Greetings Andy and other Duck Hunters!
Firstly, a huge huge thank you to you Andy for starting this thread and sharing this knowledge with us! I have just finished reading the entire thread (has taken me weeks haha) and it would definitely be my recommendation that anyone who hasn’t already done so go do so now.
This system is fantastic, I finished up with my demo account in the black last month, and if I can do the same this month I will be going live. Thanks again Andy!
Now there’s a nice first post. Welcome to the forum. 
(It’s a great shame that having nearly 300 pages in a thread [U]will[/U] put some people off from reading it carefully: if only they knew - they could probably learn more [I]of value[/I] here than in 30 other threads :33: ).
There’s no denying it, this is one of the most stable, reliable systems most of us will come across
Hi all.
A quick question regarding this guide. Would you guys enter the short trade if all 3 ducks are beneath the 60 sma on the 3 TF but Stochastics and RSI are already indicating oversold.
I know Captain doesn’t include the use of these indicators in his guide. But just curious, what’s your take on this situation?
Kweek
As you stated, Stochs and RSI are not part of the “method” so are not even contemplated. However, this is a discretionary “method” and not a “strategy” with strict specific rules.
So, if you feel more comfortable using those indicators to supplement the 3D method, then that is your prerogative. The question is however, have you tested that to see if either (a) it is helping improve your trading or (b) making it worse?
Many times, it is best to just keep it simple! K.I.S.S. is my motto!
That was my exact reasoning. If I can pick up as many little tips and tricks as I can then I believe being profitable is only a matter of time. For what it’s worth I just started on the Trade2win forum post as well haha
Excellent so many people on the forums see a long thread jump in at the end and start asking questions that are often explained in the very first post.
nice results captain. the 11% drawdown is interesting (2% risk maybe…) seems like the little profit taking ratio although small is in fact still a very large amount as time goes on. i think with this system one can have long times like 10-15 trades of no money (net zero, it’s treading), then it can roll in.
some questioning here about whether it’s okay to come in later. some traders say it’s more ideal to come in earlier on in the trend but coming in later like middle way is still viable, just not as good. i think this for 4h tf trades. but for the short term, same thing as it’s in a 4h that may or may not end soon, but good thing is you only need one more 4h wave and your short term (e.g. 1h stop loss) is a winner .
Hello to all,
Just came across this system, and it is one of the most simplest out there and with a lot of people following it as well. I will demo trade it for a few weeks to see how it’s going.
As I see it, it does not give signals very often (I mean daily). Since we wait for price to cross SMA and given the fact that this happens more frequently on the 5m chart, then the 1h chart and lastly on the 4h chart, the number of trades we take are equal (if the 3 ducks always agree, which is not the case) or less (quite often) than the number of crosses on the 4h chart. Right?
One thing that troubles me is the noise on the 5min charts. Has anyone gave it a try after replacing this TF with the 15min? I will try this variation anyway, but I was wondering if it has already been used by someone else.
still learning, but if you succeeded at trading the shorter term like 1h/5min (or 15min) then you would get many signals. thinking about it, how often does a 4h 60sma crossover ie 4h trend occur - they come often enough. then for every new 4h wave that is made you got a shorter term trade running and collecting (assuming it goes well). but if you trade 4h setups, then you might get several 4h trends occurring from different currencies but they’re correlated so i would not think that you would take them at the same time unless you want more risk.
i mucked around with the 5min frame and it didn’t suite me. but i noticed many of captains examples he trailed on the 1h frame, using the 5min for entry. and that might be key to making it work much better, at least for me, since then it’s really a 1h trade. i also noticed sometimes you can get 5min crossovers within ranging 15min price action, and i’m thinking to avoid that. earlier on in the forum it says 5min chart is similar to the 15min charts, but i didn’t find that to be the case. but i’m not profitable yet, so don’t trust what i say.
i know the duck’s system doesn’t require a higher - ie D1 - timeframe for 4h setups, but is that a good idea?
just seems like you’ll get many 4h 60sma crossovers happening in a somewhat mushy looking context. those 4h trends (without a higher timeframe) often look garbled to me. but i’ve been looking to take them… peoples thoughts? take the eur-usd right now, not a pretty looking 4h trend . okay perhaps to do a short term trade (e.g. 1h setup) but regarding a 4h setup it doesn’t look nice.
When babypips testers decided to trial 3 Ducks they used 15 min rather than 5 , though there didn’t seem to be any good reason for it. Fwiw the test was not popular with duck users as they didn’t think it correctly portrayed the method.
