The 3 Duck's Trading System


Good on you Simon, don’t forget to take your time on your forex journey.

Andy
Captain Currency

Hi Simon, and anybody else that trades the 3 Ducks system.

Can anyone do me a favour and explain exactly how you personally trade the 3 Ducks system.

I am specifically interested to know how you set up your charts and what is the exact trigger you use to enter the trade?

What decides your stop loss and take profit size?

Do you vary stop loss and take profit to suit the pair being traded?

I ask because the 3 Ducks system is a discretionary system once all the ducks line up and I was interested to know exactly how some of you are trading the 3 Ducks.

I have been using three SMA’s on a M5 chart 60, 720 and 2880 periods to represent M5, H1, and H4 moving averages on the same chart. Also I have tried using a look back period or Bollinger bands to determine higher highs or higher lows for entry and I just wondered how other duck hunters went about their trade craft?

Regards, Trader9.


Howdy Trader 009, just keep in mind that it’s a multi time frame approach and it might be of greater assistance to your own trend trading to observe all 3 time frames individually as outlined in the 3 Ducks eBook rather than just solely studying the 5min chart with 3 sma’s wedged onto it.


For total clarity I’d always prefer to look at each of the 3 time frames in the following order:

1st the 4 hr chart (trend),
2nd the 1 hr chart (price),
3rd the 5 min chart (entry).

Good trading to you for next week Buddy,

Andy
Captain Currency

Hi there guys,

I have been using the 3 ducks for a couple of weeks and getting good results. Scan the markets , have a look at what looks good and start your pending order .

As a newbie, the most difficult thing to do is to do nothing . This is something which I am going to have to get used to doing as you cannot trade for trading sake, same with any system.

Andy’s system is easy to follow, does not require hours in front of the screen and will make you money :slight_smile:

Trader009,

Since the summer of 2009, when I trade the 3 ducks I do my best to follow the rules as posted on page #1 of this thread. Because of my addiction to coffee and trips to the kitchen for refills, I sometime end up entering a bit early or late…

And because the 3 ducks is a discretionary method, profit targets and stop loss levels are usually set based on market conditions, swing high/low/fractals, S/L levels, the daily and weekly ATR, time of day, day of week, news releases, how many cups of coffee I’ve had, etc.

Also, I’m never just following the 5m chart, [I]bad, bad bad,[/I] :17: always need to watch what’s happening on the 1-h and 4-h to understand the whole picture, and where to set stops and profit targets, etc.

Hi d-pip,

Not quite the answer I was after.

I think you left out moon phases, day of the week and pivot points. If i get the time I will come up with a indicator for caffeine levels and you should be all set for those big wins.

Regards, trader9.

I think your remark is uncalled for and you are being disrespectful to [B][I]d-pip[/I][/B] who was being quite honest and accurate about how the 3-Ducks should be traded.

I know “exactly” why you want other traders to explain their methods “exactly”, and that is because you are trying to automate it in your unsuccessful attempt at turning it into an EA (yes, I remember it very well, and your attempts on a separate thread that was dedicated to a 3 Ducks EA).

The Captain, called everyone to attention right from the start and requested that no one turn this into an EA, because it is not meant to be automated for the simple reason that it requires a human element of judgment in order to adjust and adapt to the various conditions in the market.

Yes, I did use an EA too, but not to automate the strategy, but yes to simplify the order placement/management for me. The rest is still done by my human brain, common sense and judgment.

And yes, it is most important that we look at the 3 charts to see things in 3 different perspectives. If it were not necessary or important, the Captain would of just told us to use a single chart with 3 different MAs, but he did not do that.

These are the reasons you are having difficulty and not being able to succeed with the 3 Ducks method. If you stop for while and follow the method as instructed and the take the time to actually look and see (understand) the charts, you will have much more success.

Well said! Some people hop on to forums just to nag and aggravate those who wish to learn and better themselves.

Wow!!! Looks like I awakened a sleeping monster.

I have traded the 3 Ducks system on and off for years and have always tried to offer helpful advise. I did my One-to-One with Andy back in 2009 and doubled my account in under a month with some spectacular wins.

At the time I was working so I placed £1.00 a pip trades with 50 pip stop and 50 - 200 pip targets dependant on the pair. The trades I placed at expected higher or lower breakouts exactly as the system dictated. I used to mirror Andy’s daily updates.

However, since all the turmoil in the market in recent years and pairs not trending like they used too, I have been trying different approaches. One of those was building a EA which actually works, but only on USDJPY and EURJPY pairs.

So my question remains, how do you trade the 3 Ducks system, as it just might help others following this thread. My head is not buried in the sand, as you can learn something from anyone.

