Significant news events happen throughout the month and the biggest is Non-Farm payroll. Its impact on price action is usually dramatic, and there is little to tell which way it is going to go. The usual rule of thumb is to stay out of the market on big news event days, or at the very least manage running trades with caution. The other approach, by those using larger time frame strategies, is to embrace it! This is not really possible on the smaller intra-day time frames where the smaller bars are more susceptible to the idiosyncratic movements of news events and can typically be spiked in and out of the trade before frustratingly seeing it head in the hoped for direction.
However for larger time frames, such as the daily bars, the opportunity to play the odds can be very rewarding. It’s all about reward to risk ratio. Big news events can, and often do, cause big swings with a single movement going several percent in one direction. If this goes in you favour of course it’s very rewarding, but predicting the direction is the difficult part. So the approach is not to try and predict the news, and therefore the resulting direction price will take. It’s simply not worth the effort. Just think about the reward to risk. It’s literally a toss of a coin as to which direction price will go but if you’re targeting a reward to risk of say between 3 and 6:1 then with a 50/50 win probability the rewards are going to heavily outweigh the losses.
News trading must only be done where there is high reward potential with minimal risk, otherwise it’s a recipe for disaster. It can only be done on an end of day strategy where the larger daily bar has more chance of ‘soaking’ up the turbulence without getting spiked in and out before the big move. Don’t try and second guess the news or resulting direction, just focus on the technical, trading what you see with (and it can’t be overstated) maximum reward potential and minimum loss potential. Read More.
However for larger time frames, such as the daily bars, the opportunity to play the odds can be very rewarding. It’s all about reward to risk ratio. Big news events can, and often do, cause big swings with a single movement going several percent in one direction. If this goes in you favour of course it’s very rewarding, but predicting the direction is the difficult part. So the approach is not to try and predict the news, and therefore the resulting direction price will take. It’s simply not worth the effort. Just think about the reward to risk. It’s literally a toss of a coin as to which direction price will go but if you’re targeting a reward to risk of say between 3 and 6:1 then with a 50/50 win probability the rewards are going to heavily outweigh the losses.
News trading must only be done where there is high reward potential with minimal risk, otherwise it’s a recipe for disaster. It can only be done on an end of day strategy where the larger daily bar has more chance of ‘soaking’ up the turbulence without getting spiked in and out before the big move. Don’t try and second guess the news or resulting direction, just focus on the technical, trading what you see with (and it can’t be overstated) maximum reward potential and minimum loss potential. Read More.
Do you want to learn more?
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Editors’ Picks
EUR/USD flirts with daily highs, retargets 1.1900
EUR/USD regains upside traction, returning to the 1.1880 zone and refocusing its attention to the key 1.1900 barrier. The pair’s slight gains comes against the backdrop of a humble decline in the US Dollar as investors continue to assess the latest US CPI readings and the potential Fed’s rate path.
GBP/USD remains well bid around 1.3650
GBP/USD maintains its upside momentum in place, hovering around daily highs near 1.3650 and setting aside part of the recent three-day drop. Cable’s improved sentiment comes on the back of the Greenback’s irresolute price action, while recent hawkish comments from the BoE’s Pill also collaborate with the uptick.
USD/JPY edges up above 153.50 with all eyes on US CPI figures
USD/JPY appreciates above 153.00 but remains on track for a 2.4% weekly loss. Trading volumes remain subdued on Friday, ahead of the IS CPI release. The Yen remains supported by hopes of a stable government and calls for further BoJ tightening.
Editors’ Picks
EUR/USD: Yes, the US economy is resilient – No, that won’t save the US Dollar Premium
Some impressive US data should have resulted in a much stronger USD. Well, it didn’t happen. The EUR/USD pair closed a third consecutive week little changed, a handful of pips above the 1.1800 mark.
Gold: Metals remain vulnerable to broad market mood Premium
Gold (XAU/USD) started the week on a bullish note and climbed above $5,000 before declining sharply and erasing its weekly gains on Thursday, only to recover heading into the weekend.
GBP/USD: Pound Sterling remains below 1.3700 ahead of UK inflation test Premium
The Pound Sterling (GBP) failed to resist at higher levels against the US Dollar (USD), but buyers held their ground amid a US data-busy blockbuster week.
Bitcoin: BTC bears aren’t done yet
Bitcoin (BTC) price slips below $67,000 at the time of writing on Friday, remaining under pressure and extending losses of nearly 5% so far this week.
US Dollar: Big in Japan Premium
The US Dollar (USD) resumed its yearly downtrend this week, slipping back to two-week troughs just to bounce back a tad in the second half of the week.
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