Step 3:Watching for Price Action at Key S/R Levels
Three steps to finding price action setups
1.Identifying a Trend
2.Finding Key S/R Areas
3.Watching for Price Action at Key S/R Levels
What are Price Action Candles?
Price action is simply price in action and encompasses every tick movement that price makes. Price action isn’t contained to certain candlesticks or time frames. As price action traders we make sense of price by grouping price action together in various time frames and viewing it in the form of candlesticks. These price action candles tell us the story of how the market is treating a given asset. Price action tells us if the market is bullish/bearish, if a reversal is looming or if price is winding up for a break out. We don’t need indicators; price alone gives us the most pure picture of what the market has already done and what it may do in the future. We can look at the entire candlestick chart to get an overview of how the market has historically treated a given asset, and we can also watch individual candles forming to get an immediate look at what the market is doing.
Watching candles form on the chart is like getting an up to the minute news report on what the market is doing. Because the information is so telling and at times so clear, it can almost seem wrong. The reason why people have such a hard time believing price action works is because it is such a simple approach to the markets. Humans have a way of creating overly complicated solutions, and because of that many people believe price action doesn’t work.
Why do Price Action Candles Work?
The reason price action works is because it tells us exactly what the market doing and thinking, and it does it in real time. Price movements are the result of supply and demand. Because humans are predictable and tend to buy and sell in patterns, we can use that predictability to make trades with high probabilities of success. I will explain price action using this simple illustration. I live in Iowa, and as cold weather starts moving in the animals begin acting in a certain way. The actions and habits of various animals begin to change depending on the upcoming season. Even before the actual cold whether arrives some animal’s sense the warm season is coming to an end, and begin acting differently. Even when it is 90 degrees outside, I know once the animals begin acting a certain way, the cold season is right around the corner. As it gets closer, the changes in the animal’s behavior become more obvious. They repeat this behavior every year, and because of this we can link their behavior to the weather and seasons with fairly high probability.
In the exact same way the market also acts in a certain way before reversals or breakouts. We can see price begin to act in a certain way as it approaches a key S/R level. As price gets closer to these key levels, the market becomes more aware of it, and can react in ways that tip us off to predictable outcomes. For example, when price is trending strongly and runs into an S/R line, the market can form a pin bar. This tips us off to a rejection of higher/lower prices and can tell us with fairly high probability that a price reversal is right around the corner. We can use certain price action patterns and candlesticks to predict future movements in the market, and it is all because of the predictable and repeatable nature of the market.
What are Price Action Candles Actually Telling Me?
Price action candles can signal both reversals and continuations in price. When certain candles form at key S/R levels, they can tip us off to what the market is planning on doing in the near future. In the example of a reversal, if price is moving in a strong bull trend, reaches a key S/R level and forms a large bearish pin bar at that level; that can tip us off to a potential price reversal. The same pin bar candle can also signal a continuation in price. If price is in a strong bull trend, pauses and then forms a large bullish pin bar; that can tell us that the market was taking a break but is ready to resume the trend. Another price action candle that can tip us off to future price movements is the inside bar. If there is a strong bull trend and price breaks through a key S/R level then forms an inside bar above this level, it can mean the market is taking profit before the next move higher. In the same example of a strong bull trend, if price reaches a key S/R level but the inside bar forms below this level, it can mean the market does not have the strength to break through the level and is getting ready for a reversal.
As you grow in your skills of price action you can learn these candle formations and the chart context that they form in to help you trade in line with the markets predictable movements. While they don’t always play out, they do have a high probability of success. A high probability setup is called having an edge. This “edge” is what we rely on as traders to make consistent profits. While a single trade may fail, if you trade with an edge, your long term profits will outperform your losses. Candlesticks by themselves can have multiple meanings, but when we combine these price action candlesticks with key support and resistance levels, the trader’s edge is greatly increased. This is why price action traders never just trade S/R levels, and never just trade price action candles, but we wait for those price action candles to form at the key S/R levels to give us the greatest edge.
Bringing it All Together
With the 3 steps laid out we now know the basics to finding price action setups. First we find out the overall market structure (is it trending or ranging). This helps us figuring out “what“ support and resistance tools we will use, and also helps us find out “what” direction we need to trade to have the greatest edge. Next we find the key S/R levels. The best levels will be those at the daily and weekly timeframe. The S/R levels tell us “where” to be looking for price action. Once we have identified the levels we are looking to, we wait for price to reach these key levels and form our price action candlesticks. These candlesticks tell us “when” to enter the trade. With these three steps we can know the “what”, “where” and “when”. The only thing we are missing is the “why”. All three of these steps together tell us the why. If you were to ask yourself “Why does this trade have an edge?” these three steps can answer, “because it is with the trend, and it has formed at a key S/R area, and a high probability candlestick has tipped me off to what the market may do in the near future”. Now that we have the what, where, when and why we now have the basis for finding high probability setups using price action.
Conclusion
These three steps are all that is required to identify price action setups. These steps are at the core of what I do as a price action trader. No matter how advanced my trading knowledge becomes, these steps are always at the core of what I do. Many price action traders may be doing part or all of these steps without realizing it. I think once traders are aware of these steps they can begin focusing on strengthening their ability to find high quality setups. Once a trader has mastered these core steps they can start focusing on the various dynamics of each trade to help them make even better trading decisions.
Specific Price Action Setups
There are many different price action candlesticks and price action patterns. Here I will briefly cover a few of the most popular price action candles and how they can be using to find continuations or reversals in price.
Pin Bar
The pin bar signals a rejection of price. In the example below the large upper wick shows that during the time frame of this candle, the market pushed prices high and then pulled it right back. When pin bars form at key support and resistance levels it can tell us that the mainstreet traders jumped in because they thought a breakout was occurring, and the savvy trader pulled prices right back. Because the savvy and institutional traders are often on the right side of price movements, and the mainstreet traders are often on the wrong side, we can use these types of price action setups to trade in line with the savvy/institutional traders. Not only do we know the story behind why pin bars form, but we can also know why they can play out so well. The reason pin bars can play out so well are because many mainstreet traders are still holding onto their positions in hopes that price will make a second successful breakout. As prices begin moving farther against these traders they begin liquidating their postions. This type of sudden liquidation is called a long/short squeeze. These squeezes can create a firestorm of buying/selling and fuel a reversal.
Inside Bar
This price action candle can also signal a reversal or continuation in price. While inside bars can be more difficult to trade because they can have many meanings, if traded in context of the trend and S/R lines, they can still give the trader an edge. An inside bar can show the market is taking a break after a strong trend. Mainstreet traders may perceive this break as a reversal and begin taking positions against the trend, once price resumes the trend it can create a long/short squeeze and the breakout of inside bars can be very powerful. This can serve to validate that the trend is not over and price may continue to trend into the near/mid future. In the example below I have shows an inside bar that turned into a continuation signal. Any price action trader who went long at the break of the inside bar would now be with the trend and clearly have an edge with this trade.