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How To Use The Parabolic SAR In Forex Trading

Have you ever wished you could tell when a trend in the forex market was likely to stop and reverse?   The parabolic stop and reverse (SAR) is an indicator designed to do just that. In this post, we’ll explore the parabolic SAR and teach you how to use it.

How The Parabolic SAR Works

The parabolic SAR typically plots dots or points on a currency pair’s chart that indicate potential areas when the price action might reverse.

When a forex chart is on an uptrend, the dots plotted by the parabolic SAR are typically below the candles. When the currency pair is in a downtrend, the reverse is true. The parabolic SAR dots usually appear close together whenever the trend is consolidating, while they are typically further apart in a strong uptrend or downtrend.

EUR/USD Chart With Parabolic SAR Indicator

It should be noted that the parabolic SAR only works in trending markets and you should not use it in choppy markets where the currency pair is trading sideways. These conditions typically generate a lot of false signals.

How To Enter And Exit Trades Using The Parabolic SAR

You can use the parabolic SAR to time your entries and exits to when a trend is about to reverse. For example, when a major uptrend is about to reverse, the parabolic SAR will typically form at least three dots above the candles to indicate that a downtrend may be about to begin. In such a case, you should exit your long trade, and enter into a short trade.

In cases where the prevailing trend is a downtrend, the parabolic SAR will typically form at least three dots below the trend to indicate that an uptrend may be about to begin. In such a case, you should exit your short trade and enter into a long trade once the parabolic SAR forms 3 dots below the candles.

Using The Parabolic SAR As A Trailing Stop

Some traders prefer to place their trailing stop loss orders at the level where a SAR dot appears within an established trend. In most cases, such a trader will rarely be stopped out of the position in a market with a strong uptrend or downtrend but will provide protection if the trend unexpectedly reverses. This can be a particularly useful feature for new traders who aren’t familiar with setting trailing stop losses in other ways.

It should be noted once again, however, that this does not work in ranging markets where the SAR typically whipsaws between positions.

Adjusting The Step

The sensitivity of the parabolic SAR is determined by the Acceleration Factor (AF), which is also known as the Step. The step is basically a multiplier that affects the rate of change or acceleration of the SAR. The default acceleration factor on the SAR is 0.02, but most charting programs allow traders to adjust this figure depending on their needs. The step has a minimum value of .01 and a maximum value of .20.

You can reduce the sensitivity of the SAR by decreasing the value of the AF, while you can increasing the parabolic SAR’s sensitivity by raising the value of the Step. When you lower the step, you move the SAR further from the price and reduce the chances of a reversal happening. By increasing the step, you move the SAR closer to the price, which increases the likelihood of a reversal.

When adding the parabolic SAR to a chart, there are two values that are required. One is the step, and the other is the maximum step. The value of the maximum step has a slight impact on the reversals identified by the SAR, but the step value carries more weight when compared to the maximum step.

Conclusion

The creator of the parabolic SAR designed it to analyse trends that last for about two to three weeks. However, this does not mean that it cannot be used on trends that last for a shorter or longer periods. We recommend you experiment with it and  test different values for the step and maximum step with a free Demo account to identify the values that allow you to ride a trend for the longest period.

 

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3 Ways MetaTrader 5 Has Improved On MetaTrader 4

How can you take something beloved by a global community and make it better? With MetaTrader4, MetaQuotes built a trading platform that has become the standard of retail forex traders around the world.

With the global trading community demanding more customization, greater control, and more capabilities, MetaTrader have gone one better and created a next-generation platform called MetaTrader 5.  

Available with Exness on Demo accounts, we wanted to give you a sneak peek at the features that make MetaTrader 5 special.

Customizable Approach To Trading: New Features In MT5

There’s nothing more frustrating than not being able to get your chart set up the way you want it, or not being able to place your order exactly the way you want it to be placed.

With MT5 a lot of these frustrations have been eliminated.

Timeframes. MetaTrader 5 offers 21 different timeframes, vs just nine in MetaTrader 4. This means you can get exactly the right chart for your trading strategy, rather than having to make do on MetaTrader 4.

Order types. In MetaTrader 5, you can access two additional pending order types, “buy stop limit” and “sell stop limit”. You can find out more about these in our blog post specifically on the subject of pending order types.

