Price Action Trading: Meaning, Benefits and Best Strategies

What is price action trading?

Prices of securities move up or down constantly in the market, making it difficult for traders to predict whether the market will perform well or otherwise. How will a trader accurately predict the entry and exit time? - There are several methods for speculating market movements, including fundamentals, technical indicators, volume indicators, etc.

However, using many indicators can make things confusing. The price action trading indicator is handy for those who cannot process a lot of information. It is a day trading method where traders make decisions basis the price movements instead of indicators derived from technical analysis.

What is price action in the stock market?

Financial experts define price action as an important technique of trading where a trader plots the increase and decrease in prices over a particular time frame. It plays an important role in charts and technical analysis. One can calculate moving averages from the price action, which helps make informed decisions.

While traders also use price action to forecast prices in the future, there is no guarantee that their predictions will come true.

Difference Between Price Action, Technical Analysis & Indicators?

The points below will illustrate the features and differences between price action indicators and technical analysis:

• Price action indicators illustrate trading activities on a chart which helps any trader understand the emergence of a trend. Even amateur traders can quickly analyse price action indicators to use them for investment decisions
• Technical analyses use different types of indicators for predicting future price movements; however, price action focuses solely on the price movements of an asset. Many traders use technical analysis tools and price history for price action trading
• With technical analysis, traders use numerous calculations to predict market movements, while price action analysis is far more simplistic

Best price action trading strategies

Listed below are various price action strategies:

1. Trend trading
   This trading strategy is ideal for new traders because it helps them learn from experienced traders. Here, traders utilise various methods to analyse trends in the market. They can take a short position during a downtrend and a long position during an uptrend to reap quick profits.
   
   
2. Inside bar
   There are two bars in this trading strategy. The outer bar holds more significance than the inner one. Lying between the low and high range of this outer bar, the inner bar forms during market consolidations. Its formation can indicate a change in the market. Experienced investors analyse the inner bar to understand whether there is a turning point and consolidation.
   
   
3. Pin bar
   Financial experts call this a candlestick strategy because of the way it appears. While each bar shows the reversal or rejection of a particular price, the pin bar pattern resembles a candle with a long wick.
   The wick stands for the price range, which represents a reversal or rejection. The price of an asset moves in the opposite direction of the wick. Traders analyse the movement and decide whether a long or short position will be beneficial.
   
   
4. Trend after a retracement entry
   Traders follow the existing trend in this price action strategy. They can consider short selling if the asset price is on a downtrend. But, when the price increases, they will typically buy in.
   
   
5. Trend after a breakout entry
   If there is a price movement outside the support line, it is referred to as a breakout entry. With this trend, traders can map market movements if they predict that a price increase will lead to a retracement.

Benefits of price action in trading

Here are the benefits of using price action trading:

• Traders can use price action in trading to make more informed trading decisions
• Price action trading is a suitable strategy for short to medium-term profits on trades
  

While price action trading has its benefits, traders must be aware of their maximum risk-taking ability before finalising a deal. It is important to understand the mutual relationship between assets before deciding on diversification. It is a trading strategy suitable for traders who prefer simplicity in their analysis.

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