of market structure by highlighting the volume traded at specific price points within the visible range of the chart. Understanding how to effectively use the VRVP can significantly improve your ability to identify important support and resistance levels, spot potential breakouts, and make better trading decisions. This comprehensive guide will take you through everything you need to know about the VRVP tool, including its features, setup, and how to use it in your trading strategy.
What is the VRVP Tool?
The VRVP (Visible Range Volume Profile) is a technical analysis indicator that shows the distribution of trading volume at different price levels within the visible range of your chart. Unlike traditional volume indicators, which show volume over time, the VRVP focuses on volume by price, allowing you to see where buyers and sellers have been most active. It is displayed as a horizontal histogram along the side of the price chart, with high-volume areas indicating key support or resistance levels and low-volume areas often signaling potential breakout points.
Why is the VRVP Tool Important?
The VRVP tool provides several benefits to traders, regardless of their experience level:
Identify Key Support and Resistance Levels: High volume nodes (HVNs) often act as strong support or resistance zones where price tends to stall or reverse.
Spot High and Low Liquidity Areas: Low volume nodes (LVNs) can highlight areas where price may move more quickly due to the lack of market participants.
Predict Breakouts and Reversals: By identifying volume concentration, you can anticipate areas where price may break out or reverse.
Confirm Trends: By analyzing the Point of Control (POC), you can determine the market’s prevailing trend.
Refine Entry and Exit Points: By combining the VRVP with other tools, you can pinpoint optimal entry and exit points for trades.
How to Add the VRVP Tool on TradingView
To start using the VRVP tool on TradingView, follow these steps:
Open your TradingView chart.
Click on the “Indicators” button at the top of the screen.
Search for "VRVP" or "Visible Range Volume Profile" in the search bar.
Click to apply it to your chart.
Adjust the settings by clicking on the gear icon next to the indicator name.
Recommended Settings:
Row Size: Set between 150-250 for more detail (more rows provide more granularity).
Volume Area (%): Set to 70% to highlight where most trading activity has occurred.
Color Up/Down: Choose contrasting colors for buying and selling, making it easy to distinguish between bullish and bearish zones.
Point of Control (POC): Enable this to highlight the price level with the highest volume.
How to Read the VRVP Tool
The VRVP tool consists of three key components:
High Volume Nodes (HVN): These are price levels where a lot of trading activity has occurred. They often act as strong support or resistance, and the price may bounce off these levels multiple times.
Low Volume Nodes (LVN): These are areas with little trading activity. Prices tend to move quickly through these zones as there are fewer market participants. They often indicate potential breakout or breakdown points.
VAL and VAH
VAH (Value Area High)
Definition: The VAH is the price level at the upper boundary of the Value Area. The Value Area represents the range where a set percentage (usually 70%) of all trading volume has occurred within the visible range.
Significance: The VAH is the price point at which the volume profile starts to show less concentration of volume. It is a level above which price has shown less activity compared to the Value Area. When price approaches or breaks through the VAH, it often signals potential resistance and could be a critical level to watch for a reversal or continuation.
VAL (Value Area Low)
Definition: The VAL is the price level at the lower boundary of the Value Area. It represents the lowest price point where around 70% of all the trading volume has occurred within the visible chart range.
Significance: The VAL is a key support level, as it marks the price level where most trading volume has taken place on the downside. A price approaching or breaking below the VAL can signal potential support or a breakdown, indicating where buyers and sellers are actively engaging.
How VAH and VAL Work Together
Value Area: Together, the VAH and VAL define the Value Area, which contains the range of price levels where the majority of trading volume took place. In a healthy market, the price tends to stay within this area. If price breaks out of the Value Area, it could indicate the start of a strong price move in that direction (either upward or downward).
Relevance in Trading: The VAH and VAL act as key levels for traders to monitor:
Above VAH: Price moving above the VAH suggests bullish sentiment, with the next resistance potentially forming above the VAH.
Below VAL: Price moving below the VAL suggests bearish sentiment, with the next support potentially forming below the VAL.
Example of the VAL and VAH:
Point of Control (POC):
This is the price level with the highest trading volume within the visible range. The POC is often used as a key reference point for future price movements. If the price is trading above the POC, it suggests bullish market sentiment; if below, it suggests bearish sentiment.
Example of the POC level:
How to Use the VRVP Tool in Trading
Identifying Support and Resistance Levels
High Volume Nodes (HVNs): These levels often act as support or resistance. When price approaches an HVN, it is likely to either reverse or consolidate before moving further. If the price is above an HVN, that level may act as support, while if it's below, the level may act as resistance.
Spotting Breakout Zones
Low Volume Nodes (LVNs): These are areas where price can break out or move rapidly due to the lack of significant trading activity. If price enters an LVN, it may continue moving in the direction of the breakout with minimal resistance.
Using the Point of Control (POC)
The POC acts as a market balance point where the most volume has been traded. If the price is trading above the POC, it signals a bullish market trend, and if below, it signals a bearish trend. Watching the POC can help you gauge the overall market sentiment and potential future price movements.
here is another example of the POC
Confirmation with Other Indicators
To increase the accuracy of your trades, combine the VRVP with other technical indicators such as:
Moving Averages (MA): These help confirm the trend direction and potential reversals.
Relative Strength Index (RSI): This can identify overbought or oversold conditions, which can be used in conjunction with the VRVP to confirm price action.
Candlestick Patterns: Look for reversal or continuation patterns at key volume levels.
Trendlines: Use trendlines to confirm whether price is bouncing off or breaking through key support or resistance levels.
Example Strategy
Step 1: Use the VRVP tool to identify a high volume node (support zone).
Step 2: Check the RSI to see if the market is oversold.
Step 3: Wait for a bullish candlestick pattern (such as a bullish engulfing or hammer).
Step 4: Enter a buy trade with a stop loss placed below the low volume node, which serves as a breakout or breakdown zone.
How to Plan Trades with the VRVP
Here are some scenarios you might encounter when using the VRVP tool:
Price near HVN (Support): Buy with a stop loss placed just below the HVN, as it is likely to act as support.
Price near LVN: Wait for confirmation of a breakout or rejection before taking a position, as price may move rapidly through this area.
Price at POC: Look for reversal or breakout signals. If the price is near the POC, the market may change direction or continue in the current trend.
Price above POC: This indicates a bullish trend continuation. Look for buying opportunities.
Price below POC: This indicates a bearish trend continuation. Look for selling opportunities.
Tips for Beginners
Wait for Confirmation: Always wait for confirmation from price action, other indicators, or candlestick patterns before entering a trade.
Combine with Trend Indicators: Combine the VRVP with trend indicators such as moving averages to ensure you’re trading in the direction of the overall trend.
Use Volume Spikes: Look for volume spikes alongside the VRVP to confirm breakouts.
Practice First: Start using the VRVP tool on a demo account before risking real money to get a feel for its nuances.
Tips for Experienced Traders
Use Multiple Timeframes: Use the VRVP tool on both longer (daily) and shorter (hourly) timeframes to identify the strongest support and resistance levels.
Track the POC Shifts: Observe how the POC moves over time. An upward shift suggests a bullish market, while a downward shift suggests a bearish market.
Combine with Fibonacci Retracements: Combine the VRVP with Fibonacci retracement levels to identify confluence zones, where high volume areas coincide with Fibonacci levels, increasing the likelihood of price reactions at these levels.
Conclusion
The VRVP tool on TradingView is a versatile and powerful tool that offers valuable insights into market structure by analyzing trading volume at different price levels. By understanding how to read and use the VRVP tool, you can identify key support and resistance levels, predict potential breakouts, and refine your entry and exit strategies. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced trader, the VRVP can be a valuable addition to your trading toolkit.
