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Showing posts with label emini trading system. Show all posts
Showing posts with label emini trading system. Show all posts

Using Trailing Stops In Your Trading System

As traders, we are all familiar with the feeling of excitement when the trade goes our way.

The satisfaction of knowing we used the necessary discipline as required by our trading system and followed through adhering to the rules as outlined by that system.

We watch in anticipation as the set-up materializes and reveals the entry point we expected.

Order entry was executed without a hitch and now we are watching as all our hard work has paid off…so far.

The next step however, and the most difficult for new traders is locking in profits.

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This area of the trading process is where many deviate from their rules based trading system and let emotion take over the trade.

Many times profit is erased and a loss is incurred because the futures trader fails to follow his system and obey his stop loss.

Maximizing profits is the goal and the only way to ensure we lock in profits already made is by utilizing and enforcing the trailing stop.

Are Your Stops In Place?

The trailing stop is dynamic in that you as the trader will continuously adjust the stop as your position continues to move up with the market if in a long position.

The opposite would be true if the trader were holding a short position and the direction is down.

By continually moving the trailing stop as our position moves, we lock in profits already made, effectively a guarantee that a loss will not be a result of the trade.

The trailing stop is a one-sided calculation in that it is calculated to move in only one direction, trailing our position as the trade moves in the direction we anticipated from the beginning.

The trailing stop is only adjusted as our position makes new highs if we are long the market or adjusted downward if we are short the market.

The trailing stop is never adjusted opposite of the initial move. The trailing stop is designed to protect profits already made, only.

Many times, new traders begin a trade with the market going in the direction they expect and are quickly in the money.

Reversals Happen - Often Unexpectedly!

But as is often the case, the market reverses and turns against the trader. Either out of emotion or the absolute need to be right, the new trader either fails to obey his trailing stop or never considers using one in the first place.

Profits made earlier rapidly evaporate and turn into a loss which could have been avoided had the trader obeyed the rules of his trading system and entered a trailing stop order.

Of course, a initial stop loss order should be implemented when the trade is executed in the beginning.

The initial stop loss is there to protect you from a large loss should the trade go south below your entry point.

The trailing stop is there to protect profits as the trade unfolds and continues to move in the direction you anticipated when the order was executed.

Index futures can be fast paced, volatile and is highly liquid and it is the equivalent of trading suicide to actively use any method without employing both initial stop losses and trailing stops in your trading system.

Trailing stops can be used and are used effectively in both day trading and scalping no matter which of these emini trading methods are chosen to trade the index futures market.

Emini Pivot Points - A Powerful Emini Simple Indicator

Simplicity should be the goal of all index futures traders when it comes to their trading methodology.

Uncomplicated methods allow the trader to watch market action without the level of stress associated with a complex system, freeing them to concentrate on potential trade set-ups.

Emini pivot points are one such  simple trading indicator many experienced traders employ exclusively in the index futures markets with excellent results.

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A powerful technical analysis tool, pivot points have proven to be effective across all financial markets no matter what instrument is traded, whether futures contracts, stocks and even currencies.

Many trading services provide futures traders daily pivot points along with import levels of support and resistance before the market opens.

These chart setting services are affordable and an excellent tool for people choosing to trade using pivot points in conjunction with support and resistance levels.

If you are unfamiliar with pivot points and using them as a simple indicator, follow along and learn how they are implemented by futures traders to effectively trade the ES , YM and NQ futures contracts.

A Change In Market Direction

If you've been around the financial market for any length of time, you've heard of leading and lagging indicators. Pivot points are commonly referred to as a leading inductor since the area of the pivot point is established before the market opens.

A pivot is defined as a point on which something turns. In the index futures trading world, this means a change of short term trend.

For example, if the market opened down and continued down throughout the morning session, the trend is down so far for the day. As the market continues down and bounces off an area of support and reverses, the trend is still considered down until is reaches the pivot point for the day.

Once price action pushes through the pivot point, the trend has changed to upwards. Many traders use these pre-defined areas, both pivot points and levels of support and resistance, to initiate trades.

Drawing The Lines

If you take pivots points and levels of support and resistance numbers and draw lines on your chart, odds are they will line up with the areas where changes of trend, bounces and pullbacks have occurred in the past or very near that area.

Some traders only use a time and sales screen with these levels written on a sheet of paper without using a chart. A testament to the power of pivot points and levels of support and resistance when used properly.

Calculating Pivot Points

Because they are a leading indicator, the trader knows in advance what might occur should price action reach one of these levels.

As we mentioned above, simplicity is what we should look for in a indicator and the mathematical calculation to determine pivots points and other levels is a simple formula. By using numbers from the previous days session, we can determine the possible trading range  for the following day.

By using the previous days low of the day, the high of the day and the closing price and divide by three, we can easily enough generate the range for the next trading session.

If you are not sure what is meant by a range, it is simply the low and high of a period of time. In this case the high would be how far the market went as bulls pushed the market up and the low would be how low sellers sold the market for the session. A Pivot Point Calculator can be used to calculate daily, weekly and monthly pivot points.

