Looking for a Short Trade

Looking for a Short Trade
Written by Andy Richardson

Red Line: Now the bottom line

We Open a SHORT trade as the red line passes the Blue Line (bottom line) and the chart price continues below the green central Line.

Green Line: Middle Line

We set our moving stop loss in relation to this Green Line.

We get additional confirmation of a Short trend as all the coloured lines have passed the Grey line. To confirm the long term downward trend which lasts for eight or more months.

Usually a Short trend from a long one is obvious. As the lines twist almost at the same time. Except the 200 day MA.

Consolidation (STAY OUT):

Looking back at the chart we can see that in 2003 the lines become tighter and there isn’t really any trend to speak of. Once again, we would have been ‘Stopped Out’ (where our stop loss would have locked in our profit) prior to this event.

What you have to realise is when the lines are tight together like this and are almost a flat line, then this is when I would say the trend is Dead.

3 x flat line = Dead Trend.

We now can see where we should be opening a trade and closing it. Regardless of whether we are trading Long or Short. I am going to now give you a few extra pointers to REALLY confirm a price movement.

The first one is a simple one to use and see in any chart. It’s a common way of looking for confirmation in price movements and possible trends.

Feedback by an experienced trader: Most indicators seem to lose their credibility during consolidations. I noticed when day trading that if a tight consolidation goes on for long enough RSI and moving indicators all run down the middle of the consolidation and give false signals. Same with MACD and CCI. That’s why I would take the break up from 5450 as a signal to scale back in with selective buys but even that is risky. At the end of 2008/9 the consolidation was also difficult to read. CCI, MACD & RSI all gave false signals. Only 100 SMA & EMA continued the sell throughout. Calling the actual bottom was almost impossible. The consolidation broke to the downside before rebounding:

Consolidation

About the author

Andy Richardson

Andy began his trading journey over 24 years ago while in graduate school, sparked by a Christmas gift of investing money and a book. From his first stock purchase to exploring advanced instruments like spread betting and CFDs, he has always sought to expand his understanding of the markets. After facing challenges with day trading and high-pressure strategies, Andy discovered that his strengths lie in swing and position trading. By focusing on longer-term market movements, he found a sustainable and disciplined approach. Through his website, Andy shares his experiences and insights, guiding others in navigating the complexities of spread betting, CFDs, and trading with a balanced mindset.

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