What’s more, with MetaTrader 5 subtle changes in the “navigator” pane mean that you can find what you want, when you want, at a far greater speed.

Analysis

The changes to MetaTrader 5 go beyond simple user experience. Improvements to analytics, testing, and tool building demonstrate how much MetaTrader 5 has been created with the experienced trader in mind.

Fundamental analysis. With MetaTrader 5, traders can benefit from access to economic and industrial news right within their terminal, as well as enjoying a economic calendar highlighting upcoming announcements from around the world. These new tools come bundled with MetaTrader 5 right from launch.Technical analysis. With MetaTrader 5, right out of the box traders get access to 38 indicators and 44 analytical objects, versus 30 indicators and 33 analytical objects in MT4, with a vast number of additional solutions available for free via Code Base or for a price from the new Market feature.

Expert Advisors

EAs were always remarkably valuable in MT4 because they allowed traders to automate some or all of their decision-making to a complex algorithm that could analyse trends and place orders.

In MT5 this functionality is further increased, made possible by the highly advanced MQL5 programming language.

Programming. MT5 is designed from the ground up to empower experienced traders to build powerful EAs themselves. With a programming language similar to C++, it is easy for traders to get their heads around the process and start building. At the same time, less experienced will benefit from access to better quality EAs, which they can test and apply.Market. Even more exciting for experienced traders is the new Market feature, which allows traders who have programmed EAs themselves to make money by selling them to the community, right from the terminal.

Using MetaTrader 5 With Exness

It couldn’t be easier to try out the MetaTrader 5 platform for yourself with Exness. Here’s a simple guide the getting started:

Open an MetaTrader 5 trial or MetaTrader 5 real account from your Personal AreaDownload the MetaTrader 5 desktop or mobile terminal from the Exness downloads pageEnter your account details to log in

What’s more, MT5 accounts can now be used with the WebTerminal. Accessible right from your personal area in the left-hand menu, this means you can start trading on MetaTrader 5 without anything to download!

Try it for yourself.

Open an EXNESS MT5 account today.

 

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Quasimodo Pattern (Over and Under)

Quasimodo Pattern (Over and Under)

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Easy guide to trading the Quasimodo Pattern

What is the Quasimodo (Over and Under) Pattern?

Conclusion:

Easy guide to trading the Quasimodo Pattern

The Quasimodo Pattern or Over and Under pattern is a relatively new entrant to the field of technical analysis in the financial markets. Although new, the Quasimodo pattern is a commonly occurring theme that is more frequent when price carves a top or a bottom or when price begins a major correction to the trend.The Quasimodo Pattern, although complex as it might seem is actually very simple. This trading pattern is especially powerful because when it occurs, in most cases, traders will notice a confluence with other methods of analysis.For example, when a trader spots a Quasimodo pattern near a support or resistance level, it increases the confidence of the trader or the trading probability. Likewise, when trading divergences, when you spot a Quasimodo pattern, that confluence can be used to trade the divergence set up with more confidence.As we can see from the above, the Quasimodo pattern is not a trading strategy by itself but is more of a confluence pattern that can be used to confirm a trader’s bias. Of course, the Quasimodo pattern doesn’t appear all the time, but when it does, traders can be sure that the market offers a high probability trade set up.

What is the Quasimodo (Over and Under) Pattern?

A Quasimodo Pattern is simply a series of Highs/Lows and Higher or Lower highs or lows.

Quasimodo Short Signal Pattern

There should be a prior uptrend in the marketsPrice makes a new high, declines and makes a new local lowPrice then rallies above the previous high to mark a new higher highPrice then falls to form a new lower lowPrice then rises towards the initial high (but does not make a new higher high).

The fifth level in the set up is the trigger, where a short position is taken. Stops are set above the higher high and the take profit level is up to the trader.