The range is a complete picture of what took place during the session. Within this range, there will be evidence of struggle where bulls and bears fought over lines of support and resistance with the pivot point being where the trend changed from up to down or down to up.

The pivot point is an indicator of market sentiment and the mood of emini traders. Most experienced traders advocate going long if the market is above the pivot point and short selling the market if it is below the pivot point line.

At first, pivot points may seem complicated. However once you begin using them, you will soon realize how easy they are to apply as a simple indicator of current market direction.

Many experienced traders have used them to such levels of success, they would not even consider using any other indicator to trade the index futures market. Pivot points can be used with all of the index futures including the ES emini, YM, NQ and the Russell with equal results.

The Best Trading System - Selecting One

A trading system can be as simple or as complex as you wish, however, simple systems tend to do better since they eliminate information overload. If we take in too much information, the decision process becomes difficult which results in bad execution or hesitation, causing losses.

So it is best to exercise some degree of caution when choosing a trading methodology. Simplicity is ideal when we are searching for the best emini trading system to meet our needs.

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If simplicity is the goal, system design is the criteria we should look to first. Is the design of the system built with user-friendliness in mind? Nothing is more frustrating than watching the market and dealing with a difficult system.

It should flow easily between the different modules that make up a system. Your futures broker should provide fast execution when your system reveals a trade set-up and work well with your charting software or time and sales feeds.

Data feeds should be in real-time which require dependable Internet connections from a reputable Internet Service Provider. A back-up Internet connection is recommended should your ISP fail.

If you've ever been in a trade and lose your connection, frantic can best describe the feeling a trader experiences when his ISP goes down. A back up connection is a must since major losses can be the result.

The best emini trading system, as you can see, is not just a single module or one size fits all. Interaction between various tools is a requirement as outlined above.

Trading methodology is the heart of the system. Choosing a time frame to trade will be part of your system. Traditionally, day trading is the method most often associated with index futures trading, with many traders choosing scalping as their approach to the futures market.

Choosing to take small profits many times throughout the day while the daily cash market is open. Others will open positions and trade the overnight sessions when trading is much slower. Some use a combination of both scalp trading and classic day trading throughout the day.

The use of traditional Japanese candlestick charts are used by most index futures traders, while some experienced traders will use only a time and sales screen. Others use a combination of charts, indicators and oscillators to determine when to enter and exit the futures market.

Pivot points around areas of strong/minor support and resistance is another often used methodology and is very productive. As you can see, the choices are varied and trading is available to just about any methodology favored by the individual trader.

Having the best trading system that fits your personality and trading style is what we are after as futures traders. The market is complex no doubt. It is fickle and ruled entirely by the emotions of greed and fear which creates a paradox.

While we see the evidence of emotion every day in the market, we seek out a trading method which eliminates the emotional aspect of trading. Our ideal is to react only to the conditions presented by the market in technical terms, not through fear or greed.

Your system should be of such design that you automatically submit trades based only on technical analysis, without hesitation. Hesitation is the result of emotion which more often than not translates into bad execution and loss.

A good trading system will assist you in determining when to place trades based on market dynamics and technical conditions, not financial news reports, crowd mentality or geopolitical events.

Is there a perfect index futures trading system? No. Is there a trading system that will help you become a proficient? Absolutely! Odds are if you are reading this, you have some experience in the financial markets, most likely as a stock day trader, swing trader or just a long term investor.

Although if you're a long term investor, it is recommended you first read up on technical analysis since you are more likely coming from a fundamental background rather than a technical analysis background.

Short term traders live and die by technical analysis and some education in this area is important before venturing into index futures trading.

As a trader, you can build your own system or you can choose to adopt one of the better trading systems available. However you choose to proceed, finding the best emini trading system will boil down to personal choice and what best suits your trading needs and goals.

Learning Index Futures Trading With A Focus On Trading Well


Make no mistake, the odds of long term success at short term trading stands firmly against most all who enter the financial markets. Each year, beginning traders set out with a plan to educate themselves about emini futures trading with most soon realizing index futures trading is one of the most difficult challenges they’ve ever experienced.

Once they reach this realization most will throw in the towel, ending their short trading careers in frustration, while a serious few will stay in the futures game long enough to learn how to trade and become successful.

Will you become one of the few serious winners or will you go home with the losers?

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Profiting consistently in the index futures markets demands standing against the crowd mentality which requires a level of commitment and dedication most cannot successfully achieve.

Learn To Trade Well

By beginning to build on these skills early in your trading career, you will be one step ahead and on your way to trading well. Trading well is what successful traders strive for everyday in the markets with profits being the result of trading well.

Most index futures traders use various techniques that comprise a trading system to execute potential trades. By learning to read and understand the dynamics of the market as well as developing an understanding of the internal and external forces which impact the markets, will they set themselves apart from the those that have less commitment to trading well.

The index futures market is one of extremes with traders experiencing winning and losing on a daily basis since all experienced traders know losing trades are a part of trading well. Losses are a part of futures trading and to be expected.

