Moving Average

On the chart below you can see what a moving average is. Its the blue line. It actually shows you the priceaction over a specific time. Now you might wonder what "moving" means - thats basically the closing/opening oder what ever you want price over a specific period. Might sound REALLY difficult but its really simple.
Moving Average of last 10 periods

The main purpose to you the moving average (MA) is to help you to see where the chart might go in the future.
There are actually two types of moving averages. Which are a little different.
The longer the period is of the moving average the slower it will be. And also the volatily might be almost flat.
Also on the other site, the smaller the period the choppier it might me.
Earlier I talked about two types of moving averages. Well these are the two:
  1. Simple
  2. Exponential
You could calculate them your own, but who wants that in the age of technology. So first come the basics and then I tell you how you might make money with it.
 

Fibonacci Extensions

You might also use Fib for finding targets.

In an uptrend, you use the Fibonacci Extension tool to determine where your target might be. To use the extension you need 3 points.
First, you need a significant Swing Low, then the most recent Swing High. Finally, any of the retracement levels.

Let's take a look on the daily USDCHF here. 
Former resistance turned support at 1.0510 held nicely
The 50.0% Fib level held strongly as support and,  three tests later, the pair finally it returned to move higher. You can see that it broke the last resistence of the swing (redline).
Now lets see what the extension would look like, if we put that on.
Fib extensions help us spot potential take profit points

If you take a look on the levels you can see that it almost testet EVERY level. Ok to be honest that wont happen all the time but it testet 0.618, 1, 1.5, and 1.618. So depending how aggressive you wanna trade, you could choose one of those.
And oh wonder, it also works on the downtrend ;).
Buyers could not break through the 61.8% Fib. Sellers jumped back in and brought price back down to test former lows
So lets put the extension on, thinking the downtrend will continue. The 38.2%, 50.0%, and 61.8% extension levels would have all been good places to take profit
And again. Profits would have been good ad 38.2%, 50.0%, or 61.8% levels. All these levels acted as support, possibly because other traders were keeping an eye out for these levels for profit taking as well.
But dont think this is the holy grail to money and fortune.First, nobody knows to wich extension it will move and in what time.
Second is that you have to choose a swing low. Some people might not pick your swinglows.
You will have to use your discretion in using the Fibonacci extension tool. You will have to judge how much longer the trend will continue. Later on, we will teach you methods to help you determine the strength of a trend.

Go and try it out in your demo account ;)
 

Fibonacci Retracement

Really important to know when to use Fibonacci (Fib) is, that it works the best when the market is trending. 

Uptrend

This is a daily chart of AUD/USD.
Daily chart of AUD/USD with Fibonacci retracement levels
Here the Fibonacci retracement gets plotted Levels by clicking on the Swing Low at .6955 on April 20 and dragging the cursor to the Swing High at .8264 on June 3.You dont have to do anything. The program makes it all it selfs. Isn't that great ?!
As you can see from the chart, the retracement levels were .7955 (23.6%), .7764 (38.2%), .7609 (50.0%), .7454 (61.8%), and .7263 (76.4%).
Now, the expectation is that if AUD/USD retraces from the recent high, it will find support at one of those Fibonacci levels because traders will be placing buy orders at these levels as price pulls back.
Now, let's look at what happened after the Swing High occurred.
38.2% Fib level held as support
Price pulled back right through the 23.6% level and continued to shoot down over the next couple of weeks. It even tested the 38.2% level but was unable to close below it.
Later on, around July 14, the market resumed its upward move and eventually broke through the swing high. Clearly, buying at the 38.2% Fibonacci level would have been a profitable long term trade!

Downtrend

Now, let's see how we would use the Fibonacci retracement tool during a downtrend. Below is a 4-hour chart of EUR/USD.
4-hour chart of EUR/USD with Fibonacci retracement levels
As on the uptrend, you just drag it from the high to the low instead of low to high.
And again your retracements show up.

