Beyond Price Action

Another look at our progress
 

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Frankly I am not good at posting real time
while trying to manage a position

So here it is for what its worth

The entry candle is called "possible" because it
could have triggered either long or short

One should also remember that context is key

1) This is a holiday, so staying in a position is more
risky. One should assume that today is a scalp day

2) There for I would be prior to a test of the high or low
where automated software is likely to reverse the market
 

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I will make this my final post today

Notice that it shows the reversal candle at the high as predicted
The rules (if followed in a disciplined way) resulted in a nice scalp
 

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I have just finished a training session.

I have been using a Weekly VWAP envelope with excellent success
In addition to the envelope, I also show traders how to incorporate
Volume Profile POC (to obtain a directional skew).

Some of this is obvious for example when price is below the VWAP
odds favor short trades, Price action above the VWAP suggests
long trades have the edge. Using the VP/VWAP combo allows
the trader to obtain a significant statistical edge

The trade setups shown in this example are
of two (2) types

1) Breakout-Retest-Continuation Entry
2) 1-2-3 (Multiple Tests of a Key Reference)

The hit rate is high (if the rules are followed) and the price
action is persistent

These setups tend to occur in the middle of the week and
are easy to anticipate in the context of pending economic news
 

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  • Weekly VWAP & Markup.PNG
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And here is an example of a long entry based on positive skew (and price action)

The trick to this is to learn where to anchor the VP/POC (Red Line) and unfortunately
in order to learn this, you would have to see me advance the VP/POC one bar at a time
Its not possible in this format.

What you can see is that at some point, the skew (the space between the red line and
the black dots) becomes positive AND the price action moves above the dots, which
signals a long. As seen in the example, the skew is strong and the resulting move is
persistent, about 30 pts.

In my classes I teach traders the underlying statistics that backup the system logic,
how to decide where the anchor the VP/POC and how to interpret the price action
in order to find the best entry. Management of the trade, including where to put
your stop is also important. Most professionals know at least some of the basics
and so this proceeds quickly
 

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  • Positive Skew Entry.PNG
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To facilitate my classes I am marking up each day's chart

Today's Markup is relatively simple as follows

1) We start with a negative initial skew as shown by the distance between the red line
(the VP/POC) and the Black Dots (Weekly VWAP). Because the red line is (far) above the
VWAP, the statistical skew is significant, which means that the tendency for price to move
toward the VWAP is strong.

2) For the first 30 minutes, price moved in a tight range (trading range) then it broke to
the downside as suggested by the initial skew. This "breakout" (B/O) is my preferred setup
and has the highest hit rate. It is characterized by a break up or down past a key reference
followed by a retrace, with entry at the open of the next bar. In this case it resulted in a
nearly 20 pt win as price touched the VWAP (black dots).

3) As seen in this chart, markets often stall out as the big institutions decide which way to go
and during this process they "stage inventory" moving price to test or retest the edges of the
VWAP envelope. From this point we see another B/O entry. This entry (also a high hit rate)
can be held for a swing to the opposite edge of the VWAP envelope.

4) Unfortunately it is impossible to show the red line (VP/POC) advancing bar by bar, but if
I could, you would see that its changing position signals each swing. Using these tools
and with sufficient screen time, I am now able to see right away when I am wrong, which
allows me to minimize losses, and when I am right, I am able to get "in" the trade early
and thus maximize profit by holding longer.
 

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  • Tuesday 9-10-2024 Markup.PNG
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Hello Everyone

Here is the Markup for 11 Sept 2024

I am experimenting with different ways to indicate entry (Green/Red Arrows)
and trying to show how I use the VP/POC (Red Line) to create directional skew.

As mentioned previously, ideally a person following in real time would see
the position of the Red Line "jump" from above to below the VWAP (Black
Dots). This sudden change always indicates a strong tendency for price
to move up or down, creating high percentage entries that (as you see
below) result in big swings (of at least 10 pts).

Although I do not work with retail traders often, when I do, it is gratifying to
see how the light goes on in their minds, as they see (in real time) how the
skew develops, and then within a couple of bars, price starts to move strongly
up or down. Once they see it a couple of times, it seems to give them the
confidence they need to enter the market and (more importantly) to hold a
position long enough to obtain a significant profit.

If I may suggest, the real problem for retail (amateurs) is that they don't have
a system that inspires confidence. As a result they hesitate, they get in late
and they "trade for ticks" instead of for 3,5,7 or even 10 points. The bottom line
is that they might have a couple of winners (for ticks) followed by one big loser
that gives back everything they have won and more.

Good luck
 

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Attached below is an example of an hourly & 15 Min "Markup"
(hourly candles on the left side, 15 min candles on the right).