Start practicing on a demo account and gradually incorporate the VRVP tool into your strategy. With time and experience, the VRVP will help you gain a deeper understanding of market dynamics and improve your overall trading performance.
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I hope you found this guide on the VRVP tool helpful and that you’ve gained some valuable insights to improve your trading strategy. If you learned something new, don’t forget to give a like! If you have any questions or need further clarification, feel free to leave a comment below. I’d be happy to help!
How Can You Use a Spinning Top Candlestick Pattern in Trading?How Can You Use a Spinning Top Candlestick Pattern in Trading?
The spinning top candle is a key tool in technical analysis, highlighting moments of market indecision. This article explores what spinning tops represent, how they differ from similar patterns, and how traders can interpret them to refine their strategies across various market conditions.
What Does a Spinning Top Candlestick Mean?
A spinning top is a candlestick pattern frequently used in technical analysis. It consists of one candle with a small body and long upper and lower shadows of approximately equal length. The candle’s body symbolises the discrepancy between the opening and closing prices during a specified time period, while the shadows indicate that volatility was high and neither bulls nor bears could take control of the market.
This pattern signifies market indecision, where neither buyers nor sellers have gained dominance. It suggests a state of equilibrium between supply and demand, with the price oscillating within a narrow range. The spinning top may indicate continued sideways movement, particularly if it appears within an established range. However, if it forms after a bullish or bearish trend, it could signal a potential price reversal. Traders always look for additional signals from confirming patterns or indicators to determine the possible market direction.
It’s important to note that the spinning top candle is neutral and can be either bullish or bearish depending on its context within the price chart. The colour of the candle is not important.
Spinning Top vs Doji
Doji and spinning top candlesticks can be confused as they have similar characteristics. However, the latter has a small body and upper and lower shadows of approximately equal lengths. It indicates market indecision, suggesting a balance between buyers and sellers without a clear dominant force. Traders interpret it as a potential reversal signal, reflecting a possible change in the prevailing trend.
The doji candlestick, on the other hand, has a small body, where the opening and closing prices are very close or equal, resulting in a cross-like shape. If it’s a long-legged doji, it may also have long upper and lower shadows. A doji candle also represents market indecision but with a focus on the relationship between the opening and closing prices. Doji patterns indicate that buyers and sellers are in equilibrium, and a potential trend reversal or continuation may occur.
How Do Traders Use the Spinning Top Pattern?
Traders often incorporate the spinning top candle pattern into their analysis as a way to interpret moments of market indecision. Whether the pattern appears during a trend or at key turning points, its context plays a significant role in shaping trading decisions.
In the Middle of a Trend
When a spinning top forms in the middle of an ongoing trend, traders often view it as a signal of potential market hesitation. This indecision can indicate a pause in momentum, suggesting either a continuation of the trend or the possibility of a reversal.
Entry
In such cases, traders typically wait for confirmation of the next price move. A break above the high of the spinning top may signal the trend will continue upward, while a break below the low could suggest the trend may move down. Observing how subsequent candles interact with the spinning top can help a trader gauge the market’s intentions.
Take Profit
Profit targets might be aligned with key price levels visible on the chart, such as recent highs or lows. For traders expecting trend continuation, these targets might extend further, while those anticipating a reversal might aim for closer levels.
Stop Loss
Stop-loss orders might be set in accordance with the risk-reward ratio. This placement helps account for the pattern's characteristic volatility while potentially protecting against unexpected movements.
At the Top or Bottom of a Trend
When a spinning top forms at a significant peak or trough, it often draws attention as a potential reversal signal. This appearance may reflect market uncertainty after a prolonged uptrend or downtrend.
Entry
Confirmation from subsequent price action is critical. Traders typically observe if the price breaks above the candle (bullish spinning top) or below the candle (bearish spinning top) to determine the likelihood of a reversal.
Take Profit
Targets could be set at major support or resistance zones. A trader expecting a reversal may look for levels reached during the previous trend.
Stop Loss
Stops could be placed in accordance with the risk-reward ratio, allowing for the volatility often present at trend-turning points while potentially mitigating losses.
Remember, trading decisions should not solely rely on this formation. It's crucial to consider additional technical indicators, market trends, and risk management principles when executing trades.
Live Example
In the EURUSD chart above, the red spinning top candle appears at the bottom of a downtrend. A trader went long on the closing of the bullish candle that followed the spinning top. A take-profit target was placed at the closest resistance level, and a stop-loss was placed below the low of the spinning top candlestick.
There is another bearish spinning top candlestick pattern on the right. It formed in a solid downtrend; therefore, a trader could use it as a signal of a trend continuation and open a sell position after the next candle closed below the lower shadow of the spinning top candle.
A Spinning Top Candle: Benefits and Drawbacks
The spinning top candlestick pattern offers valuable insights into market indecision, but like any tool in technical analysis, it has its strengths and limitations. Understanding these might help traders use it more effectively.
Benefits
- Identifies Market Indecision: Highlights moments where neither buyers nor sellers dominate, providing a clue about potential price reversals or continuations.
- Versatile Across Trends and Markets: Can signal price consolidation, continuation, or reversal depending on its context. It’s also possible to use the spinning top across stocks, currencies, and commodities.
- Quick Visual Insight: The distinctive shape makes it easy to spot on charts without extensive analysis.
Drawbacks
- Requires Confirmation: On its own, the pattern lacks particular signals, needing additional indicators or price action for confirmation.
- Context-Dependent: Its reliability depends heavily on where it forms in the trend, making it less useful in isolation.
- Prone to False Signals: Market noise can produce spinning tops that do not lead to meaningful movements, increasing the risk of misinterpretation.
Takeaway
The spinning top candlestick reflects market indecision and suggests a potential reversal or consolidation. Traders use this pattern as a tool to identify areas of uncertainty in the market. Therefore, it's important to consider the spinning top pattern within the broader context and get confirmation from other analysis tools.
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FAQ
What Is a Black Spinning Top?
A black (red) spinning top is a variation of the spinning top candlestick pattern with a small body and equal-length shadows. This is different from the white (green) spinning top, as its body indicates a lower closing price. Traders analyse its context, technical factors, and confirmation from other indicators to interpret its significance.
What Is a Spinning Top Candlestick?
A spinning top candle meaning refers to a pattern characterised by a small body and long upper and lower shadows of roughly equal length. It reflects market indecision, where neither buyers nor sellers hold a clear advantage, and is often used in technical analysis to assess potential trend reversals or consolidations.
Is the Spinning Top Bullish or Bearish?
The spinning top candlestick pattern is neutral by nature. Its significance depends on the context within the price chart. When it appears at the end of an uptrend, it may signal a bearish sentiment, while at the end of a downtrend, it can indicate a potential bullish reversal.
What Does a Spinning Top Candle Indicate?
This pattern indicates a period of indecision and balance between buying and selling pressure. Depending on its position within a trend, it can signal consolidation, continuation, or a reversal in price direction.
What Is the Spinning Top Rule?
There is no fixed "rule" for spinning top trading. Traders typically look for confirmation from subsequent price movements or other technical indicators to decide on a course of action.
Is Spinning Top a Doji?
Although similar, spinning tops and doji candles differ. A spinning top has a small body with visible discrepancies between opening and closing prices, whereas a doji’s body is almost non-existent.
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The Right Questions to Ask Before Entering a TradeEvery day, traders—especially beginners—ask the same recurring question:
❓ What do you think Gold will do today? Will it go up or down?