50.0% Fib level held as resistance
How beautiful! This time it held on 50% retracement. and even broke the initial swing high.

For now, there's something you should always remember about using the Fibonacci tool and it's that they are not always simple to use! If they were that simple, traders would always place their orders at Fib levels and the markets would trend forever.
In the next lesson, we'll show you what can happen when Fibonacci levels fail.
 

Fibonacci Who?

You will be using Fibonacci ratios in our trading alot. So its better for you to learn and even love it. Like your mother's cooking. Fibonacci is very important and there are many different Fibonacci studies with weird-sounding names but there are two important ones: retracement and extension.
So who or what is Fibonacci ? 
Leo Fibonacci
No, Leonardo Fibonacci isn't the founder of Apple neither another famous guy. Well he used to be, but in the past. The very past. He was a famous Italian mathematician, also known as a super duper uber ultra geek.
He discovered a simple series of numbers that created ratios describing the natural proportions of things in the universe.
The ratios arise from the following number series: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144...
He formed the numbers by starting with 0 and adding the next Number (1). Adding those two gives 1. Now he added this Number with the last one -> 1+1 = 2, then 2+1=3 and so on.
After the first few numbers in the sequence, if you measure the ratio of any number to the succeeding higher number, you get .618. For example, 34 divided by 55 equals .618.
If you measure the ratio between alternate numbers you get .382. For example, 34 divided by 89 = 0.382 and that's as far as into the explanation as we'll go.
These ratios are called the "golden mean". You might know this term if you had some arts lessions and your teacher told you that this ratio is perfect in the human eye. We'll just cut to the chase; these are the ratios you HAVE to know:
Fibonacci Retracement Levels 
0.236, 0.382, 0.500, 0.618, 0.764
Fibonacci Extension Levels
0, 0.382, 0.618, 1.000, 1.382, 1.618


Traders use the Fibonacci retracement levels as potential support and resistance areas. Since so many traders watch these same levels and place buy and sell orders on them to enter trades or place stops, the support and resistance levels tend to become a self-fulfilling prophecy like the Pivot points but later to that, so keep on reading my blog ;).
Traders use the Fibonacci extension levels as profit taking levels. Again, since so many traders are watching these levels to place buy and sell orders to take profits, this tool tends to work more often than not due to self-fulfilling expectations.
Most charting software includes both Fibonacci retracement levels and extension level tools. In order to apply Fibonacci levels to your charts, you'll need to identify Swing High and Swing Low points.
A Swing High is a candlestick with at least two lower highs on both the left and right of itself.
A Swing Low is a candlestick with at least two higher lows on both the left and right of itself.
You got all that? Don't worry, we'll explain retracements, extensions, and most importantly, how to grab some pips using the Fib tool in the following sections.


Read more: http://www.babypips.com/school/fibonacci-who.html#ixzz1XIWN3kyl
 

How to Trade Chart Patterns

That's a whole lot of chart patterns we just taught you right there. We're pretty tired so it's time for us to take off and leave it to you from here...
Just playin'! We ain't leaving you till you're ready!
In this section, we'll discuss a bit more how to use these chart patterns to your advantage.
It's not enough to just know how the tools work, we've got to learn how to use them. And with all these new weapons in your arsenal, we'd better get those profits fired up!
Let's summarize the chart patterns we just learned and categorize them according to the signals they give. 