Quasimodo Long Signal Pattern

There should be a prior downtrend in the marketsPrice makes new low then makes a small rally and forms a local highPrice then declines to form a new lower low taking out the previous lowPrice then rallies to make a new higher high and then declinesThe final decline is equal to the first low

The fifth leg in this pattern is the trigger for long positions with stops set to at or below the lower low

Quasimodo Long Signal Pattern Examples:

Quasimodo Long Example #1

Price is in a downtrendPrice then makes a new low at 99.923 and then makes a new local high at 100.274Price then declines and makes a new lower low at 99.983Price then rallies to make a new higher high at 100.38 and then declinesThe final leg in the decline is just a few pips above the previous low. This triggers a long signal

Here is another example of the Quasimodo Long example:

Quasimodo Long Example #2 Quasimodo Short Signal Pattern Examples:

Quasimodo Short Example #1

Price is in an uptrendPrice then makes a new high at 1.5251 and then declines to make a low at 1.5187Price then rallies to make a higher high at 1.5321 and then declinesA new lower low is posted at 1.5165Price then makes a modest rally and this high stalls a few pips close to/above the previous highA short entry is then taken with stops near the highest highThere is also an additional confirmation yet again with the RSI divergence as well

Another example of the Quasimodo Short pattern example is given below:

Quasimodo Short Example #2

Conclusion:

As we can see from the above, the Quasimodo or Over and Under pattern is a relatively simple pattern, which when used in conjunction with other trading strategies or signals offers a great way to increase the probability of a trade set up.
Open an Demo Account and test this pattern.

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How To Reduce Forex Risk Through Hedging

Author:Exness Broker

Hedging is a common strategy used by forex traders to limit the risks associated with some of their trades. Forex hedging strategies rely on positions opened by a trader in order to reduce their overall exposure to changes in prices of a given currency pair.

Although hedging strategies are usually employed to limit a trader’s risk, it is important to incorporate technical and fundamental analysis within any hedging strategy in order to make it effective. The best forex hedging strategies limit risk, but also take a cut of your profits. You can think of this as taking an insurance premium on your positions.

Hedgers Vs. Speculators A hedger’s primary motivation is to reduce the risks associated with price movements in the instruments they trade. On the other hand, a speculator takes positions in a given market with the primary motivation of making a profit from future price movements.

Hedging is largely a way of buying insurance against price movements that do not favor your current and future positions. As we’ll see, forex traders also use hedging as a way to generate potential profits.

Achieving Market-Neutral Positions Achieving market-neutral positions through hedging usually involves identifying two currency pairs that are positively correlated, and initiating opposite trades in each of the currency pairs. Examples of positively correlated currency pairs include the EURUSD and GBPUSD, as well as the AUDUSD and the NZDUSD.

The most important aspect of hedging is to choose two correlated pairs that move somewhat asymmetrically to each other. For example, when trading the AUDUSD and NZDUSD currency pairs, you take opposite positions across the two pairs as a hedging strategy. In this instance, as the NZD is a less volatile currency, you have to compensate with a larger trade size as compared to the opposite AUD trade.

A Word Of Caution There are some retail traders who use hedging strategies to minimize existing loses on a losing trade. For example, if a trader has entered into a losing EURUSD long trade, they might decide to open a short EURJPY trade in order to mitigate their losses by booking some gains from the short trade.However, opening a hedging trade to minimize the losses from a losing trade is very risky given that such a trader could ends up compounding the risks associated with their trades. In the above example, by opening a EURJPY short trade, the trader is now exposed to fluctuations in JPY, USD and EUR.

Hedging Strategies On The Same Currency Pair Hedging on the same currency pair is an advanced strategy based on executing different types of trades on the same pair using different lot sizes to minimize losses and maximize profits. This strategy is best suited for intermediate and advanced forex traders.Here’s an example of such a strategy. A trader buys 0.1 lots of the EURUSD currency pair at 1.2130, after which they quickly opens a sell stop order of 0.3 lots on the same pair at 1.2100. This would protect them regardless of the direction in which the currency pair moves.

In this instance, if the currency pair does not rally to the initial profit target of 1.2160 for a 30 pip gain, but instead declines to a low of 1.2070, they would still profit. This is because the sell stop order becomes an active sell order once the pair breaches the 1.2100 level.

Conclusion This article provides a brief overview of the different hedging strategies that you can use when trading the forex markets. Hedging is an essential skill to learn in order to limit the risks associated with your open positions. Through a Demo acDemo account, you can test these strategies before applying them to live trades.

