Pivot Points (forex)

Foreign exchange market
A Pivot points, a technique developed by floor traders, help us see where the price is relative to previous market action.
As a definition, a pivot point is a turning point or condition. The same applies to the Forex market, the pivot point is a level in which the sentiment of the market changes from 'bull' to 'bear' or vice versa. If the market breaks this level up, then the sentiment is said to be a bull market and it is likely to continue its way up, on the other hand, if the market breaks this level down, then the sentiment is bear, and it is expected to continue its way down. Also at this level, the market is expected to have some kind of support/resistance, and if price can't break the pivot point, a possible bounce from it is plausible. Raul Lopez explains in an article published in 2006.
Why PP work?
They work simply because many individual traders and investors use and trust them, as well as bank and institutional traders. It is known to every trader that the pivot point is an important measure of strength and weakness of any market.

Calculating pivot points
There are several ways to arrive to the Pivot point. The method we found to have the most accurate results is calculated by taking the average of the high, low and close of a previous period (or session).

Pivot point (PP) = (High + Low + Close) / 3

Take for instance the following EUR/USD information from the previous session:

Open: 1.2386
High: 1.2474
Low: 1.2376
Close: 1.2458

The PP would be,
PP = (1.2474 + 1.2376 + 1.2458) / 3 = 1.2439

What does this number tell us?
It simply tells us that if the market is trading above 1.2439, Bulls are winning the battle pushing the prices higher. And if the market is trading below this 1.2439 the bears are winning the battle pulling prices lower. On both cases this condition is likely to sustain until the next session.

Since the Forex market is a 24hr market (no close or open from day to day) there is a eternal battle on deciding at white time we should take the open, close, high and low from each session. From our point of view, the times that produce more accurate predictions is taking the open at 00:00 GMT and the close at 23:59 GMT.

Besides the calculation of the PP, there are other support and resistance levels that are calculated taking the PP as a reference.

Support 1 (S1) = (PP * 2) – H
Resistance 1 (R1) = (PP * 2) - L
Support 2 (S2) = PP – (R1 – S1)
Resistance 2 (R2) = PP + (R1 – S1)

Where, H is the High of the previous period and L is the low of the previous period

Continuing with the example above, PP = 1.2439

S1 = (1.2439 * 2) - 1.2474 = 1.2404
R1 = (1.2439 * 2) – 1.2376 = 1.2502
R2 = 1.2439 + (1.2636 – 1.2537) = 1.2537
S2 = 1.2439 – (1.2636 – 1.2537) = 1.2537

These levels are supposed to mark support and resistance levels for the current session.

On the example above, the PP was calculated using information of the previous session (previous day.) This way we could see possible intraday resistance and support levels. But it can also be calculated using the previous weekly or monthly data to determine such levels. By doing so we are able to see the sentiment over longer periods of time. Also we can see possible levels that might offer support and resistance throughout the week or month. Calculating the Pivot point in a weekly or monthly basis is mostly used by long term traders, but it can also be used by short time traders, it gives us a good idea about the longer term trend.

S1, S2, R1 AND R2...? An Objective Alternative
As already stated, the pivot point zone is a well-known technique and it works simply because many traders and investors use and trust it. But what about the other support and resistance zones (S1, S2, R1 and R2,) to forecast a support or resistance level with some mathematical formula is somehow subjective. It is hard to rely on them blindly just because the formula popped out that level. For this reason, we have created an alternative way to map our time frame, simpler but more objective and effective.

We calculate the pivot point as showed before. But our support and resistance levels are drawn in a different way. We take the previous session high and low, and draw those levels on today’s chart. The same is done with the session before the previous session. So, we will have our PP and four more important levels drawn in our chart.

LOPS1, low of the previous session.
HOPS1, high of the previous session.
LOPS2, low of the session before the previous session.
HOPS2, high of the session before the previous session.
PP, pivot point.

These levels will tell us the strength of the market at any given moment. If the market is trading above the PP, then the market is considered in a possible uptrend. If the market is trading above HOPS1 or HOPS2, then the market is in an uptrend, and we only take long positions. If the market is trading below the PP then the market is considered in a possible downtrend. If the market is trading below LOPS1 or LOPS2, then the market is in a downtrend, and we should only consider short trades.

The psychology behind this approach is simple. We know that for some reason the market stopped there from going higher/lower the previous session, or the session before that. We don’t know the reason, and we don’t need to know it. We only know the fact: the market reversed at that level. We also know that traders and investors have memories, they do remember that the price stopped there before, and the odds are that the market reverses from there again (maybe because the same reason, and maybe not) or at least find some support or resistance at these levels.
What is important about his approach is that support and resistance levels are measured objectively; they aren’t just a level derived from a mathematical formula, the price reversed there before so these levels have a higher probability of being effective.
Our mapping method works on both market conditions, when trending and on sideways conditions. In a trending market, it helps us determine the strength of the trend and combined with price behavior helps us trade off important levels. On sideways markets it shows us possible reversal levels. It also helps us to set the Risk Reward ratio based on where is the market relative to previous market action.

Fibonacci

about Forex Fibonacci
Leonardo Fibonacci explained the exponential growth in nature through a well-known number sequence. In this sequence each number is the sum of the previous two consecutive numbers.
The sequence starts with 0 and 1 and goes on with: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377, 610, 987, 1597, 2584, etc.
bonacci proved that this sequence can be manifested in the evolution of a natural growth phenomenon, as a solution to a mathematical problem based on the reproduction process of a pair of rabbits. However, the utility of the sequence lies in its fundamental properties, discovered in the eighteenth century:

1. When dividing the consecutive numbers of the sequence, ie: 1/1, 1/2, 2/3, 3/5, 5/8, 8/13, etc., the result tends to approach the number 0,618.