While this seems like a logical question, it’s actually completely wrong and one that no professional trader would ever ask in this way.
Trading is not about predicting the market like a fortune teller. Instead, it's about analyzing price action, managing risk, and executing trades strategically.
So, instead of asking, "Will Gold go up or down?" , a professional trader asks three critical questions before taking any trade.
Let's break them down.
________________________________________
Step 1: Identifying the Right Entry Point
Let’s say you’ve done your analysis, and you believe Gold will drop. That’s great—but that’s just an opinion. What really matters is execution.
🔹 Where do I enter the trade?
Professional traders don’t jump into the market impulsively. They use pending orders instead of market orders to wait for the right price.
If you believe Gold will fall, you shouldn’t just sell at any price. You need to identify a key resistance level where a reversal is likely to happen.
For example:
• If Gold is trading at $2900, and strong resistance is at $2920, a professional trader will set a sell limit order at that resistance level rather than shorting randomly.
This approach ensures that you enter at a strategic point where the probability of success is higher.
________________________________________
Step 2: Setting the Stop Loss
🔹 Where do I place my stop loss?
A trade without a stop loss is just gambling. Managing risk is far more important than being right about market direction.
The key is to determine:
✅ How much risk am I willing to take?
✅ Where is the invalidation level for my trade idea?
For example:
• If you are shorting Gold at $2920, you might place your stop loss at $2935—above a recent high or key technical level.
• This way, if the price moves against you, you have a predefined maximum loss, avoiding emotional decision-making.
Professional traders never risk more than a small percentage of their account on a single trade. Risk management is everything.
________________________________________
Step 3: Setting the Take Profit Target
🔹 Where do I set my take profit, and does the trade make sense in terms of risk/reward?
Before taking any trade, you must ensure that your reward outweighs your risk.
For example:
• If you risk $15 per ounce (short at $2920, stop loss at $2935), your take profit should be at least $30 away (for a 1:2 risk/reward).
• A good target in this case could be $2890 or lower.
This means that for every dollar you risk, you aim to make two dollars—ensuring long-term profitability even if only 40-50% of your trades succeed.
If the trade doesn’t offer a good risk/reward, it’s simply not worth taking.
________________________________________
Conclusion: The “Set and Forget” Mentality
Once you’ve answered these three key questions and placed your trade, the best approach is to let the market do its thing.
✅ Set your entry, stop loss, and take profit.
✅ Follow your trading plan.
✅ Avoid emotional reactions.
Many traders lose money because they constantly interfere with their trades—moving stop losses, closing positions too early, or hesitating to take profits.
Instead, adopt a professional approach: set your trade and let it run.
📌 Final Thought:
The next time you find yourself asking, “Will Gold go up or down today?” , stop and ask yourself:
📊 Where is my entry?
📉 Where is my stop loss?
💰 Where is my take profit, and does the risk/reward make sense?
This is how professional traders think, plan, and execute—and it’s what separates them from amateurs.
👉 What’s your biggest struggle when it comes to executing trades? Let’s discuss in the comments! 🚀
Disclosure: I am part of Trade Nation's Influencer program and receive a monthly fee for using their TradingView charts in my analyses and educational articles.
TradeCityPro Academy | Dow Theory Part 1👋 Welcome to TradeCityPro Channel!
Welcome to the Educational Content Section of Our Channel Technical Analysis Training
We aim to produce educational content in playlist format that will teach you technical analysis from A to Z. We will cover topics such as risk and capital management, Dow Theory, support and resistance, trends, market cycles, and more. These lessons are based on our experiences and the book The Handbook of Technical Analysis
🎨 What is Technical Analysis?
Technical Analysis (TA) is a method used to predict price movements in financial markets by analyzing past data, especially price and trading volume. This approach is based on the idea that historical price patterns tend to repeat and can help traders identify profitable opportunities.
🔹 Why is Technical Analysis Important?
Technical analysis helps traders and investors predict future price movements based on past price action. Its importance comes from several key benefits:
Faster Decision-Making: No need to analyze financial reports or complex news—just focus on price patterns and trading volume.
Better Risk Management: Tools like support & resistance, indicators, and chart patterns help traders find the best entry and exit points.
Applicable to All Markets: Technical analysis can be used in Forex, stocks, cryptocurrencies, commodities, and even real estate.
Understanding Market Psychology: Charts reveal investor emotions like fear and greed, allowing traders to react accordingly.
📌 Real-Life Example
Imagine you own a mobile phone shop and want to predict whether phone prices will go up or down in the next few months.
🔹 Fundamental Analysis Approach
You follow the news and see that the USD exchange rate is rising, and phone manufacturers plan to increase prices. Based on this, you predict that phone prices will go up soon.
🔹 Technical Analysis Approach
You analyze past price trends and notice that every year, phone prices tend to increase before the New Year. This pattern has repeated for several years, so you assume it will happen again. As a result, you buy stock before the price hike and make a profit.
This example shows that technical analysis allows you to make decisions based on past market behavior without relying on external news.
📊 I ntroduction to Dow Theory
Today, for the first part of our lessons, we will begin with Dow Theory, which was developed by American journalist Charles Dow. Many traders still use this method for analysis and trading.
Dow Theory is one of the fundamental concepts in technical analysis, developed by Charles Dow, the founder of The Wall Street Journal and co-founder of the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA). This theory provides a structured approach to understanding market trends and price movements and is still widely used today by traders and analysts.
Dow Theory consists of six core principles, which we will explain in detail:
📑 Principles of Dow Theory
1 - The Averages Discount Everything (Not applicable to crypto)
2 - The Market Has Three Trends
3 - Trends Have Three Phases
4 - Trend Continues Until a Reversal is Confirmed
5 - The Averages Must Confirm Each Other
6 - Volume Confirms the Trend
💵 Principle 1: Price is All You Need
According to this principle, all available information is already reflected in asset prices. This includes economic data, political events, earnings reports, trader expectations, and even market sentiment.
If a company releases strong earnings, its stock price might not rise significantly because investors had already anticipated this and bought in advance.
❗ Why This Is Important
Technical analysts focus on price movements rather than external news since all information is already factored into the market.
Instead of reacting to news, traders analyze historical price trends to predict future price movements.
📊 Principle 2: The Market Has Three Types of Trends
Dow Theory states that markets move in three types of trends, each occurring over different timeframes:
1 - Primary Trend: This is the main movement of the market, dictating the long-term direction, and can last for years.
2 - Secondary Trends: These are corrective movements that run opposite to the primary trend. For instance, if the primary trend is bullish, the corrective trend will be bearish. These trends can last from weeks to months.
3- Minor Trends: These are the daily price fluctuations in the asset. Although minor trends can last for weeks, their direction will always align with the primary trend, even if they contradict the secondary trend.
💡 Final Thoughts for Today
This is the end of this part, and I must say we have a long journey ahead. We will continually strive to produce better content every day, steering clear of sensationalized content that promises unrealistic profits, and instead, focusing on the proper learning path of technical analysis.
⚠️ Please remember that these lessons represent our personal view of the market and should not be considered financial advice for investment.
Measured Moves: Understanding Harmonic SimplicityFew tools in trading are forward-looking and adapt to current volatility, Measured Moves do. Unlike traditional indicators, Measured moves offer a structured way to project price targets and turning points with no lag.
Let’s take a deep dive into the harmonic simplicity of the measure move and look at how it can be applied to real-world market conditions.
What Are Measured Moves?