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How To Use The RSI Indicator In Forex Trading

Author:Exness Broker

The relative strength index (RSI) indicator is a technical indicator that is widely used by traders to identify oversold and overbought conditions within charts. The RSI is an oscillator type of indicator that moves up and down a scale from 0 to 100 depending on market conditions. The RSI is regarded as a leading indicator, which means that it can be used to predict future price movements in a financial instrument such as a currency pair. The RSI indicator was developed by J. Welles Wilder and introduced into the markets in 1978.

Understanding The RSI’s Signals The RSI indicator is usually presented as a horizontal chart attached to the bottom of a currency pair’ chart that features a single line that oscillates between 0 and 100.When the RSI is ranging from 0-30, this generally indicates oversold market conditions with a high probability of an upward correction in price. Whenever the RSI is ranging from 30-70, this is generally regarded as neutral territory (neither overbought or oversold). An RSI reading of 70-100 generally indicates an overbought market with a high likelihood of a price correction to the downside. When the RSI crosses from below the centerline (50 level) to the area above, this usually indicates a rising price trend in the affected currency pair. When the RSI cross from above the centerline to the area below it, this usually indicates a falling price trend in the affected currency pair.

RSI Divergence Signals The Relative Strength Index indicator might also show divergence in certain situations where the RSI line trends in the opposite direction to the prevailing price action in a currency pair. This is referred to as divergence, which can either be bullish or bearish, and indicates that a price reversal might be developing.

Bullish RSI Divergence Bullish RSI divergence typically occurs whenever the price of a currency pair is declining and the RSI line is rising, which is a strong bullish signal.

Bearish RSI Divergence Bearish RSI divergence typically occurs when a currency pair’s price is trending higher and the RSI line is falling, which is a strong bearish signal.

Analyzing RSI Signals Although the RSI overbought signal occurs when the RSI line crosses over the 70 mark, the time to actually sell the currency pair is when the RSI moves out of the overbought region. This is because the price can sometimes stay in the overbought range for extended periods and this can cause major losses for a trader that jumps in too early.To put it another way, the initial cross above the 70 mark typically serves as a warning to traders that they should prepare to sell once the RSI crosses back below the 70 mark. The same case applies to the RSI oversold signal, which typically occurs once the RSI line crosses below the 30 mark. You shouldn’t actually buy until the RSI line moves out of the oversold area.Whenever you are trading with the RSI divergence indicator, always place a trade in the direction confirmed by the RSI line after the price of the currency pair has closed two to three candles in your preferred direction.

How To Place Stop Loss And Take Profit Levels When using the RSI indicator, you should ideally place your stop loss order slightly beyond the latest swing top or bottom that occurred before the price reversal that you are trading. Your ideal take profit level should be when the RSI line crosses above or below the centerline (50 level), at which point you should lock in some of your profits, if any, using a trailing stop. In some cases, the trend might reverse at or near the centerline, which is why this is a good take profit level.

A Word Of Caution Just because the RSI indicates that an overbought or oversold condition exists, you shouldn’t always expect a price reversal. A currency pair in a strong trend might stay in overbought or oversold conditions for a long time. Also, because the RSI is a leading indicator, it can generate a lot of false signals when the asset it is being used to measure displays strong trend characteristics. You should always use stop loss orders to minimize you risk exposure when trading using the RSI.

How To Calculate The RSI Although most modern trading platforms, such as the MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, can and will calculate the RSI for you automatically, understanding how these calculations are made is useful for gaining better insight into how the RSI works.

The default setting for the RSI is 14 periods.

RSI = 100 – [100 / (1 + RS)] — Where: RS (Relative Strength) = average gain / average loss

Here is how you find relative strength: calculate the gains of the last 14 reporting period and divide by zero. This is your average gain. Now find the average loss by adding up all the losses from the last 14 reporting periods and divide them by zero.

Once you have calculated the two, you divide the average gain by the average loss to find the Relative Strength (RS) and apply it to the RSI formula.

Conclusion The relative strength index indicator is a useful tool that helps traders predict reversals of existing trends. The indicator generates trading signals when overbought or oversold conditions exist as well as when bullish or bearish divergence is identified within an existing trend. Also, given that the RSI is a leading indicator, it is quite prone to generating false trading signals and should always be used together with other indicators for trade confirmations.

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