2. When dividing the non-consecutive numbers of the sequence, ie, 1/2, 1/3, 2/5 3/8, 5/13, 8/21, etc., the result is the number 0,382.

3. The ratio of any number of the sequence in relation to the next lowest number, ie: 21/13, 13/8, 8/5, tends to be 1,618.

4. The ratio of any number of the sequence in relation to the next lowest non-consecutive number, ie: 21/8, 13/5, 8/3, tends to be 2,618.

The difference between the ratios and the result of the equation is greater when the the numbers used in the series are smaller. For example:

144/233 = 0,618: the result of the equation is a precise Fibonacci ratio.
144/89= 1.6179: with a smaller number the result of the equation only comes close to the Fibonacci ratio.

The 1,618 ratio and its inverse, the 0,618, were called by the ancient Greeks the 'golden ratio'.

Traders are not so interested in the numbers of the sequence as in the ratios between the numbers. These ratios can be used to identify support or resistance levels, find the targets for price movements, or even to determine the time period that a movement will last.

The most popular levels or ratios are:23.6%, 38.2%, 61.8% and 161,8%.
The 100% which is the full size of the movement to be analyzed and its half, the 50%, are commonly added to the Fibonacci levels, although they are not ratios of the sequence.

It's common to see a price correction towards a Fibonacci level after a clear trend has been developing. This doesn't mean that a price correction is to halt accurately at these levels, but most of the time price will slow down or interrupt the directional move and find temporary support and resistance at a Fibonacci level.

In this daily USD/CHF chart, the Fibonacci tool is anchored in the extremes of a trend that lasted about a month in late 2006. For nearly a year, prices were consolidated at the 23.6%, 38.2%; 61.8% levels. The 50% level has been omitted here for more clarity, but we encourage you to include it in your toolbox.

in the next chart, the anchorages of the Fibonacci tool were moved when the price reached new highs and lows. Observe how the old consolidation levels are mostly coinciding with the new levels, despite the fact they are dislocating the tool.

In the next chart, the upper anchorage is simply displaced in time but remains at the same price level. In contrast, the lower anchor has been placed at the new low reached by the price. Again, observe how the price takes into account the new Fibonacci levels.

By moving the tool to the newest extremes, we are also segmenting the chart into smaller sections, which in turn can be used as entry or exit points, or just as levels to adjust a trade size.

MACD divergences

about MACD (forex)
One of the things traders look for are signs of convergence and divergence between price action and the indicator. A convergence is when the indicator and the price action are hinting a similar signal and, therefore, reinforcing their signals. But when the indicator and the price are telling a different story, there is a divergence, showing that price is not supported by the indicator.
There are basically four types of divergences, which can be identified with the MACD or any other oscillator (Stochastic, Momentum, RSI, etc.). Divergences, like its name suggests, happen when the price and the oscillator go in opposite directions, hence diverging from each other.

The four types of divergences are:
A regular divergence simply means one of two things - that price has made higher highs while the oscillator has made lower highs (this is the case of a regular bearish divergence), or that price has made lower lows while the oscillator has made a higher low (a bullish divergence).
A regular bearish divergence is a sign that an upside momentum may be failing and that there may be an impending downturn, while a bullish divergence, on the other hand, is a sign that downside momentum may be exhausted and may be interpreted as a warning of weakness of the trend.
Hidden divergences, in turn, are signs of trend strengthening: when price has made a higher low while the oscillator has made a lower lows (this is the case of a hidden bullish divergence), or that price has made lower highs while the oscillator has made a higher high (a bearish hidden divergence).
The MACD histogram, which is the difference between both MACD lines, can also be used to confirm MACD divergences. As such, if it is divergent to price, it can suggest the move is running out of steam. fxstreet.com

MACD (2)

MACD consolidation
...When a currency pair is volatile, all elements of the MACD show broad movements on both sides of the median line. However, when the market is calm, moving averages converge and the MACD lines consolidate as well.
These feature make the MACD indicator useful to measure volatility and market sentiment. Notice how each volatility boost starts after a period of consolidation.
The MACD indicator is an open indicator which means that overbought and oversold conditions are relative to previous highs and lows of the MACD line.
Being an open indicator implies that, unlike other oscillators with values ranging from 0% to 100%, in the MACD there is no maximum or minimum value. Since the EMAs forming MACD can't theoretically distance from each other ad infinitum, there is logically always a return of the lines towards the median line. To identify periods of overbought and oversold conditions, we must look at past figures in the range of values which the MACD has registered.
Technical indicators work particularly well when combined with each other. Besides, they also perform well with different settings than the default ones. A proof of it is the below illustration.

A 200 SMA has been displayed on the chart, combined with a MACD using the following settings: 21, 55, 8. You may ask again where these weird numbers are coming from. The answer is they belong to the Fibonacci sequence. The next section will cover the sequence in more detail, but for now just observe how an ascending 200 SMA acted as a filter for the signals generated by the MACD crossovers. The purpose was to go with the trend, therefore no bearish cross was taken as valid.Do you conceive the MACD or even moving average crossovers as the only way to determine the overall trend in your analysis? It's true these are great methods, but they always produce series of losses, specially when the market is consolidating.

There is another method which enables traders to profit from consolidation periods, and this is done by identifying divergences between price and the MACD lines.

One of the things traders look for are signs of convergence and divergence between price action and the indicator. A convergence is when the indicator and the price action are hinting a similar signal and, therefore, reinforcing their signals. But when the indicator and the price are telling a different story, there is a divergence, showing that price is not supported by the indicator.

There are basically four types of divergences, which can be identified with the MACD or any other oscillator (Stochastic, Momentum, RSI, etc.). Divergences, like its name suggests, happen when the price and the oscillator go in opposite directions, hence diverging from each other.