Price action fakeouts & traps: How to avoid getting caught on the wrong side of the market

Many traders rely on breakouts as key trading opportunities. The logic is simple: when price moves beyond a well-defined support or resistance level, it signals strength and continuation. However, markets are deceptive, and more often than not, these breakouts turn into fakeouts—also known as false breakouts or traps. A fakeout occurs when pri...

Machine Learning in trading: a game changer for markets?

Introduction to Machine Learning The financial markets are evolving rapidly, driven by increased data availability, computational advancements, and sophisticated trading strategies. Traders—both institutional and retail—are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) and, more specifically, Machine Learning (ML) to gain an edge in the markets. ...

The themes that keep on giving – Nationalism

We will keep on returning to the thematics of 2025 every single time they appear. Already two out of the five themes for this year have been the biggest movers of markets, and we expect this thing to continue throughout. Make no mistake, as in indices and FX traders, we're going to have to accept that volatility is going to grow from this point,...

Reliability of Chart Patterns – As Many Questions as Answers for System Development

Introduction The ability to recognise and effectively use chart patterns is often considered a fundamental skill in technical trading. Traders across all levels, from beginners to institutional professionals, study recurring price formations in an attempt to predict future market movements. However, the actual reliability of these patterns is...

Unlocking Trading Potential: Mastering Confidence, Self-Relevance, and Locus of Control

Achieving long-term success in trading requires more than just knowledge and technical skills. It depends on building a foundation of mindset, behaviours, and self-awareness.  This foundation is built on three critical drivers: Trading Confidence and Reliability, Trading Self-Relevance, and Trading Locus of Control.  These drivers work toge...

What’s going to move the dial to start 2025?

One of the biggest indicators confounding markets, economists, and commentators over the past six months in particular, is the strength of the employment market. Not only are they stable, they are moving at rates outside historical ten year norms. Just have a look at Australia at the moment, unemployment at 4% averaging 35 to 40,000 jobs per mon...

Welcome to 2025, a year that will be shaped by macro thematic events that were put in place at the end of 2024. Why we need to prioritise thematic analysis is that if we look at 2023 and 2024 indices and FX markets that were tied to the thematics of those two years outperformed peers and similar tools. Considering the S&P 500 returned a whopping...

Adding Technical Indicators to your trading system. A checklist

For traders, the motivation to explore additional technical indicators often stems from a desire to enhance trading results and refine their existing system. With the abundance of information available about technical indicators, it can be tempting to incorporate new tools into your strategy. However, as the decision-maker in your trading journe...

Strategy Series: Mastering the Parabolic SAR in Trading Entry and Exit

The Parabolic SAR (Stop and Reverse) is a widely recognised technical indicator that has stood the test of time and is used by many trades to this day. First introduced by J. Welles Wilder in his 1978 book "New Concepts in Technical Trading Systems", the Parabolic SAR gained popularity as a trend-following tool due to its simplicity and visual appe...

Developing your trading skills: An action-based approach to improved trading outcomes

Trading is a skill that requires continuous development, self-assessment, and refinement. For traders aiming to achieve consistent profitability and long-term success, following a structured process can make the difference between stagnation and mastery.  In this article, we’ll explore a systemized five-step process for trading development, d...

AI and the Evolution of Trading: Redefining Price Action Strategies

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic concept; it is a rapidly evolving reality reshaping industries, including financial markets.  For traders, understanding how AI impacts price action and adopting strategies to adapt to these changes are critical to staying competitive.  This article aims to explore AI's current capabili...

Mastering trade entries: Avoiding common mistakes that may sabotage trading success

Introduction: Understanding the Impact of Entry Errors Trade entry is a critical moment that is undoubtedly contributory to the success or failure of a trade (although exits remain an additional key component of course).  Whilst many traders focus much energy and effort on entries, the importance of a well-planned and so called ‘high proba...

Scaling in Trading: Techniques to Optimise Returns and Control Risk

Introduction to Scaling in Trading Scaling in trading involves adjusting the size of trading positions based on specific criteria or rules. This concept is crucial for both discretionary and automated traders, with the latter group often finding it easier to implement due to the structured, rule-based nature of automated systems. For discretiona...

Addressing the 9 Critical Psychological Challenges When Creating and Trading Expert Advisors (EAs)

It's well-known that many discretionary traders struggle with discipline, emotional control, and other psychological hurdles that can impact their decision-making process, particularly when it comes to entering and exiting trades. One of the widely recognized benefits of automated trading models, however, is the belief that these psychological barr...

Strength of Signal – An Important Consideration for Traders?

In this article, we take an in-depth look at the concept of strength of signal and its potential role in improving trading outcomes. Traders are constantly seeking ways to enhance their results consistently, and the idea of evaluating the strength of a trading signal may provide a pathway toward greater reliability and performance when applied to t...