This is part of the method I teach commercial traders, and it allows them
to identify important patterns in each session's price action. Notice
how the patterns of the first couple of days seem to repeat. This is
known as "trading range" action. It is important because once you see
and identify it, you can decide whether to trade it, or to stand aside and
wait for price to trend (a much more profitable trade for retail traders
to take). Why is this so important for retail traders? Because without this
knowledge, struggling traders tend to get into unproductive early trades,
that are mostly losers. Then they have to spend the rest of the day
trying to "catch up".
 

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Markup for 9-12-2024

As mentioned previously, we are experimenting with various ways of "Marking Up" a session chart

The primary points to make are as follows

1) We begin by characterizing the previous price action. Why? Because price action is cyclical
Skilled traders can anticipate (with good accuracy) the next session's price action, and confirm it
within the first half hour of the new session.
2) We anchor the VP/POC and extend it to the right to obtain the "Statistical Skew", which is predictive
of future price action. Decisions to enter based on skilled evaluation of skew create an edge that is measurable
and if often an improvement over what a retail trader can obtain using standard indicators.
3) Based on previous price action we suggest that retail traders stand aside if the price action is "Trading Range"
and wait patiently for price to trend above or below the "Range". We also suggest that retail traders NOT trade
"for ticks", but try to hold for 3 -5 pts.

Today's "Tip"

It is often the case that price will retest a "breakout bar", creating a "spike" on a 5 or 15 minute candle time frame
when that happens, simply move to a 1 min time frame and you will see a reversal pattern that can be used to
get on board (with the trend). This can add significantly to a profitable day.
 

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Finally

We attach a chart showing the Weekly VWAP envelope

This is something that we have used for years and it has
proven itself over that period of time as a reliable way
of framing price action.

Notice that volatility is lowest on Monday & Tuesday
and is increasing as price continues to trend. Trend can
be characterized (accurately) by the candles forming
above the envelope (and the 20ema). This allows
the skilled trader to hold winners longer.
 

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I am done for the day and will post this chart to illustrate a technique
that has been profitable for many years

Breakout-Retest of the breakout bar

This one technique allows me to make a profit and get out
with very small risk and is therefore "Asymmetrical". When I was
taught this technique, I wanted to trade size immediately, however
the person who taught me cautioned that "nothing works all the time"
and to learn to build a position over several days (as he often did).
Now I use this on several time frames, trading around existing positions
and it is the basis of my system

It will be interesting to see if anyone recognizes its potential

* I edited my chart to provide a bit more context
 

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The attached chart shows an example of a Breakout (from a Trading Range) down, followed
by a minor breakout and (again) a pullback to retest the low.

A strong (Wide Range) bar up starts the reversal back up to retest the origin of the move

This is common price action and is meant to educate struggling traders, many of whom are
still using traditional indicators.

This pattern, which is current, shows a possible "Major Trend Reversal" at the top.

The red line (VP/POC) suggests that the statistical skew was "symmetrical" while price
was moving in a trading range, followed by a move down as institutions create a profit
opportunity. At the bottom, price gaps up, retraces back down (a minor B/O) the reverses
back up to the original trading range .

These types of patterns are very common. Once a trader "knows" the logic, the rest is about
identifying entries and determining stops (if they are to be used at all).
 

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Here is the chart for today 9/16 for trading the US open at 6:30 am local time

I have simplified the chart, so that retail traders can learn the (breakout) setup
and (hopefully) start to make money sooner.

The black dotted line is the VWAP. This is the weighted average of all the volume
from the open to the present candle.

The red line is the VP (Volume Profile/POC) and the distance from this red line
to the Dotted Black line is the "Skew". If the red line is below the Dotted Black
line, it means that when price is at the line, it will tend to move up. If the red line
is above the Dotted Black line, it means that when price is at the red line, the
tendency is for price to move down. Its that simple, you only have to know two (2)
things to know the probable direction of price.

"Context" is everything else, from the previous session to whatever happens from the open
until a setup occurs. The setup is a simple breakout, followed by a retest of the breakout
bar. Once the breakout bar is retested, entry is next (in the direction of the skew).

We advise retail (amateurs) to wait patiently for price to breakout, because if they don't
it is likely that they will enter trades with less of an edge, and find that they spend the
rest of the day trying to get back to break even. IF instead they will just wait patiently
for the breakout and setup, odds favor a significant winner.

In the instance seen on this chart, waiting for the setup resulted in a 9 point win

Today was an experiment. There were three (3) retail traders in the room and one (1)
friend who trades his own account and has skills. We spent about an hour explaining
the basics and going over chart examples. As you can imagine, there were many questions.

This system (only one setup) is as simple as it gets. If a retail trader can't make this work
they probably should not be trading.
 

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