A measured move is a price projection technique that assumes market swings tend to repeat in a proportional manner. By taking the length of a prior move and projecting it forward, traders can identify potential areas where price might react, either as a turning point or a continuation zone. This makes measured moves one of the few truly predictive tools in technical analysis—offering guidance without the lag that comes with moving averages or oscillators.
Beyond their predictive nature, measured moves are inherently adaptive. Markets move through phases of expansion and contraction, meaning fixed-length indicators can become unreliable when volatility shifts. Measured moves, by definition, adjust to the prevailing market conditions, making them particularly effective in dynamic environments.
Example: DXY Daily Candle Charts Measured Move
DXY Daily Candle Charts: Measured Moves
Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results
Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results
Timing Profit-Taking with Measured Moves
One of the most effective uses of measured moves is in setting profit targets. In trending markets, traders often struggle with the decision of when to exit—too early and they leave gains on the table, too late and they risk giving back profits. A measured move provides a logical framework for identifying where price may run out of steam.
The process is straightforward: take the length of a completed impulse move and project it from the swing low (in an uptrend) or swing high (in a downtrend) of a subsequent pullback. If price approaches this level and momentum starts to fade, it suggests a natural area for taking profits. This method ensures that you don’t rely solely on intuition or arbitrary levels but instead use market-driven symmetry to guide exits.
Example: FTSE 100 Breakout on Daily Candle Chart
Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results
Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results
Entering Two-Legged Pullbacks
Measured moves are also very useful for timing entries in corrective pullbacks—especially in two-legged retracements, which are common in trending markets. Price rarely moves in a straight line; instead, pullbacks often develop in two distinct waves or A,B,C,D pattern before resuming the dominant trend. This pattern can be frustrating for traders who enter too early, only to see price dip lower before the trend continues.
By measuring the size of the first pullback and projecting it forward, traders can anticipate the likely endpoint of the second leg. When price reaches this level and starts to stabilise, it provides a higher-probability entry for traders looking to trade with the trend. This technique works particularly well when combined with broader support or resistance levels, reinforcing key zones where buying or selling pressure may return.
Example: Gold Daily Candle Chart
Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results
Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results
Combining Measured Moves with Candle Patterns
Measured moves provide price-based structure, but confirmation from price action can refine entries and exits even further. Candlestick patterns help traders gauge sentiment at key measured move levels, offering a layer of confirmation before taking action.
For profit-taking, if price reaches a measured move projection and forms a reversal pattern—such as a shooting star in an uptrend or a hammer in a downtrend—it strengthens the case for locking in gains. Conversely, for entries, a two-legged pullback that completes at a measured move level becomes even more compelling when a bullish engulfing pattern or pin bar forms, signalling potential trend continuation.
By combining measured moves with candlestick confirmation, you avoid acting on rigid projections alone. Instead, you can use price action cues to validate measured move levels, improving decision-making and reducing false signals.
Summary:
Measured moves provide a structured, adaptable approach to navigating price action. Whether used for profit-taking or timing pullback entries, their ability to adjust to volatility and offer forward-looking projections makes them a valuable tool in a trader’s arsenal. When combined with candlestick patterns, they become even more effective, offering both precision and confirmation in a market that thrives on uncertainty.
Disclaimer: This is for information and learning purposes only. The information provided does not constitute investment advice nor take into account the individual financial circumstances or objectives of any investor. Any information that may be provided relating to past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results or performance. Social media channels are not relevant for UK residents.
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Learn How to Trade Cup and Handle Pattern on Forex & Gold
If you are studying a price action, you should definitely know how to identify and trade Cup and Handle pattern formation.
Being applied properly, it can generate big profits.
In this educational article, I will teach you how to identify this pattern. We will discuss its psychology and I will share with you 2 trading strategies.
📏And let's start with the structure of the pattern.
The pattern has 3 important elements:
Cup - long-term correctional movement that tends to move steadily from a bearish trend to a bullish trend.
Handle - short-term correctional movement with signs of bullish strength.
Neckline - upper horizontal boundary of the pattern - a strong resistance that the price constantly respects.
⚠️Being formed, it warns you about a highly probable coming bullish movement.
The trigger that confirms the initiation of a bullish wave is a breakout of the neckline of the pattern and a candle close above.
Here is the example of a completed C&H with a confirmed neckline breakout, indicating a highly probably coming bullish movement.
Depending on the preceding price action, Cup & Handle Pattern can either be a trend-following or reversal pattern.
📉If the pattern is formed after a bearish impulse. It is considered to be a reversal pattern.
Here is the example of a reversal C&H that I spotted on EURUSD.
📈If the pattern is formed at the top of a bullish impulse , it is considered to be a trend following pattern.
Here is the example of a trend following C&H that I spotted on GBPJPY.
The thing is that while the price forms the C&H, buying volumes are accumulating. Even though, buyers are hesitant and reluctant initially, their confidence grows, and the accumulation leads to explosive neckline breakout.
There are 2 strategies to trade this pattern.
✔️ Strategy 1.
That approach is quite risky , but the reward can be quite substantial.
You should monitor the price action when the price is creating a handle. Occasionally, the price starts trading in a falling channel: parallel or contracting one.
Your trigger will be a bullish breakout of its resistance and a candle close above.
Once the violation is confirmed, you can buy aggressively or set a buy limit order on a retest.
Stop loss will lie below the lows of the channel.
Target will be the closest key resistance.
Here is the example of the handle being a falling channel.
✔️ Strategy 2.
Wait for a breakout of a neckline of the pattern.
Once a candle closes above that, it will confirm the violation.
Buy the market aggressively or set a buy limit on a retest of a broken neckline then.
Stop loss will lie below the lows of the handle.
Target will be the closest key resistance.
Here is the example of the trade based on a confirmed breakout of a neckline of C&P on NASDAQ Index.
Applied properly, the strategies may reach up to 70% win rate.
As always, the best pattern will be the one that forms on a key level.
Try it, test it, and good luck in your trading journey.
❤️Please, support my work with like, thank you!❤️
Liquidity Sweeps: A Complete Guide to Smart Money Manipulation!🔹 What is a Liquidity Sweep?
A liquidity sweep occurs when price temporarily moves beyond a key level, such as a previous swing high or low to trigger stop-losses and lure breakout traders into bad positions before reversing in the opposite direction. This is a classic smart money technique used to grab liquidity before initiating the real move.
Financial markets need liquidity to function, and institutions (smart money) can’t enter or exit large positions without it. Instead of chasing price like retail traders, they manipulate price to engineered levels where liquidity is resting, allowing them to fill their orders without causing massive slippage.
🔹 How Liquidity Works in the Market
To understand liquidity sweeps, it’s important to know where liquidity pools exist. These are areas where a high number of stop-loss orders and pending market orders are placed.
Stop-loss liquidity: Traders set stop-losses above swing highs and below swing lows. When price hits these levels, stop-loss orders trigger as market orders, adding fuel for big moves.
Breakout trader liquidity: Many traders enter buy trades when a high is broken and sell trades when a low is broken. Smart money often uses these breakout orders as liquidity before reversing the market.
Essentially, liquidity sweeps allow smart money to take the opposite side of retail traders’ positions before moving the market in their favor.
🔹 Identifying Liquidity Sweeps on the Chart
A valid liquidity sweep has three key components:
1️⃣ A Key Liquidity Zone:
Look for well-defined swing highs and lows where stop-losses are likely sitting.
Equal highs and equal lows are prime targets because many traders place stops there.
Areas with high trading activity (volume profile levels, POCs) are also potential liquidity pools.