I am not trying to steal from anyone, but I see so many traders on this thread say how wonderful they are doing using the 3 Ducks system. Then nothing and they never post again.

Regards Trader9.

Well, if you have to know, then here is my answer. Every single trade is different!

I use 3 Ducks as the Guide, but when it comes to executing the trade, it depends on many other factors. Sometimes I look at the swings just as “d-pip” mentioned; sometimes, I use a trailing stop based on the Volume Normalised ATR; sometimes I look at a Point & Figure chart; sometimes I …

The reason there is so many “sometimes”, is that it depends on what I see in the 3 charts of various currency symbols I follow and how I deduce I should proceed. (Deduction = Information + Intuition).

As you yourself stated, your EA only works on EURJPY and USDJPY because it cannot possibly handle all those nuances. If you had great success before but now are having difficulty due to an “upset” market, then maybe you have to adapt to it, in the same way. Maybe your targets and stops are too wide, or maybe they are too tight. As human beings we must be willing to accept when we are doing something wrong and try to do it differently, but in an informed way.

The information you seek is not going to be found by looking at how other traders are doing it, but rather looking at what you are doing (or not doing), because every trade is personal.

My best advice for you is to trade many other methods and other strategies as well (even if just paper trading) as those can sometimes help you develop your skills and intuition that will ultimately improve your success with the 3 Ducks.

Remember that not all methods and strategies will fit your personality or your way of doing things or maybe you are just on another frequency for the moment and just cannot connect with your 3 Ducks. So, try another method, until you have your confidence back and then try the 3 Ducks again and see if it resonates with you or not.

PS! Sometimes, traders no longer post because they are too busy trading, having fun or have other commitments and their focus changes. That does not mean that they gave up or that the method is not working for them.


A whole lotta news on the way Duck Hunters,

Would I be jumping into the Forex market over the next few days? Probably not, better to hold on to those pips rather than throw them away …

Thursday:
The Bank of England will announce their rate decision for September and the European Central Bank will have a rate decision on Thur too. Bank of Japan will also have a rate statement on Thur.

Friday:
Watch out this Friday it’s the first Friday of the month and the US Non Farm Payrolls figures for August.

Trade Management, if you have any open position at the moment you might want to think about managing them before the news gets pumped out.

Trade safe and be nice to each other :slight_smile:

Andy
Captain Currency

Hi Carnino

I agree with everything you say, I was just interested in how other Duck hunters went about there trading.

Learning that you use a variety of other methods before taking the trade and to then manage that trade is what I wanted to understand. That information is useful to others too.

I fully appreciate that one size doesn’t fit all and I was interested in the discretionary approach others were using.

I have always tried to keep it simple, consistent,and mechanical, so I can look back over a number of trades and say yes that works or no that doesn’t work. If the approach you use varies every time you trade then I would never know what was working and what wasn’t unless I made extremely good notes in my trading journal.

I like mechanical, as it removes emotion and fear and hopefully imparts consistency.

The way I am currently looking to trade the 3 Ducks system is as follows.

Due to the banking crisis, current world turmoil and greater use of automated trading systems the Forex markets no longer trend, as they used to do. So I have made one change to the 3 Ducks system. I use a M15 chart instead of a M5 chart.

I made this change as I believe the M5 chart has become to volatile in todays markets.

Also it is because the M15 chart has a ratio of 1:4 with the H1 chart, which has a 1:4 ratio with the H4 chart.

I use a single M15 chart with a 60 period colour change moving average, that is green when there is an uptrend and red when there is a down trend.

As a substitute for the H1 chart I use a 240 period colour change moving average, that is orange when there is an uptrend and red when there is a down trend.

And as a substitute for the H4 chart I use a 240 period colour change moving average, that is blue when there is an uptrend and red when there is a down trend.

The use of colour change moving averages means there is no ambiguity over up or down, as three colours indicates all the 3 Ducks align up and three reds indicates all the 3 Ducks align down.

As the actual entry and stops are discretionary, I use the following system.

For the entry level I use a close above or below a sixteen period Donchian channel. I use sixteen periods as this looks back over the last 4 hours on a M15 chart. So a close above or below this is also a close higher or lower on the H1 and H4 charts , as well.

My initial stop is the 60 SMA. I place three trades in the market with three different take profit levels. I use a move back across the 60 SMA as an exit as the 3 Duck would no longer align.

The first take profit is half the stop loss size and when hit, moves the remaining two trades to break even.

The second take profit is equal the the stop loss size and when hit allows the stop on the last trade to trail up from break even to half the original stop size.

I use a 3 Ducks Cross indicator which gives me a blue up arrow for long trades and a red down arrow for short trades.