Reversal

Reversal patterns are those chart formations that signal that the ongoing trend is about to change course.
If a reversal chart pattern forms during an uptrend, it hints that the trend will reverse and that the price will head down soon. Conversely, if a reversal chart pattern is seen during a downtrend, it suggests that the price will move up later on.
In this lesson, we covered six chart patterns that give reversal signals. Can you name all six of them?
  1. Double Top
  2. Double Bottom
  3. Head and Shoulders
  4. Inverse Head and Shoulders
  5. Rising Wedge
  6. Falling Wedge
If you got all six right, brownie points for you!
Double topHead and shouldersRising wedge
Double bottomInverse head and shouldersFalling wedge
To trade these chart patterns, simply place an order beyond the neckline and in the direction of the new trend. Then go for a target that's almost the same as the height of the formation.
For instance, if you see a double bottom, place a long order at the top of the formation's neckline and go for a target that's just as high as the distance from the bottoms to the neckline.
In the interest of proper risk management, don't forget to place your stops! A reasonable stop loss can be set around the middle of the chart formation.
For example, you can measure the distance of the double bottoms from the neckline, divide that by two, and use that as the size of your stop.
Continuation
Continuation patterns are those chart formations that signal that the ongoing trend will resume.
Usually, these are also known as consolidation patterns because they show how buyers or sellers take a quick break before moving further in the same direction as the prior trend.
We've covered several continuation patterns, namely the wedges, rectangles, and pennants. Note that wedges can be considered either reversal or continuation patterns depending on the trend on which they form.
Falling wedgeBullish rectangleBullish pennant
Rising wedgeBearish rectangleBearish pennant
To trade these patterns, simply place an order above or below the formation (following the direction of the ongoing trend, of course). Then go for a target that's at least the size of the chart pattern for wedges and rectangles.
For pennants, you can aim higher and target the height of the pennant's mast.
For continuation patterns, stops are usually placed above or below the actual chart formation.
For example, when trading a bearish rectangle, place your stop a few pips above the top or resistance of the rectangle.

Bilateral

Bilateral chart patterns are a bit more tricky because these signal that the price can move either way.
Huh, what kind of a signal is that?!
This is where triangle formations fall in. Remember when we discussed that the price could break either to the topside or downside with triangles?
Ascending triangleDescending triangleSymmetrical triangle


To play these patterns, you should consider both scenarios (upside or downside breakout) and place one order on top of the formation and another at the bottom of the formation.
If one order gets triggered, you can cancel the other one. Either way, you'd be part of the action.
Double the possibilities, double the fun!
The only problem is that you could catch a false break if you set your entry orders too close to the top or bottom of the formation.
So be careful and don't forget to place your stops too!

Was the candlestick topic to short or to long ?
Just leave a comment! :)





Read more: http://www.babypips.com/school/how-to-trade-chart-patterns.html#ixzz1X9fihtj6
 

Basic Candlestick Patterns

Spinning Tops

Candlesticks with a long upper shadow, long lower shadow and small real bodies are called spinning tops. The color of the real body is not very important.
The pattern indicates the indecision between the buyers and sellers.

Spinning tops
The small real body (whether hollow or filled) shows little movement from open to close, and the shadows indicate that both buyers and sellers were fighting but nobody could gain the upper hand.
Even though the session opened and closed with little change, prices moved significantly higher and lower in the meantime. Neither buyers nor sellers could gain the upper hand, and the result was a standoff.
If a spinning top forms during an uptrend, this usually means there aren't many buyers left and a possible reversal in direction could occur.
If a spinning top forms during a downtrend, this usually means there aren't many sellers left and a possible reversal in direction could occur.

Marubozu

Sounds like some kind of voodoo magic, huh? "I will cast the evil spell of the Marubozu on you!" Fortunately, that's not what it means. Marubozu means there are no shadows from the bodies. Depending on whether the candlestick's body is filled or hollow, the high and low are the same as its open or close. Check out the two types of Marubozus in the picture below.

White and black Marubozu
A White Marubozu contains a long white body with no shadows. The open price equals the low price and the close price equals the high price. This is a very bullish candle as it shows that buyers were in control the entire session. It usually becomes the first part of a bullish continuation or a bullish reversal pattern.
A Black Marubozu contains a long black body with no shadows. The open equals the high and the close equals the low. This is a very bearish candle as it shows that sellers controlled the price action the entire session. It usually implies bearish continuation or bearish reversal.

