To what extent fundamentals are used varies from trader to trader. At the same time, the best Forex strategy will invariably use price action. This is also known as technical analysis. When it comes to technical currency trading strategies, there are two main styles: trend following, and counter-trend trading. Both of these FX trading strategies try to profit by recognising and exploiting price patterns.
When it comes to price patterns, the most important concepts include ones such as support and resistance. Put simply, these terms represent the tendency of a market to bounce back from previous lows and highs.
- Support is the market’s tendency to rise from a previously established low.
- Resistance is the market’s tendency to fall from a previously established high.
This occurs because market participants tend to judge subsequent prices against recent highs and lows.
- What happens when the market approaches recent lows? Put simply, buyers will be attracted to what they regard as cheap.
- What happens when the market approaches recent highs? Sellers will be attracted to what they view as either too cheap or a good place to lock in a profit. Therefore, recent highs and lows are the yardsticks by which current prices are evaluated.
There is also a self-fulfilling aspect to support and resistance levels. This happens because market participants anticipate certain price action at these points and act accordingly. As a result, their actions can contribute to the market behaving as they had expected. However, it’s worth noting these three things:
- Support and resistance levels do not present ironclad rules, they are simply a common consequence of the natural behaviour of market participants.
- Trend-following systems aim to profit from the times when support and resistance levels break down.
- Counter-trending styles of trading are the opposite of trend following—they aim to sell when there’s a new high, and buy when there’s a new low.
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