Personally I thought it was a reasonable effort a trying to show what the method can do, and if I remember correctly the tests showed a positive result.
I don’t really get where you’re coming from,maybe I’m reading you wrong 4Hr set ups 1 hr set ups ?
It’s pretty simple start with 4 go to 1 then go to 5. The only variations I’ve seen in all this time is some people have successfully added a stoch and some go no lower than 1 hr.
Fwiw in my opinion the angle of the 4 hr sma is crucial a price above/below a flat sma doesn’t need any further looking at.
Adding more filters isn’t going to make you or the approach more profitable.
If a currency or pair isn’t playing ball based on the set up criteria, such as the recent EURUSD behavior, then stick it on the back burner until it begins conforming & look for something that is.
There have been a plentiful supply of pairs adhering to the set up behavior that have offered multiple entries & profitable conclusions over the past couple weeks, including but not exclusive to; AUDUSD, EURAUD, EURCAD, GBPCHF, NZDUSD, EURNZD.
Discipline & patience is a huge part of this type of approach, as is correct filtering.
I think you are complication things again! You forget that you are not trading the H4 Chart, but that it is serving as Trend Filter Indicator for the lower H1 and in turn the H1 for the M5.
If I were to apply “your logic”, then we would need D1 to filter the H4, and the WK1 to filter the D1, and the the MN1 to filter the WK1, on and on, like the “Never Ending Story” (for those old enough to remember it).
The 3 Ducks is “perfect” as it is! There is no need to change it and K.I.S.S. is the motto you should live by.
Also, don’t just keep looking and insisting on any one particular currency pair. If the 4H does not look “right” to you, then move onto another currency pair. In fact you should also be applying the “strength” vs “weakness” basics when selecting the best pairs to look at, just as the “Captain” has explained before.
[QUOTE=harpoon;807934]i know the duck’s system doesn’t require a higher [\QUOTE=harpoon;807934]
Great observation harpoon - may I suggest, as always, the captain pointed out early on, that this ‘system’ in and of itself, is not a “system” but rather a way to view charts. If like you state, your view is cloudy, then it becomes a non-tradable pair. It is at this time where you find something else that does fit the bill, or you sit on your hands.
Kudos, FMIC – That was a great post!
You guys who can’t resist tweaking the 3 Ducks
should print his post, and pin it up on your wall.
Then, every time you start thinking that
[I]you’re smarter than the 3 Ducks,[/I]
reread FMIC’s post, and chill.
.
i was actually talking about trading the 4h charts in this instance. the duck doc says it’s up to us where we put the stops . and if you put the stop on the 4h chart then it’s bigger - it’s a 4h trend you’re riding.and duck’s doc doesn’t require it to be backed by its higher D1 timeframe, unlike the short term trades (they are backed by the 4h sma). with these 4h trades/trends, feels like any 2 upward waves on 4h chart that come by are fair game , and that isn’t very selective. but i’m still testing, and it might be worth it. although it goes against the common principle - trade with a higher timeframe.
(funny pic, but yeah KISS is something we all need to do)
Then, don’t use the H4 for trailing right off the bat. If the main intent of the 1st Duck to be the Trend Filter, then it does not make sense to use it as as a Trailing Stop at the very beginning.
Instead, build up to the H4. First, just as the “Captain” explains, use the swing lows/highs, starting with M5, to trail your trade and/or stack orders. Then once the trailing stop has cleared the H1 swing breakout point, you can then switch to trailing on H1 and subsequently after cleared the H4 swing breakout point (and still in your favour which would mean a really major trend) then you can use H4 swings for trailing, but not before that. You have to slowly build it up. Also, note that it is advisable to use the swing points and not MA itself as a trailing stop.
If you only trail on the H4 then you are failing to understand this dynamic of the 3 ducks working together and you are effectively only trading one duck, namely the H4.
Also, ally yourself with with strong money management techniques. Succeeding at this is not just about the “strategy” or “method”. It is also about how to protect your gains and manage your risks.
that would be nice way to go.
another way i guess is to trade the 4h frame if the D1 is also trending (catch a 4h trend, trend following style), and also use the duck’s for the shorter term trades that occur on each wave. one might get e.g. 5R for a good 4h run, plus say 6R (for 3 consecutive 4h waves producing say 2R each from the short term duck runs). that’s a lot of profit. i’m guessing the good traders are doing this too .