Doji

Doji candlesticks have the same open and close price or at least their bodies are extremely short. A doji should have a very small body that appears as a thin line.
Doji candles suggest indecision or a struggle for turf positioning between buyers and sellers. Prices move above and below the open price during the session, but close at or very near the open price.
Neither buyers nor sellers were able to gain control and the result was essentially a draw.
There are four special types of Doji candlesticks. The length of the upper and lower shadows can vary and the resulting candlestick looks like a cross, inverted cross or plus sign. The word "Doji" refers to both the singular and plural form.

Different Types of Dojis

When a Doji forms on your chart, pay special attention to the preceding candlesticks.
If a Doji forms after a series of candlesticks with long hollow bodies (like White Marubozus), the Doji signals that the buyers are becoming exhausted and weakening. In order for price to continue rising, more buyers are needed but there aren't anymore! Sellers are licking their chops and are looking to come in and drive the price back down.

Long white candle and Doji
If a Doji forms after a series of candlesticks with long filled bodies (like Black Marubozus), the Doji signals that sellers are becoming exhausted and weak. In order for price to continue falling, more sellers are needed but sellers are all tapped out! Buyers are foaming in the mouth for a chance to get in cheap.

Long black candle and Doji
While the decline is sputtering due to lack of new sellers, further buying strength is required to confirm any reversal. Look for a white candlestick to close above the long black candlestick's open.
In the next following sections, we will take a look at specific candlestick formations and what they are telling us. Hopefully, by the end of this lesson on candlesticks, you would know how to recognize candlestick patterns and make sound trading decisions based on them.
QVXQQ92M84FB
 

Sexy Bodies and Strange Shadows



Look at my sexy body!

Sexy Bodies

Just like humans, candlesticks have different body sizes. And when it comes to forex trading, there's nothing naughtier than checking out the bodies of candlesticks!
Long bodies indicate strong buying or selling. The longer the body is, the more intense the buying or selling pressure. This means that either buyers or sellers were stronger and took control.
Short bodies imply very little buying or-selling activity. In street forex lingo, bulls mean buyers and bears mean sellers.

Long vs. Short candlesticks
Long white candlesticks show strong buying pressure. The longer the white candlestick, the further the close is above the open. This indicates that prices increased considerably from open to close and buyers were aggressive. In other words, the bulls are kicking the bears' butts big time!
Long black (filled) candlesticks show strong selling pressure. The longer the black candlestick, the further the close is below the open. This indicates that prices fell a great deal from the open and sellers were aggressive. In other words, the bears were grabbing the bulls by their horns and body-slamming them.

Mysterious Shadows

The upper and lower shadows on candlesticks provide important clues about the trading session.
Upper shadows signify the session high. Lower shadows signify the session low.
Candlesticks with long shadows show that trading action occurred well past the open and close.
Candlesticks with short shadows indicate that most of the trading action was confined near the open and close.

Candlesticks with long shadows
If a candlestick has a long upper shadow and short lower shadow, this means that buyers flexed their muscles and bid prices higher, but for one reason or another, sellers came in and drove prices back down to end the session back near its open price.
If a candlestick has a long lower shadow and short upper shadow, this means that sellers flashed their washboard abs and forced price lower, but for one reason or another, buyers came in and drove prices back up to end the session back near its open price.

 

Japnanese Candlestick

What is a Japanese Candlestick?

While we briefly covered candlestick charting analysis in the previous lesson, we'll now dig in a little and discuss them more in detail. Let's do a quick review first.

What is Candlestick Trading?

Back in the day when Godzilla was still a cute little lizard, the Japanese created their own old school version of technical analysis to trade rice. That's right, rice.
A westerner by the name of Steve Nison "discovered" this secret technique called "Japanese candlesticks", learning it from a fellow Japanese broker. Steve researched, studied, lived, breathed, ate candlesticks, and began to write about it. Slowly, this secret technique grew in popularity in the 90s. To make a long story short, without Steve Nison, candlestick charts might have remained a buried secret. Steve Nison is Mr. Candlestick.

Okay, so what the heck are forex candlesticks?

