Trend Trading Strategies

Mark Holstead held a really useful webinar on trend trading strategies. These provide opportunities to enter into a trade on trending days.

In general he recommends fairly wide stops.

Here are the 10 he went through (in the order of strategies I’m most likely to use), assume long trades and a 2:1 R/R.

1st Pull Back

Buying a pullback after an initial drive in the hope that the trend continues. Use the first pullback to the 20EMA. He suggests a stop that is 50% of the initial drive with a take profit double that.

Channel Bounce

Buy a pullback to a channel/trend line. Use about 2 touches to confirm the channel. Enter on the next touch of the lower channel. Stop should be below the previous touch of the channel.

Bull Flag

Buy a flag (i.e. consolidation area) after a drive upwards. Enter on the break of the high, stop loss should be below the flag low.

New High Range Break

After the price breaks highs and consolidates place a trade after it breaks out of the consolidation zone. Enter at the break of the high with a stop below the consolidation zone.

Afternoon Break

Buy a breakout in the final 3 hours of a trending day. The breakout refers to the price going above the high of the day. The stop should be 25% of the daily range so far.

I took a trade on the NASDAQ using this strategy during the webinar and it went pretty well.

3 Minute Cycle

Buy the first oversold condition on a 3 minute chart during an uptrend. Use the stochastic indicator (14, 3, 3 settings) or any other oscillator.

Enter into the trade as the price comes up from oversold. Example stop size could be half the swing high to low with the take profit target being the previous high.

Wick Through Support

Price tests support, breaks below but recovers forming a wick. Enter a trade on the breakout of the highs. Place a stop under the wick.

Opening Range Break

Buy a breakout in the first 15 minutes of the trading day. As outlined briefly in this post. Enter at the break of the high, stop should be 50% of the range.

Range Break Fake

Buying a breakout of a range after a false break lower. Enter on the break of the highs with a stop loss below the range low. An aggressive trade would enter on the break back up through the range low.

VWAP Kiss

After a trending period price comes back to touch VWAP. Enter long on the test of the VWAP. Use a stop that is half the distance from the VWAP to the high of the range.