2️⃣ A Quick Price Spike Through That Level:
Price briefly moves beyond a high or low, triggering stop-losses and luring breakout traders in the wrong direction.
This move often happens suddenly, with a sharp candle wick or a short-term breakout that quickly fails.
3️⃣ An Immediate Reversal (Rejection):
Price fails to hold above/below the liquidity level and reverses aggressively.
Strong rejection candles like long wicks, bearish engulfing (after a buy-side sweep), or bullish engulfing (after a sell-side sweep) confirm the sweep.
The stronger the rejection, the higher the probability that smart money just manipulated price to collect liquidity before the real move.
🔹 Types of Liquidity Sweeps
🔸 Buy-Side Liquidity Sweep (Bull Trap)
Price spikes above a key high, triggering stop-losses from short sellers and inducing breakout buyers.
If price fails to hold above that level and quickly reverses, it confirms the sweep.
This is a signal that price is likely to drop as smart money absorbs liquidity before selling off.
Example of a buy side liquidity sweep (BSL)
🔸 Sell-Side Liquidity Sweep (Bear Trap)
Price dips below a key low, triggering stop-losses from long traders and trapping breakout sellers.
If price fails to hold below that level and quickly reverses, it confirms the sweep.
This is a signal that price is likely to rise as smart money collects liquidity before pushing higher.
A liquidity sweep is not just a random wick, it’s a strategic price move designed to trap traders before a reversal.
Example of a sell side liquidity sweep (SSL)
🔹 Why Liquidity Sweeps Matter
Liquidity sweeps provide traders with some of the highest probability reversal signals because they:
✔ Show where institutions and smart money are active
✔ Confirm major support and resistance levels
✔ Help traders avoid false breakouts
✔ Provide excellent risk-to-reward setups
Once a liquidity sweep is confirmed, price often moves aggressively in the opposite direction, as smart money has finished collecting liquidity and is now driving price toward their true target.
🔹 How to Use Liquidity Sweeps in Your Trading
1️⃣ Identify Key Liquidity Zones
Mark previous swing highs and lows where traders are likely placing stop-losses.
Pay attention to equal highs/lows and tight consolidations, as these areas tend to hold a lot of liquidity.
Use volume profile tools to see where the highest liquidity clusters exist.
2️⃣ Wait for a Liquidity Sweep & Rejection
Don’t enter just because price broke a high/low, wait for confirmation.
A strong rejection candle (wick, engulfing pattern, pin bar, etc.) signals that the sweep was a trap.
Lower timeframes (5m, 15m) can help confirm entry after a sweep happens on higher timeframes.
3️⃣ Combine with Other Confluences
Liquidity sweeps are most effective when combined with:
✅ Fair Value Gaps (FVGs): Price often sweeps liquidity before filling an imbalance.
✅ Order Blocks: Smart money enters positions at order block levels after a sweep.
✅ Fibonacci Retracements: Sweeps often happen near the Golden Pocket (0.618 - 0.65).
✅ Volume Profile (POC): If a sweep happens near a Point of Control (POC), it adds extra confluence.
The more confirmations you have, the higher the probability of a successful trade!
🔹 Common Mistakes Traders Make with Liquidity Sweeps
Entering too early: A liquidity sweep needs confirmation. Wait for a clear rejection before trading.
Ignoring higher timeframes: The strongest sweeps happen on 1H, 4H, and Daily charts. Lower timeframes can be noisy.
Forgetting the invalidation rule: If price closes above/below the liquidity sweep level, the move may not be valid.
Chasing price after a sweep: Always look for an optimal entry (retracement to a key level) rather than impulsively entering.
🔹 Advanced Tips for Trading Liquidity Sweeps
📌 Use Time-of-Day Analysis:
Liquidity sweeps often occur before major sessions open (London, New York, etc.).
Many sweeps happen during high impact news releases, be cautious.
📌 Look for Repeated Sweeps at the Same Level:
If price sweeps liquidity multiple times without follow through, it increases the chance of a strong reversal.
A double or triple sweep is a powerful confirmation that smart money is manipulating price before a real move.
📌 Use Liquidity Sweeps for Entry & Exit Points:
Entering after a confirmed liquidity sweep can provide great risk-to-reward setups.
Use liquidity sweeps as take-profit targets if price is approaching a key high/low, expect a sweep before reversal.
📌 Final Thoughts: Mastering Liquidity Sweeps
Liquidity sweeps are one of the most powerful tools in a trader’s arsenal because they reveal smart money’s true intentions. By understanding how they work, traders can:
✅ Avoid being trapped by false breakouts
✅ Identify high-probability reversal points
✅ Follow smart money instead of fighting it
Next time you see price breaking a high or low, don’t immediately assume it’s a breakout. Look for the liquidity sweep if it happens, it could be a game changer for your trading strategy. 🚀
Also, check out our Liquidity sweep indicator!
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If you found this guide helpful or learned something new, drop a like 👍 and leave a comment. I’d love to hear your thoughts! 🚀
Make sure to follow me for more price action insights, free indicators, and trading strategies. Let’s grow and trade smarter together! 📈✨
What Is an ETF and How Does ETF CFD Trading Work?What Is an ETF and How Does ETF CFD Trading Work?
Exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, have gained significant popularity in recent years as a way to invest in a diversified portfolio of securities. But for the uninitiated, the world of ETFs can seem complex and overwhelming. So, what is an exchange-traded fund, and how does it work? In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about ETFs, the advantages and disadvantages, and we’ll explain how to trade ETF CFDs.
What Is an ETF and How Does It Work?
The ETF definition in investments is the following: exchange-traded funds (ETFs), sometimes called equity-traded funds, are financial products that track the performance of a specific index, commodity, or group of assets. ETFs are popular among individual and institutional investors thanks to their flexibility, low fees, and transparency.
Like stocks, ETFs are traded on exchanges. This means that you can buy ETF shares when the stock market is open. Note that you buy shares of a fund, not the fund itself. Unlike stocks, however, ETFs don’t focus on a single asset. Instead, ETFs consist of multiple assets and even different asset classes, such as stocks, bonds, commodities, and cash. Some ETFs are passively managed, meaning they’re designed to track a specific market or sector. Others are actively managed and have professional portfolio managers who choose which assets to include in the ETF.
ETFs are an effective way for traders and investors to diversify their positions. Because ETFs comprise a diverse range of securities, holders can gain exposure to different assets, markets, and sectors without having to trade each one individually. This can help reduce risk and volatility and potentially generate more stable returns over the long term.
Differences and Pros and Cons of ETFs vs Mutual Funds
While they share some similarities to mutual funds, one of the main differences between the two is that mutual funds are only traded at the end of the trading day according to their net asset value (NAV), while an ETF’s share price fluctuates throughout the day.
Mutual funds pool money from investors to invest in a range of assets and are often actively managed by a professional portfolio manager. This means they typically come with higher fees and a higher minimum investment requirement.
Generally speaking, ETFs are the more cost-effective and flexible option, as they offer lower expense ratios and allow for intraday trading. They also tend to be more tax efficient due to their reduced portfolio turnover rates. However, ETFs come with commissions, while mutual funds do not. Moreover, the passive management style of many ETFs can lead to lower returns compared to mutual funds, which aim to beat the market through active management.
ETF Types
There are many different types of ETFs out there that can be used to meet a wide variety of investment goals. Let’s look at some examples of exchange-traded funds.
Index ETFs
What is an ETF in the stock market? Equity ETFs are those that track a stock index. They vary in terms of the sectors, industries, company sizes, and countries they cover. Equity ETFs are divided into broad market and sector ETFs.
