Your success in the forex market is premised upon the technique(s) you use. A solid trading technique helps you build an effective trading system that increases your chance of being profitable in the market. The tricky part is finding what techniques work best for you, as there are many trading techniques.
The most preferred approach is to test different techniques on a demo trading account and choose the one that fits your trading goals. On a demo account, you will be able to test different trading techniques in a live-market-like environment. In this article, we will give you the top 10 trading techniques you can use to get better at trading.
- Technical Analysis:
Your forex market predictions are the result of your technical analysis, which is based on a simple idea: “The market repeats itself.” Keeping that in mind, forex traders study the market, looking for hidden patterns and trends that repeat themselves. It’s like decoding each movement of the market. In order to do so, traders use various chart patterns & tools, such as head and shoulders, double tops, and flags, to predict price movements.
Proficiency in various technical tools and indicators, such as Moving averages, RSI, and MACD, can help traders confirm trends and potential entry or exit points. Another thing that helps traders with their technical analysis is candlestick patterns. These patterns tell us about market sentiment and reversals, guiding traders in their trading decisions. Some of these patterns are doji, hammer, and engulfing patterns. Overall, technical analysis requires traders to know a great deal of charts, technical tools, indicators, and strategies.
- Trend Following:
The forex market always moves in a trend – sideways, upwards, or downwards. If a trader has knowledge of the existing trends and how long they could last, then executing successful trades is no longer a challenging task. Trend following strategy is based on that.
When applying this strategy, you must identify ongoing trends and align your trades with them. It’s like joining a river’s flow rather than trying to swim against it. If you recognise the trend early, you can capture potential profits as the market moves in your favour.
This is easier with the help of trendlines – which help traders visually identify trends and determine possible entry or exit points. You can also take advantage of moving averages, a key determinant in identifying trends, by highlighting the average price over a specific period. This way, you can focus on avoiding counter-trend trades and prioritise trading in the direction of the dominant trend.
- Position Trading:
If you are a patient trader, then position trading is for you. Position traders hold onto positions for longer periods, often weeks or months, in search of profits. Like other techniques, this one also comes from its own market perspective – that markets move in broader cycles.
If you want to do position trading, then you need to be good with both fundamental and technical analysis. You also need to use wider stop-loss levels to allow for market fluctuations while keeping your trades open for longer durations. Position trading requires a lot of patience and discipline to withstand market noise and stay committed to the long-term view.
- Scalping:
Scalping, a fast-paced technique, is a popular trading strategy and a favourite among forex traders. When you engage in scalping, you make multiple quick trades to capture small price movements. It’s like collecting drops of water to fill a bucket. If you want to scalp, then you need to be attentive and focused because you have to take advantage of the tiniest movements in the market. As for the trading platform, you can use any reliable trading platform for scalping, be it MT4 or MT5. However, if you wish to access more indicators, you should go for MT5, as this platform has better trading features.
This trading strategy also requires traders to have strong trading psychology because if you fail to make the right decisions, you can end up blowing your account quickly. You should also look for a forex broker that offers tighter spreads. They will help you have cost-effective trading. Moreover, when you scalp, look for minute-by-minute charts, such as one-minute or five-minute charts, to identify short-term price movements.
- News Trading:
What if you could know beforehand whether the market would go high or low? This is the dream of every trader in the market; however, nobody can predict the forex market movements 100% accurately. Still, some trading strategies can give traders a little leverage, and news trading is one of them. Forex price movements depend on all kinds of news: elections, trade, economic, political, social, etc. In the case of major news, the market becomes volatile and moves according to the sentiment of the majority of traders.
Traders, based on the impact and nature of the news, can somewhat predict the market. They use economic calendars to keep track of recently released news and its potential impact on the market. This way, they can increase their chances of winning trades.
- Breakout Trading:
Breakout trading revolves around identifying key price levels where the market is likely to break through. Traders watch for these moments to enter trades, anticipating significant price movements. It’s like waiting for a dam to burst and release a rush of water. Breakout traders aim to catch big moves early.Breakout traders use technical tools like Bollinger Bands and Donchian Channels to identify potential breakout points. However, false breakouts, where prices briefly move beyond a key level before reversing, are common, so confirmation is crucial. However, volatility tends to increase around breakout points, offering both opportunities and risks for traders.
- Swing Trading:
Swing trading focuses on capturing shorter-term price oscillations within broader trends. Traders using this technique ride the “swings” of the market—buying when the market is low and selling when it’s high within a given trend. If you trade with this strategy, then you need to use a combination of technical and fundamental analysis to identify potential swing points.
- Fibonacci Trading:
Fibonacci trading uses the Fibonacci sequence and golden ratio to identify potential support and resistance levels. These levels often act as turning points in the market. Traders using this technique rely on mathematical patterns to predict where the market might reverse or continue its movement. You can also use Fibonacci calculators when you employ this strategy. They will help you make a basic Fibonacci retracement.
Typical Fibonacci retracement levels used to determine potential support or resistance levels include 38.2%, 50%, and 61.8%. You may have to combine Fibonacci levels with other technical indicators to strengthen your trading signals. This technique requires careful observation to confirm that price movements align with the predicted Fibonacci levels.
- Elliott Wave Analysis:
Elliott Wave analysis is based on recognizing repeating wave patterns in the market. Traders using this technique believe that markets move in cycles of upward and downward waves. They hope to forecast future market movements and trends by spotting these patterns.
Elliott Wave patterns consist of impulse waves (trend) and corrective waves (counter-trend), creating a wave structure. You have to use Fibonacci ratios to measure the length of waves and predict potential turning points. Therefore, correctly identifying and labelling waves within a larger pattern requires practice and familiarity with Elliott Wave principles.
- Statistical Arbitrage:
Statistical arbitrage involves exploiting price discrepancies between related currency pairs. Traders who employ this strategy look for instances when the prices of related assets diverge from their usual relationship using statistical models and data analysis. It’s like taking advantage of market imbalances to profit from price convergence.
Pair trading, a form of statistical arbitrage, involves trading two correlated assets simultaneously, expecting their price relationships to converge. Traders often use mean-reversion strategies. Effective risk management is essential in statistical arbitrage because correlated assets occasionally diverge greatly before convergence.
In The End
As we conclude this article, I’d like to mention that all the strategies discussed above have their own pros and cons, so traders must choose the strategy according to their experience and expertise. You can combine two or more strategies for better trading results. Remember, the key to effective trading is understanding these techniques deeply and adapting them to your trading style and risk tolerance.
Taylor is a freelance SEO copywriter and blogger. His areas of expertise include technology, pop culture, and marketing.