The best way to explain is by using a picture:

Anatomy of a Japanese candlestick
Candlesticks can be used for any time frame, whether it be one day, one hour, 30-minutes - whatever you want! Candlesticks are used to describe the price action during the given time frame.
Candlesticks are formed using the open, high, low, and close of the chosen time period.

  • If the close is above the open, then a hollow candlestick (usually displayed as white) is drawn.
  • If the close is below the open, then a filled candlestick (usually displayed as black) is drawn.
  • The hollow or filled section of the candlestick is called the "real body" or body.
  • The thin lines poking above and below the body display the high/low range and are called shadows.
  • The top of the upper shadow is the "high".
  • The bottom of the lower shadow is the "low".
 

Summary: Support and Resistance

Summary of support and resistance
When the market moves up and then pulls back, the highest point reached before it pulls back is now resistance.
As the market continues up again, the lowest point reached before it climbs back is now support.
One thing to remember is that horizontal support and resistance levels are not exact numbers.
To help you filter out these false breakouts, you should think of support and resistance more of as "zones" rather than concrete numbers.
One way to help you find these zones is to plot support and resistance on a line chart rather than a candlestick chart.
Another thing to remember is that when price passes through a resistance level, that resistance could potentially become support. The same could also happen with a support level. If a support level is broken, it could potentially become a resistance level.

Trend Lines

In their most basic form, an uptrend line is drawn along the bottom of easily identifiable support areas (valleys). In a downtrend, the trend line is drawn along the top of easily identifiable resistance areas (peaks). There are three types of trends:
  1. Uptrend (higher lows)
  2. Downtrend (lower highs)
  3. Sideways trends (ranging)

Channels

To create an up (ascending) channel, simply draw a parallel line at the same angle as an uptrend line and then move that line to position where it touches the most recent peak.
To create a down (descending) channel, simple draw a parallel line at the same angle as the downtrend line and then move that line to a position where it touches the most recent valley.
  1. Ascending channel (higher highs and higher lows)
  2. Descending channel (lower highers and lower lows)
  3. Horizontal channel (ranging)
Trading support and resistance levels can be divided into two methods: the bounce and the break.
When trading the bounce we want to tilt the odds in our favor and find some sort of confirmation that the support or resistance will hold. Instead of simply buying or selling right off the bat, wait for it to bounce first before entering. By doing this, you avoid those moments where price moves so fast that it slices through support and resistance levels like a knife slicing through warm butter.
As for trading the break, there is the aggressive way and there is the conservative way. In the aggressive way, you simply buy or sell whenever the price passes through a support or resistance zone with ease. In the conservative way, you wait for price to make a "pullback" to the broken support or resistance level and enter after price bounces.

 

Trading the Lines

Now that you know the basics, it's time to apply these basic but extremely useful technical tools in your trading. Because here at BabyPips.com we want to make things easy to understand, we have divided trading support and resistance levels into two simple ideas: the Bounce and the Break.

The Bounce

Man bouncing off trampoline
As the name suggests, one method of trading support and resistance levels is right after the bounce.
Many retail traders make the error of setting their orders directly on support and resistance levels and then just waiting to for their trade to materialize. Sure, this may work at times but this kind of trading method assumes that a support or resistance level will hold without price actually getting there yet.
You might be thinking, "Why don't I just set an entry order right on the line? That way, I am assured the best possible price."
When playing the bounce we want to tilt the odds in our favor and find some sort of confirmation that the support or resistance will hold. Instead of simply buying or selling right off the bat, wait for it to bounce first before entering. By doing this, you avoid those moments where price moves fast and break through support and resistance levels. From experience, catching a falling knife can get really bloody...
Bounce of supportBounce of trend line

The Break

In a perfect world, support and resistance levels would hold forever, McDonalds would be healthy, and we'd all have jetpacks. In a perfect trading world, we could just jump in and out whenever price hits those major support and resistance levels and earn loads of money. The fact of the matter is that these levels break... often.
So, it's not enough to just play bounces. You should also know what to do whenever support and resistance levels give way! There are two ways to play breaks: the aggressive way or the conservative way.