Broad Market ETFs
These ETFs track the performance of the entire market. They can be a useful tool for investors looking to gain exposure to the overall market without having to pick an individual instrument. One of the most significant broad-market ETFs is the SPDR S&P 500 ETF.
Sector ETFs
Sector ETFs offer investment in specific industries or areas of the market, like technology, healthcare, energy, and financials. These ETFs are ideal for investors looking to profit from the overall growth of an industry. Popular sector ETFs include the ARK Innovation ETF.
Bond ETFs
These ETFs invest in fixed-income securities such as government, corporate, and municipal bonds. Bond ETFs expose investors to the fixed-income market, which can be an effective tool for diversifying a portfolio. One of the bond ETFs is iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF.
Commodity ETFs
Commodity ETFs invest in assets like gold, silver, oil, and other natural resources. Commodity ETFs offer investors easy access to the commodity market and can help them hedge during market downturns. SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (XOP) is an example of a commodity ETF.
Currency ETFs
These ETFs invest in foreign currencies and are used to gain exposure to a particular country’s currency or group of currencies, meaning they can be used to hedge against currency risk. Primary currency ETFs include the Invesco DB US Dollar Index Bullish Fund.
Leveraged ETFs
Leveraged ETFs use derivatives to provide investors with magnified exposure to the underlying assets, typically 2x, 3x, or 5x. For instance, a 2x leveraged ETF based on the S&P 500 would drop 2% if the S&P 500 fell by 1%. Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3X Shares ETF is one of the most popular leveraged ETFs.
Inverse ETFs
These ETFs allow buyers to invest in the inverse performance of the underlying asset. For example, an inverse ETF that tracks the S&P 500 would go up when the S&P 500 goes down. Inverse ETFs can be useful for hedging against market downturns but also shouldn’t be held long-term. An example of an inverse ETF is the ProShares Short S&P 500 ETF.
How to Trade ETF CFDs
Aside from buying ETFs on stock exchanges, you can trade them via CFDs. CFDs are derivative products that allow traders to speculate on the price movement of an underlying asset, such as an ETF. Unlike traditional ETF investing, ETF CFD trading does not involve owning the ETF itself. Instead, traders are exposed to the price movements of the underlying ETF when they open a position.
At FXOpen, we have dozens of ETF contracts for difference (CFDs) that are ideal for short-term trading.
One key benefit of CFD trading is the use of leverage, which allows traders to open larger positions with smaller amounts of capital. This can potentially amplify profits but also magnify losses. All of our ETF CFDs offer 1:5 leverage, so to open a $100 position, you’ll need $20 to cover the margin requirements.
Moreover, ETF CFDs can be opened long or short, allowing traders to profit from both rising and falling markets. This can be especially useful when looking to hedge against an existing position or take advantage of short-term market movements.
Unlike regular ETFs, CFDs are subject to overnight fees, which are charged for holding open positions overnight. However, the same as with regular ETFs, CFD traders receive dividends if applied. The dividend adjustment is positive for buy trades and negative for sell trades.
Consider a Trading Strategy
If you’re thinking of trading ETF CFDs, it’s important to have a trading strategy in place. One approach is a trend-following strategy, which involves identifying and entering in the direction of the trend of the underlying ETF. Many traders use technical analysis tools, like moving averages and trendlines, to help them gauge the direction of a trend.
Seasonal trend trading can also work particularly well for ETF CFDs. Traders using this strategy look at historical market data and identify trends that tend to occur during certain times of the year. For example, a retail sector-based ETF might perform well around the holiday season, so traders could use this expectation to guide the direction of their trade.
Some traders prefer breakout trading - taking positions in ETF CFDs when their prices break through key support or resistance levels. Breakout trading can be especially effective in ETF CFD trading because ETFs tend to be less volatile than individual stocks. This means that when an ETF breaks through a support or resistance level, it may continue in that direction for an extended period, providing traders with an opportunity to profit.
Trading ETF CFDs: Advantages and Disadvantages
While we’ve explained some of the key advantages and disadvantages of ETF CFD trading, there are other factors to consider. Here are some additional advantages and disadvantages of ETF CFDs to be aware of.
Advantages
Flexibility: ETF CFDs can be bought and sold quickly throughout the day, providing traders with the flexibility to adjust their positions in response to intraday market events.
Broad Exposure: ETF CFDs offer exposure to a wide range of global markets and sectors, meaning that traders can diversify their positions and speculate on the price movements of a market or sector as a whole rather than relying on a single asset.
Hedging: This broad exposure also allows traders to use ETF CFDs to hedge against their other positions and reduce their potential losses. For example, a trader long on tech stocks could use a technology-based ETF CFD to short the sector during earnings season to protect from downside risk.
Disadvantages
Only Tradeable During Specific Hours: ETF CFDs are only available to trade when their respective exchanges are open. This might only be 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. EST, whereas other types of CFDs, like forex CFDs, are available to trade 24/5.
Potential Liquidity Issues: During periods of high volatility or low volume trading hours, some ETF CFDs can suffer from poor liquidity. This can widen spreads, increase costs for traders, and heighten the risk of slippage.
Fund Closure: While rare, it is possible for an ETF to cease trading while you have an open CFD position. This would result in the liquidation of the position and the net profit or losses being realised. When combined with leverage, a forced liquidation could lead to significant losses.
Your Next Steps
Now that you have a solid understanding of ETFs and their CFD counterparts, you may wonder how to start trading them. Follow this step-by-step guide to get started:
1. Open an FXOpen Account: At FXOpen, we offer a wide range of ETF contracts for difference (CFDs) that you can begin trading in minutes.
2. Explore ETFs: The next step is to look for ETFs that align with your strategy. You can research factors like potential for growth and historical performance to help determine if an ETF is right for you. You may also want to consider elements like the ETF’s level of diversification and trading volume.
3. Place a Trade: Once you think you’ve found the ETF you want to trade, you can use one of four trading platforms at FXOpen to enter a position. This involves selecting the ETF CFD you want to trade, choosing the appropriate trade size, and setting stop losses to manage risk. At this stage, you could also set some targets for where you’d like to exit your trade.
4. Manage Risk: As your trade progresses, the only thing left to do is manage your position’s risk. You could do this by gradually moving your stop loss closer to breakeven, taking partial profits, and hedging your position with other ETF CFDs.
Trade on TradingView with FXOpen. Consider opening an account and access over 700 markets with tight spreads from 0.0 pips and low commissions from $1.50 per lot.
This article represents the opinion of the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand only. It is not to be construed as an offer, solicitation, or recommendation with respect to products and services provided by the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand, nor is it to be considered financial advice.
Bollinger Bands: Basics and Breakout Strategy🔵 What are Bollinger Bands?
Bollinger Bands are a popular technical analysis tool developed by John Bollinger in the early 1980s. They help traders analyze price volatility and potential price levels for buying or selling. The indicator consists of three lines plotted over a price chart:
Middle Band: A simple moving average (SMA), typically set to a 20-period average.
Upper Band: The middle band plus two standard deviations.
Lower Band: The middle band minus two standard deviations.
🔵 How Are Bollinger Bands Calculated?
Middle Band (MB): MB = 20-period SMA of the closing price.
Upper Band (UB): UB = MB + (2 × standard deviation of the last 20 periods).
Lower Band (LB): LB = MB - (2 × standard deviation of the last 20 periods).
