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 stays weak near 1.1850 after dismal German ZEW data
EUR/USD remains in the red near 1.1850 in the European session on Tuesday. A broad US Dollar bullish consolidation combined with a softer risk tone keep the pair undermined alongside downbeat German ZEW sentiment readings for February.
GBP/USD holds losees near 1.3600 after weak UK jobs report
GBP/USD is holding moderate losses near the 1.3600 level in Tuesday's European trading. The United Kingdom employment data suggested worsening labor market conditions, bolstering bets for a BoE interest rate cut next month. This narrative keeps the Pound Sterling under bearish pressure.
USD/JPY slides further below 153.00; eyes 200-day EMA amid a firmer JPY
The USD/JPY pair meets with a fresh supply on Tuesday and slides further below the 153.00 mark heading into the European session, reversing a major part of the previous day's positive move. Spot prices, however, manage to hold above the 200-day Exponential Moving Average support, around the 152.50 region, preserving a tentative bullish bias despite a shallow cushion.
Editors’ Picks
EUR/USD stays weak near 1.1850 after dismal German ZEW data
EUR/USD remains in the red near 1.1850 in the European session on Tuesday. A broad US Dollar bullish consolidation combined with a softer risk tone keep the pair undermined alongside downbeat German ZEW sentiment readings for February.
GBP/USD holds losees near 1.3600 after weak UK jobs report
GBP/USD is holding moderate losses near the 1.3600 level in Tuesday's European trading. The United Kingdom employment data suggested worsening labor market conditions, bolstering bets for a BoE interest rate cut next month. This narrative keeps the Pound Sterling under bearish pressure.
Gold pares intraday losses; keeps the red above $4,900 amid receding safe-haven demand
Gold (XAU/USD) attracts some follow-through selling for the second straight day and dives to over a one-week low, around the $4,858 area, heading into the European session on Tuesday.
Canada CPI expected to show sticky inflation in January, still above BoC’s target
Economists see the headline CPI rising by 2.4% in a year to January, still above the BoC’s target and matching December’s increase. On a monthly basis, prices are expected to rise by 0.1%.
UK jobs market weakens, bolstering rate cut hopes
In the UK, the latest jobs report made for difficult reading. Nonetheless, this represents yet another reminder for the Bank of England that they need to act swiftly given the collapse in inflation expected over the coming months.
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