The Aggressive Way

The simplest way to play breakouts is to buy or sell whenever price passes convincingly through a support or resistance zone. The key word here is convincingly because we only want to enter when price passes through a significant support or resistance level with ease.
We want the support or resistance area to act as if it just received a Chuck Norris karate chop: We want it to wilt over in pain as price breaks right through it.

Aggressive way of trading a break of support or resistance

The Conservative Way

Imagine this hypothetical situation: you decided to go long EUR/USD hoping it would rise after bouncing from a support level. Soon after, support breaks and you are now holding on to a losing position, with your account balance slowly falling.
Do you...
  1. Accept defeat, get the heck out, and liquidate your position?
  2. OR
  3. Hold on to your trade and hope price rises up again?
If your choice is the second one, then you will easily understand this type of trading method. Remember, whenever you close out a position, you take the opposite side of the trade. Closing your EUR/USD long trade at or near breakeven means you will have to short the EUR/USD by the same amount. Now, if enough selling and liquidiation of losing postions happen at the broken support level, price will reverse and start falling again. This phenomenon is the main reason why broken support levels become resistance whenever they break.
As you would've guessed, taking advantage of this phenomenon is all about being patient. Instead of entering right on the break, you wait for price to make a "pullback" to the broken support or resistance level and enter after the price bounces.

The conservative way of trading breaks of support and resistance: Wait for the pullback
A few words of caution... THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN ALL THE TIME. "RETESTS" OF BROKEN SUPPORT AND RESISTANCE LEVELS DO NOT HAPPEN ALL THE TIME. THERE WILL BE TIMES THAT PRICE WILL JUST MOVE IN ONE DIRECTION AND LEAVE YOU BEHIND. BECAUSE OF THIS, ALWAYS USE STOP LOSS ORDERS AND NEVER EVER HOLD ON TO A TRADE JUST BECAUSE OF HOPE.
Whoops, sorry about that folks, the caps lock key got stuck.
 

Channels

If we take this trend line theory one step further and draw a parallel line at the same angle of the uptrend or downtrend, we will have created a channel. No, we're not talking about ESPN, ABC, or Cartoon Network.
Still, this doesn't mean that you should walk away like it's a commercial break- channels can be just as exciting to watch as America's Next Top Model or Entourage!
Channels are just another tool in technical analysis which can be used to determine good places to buy or sell. Both the tops and bottoms of channels represent potential areas of support or resistance.
Examples of up, down, and sideways channels
To create an up (ascending) channel, simply draw a parallel line at the same angle as an uptrend line and then move that line to position where it touches the most recent peak. This should be done at the same time you create the trend line.
To create a down (descending) channel, simple draw a parallel line at the same angle as the downtrend line and then move that line to a position where it touches the most recent valley. This should be done at the same time you create the trend line.
When prices hit the bottom trend line, this may be used as a buying area. When prices hit the upper trend line, this may be used as a selling area.

Types of channels

There are three types of channels:
  1. Ascending channel (higher highs and higher lows)
  2. Descending channel (lower highers and lower lows)
  3. Horizontal channel (ranging)

Important things to remember about trend lines:

  • When constructing a channel, both trend lines must be parallel to each other.
  • Generally, the bottom of channel is considered a buy zone while the top of channel is considered a sell zone.
  • Like in drawing trend lines, DO NOT EVER force the price to the channels that you draw! A channel boundary that is sloping at one angle while the corresponding channel boundary is sloping at another is not correct and could lead to bad trades.

Read more: http://www.babypips.com/school/channels.html#ixzz1Ul9M41Km
 

Trend Lines

Trend lines are probably the most common form of technical analysis. They are probably one of the most underutilized ones as well.
If drawn correctly, they can be as accurate as any other method. Unfortunately, most traders don't draw them correctly or try to make the line fit the market instead of the other way around.
In their most basic form, an uptrend line is drawn along the bottom of easily identifiable support areas (valleys). In a downtrend, the trend line is drawn along the top of easily identifiable resistance areas (peaks).