Also if the entry candle is greater than twice the ATR(3) I pass on the trade.

Thanks for sharing, Trader9.

Ok then, even though I mentioned many “sometimes”, the fact is that there is one method I use most of the time (90% of the time) and the rules are as follows:

First off, adhere to the 3 Ducks and don’t alter the rules. Follow it as it is setup. Use 3 charts (not one) and use the indicated timeframes as it stands - H4, H1 and M5 (not 15). No matter how more volatile or less volatile the market is, the use of the 3 Time frames guarantees that you see it all. [B]Do not change this[/B].

Second off, always use the “duckling”! For an example, refer to my Post #1497. Make sure you look at the swings on all 3 charts in order to see where the price is going (and where it came from). If you need to, add a standard ZigZag indicator to help you “see” better. Look at the tops and bottoms of the ZigZag in all 3 charts to help you understand what the market is doing.

Thirdly, once you have the tops and the bottoms of interest, select one for the stop-loss (zone, not point) and another for the target, based on the R:R you wish to have. Remember that they are zones (or areas) and not exact points, so give them a little bit of breathing room. In order to help select them, you can use the rules of supply and demand depicted in Point & Figure charts to help see where to place them, but after a while you will not need it because you can see on the 3 charts what the situation is.

In fact, several traders here (on this thread), have described the way price moves and how it needs “a clear path” in order to breakout of certain resistance/support areas above/below certain tops and bottoms and reach the T/P in question. Use those concepts already described here (on this thread) for selecting your T/P (and S/L). Do some research on Price-Action trading - that should help you understand it more clearly.

Basically, that is it! There is not really anything extra that one needs to add to the 3 Ducks. It just works. All I do is add a little bit of seasoning (salt & pepper) to adjust it to my “taste”. That is all - no more and no less.

Hi Captain Currency,

Thank you for sending through the e-Book today. I had a quick question of note, mainly because today the NFP results are out today. You mentioned that and the interest rate decisions are the two fundamentals that you consider. Does that mean you do not take positions on days these results are announced? Even pending orders? It makes sense, if you don’t, as there is quite a bit of volatility leading up to the announcement.

Apologies if you have already answered this on a previous page. Thank you for your help! :slight_smile:

I have already been profitable using the system with a trade from yesterday on EUR/USD :slight_smile:

Regards,

Sach

Jump In or Stay Out?
Non Farm Payrolls | Interest Rate Decisions

  1. If you fancy a flutter: jump in
  2. If you are a day trader: Stay out
  3. If you are a swing trader: Maybe stay out
  4. If you are a positional trader: Jump in only if it makes sense


If you’re having a dabble on a demo account or fancy a flutter, nothing too sinful about trading on NFP or rate days.


Certain pairs can be hot-blooded before these important announcements and they should come with a public health warning! Trade if you really want but it can mean oodles of stress for a day trader if they get roped in.

Here’s why: price might jump above your pending order and fill you at a higher (more expensive) price or you might be trying to get out of a losing trade manually but the brokers platform keeps saying: price has moved, accept the next price?


If you are a positional trend trader or swing trader or even if your current open trade is a “positional trade” - you might have sold Eur.Usd back in March and that trade is still open and making you bags of money, you might not be too concerned about the potential hot-bloodiness effect of today’s NFP or a rate decisions.


I always try and play golf the day the Non Farm Payrolls figures are due to be released … remove the temptation to get roped in!

Have a great weekend Duck Hunters,

Andy
Captain Currency

I also like your graphics in addition to the system. :slight_smile:

3 ducks are killing it in EURUSD and USDJPY in the last few days.

Indeed it has.

I have had multiple success trades on those two pairs since last week. As always, the trend is your friend and the 3 ducks is a perfect example of this.

Once again, thanks Captain Currency!

A crackin TREND over on Usd.Jpy Duck Hunters …


Tell us if you had any success this week!


Andy
Captain Currency


I need your advise guys!

A trader has hit a brick wall and has a trading dilemma right now, I’m not too sure what way to advise him I have a bit of brain freeze at the moment but maybe you can suggest or say what you might do if you where in his trading shoes …

Here’s his Dilemma, with less than 24 hours until voting in Scotland - Scottish Referendum, he has an open position on Eur.Gbp and is currently up +30 pips in profit. No doubt the Scottish Referendum voting this Thursday and the results on Friday will have some impact on GBP pairs either positive or negative.


What action(s) would you recommend this trader take now with his open short position on Eur.Gbp;

A. Move stop to B/E and hope for more profits in the coming days.

B. Exit trade now and bank the profit.

C. Take half the profit off now and let the other half run.

D. Something else (let us know).

Cheers Guys,

Andy
Captain Currency