Most traders obsess over “A+ setups.” But in live trading, those setups often fall apart—because they skip the hard part: deciphering the market’s narrative.
Your job is to:
-
Decipher the narrative.
-
Wait for the market to confirm you're right (at least for now).
-
Monetise the opportunity at a small cost if it doesn't pan out.
But because price can take multiple paths between two points, you need a suite of trades (signature, playbook, etc) tailored to those varying paths.
Only then can you truly skew risk-to-reward in your favour—with trades that reveal early when the scenario isn’t playing out, so you’re gone… not left holding the bag.
TLDR
You don’t skip the narrative and jump straight to “set-ups.”
That’s not trading to extract money from the market—that’s donating.
The deeper stuff
Look–when you have signature trades that align with how price is travelling, you give yourself a huge advantage:
You can commit them to memory simply by repeating them over and over—because they’re incredibly specific.
And when executing those trades becomes as automatic as riding a bike, you free up the mental space to focus wholly on deciphering the market narrative—just like you'd grasp the meaning of a short story or chapter in a book.
This is the skill that separates the minority who win from the majority who lose.
But unless you have a framework of principles to guide you, you’re effectively trying to interpret a book written in braille.
Traders who finally get consistent all reach the same realisation:
The money’s in deciphering the narrative—before you ever put on a trade.
Watch the short clip showing this in action—in live, real market conditions.
Forex and derivatives trading is a highly competitive and often extremely fast-paced environment. It only rewards individuals who attain the required level of skill and expertise to compete. Past performance is not indicative of future results. There is a substantial risk of loss to unskilled and inexperienced players. The high degree of leverage can work against you as well as for you. Before deciding to trade any such leveraged products you should carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite. The possibility exists that you could sustain a loss of some or all of your initial investment and therefore you should not invest money that you cannot afford to lose. You should be aware of all the risks associated with trading on margin, and seek advice from an independent
Editors’ Picks
EUR/USD trades quietly below 1.1700 as investors await fresh cues on US-EU trade talks
The EUR/USD pair trades calmly around 1.1670 during the Asian trading session on Tuesday. The major currency pair oscillates in a limited range, with investors awaiting fresh development on trade negotiations between the United States and the European Union.
GBP/USD: Struggles near multi-week low, around 1.3430 ahead of US CPI
The GBP/USD pair consolidates near the 1.3430-1.3435 region, just above a three-week low touched during the Asian session on Tuesday as traders keenly await the release of the US consumer inflation figure. Meanwhile, the fundamental backdrop seems tilted in favor of bears and suggests that the path of least resistance for spot prices is to the downside.
USD/JPY holds near multi-week top, eyes 148.00 or June swing high
USD/JPY consolidates below the 148.00 neighborhood in the Asian session amid expectations that the Bank of Japan will forgo raising interest rates in 2025 in anticipation of the economic fallout from higher US tariffs. Further, Japanese political woes boost yields to multi-year highs, lending support to the pair.
Editors’ Picks
EUR/USD trades quietly below 1.1700 as investors await fresh cues on US-EU trade talks
The EUR/USD pair trades calmly around 1.1670 during the Asian trading session on Tuesday. The major currency pair oscillates in a limited range, with investors awaiting fresh development on trade negotiations between the United States and the European Union.
GBP/USD: Struggles near multi-week low, around 1.3430 ahead of US CPI
The GBP/USD pair consolidates near the 1.3430-1.3435 region, just above a three-week low touched during the Asian session on Tuesday as traders keenly await the release of the US consumer inflation figure. Meanwhile, the fundamental backdrop seems tilted in favor of bears and suggests that the path of least resistance for spot prices is to the downside.
Gold price retains its positive bias amid a broadly weaker USD; lacks bullish conviction
Gold price trades with a mild positive for the second straight day on Thursday, though it lacks follow-through and remains below the $3,350 level through the early European session. Reports that US President Donald Trump was considering replacing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell raised concerns over the future independence of the US central bank.
Bitcoin Cash targets 52-week high as on-chain data indicate room for growth
Bitcoin Cash (BCH) is trading in the green by 2% at press time on Thursday, following a 6.39% price surge on Wednesday. Rising in a parallel channel pattern, BCH shows signs of increasing bullish momentum and nearing the $500 psychological level.
Could Iran block the Strait of Hormuz? Why Oil is on edge after US strikes
As the Israel-Iran conflict reaches new heights, an old threat is coming back to haunt the markets: that of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. This narrow arm of the sea in the Persian Gulf, wedged between Iran to the north and the United Arab Emirates and Oman to the south, is much more than a simple sea passage.
RECOMMENDED LESSONS
Making money in forex is easy if you know how the bankers trade!
I’m often mystified in my educational forex articles why so many traders struggle to make consistent money out of forex trading. The answer has more to do with what they don’t know than what they do know. After working in investment banks for 20 years many of which were as a Chief trader its second knowledge how to extract cash out of the market.
5 Forex News Events You Need To Know
In the fast moving world of currency markets where huge moves can seemingly come from nowhere, it is extremely important for new traders to learn about the various economic indicators and forex news events and releases that shape the markets. Indeed, quickly getting a handle on which data to look out for, what it means, and how to trade it can see new traders quickly become far more profitable and sets up the road to long term success.
Top 10 Chart Patterns Every Trader Should Know
Chart patterns are one of the most effective trading tools for a trader. They are pure price-action, and form on the basis of underlying buying and selling pressure. Chart patterns have a proven track-record, and traders use them to identify continuation or reversal signals, to open positions and identify price targets.
7 Ways to Avoid Forex Scams
The forex industry is recently seeing more and more scams. Here are 7 ways to avoid losing your money in such scams: Forex scams are becoming frequent. Michael Greenberg reports on luxurious expenses, including a submarine bought from the money taken from forex traders. Here’s another report of a forex fraud. So, how can we avoid falling in such forex scams?
What Are the 10 Fatal Mistakes Traders Make
Trading is exciting. Trading is hard. Trading is extremely hard. Some say that it takes more than 10,000 hours to master. Others believe that trading is the way to quick riches. They might be both wrong. What is important to know that no matter how experienced you are, mistakes will be part of the trading process.
The challenge: Timing the market and trader psychology
Successful trading often comes down to timing – entering and exiting trades at the right moments. Yet timing the market is notoriously difficult, largely because human psychology can derail even the best plans. Two powerful emotions in particular – fear and greed – tend to drive trading decisions off course.