Pivot Point Squeeze Technique

The following forex trading system is a system based on constricted volatility followed by a breakout which co-insides with pivot points.

Forex indicators used:

Bollinger bands with MA of 18 and deviations of 2 through to 4.2
incrementing by 0.2
Bands 2 – 2.4 Purple
Bands 2.6 – 3 Pink
Bands 3.2 – 3.6 Red
Bands 3.8 – 4.2 Green

MACD with settings:
Short term MA: 5
Long term MA: 13
Signal number periods: 1

Bollinger Bandwidth with settings:
MA periods: 18
Standard deviation: 2


Indicator Settings

Trigger level
Horizontal line at a value which is determined by currency pair EUR/JPY ~ 0.0056

Pivot Deviation
Distance from a pivot point in which the signal is still valid - 14

MACD Threshold
Threshold of the deviation of the MACD that signals an exit - 6.2


Making sense of it all
The Bollinger bands are used to visually see the volatility of the underlying security. When they narrow, it shows that the market is not sure which way to push price. I.E no-one is buying or selling with urgency. When there is a lot of traders in the market to sell, you will see the market drop and the Bollinger bands increase in bandwidth. It is the same with an up-trending market as well.

It is the breakout of this constrictive time of the market that I use to enter the market. If this breakout is close to a pivot point, it makes the trade setup even more positive.


Entering a trade
The first thing to look for is the narrowing of the Bollinger bands. When the Bollinger bandwidth crosses under the trigger line, you want to keep an eye out for a low on the histogram followed by an increase in bandwidth. This is a signal that it maybe breaking out and that is the entry point. Enter the market long if the MACD is trending up or short if it is trending down. Put more simply, trade in the way that the market is breaking away.

When I enter a position, I enter a wide stop loss as the EUR/JPY can be volatile and go in the other direction before it trends in the predicted direction.


Exiting a trade
When the MACD histogram is starting to turn in the opposite direction of the trade with a certain threshold of this turn, it can signify an end to the rally. The threshold must be set at a level which is not too sensitive as to make you exit a longer profitable trade but not too lenient as to give much of your profits back. Experimenting with this level is the only way to know which is best for different pairs.

Another way to plan your exits is to stage out at differing pivot levels. Say you enter a trade when it breaks down from the Pivot point. You would exit say half your lots at the 1st support line and then move your stop loss up to entry. Then your remaining lots at the 2nd support.

Examples:

The top red bars show a short. The bottom indicator pink bars show short entries which do not take into account pivot points. The last trade on the right in which I am still in is turning out quite profitable, I just don’t enter with as many lots as if it did line up with the pivot points. You can see with the restriction of the bands on the right that something big was going to happen, the system tells you when it is time. I set up alarms on the indicator to alert me when to enter a trade. With different pairs I have different voices, so On EUR/JPY I hear “enter long EUROYEN” when the signal is given and “exit EUROYEN”. Pretty cool but enables me not to be glued to the screens, which can be hard to get away from…


Another short term trade short which resulted in a profit of 146 pips

-GCTrader1 from www.forexfactory-

Daily 95 Pips Forex Strategy

The basis of this system is very simple and has proven to be profitable, though I am adjusting the money management/profit targets.

Overview

This is a pure "set and forget" system where trades are placed at the same time everyday. The option is also there for those inclined to monitor their positions to adjust stop levels as profit targets are reached. Please note that there is currently an Expert Advisor being created that will automate the trading of this strategy, thus keeping to the set and forget objective. Please click on the paperclip at the top right hand side of the screen to find the current versions.

By setting multiple profit targets we are exercising money management, while aiming for 95 pips profit from a 50 pips move in price. We will simply be placing orders 5 pips above the previous days HIGH and 5 pips below the previous days LOW.(Actually, it's more like the previous 17 hrs at 5 pm EST.). Use a 30 pips stop loss for all orders. Orders are placed on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Execution

1.) At 5pm EST open the 1hr chart (2hrs b4 start of the Asian session) of USDJPY. For those whose brokers spreads are still wide at 5pm EST on Sunday (which is 7am my time on a Monday here in Brisbane), in order to avoid the wide spreads you may need to wait until they reduce to normal before placing the orders for the day. I typically have to wait until around 8pm EST.

2.) Use the high and low of the previous 17hrs. For Mondays orders go back as far as 00:00 EST on Friday for high and low.

3.) Open a total of 6 PENDING orders (for each pair) including 3 BUY STOPS and 3 SELL STOPS that expire within 24hrs (I use 18hrs) as follows:

Buy/Long Orders:
1 - Entry = HIGH+5pips, Take Profit=15pips, S/L=30pips
2 - Entry = HIGH+5pips, Take Profit=30pips, S/L=30pips
3 - Entry = HIGH+5pips, Take Profit=50pips, S/L=30pips

Sell/Short Orders:
1 - Entry = LOW-5pips, Take Profit=15pips, S/L=30pips
2 - Entry = LOW-5pips, Take Profit=30pips, S/L=30pips
3 - Entry = LOW-5pips, Take Profit=50pips, S/L=30pips

That's it!

Once you have placed your orders you are free to go and do something else with your day as this strategy does not require you to be monitoring the trades. Though, as already mentioned, to maximise results you may choose to adjust stop levels when profit targets are reached.

There can be 4 possible outcomes after either the long or short trades are triggered:
1.) All 3 profit targets are reached for a total of +95pips.
2.) The first 2 profit targets are reached (+45pips) and the remaining lot is stopped out (-30pips) leaving a total of +15pips.
3.) The first profit target is reached (+15pips) and the two remaining lots are stopped out for a total of -45pips.
4.) All 3 lots are stopped out for a total of -90pips.
Additional to this is the variable outcomes of when both the long and short trades are triggered.
Also note that for those so inclined to monitor the trades, stop levels may be adjusted on remaining lot/s to protect already achieved profits. Trailing stops may also be used at your discretion.

Please note that as a general rule of thumb you should not risk any more than 3% of your trading account on any one trade. Therefore, with the DAILY95PIPS strategy the order size will need to be divided between the long and short orders. The total potential loss on the long orders (90pips) will therefore add up to 3% of your trading account. Alternatively, you could risk 3% of your trading capital on EACH order, totalling 9% of your trading capital being risked for the long trades. The same applies to the short orders.

By: mikelath
www.forexfactory.com