The bands expand when volatility increases and contract when volatility decreases.
length = 20
basis = ta.sma(src, length)
dev = mult * ta.stdev(src, length)
upper = basis + dev
lower = basis - dev
🔵 How to Use Bollinger Bands in Trading
Bollinger Bands provide insights into market volatility and potential price reversals. Traders often use them to:
Identify overbought (price near the upper band) and oversold (price near the lower band) conditions.
Spot volatility contractions, which often precede significant price moves.
Confirm trend strength and potential reversals.
🔵 Bollinger Bands Breakout Strategy
One effective strategy involves preparing for breakouts when the upper and lower bands contract, indicating low price momentum.
Strategy Steps:
Identify Low Volatility Zones: Look for periods when the bands are close together, signaling a potential breakout.
Prepare for a Breakout: Monitor price action as it approaches either the upper or lower band.
Entry Signal: Enter a trade when the price closes above the upper band (for a long position) or below the lower band (for a short position).
Stop Loss Placement:
For long entries (break above upper band): Set stop loss at the lower band.
For short entries (break below lower band): Set stop loss at the upper band.
Profit Target: Use a risk-reward ratio of at least 1:2 or close the position when price shows signs of reversal.
Example Charts:
🔵 Final Thoughts
This Bollinger Bands breakout strategy is simple yet effective. By recognizing periods of low volatility and preparing for breakouts, traders can capitalize on significant price movements. Always complement this strategy with proper risk management and confirmation indicators for optimal results.
This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Trading involves risk, and traders are solely responsible for their own decisions and actions.
The Three Black Crows Pattern: Trading PrinciplesThe Three Black Crows Pattern: Trading Principles
Various candlestick and chart patterns indicate potential market reversals. One such formation is the three black crows pattern that indicates a potential bearish reversal in the price of an asset. You can find three black crows stock, commodity, and forex patterns. This FXOpen article will help you understand how such a pattern is formed, explaining how it can be used to spot trading opportunities in the market and demonstrating live trading examples.
What Are the Three Black Crows?
The three black crows is a bearish candlestick pattern used in technical analysis to signal a potential reversal of an uptrend. It consists of three consecutive long bearish candlesticks that occur after a strong upward trend. The pattern suggests that the momentum has shifted from buyers to sellers, indicating that a downtrend could be about to begin.
Key Characteristics:
- Three Consecutive Bearish Candles: The pattern is composed of three long bearish candlesticks that open within the body of the previous candle and close near their lows.
- Appears After an Uptrend: The pattern typically forms after a prolonged uptrend, signalling a potential shift in market sentiment.
- Declining Price with Minimal Wicks: The candles should ideally have small upper and lower wicks, showing that the sellers controlled the market throughout the session.
- Steady Decline: Each candlestick in the pattern opens higher than the previous candle’s close but then reverses to close lower.
Psychological Interpretation
The pattern reflects a growing bearish sentiment among traders. Each successive bearish candlestick suggests that sellers are taking over, and buying pressure is weakening. This gradual increase in selling activity is often interpreted as a sign that the market could be heading for a downturn.
How Can You Trade the Three Black Crows Chart Pattern?
The three black crows formation has general trading rules. They can be modified depending on the timeframe, market volatility, and risk tolerance.
Entry
Once the formation is confirmed with the third long red candle and additional indicators, traders enter a short position below its low.
Take Profit
The pattern doesn’t provide specific take-profit targets. Usually, traders use other technical indicators and strong support levels to determine a suitable take-profit point. Some traders set the take-profit order with regard to the risk-reward ratio, say 1:2 or 1:3.
Stop Loss
The theory states that a stop-loss order can be placed above the first candlestick’s high to potentially limit losses. Moreover, it should be based on the trader's risk tolerance and trading approach.
Live Market Example
The above example shows the formation of the three black crows’ pattern on a weekly chart of the EUR/USD pair. When the pattern formed, the relative strength index had just left the overbought zone, confirming a potential trend reversal. A trader could go short after the third long bearish candle at 1.42550 and place a stop loss near above the first pattern’s candle (at 1.51763). The profit target could be set at the next important support level of 1.23378. It took six months for the price to reach the target level.
Practical Trading Strategies Using the Three Black Crows Pattern
Now, let’s look at two specific 3 black crows trading strategies.
MACD Strategy
The combination of the three black crows candlestick pattern and the MACD crossover offers traders a strong signal of a bearish reversal after a bullish movement. The three black crows formation suggests weakening bullish momentum, while the MACD crossover confirms the shift in momentum from buyers to sellers. Together, these indicators increase the likelihood of a sustained downtrend, offering an opportunity for traders to enter the market with greater confidence.
Entry
- Traders observe a bearish MACD crossover within a few candles of the three black crows, either just before, during, or just after.
- Both conditions (pattern completion and MACD crossover) are typically met by the close of the third candle, signalling a potential opportunity for a sell trade.
Stop Loss
- Stop losses might be placed just beyond the swing point before the three black crows pattern to potentially protect against false signals.
Take Profit
- Traders often set take-profit targets at a risk-reward ratio, such as 1:2 or 1:3, to lock in potential returns.
- Alternatively, profits might be taken at key support levels where the price may reverse.
- Another option might be to exit the trade upon observing a bullish MACD crossover, signalling the end of the downtrend.
HMA Strategy
Using two hull moving averages (HMA), one set to 20 and the other to 50, provides traders with an extra filter to confirm that a downtrend is beginning following the three black crows pattern. The three black crows indicate a potential bearish reversal, but a cross of the 20-period HMA below the 50-period HMA helps confirm the strength of the downtrend. HMAs are used as they are more responsive to trend shifts than other moving averages.
Entry
- Traders look for a bearish crossover where the 20 HMA crosses below the 50 HMA within a few candles of the three black crows.
- Both the pattern and the HMA crossover typically confirm the start of a downtrend, allowing traders to enter a short position.
Stop Loss
- Stop losses might be set just above the swing high before the pattern.
- Alternatively, they might be placed above one of the HMAs, depending on the trader’s risk tolerance and desired level of protection.
Take Profit
- Take-profit targets might be based on a risk-reward ratio, such as 1:2 or 1:3.
- Traders may also take profits at a known support level where price reversal is likely.
- Another potential exit point is when the HMAs cross over again, signalling the end of the trend.
Three Black Crows vs Three White Soldiers
The three white soldiers candlestick pattern is the opposite of the three black crows. It is a bullish reversal setup that traders commonly use to identify the potential end of a prior downtrend and the start of an uptrend. It consists of three consecutive long bullish candlesticks with highs and lows higher than the previous ones and with little or no wicks. It suggests that the buyers have taken control of the market and that the price will likely continue rising. The candles together create a formation that resembles three soldiers marching in a bullish direction.
This formation is usually considered a strong bullish signal when it appears after a prolonged downtrend, in contrast to the three black crows formation, which indicates a strong potential bearish reversal. Traders often use it as an indication to enter long positions, with a stop-loss order placed near the bottom of the pattern.
Confirmation Tools
Confirmation tools can help traders ensure that the 3 black crows candlestick pattern signals a true bearish reversal rather than a short-term pullback. Here are some key tools to consider when confirming the pattern:
- Volume Increase: A spike in selling volume during the formation of the three black crows can confirm heightened pressure and a stronger likelihood of a trend reversal.
- Momentum Indicators: Tools like the Relative Strength Index (RSI), MACD, or a Stochastic Oscillator can show a shift in momentum. An overbought RSI, a bearish MACD crossover, or bearish Stochastic divergence may reinforce the bearish signal.
- Support Level Break: Watch for a break below a key support level after the three black crows form. This can further validate the downtrend, indicating that sellers are gaining control.