How do you draw trend lines?

To draw trend lines properly, all you have to do is locate two major tops or bottoms and connect them.
What's next?
Nothing.
Uhh, is that it?
Yep, it's that simple.
Here are trend lines in action! Look at those waves!
Examples of uptrends, downtrends, and sideways trends

Types of Trends

There are three types of trends:

  1. Uptrend (higher lows)
  2. Downtrend (lower highs)
  3. Sideways trends (ranging)

Here are some important things to remember about trend lines:

  • It takes at least two tops or bottoms to draw a valid trend line but it takes THREE to confirm a trend line.
  • The STEEPER the trend line you draw, the less reliable it is going to be and the more likely it will break.
  • Like horizontal support and resistance levels, trend lines become stronger the more times they are tested.
  • And most importantly, DO NOT EVER draw trend lines by forcing them to fit the market. If they do not fit right, then that trend line isn't a valid one!

Read more: http://www.babypips.com/school/trend-lines.html#ixzz1US14gSkz
 

Support and Resistance

Support and resistance is one of the most widely used concepts in trading. Strangely enough, everyone seems to have their own idea on how you should measure support and resistance.
Let's take a look at the basics first.
Support and resistance basics
Look at the diagram above. As you can see, this zigzag pattern is making its way up (bull market). When the market moves up and then pulls back, the highest point reached before it pulled back is now resistance.
As the market continues up again, the lowest point reached before it started back is now support. In this way resistance and support are continually formed as the market oscillates over time. The reverse is true for the downtrend.

Plotting Support and Resistance

One thing to remember is that support and resistance levels are not exact numbers.
Often times you will see a support or resistance level that appears broken, but soon after find out that the market was just testing it. With candlestick charts, these "tests" of support and resistance are usually represented by the candlestick shadows.
Support holding at 1.4700
Notice how the shadows of the candles tested the 1.4700 support level. At those times it seemed like the market was "breaking" support. In hindsight we can see that the market was merely testing that level.

So how do we truly know if support and resistance was broken?

There is no definite answer to this question. Some argue that a support or resistance level is broken if the market can actually close past that level. However, you will find that this is not always the case.
Let's take our same example from above and see what happened when the price actually closed past the 1.4700 support level.
Support holds at 1.4700
In this case, price had closed below the 1.4700 support level but ended up rising back up above it.
If you had believed that this was a real breakout and sold this pair, you would've been seriously hurtin'!
Looking at the chart now, you can visually see and come to the conclusion that the support was not actually broken; it is still very much intact and now even stronger.
To help you filter out these false breakouts, you should think of support and resistance more of as "zones" rather than concrete numbers.
One way to help you find these zones is to plot support and resistance on a line chart rather than a candlestick chart. The reason is that line charts only show you the closing price while candlesticks add the extreme highs and lows to the picture.
These highs and lows can be misleading because often times they are just the "knee-jerk" reactions of the market. It's like when someone is doing something really strange, but when asked about it, he or she simply replies, "Sorry, it's just a reflex."
When plotting support and resistance, you don't want the reflexes of the market. You only want to plot its intentional movements.
Looking at the line chart, you want to plot your support and resistance lines around areas where you can see the price forming several peaks or valleys.
Line chart showing support and resistance zones

Other interesting tidbits about support and resistance:

  • When the price passes through resistance, that resistance could potentially become support.
  • The more often price tests a level of resistance or support without breaking it, the stronger the area of resistance or support is.
  • When a support or resistance level breaks, the strength of the follow-through move depends on how strongly the broken support or resistance had been holding.
Examples of support and resistance
With a little practice, you'll be able to spot potential support and resistance areas easily. In the next lesson, we'll teach you how to trade diagonal support and resistance lines, otherwise known as trend lines.