How the trader handles losses is the difference between a successful trader and someone who will not last long in the game. The emotional up and downs, so much a part of the markets, drives many rookies to a quick exit.

Once you learn how to handle your losing trades and accept losses equally with controlling your emotions, you’ve matured as a trader.

Learning to trade well is the key to the game. Beginners come into the futures markets raw and reckless with no clear understanding of market dynamics and most importantly, with no trading system or an expectancy.

Learn from mental mistakes. Make notes on bad executions, cut losses short and use trailing stops. Learn to exercise discipline since lack of this important skill can end a trading career far more rapidly than a lack of trading knowledge.

Many new and inexperienced traders often find themselves in a cycle of winning and losing bigger, over-trading to “get back” what they lost on the previous trade, eventually blowing out their trading account. At this point the trader will either give up or commit to gaining the skills through trading education to become successful.

Use a Trading Mentor

Locate an experienced trader that’s willing to share his knowledge about the markets. Ask about winning  trading systems, bad habits and losing strategies. Find a mentoring program that utilizes a trading system that can be expanded on once you gain confidence and experience at index mini-sized futures trading.

By joining a mentoring program, beginning traders can learn the system used by the mentor with some offering a live  trading room so the beginner can follow along during live trading sessions. Turn their knowledge into your success and follow their advice. The assistance you receive eliminates throwing money away and many months of frustration.

Trading requires that you learn to crawl before you walk. Unfortunately, many who enter the futures markets each year believe they can walk when they haven’t yet learned to crawl.

The futures trading roadside is littered with the blown out trading accounts of novices who didn’t have what it takes, focused only on the potential profits to be made rather than learning to trade well.

Set Ups And How To Incorporate Them Into A Index Futures Trading System

Trading requires the participant to be prepared for the coming market session and one of the criteria that must be met is trade set up considerations. Liquidity is very important, although the emini index futures market seldom has issues with liquidity during regular market session. However, the index futures are accessible twenty-four a day and liquidity is a concern in the after hours market. If a trader holds a position into the after hours market, unloading these contracts once the daily market has closed can become difficult. Liquidity should be considered if after market hours are chosen by the market participant to hold positions.

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Another important consideration is volatility. Depending on the chosen time frame, volatility or price movement is important before acting on a set up. Futures traders live for volatile markets. Enough market volatility is needed to make a profit, usually two to three times the trader’s initial risk.

Whether trading a pullback or entering a fast moving upward breakout, the trader needs to be aware of the dominant direction the market is moving. All financial markets move in three direction: up, down or sideways with the index futures markets being no different. Overall, markets usually trend down or up twenty percent of the time give or take a few percentage points and move sideways the remaining time. However, the day trading participant pays attention to the overall trend make makes his living trading entering both long and short positions within the prevailing trend.

Most players have trading systems that keep them in the market continually. But if you consider the sideways market as a condition of the overall market, then you probably need a trading system that keeps you out of the market at least seventy percent of the time. The person that is always holding a position in the market is going to spend a great deal of time in a sideways market which translates into many losing trades and many transactions cost, which makes your broker very happy. If this is the case, you should look at tweaking your trading system to avoid sideways markets. Sideways markets are very common during the New York lunch hours when floor traders break for lunch.

Set ups are criteria that must be met, according to your trading methodology, before ever executing and entering a position, either long or short. When this set up criteria is met, overall improvement of the trade becoming profitable are enhanced. Most index futures trading participants make a profit because the market moves a sufficient amount from where they entered the market. Although set ups are considered a criteria for a potential trade entry, the are better used as an event that must occur before the trader even considers opening a position.

Timing the market is also a very important consideration when utilizing trade set ups. Once the trader chosen the time frame in which to trade and understands the general market direction, he must wait until the actual move begins. If your trading systems alerts you to a possible trade set up, odds are the system will alert you before the move actually happens. Seasoned traders will use experience and market knowledge to keep from entering a position on the alert while inexperienced traders will enter once the alert is recognized. Experience brings patience and the experienced trader will only enter once the market move has begun. Improve your odds of success by confirming the market direction you are expecting before executing a trade.

Trading software is very important and almost all trading software will come packed with many different indicators and oscillators built into the package. Unfortunately, these oscillators and indicators give the inexperienced participant a false since of security. They will spend a few hours learning about individual indicators and oscillators and usually find these over-optimized system only lead to disaster. Too many indicators cause information over-load while trading systems that utilize one or two indicators such as moving averages or areas of support and resistance are much better. Simple systems using few indicators are the systems most often used by veteran traders.

Building a system that is tested and proven is how veteran traders become successful trading index futures. Focusing on how to locate trade setups and timing market entry are just one the keys to market success. I later articles, we will discuss different trade set ups and how they can be used to improve trade execution in both trade entry and trade exit. However, it should be noted, most newly minted traders focus too much on trade entry and less on exiting trades. Knowing when to sell, it has been argued with great success, is one of the most important factors in protecting trading capital and living to trade again. Trading systems that alert the trader to both entry and exit strategies that are simplistic in mechanics are by far the best emini trading systems

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