- Bearish Candlestick Patterns: Additional bearish patterns, such as engulfing or dark cloud cover, emerging after the three black crows, can reinforce the likelihood of a sustained downtrend.
- Moving Averages: A cross of a short-term MA below a long-term MA can offer further confirmation of a bearish reversal.
Common Mistakes When Trading the Three Black Crows Pattern
In 3 black crows trading, it's common to make several mistakes that may lead to poor results or false signals. Here are key pitfalls to watch out for:
- Ignoring Volume: Failing to check for a rise in volume during the formation of the three black crows can lead to misinterpreting the pattern. Low volume may indicate weak selling pressure and an unreliable signal.
- Trading Without Confirmation: Jumping into a trade as soon as the pattern forms without using additional confirmation tools like momentum indicators or support breaks can increase the risk of a false reversal.
- Overlooking Market Context: The three crows candlestick pattern works in specific conditions. If the pattern appears in a sideways or range-bound market, it may not signal a true trend reversal, leading to misinterpretation.
- Setting Tight Stop-Losses: Placing stop-loss orders too close to the first candlestick’s high can result in early exit due to market noise. Proper risk management with room for fluctuations is essential.
- Neglecting Trend Strength: Ignoring the strength of the prior uptrend may lead to premature trades. The pattern is believed to be the most effective after a prolonged uptrend; using it in weak trends can result in false signals.
Final Thoughts
The three black crows pattern is a powerful bearish reversal signal that can help traders identify potential downtrends after a sustained uptrend. By understanding its formation, confirming the pattern with additional technical indicators, and implementing sound risk management strategies, traders can incorporate this pattern into their trading plans. However, as with any trading strategy, patience and proper confirmation are key to avoiding false signals.
Once you have practised identifying the black crows, consider opening an FXOpen account to start your trading journey!
FAQ
What Do 3 Black Crows Mean in Trading?
The 3 black crows’ meaning refers to a candlestick pattern signalling a bearish reversal. It consists of three consecutive long bearish candlesticks following an uptrend, indicating that sellers are taking control of the market. This pattern suggests a potential shift in momentum from bullish to bearish, meaning the price is likely to decline further as selling pressure increases.
What Do Three Black Crows Indicate?
The 3 black crows’ candlestick formation, after a prolonged uptrend, indicates a potential downside reversal. It means that sellers are taking control, and the price will likely trade downwards.
What Is the Success Rate of the 3 Black Crows?
The success rate of the three black crows pattern varies depending on market conditions, timeframe, and confirmation tools used. While it is generally considered a reliable bearish reversal signal, traders often use volume, momentum indicators, and support level breaks to confirm the pattern and improve success rates.
What Is the Meaning of Identical Three Crows?
The identical three crows is a variation of the traditional pattern. In this case, the three bearish candles open at the close of the previous candlestick, showing even stronger bearish pressure. This variation suggests that sellers are overwhelming buyers consistently, signalling an even more pronounced reversal.
How Do You Trade Three Black Crows?
To trade the 3 black crows pattern, traders wait for confirmation of a bearish reversal after the three consecutive down candles in an uptrend. They enter a short position once the pattern is completed and confirmed by additional indicators like increased volume or a break below support. They may place a stop-loss order above the high of the first candle and target key support levels below for profit-taking. Traders always manage risk carefully by using stop-losses and monitoring market conditions.
Are Three Black Crows Bullish?
No, the three black crows pattern is not bullish; it is a bearish candlestick pattern. It signals a potential reversal from an uptrend to a downtrend, indicating that selling pressure is starting to overwhelm buying pressure.
Trade on TradingView with FXOpen. Consider opening an account and access over 700 markets with tight spreads from 0.0 pips and low commissions from $1.50 per lot.
This article represents the opinion of the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand only. It is not to be construed as an offer, solicitation, or recommendation with respect to products and services provided by the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand, nor is it to be considered financial advice.
How to Trade Ending Diagonal: EURUSDOne of my favorite EW patterns: Ending Diagonal
It usually appears in wave C or 5, we have wave C
It consists of five waves and each of them are three waves
All looks good as wave 5 is over wave 3 and Ending diagonal might be completed
as EWO oscillator already shows Bearish Divergence between wave 3 and 5
This educational post to show trade setup on this pattern
The bottom of wave b in wave 5 is a breakdown trigger (blue) as it means wave 5 is over
Confirmation is on breakdown of wave 4 (orange)
Target is at the start of the Ending Diagonal (green)
Bonus track:
One could consider sell on 61.8% Fib retracement as we see the first impulse down
and now we watch this two-legged pullback.
Using Fair Value Gaps to find A+ entriesA Fair Value Gap (FVG) is a concept used in trading to identify areas of price imbalance on a chart. These gaps occur when there is significant buying or selling pressure, leading to rapid price movements that leave behind gaps on the price chart. Essentially, an FVG represents a zone where the market did not trade efficiently.
Historical chart data can show that price has a tendency to dip back into these FVGs before the continuation of the overall trend. FVGs can be found on all time frames and can be used as a form of support and resistance.
When price dips into these Gaps, that is the opportune time to enter a trade, allowing you to have a tight and logical Stop Loss below the FVG (PLEASE ACCOUNT FOR SPREAD).
Bitcoin mining cost and Bitcoin price appreciation RIOT earnings disclosed that 53% decrease in power credits directly affects miners’ operational costs, leading to higher Bitcoin mining costs.
In the broader economic context, this ties into energy market dynamics and inflation control in several ways.
Preventing upward pressure on industrial energy prices.
Power credits or subsidies previously given to miners have kept their costs artificially low, allowing them to consume large amounts of energy without fully bearing the market rate.
By reducing these credits, miners are exposed to real energy prices, discouraging excessive energy consumption and reducing competition for energy resources with industrial sectors (like manufacturing or logistics) that are critical to the economy.
Why it matters
When Bitcoin miners compete with industrial users for power, it can push up energy prices. Since energy is a major input cost for many industries, rising prices can ripple through supply chains, increasing the costs of goods and contributing to inflation.
Aligning with Energy allocation priorities
In many regions, energy regulators aim to ensure that critical industries, those tied to job creation, exports, or essential services, have priority access to affordable energy. Bitcoin mining, often seen as non-essential from a macroeconomic standpoint, might be deprioritized to keep energy-intensive sectors from facing higher costs that could contribute to consumer price inflation.
Market correction & miner attrition
With actual energy costs now directly impacting miners, many less efficient operations (those with older equipment or higher power costs) will struggle to remain profitable and may shut down. This natural market correction helps reduce overall energy consumption by the mining sector, easing pressure on the grid and stabilizing prices for other users.
Survivors :
Only miners with low energy costs, high-efficiency hardware, or renewable energy sources will remain competitive.
The reduction in power credits is a policy lever to discourage energy-intensive activities that don’t directly contribute to broader economic stability. In doing so, it helps control energy costs for industries tied to GDP growth and job creation, ultimately working as an inflation management tool.
For Bitcoin miners, this shift creates a survival-of-the-fittest environment, where only the most efficient operations can withstand real market conditions, while others may exit the market.
As the cost to mine each Bitcoin rises , it establishes a new economic floor for the market. Miners are less willing to sell below their production cost, especially large-scale miners who can influence market liquidity. Historically, when mining costs increase due to factors like halvings, energy price hikes, or network difficulty, Bitcoin tends to gravitate toward or above these higher cost bases over time.
Example: After the 2016 and 2020 halvings, mining costs surged, but Bitcoin’s price followed with significant upward movements in the months that followed, leading to new all-time highs.