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A professional binary opinions trader utilizes technical analysis models for creating a detailed trading plan. Experienced traders know the importance of trading strategy. That’s why they never make a trade without one.
But creating a trading strategy gets a bit complicated because there are multiple technical analysis tools available for this work. Yet you can trust Multiple Time Frame Analysis (MTA).
It is an extraordinary tool that can help you understand when to exit and enter the market. While new traders find this trading tool a little complicated, in reality, it’s easy to use and understand.
If you want to use Multiple Time Frame Analysis to develop a trading strategy, you should know what this tool is and how it works.
The answers to these questions and more are given in this guide.
What you will read in this Post
What is a multiple timeframe analysis?
Multiple Time Frame Analysis or MTA is a technical analysis tool that every trader uses, sometimes without realizing it. This top-down approach helps traders to gauge long-term trends and spot entries for small time-frame charts.
After selecting time frames, traders then confirm or reject the trade based on technical analysis. When traders switch between different time frames, it helps them have a clear perspective about the asset they want to trade.
But sometimes, multiple time frames can also create confusion. That’s why it’s recommended to have a clear understanding of the binary options market before you start trading.
Even though this robust technical analysis tool helps analyze the trading chart, it’s overlooked by traders who want to get an edge over the trading market.
Professionals don’t focus on large trend trading in an attempt to become a successful day trader, event risk trader, or breakout trader. As a result, they can’t identify support and resistance levels and miss several profitable stop levels and entries.
In basic terms, Multiple Time Frame Analysis is nothing but a way of analyzing the same asset in different time frames. By doing this, traders get a clear idea of market movement.
Example of multiple time frame analysis
Here’s a quick example to understand Multiple Time Frame Analysis.
Let’s assume that the trading time frame for an asset is 5 minutes. Here, the lower and higher time frame is 1 minute and 15 minutes respectively.
Now, if 15 minutes and 5 minutes time frame chart show a downtrend in the market, a short position is taken at the final stage of pullback, i.e., an uptrend in the 1-minute time frame.
Similarly, if 15 minutes and 5 minutes chart (see strategies) exhibit an uptrend, a short position is taken at the final stage of retracement, i.e., a decline in the 1-minute time frame.
How many times frames to follow?
When traders analyze the market, they can easily end up overanalyzing the chart. It is called analysis paralysis. When this happens, traders get into conflicting views, or they get confused.
To avoid this trap, you should understand how many time frames are needed to build a strategy. When you have a solid plan, you utilize different time frames to the fullest.
In general, there are no guidelines that suggest the correct number of time frames to be used. But most traders use three different time frames to get a better idea of the market movement.
Considering three-time frames is a better approach because neither you get confused nor lose data with this much time frame. Moreover, when using this strategy, you must remember a simple “rule of four.”
With the help of this rule, you can uncover detailed and smaller price movements in the market. This rule says that you should first determine the medium-term period. Also, this term period should be used as a standard to know how long average trade is maintained.
After that, you can choose a short-term period, which should be one-fourth of the intermediate period. Similarly, you can choose a long-term time frame, which must be four times greater than the intermediate chart.
For example, for a 60-minute chart for an intermediate time frame, 15 minutes will be the short-term time frame, and 240 minutes will be the long-term time frame.
Long time frame
Example: 1 hour chart
A long time frame establishes a dominant trend. Long-term traders usually make a trade from a few weeks to few years. For the market analysis, they refer to daily and weekly charts.
When traders use a long time frame, they should keep an eye on the major economic trends. It’s important because the economic trend helps the traders to understand the price direction of an asset.
The best thing about using a long time frame is that traders don’t have to watch the market intraday. Additionally, a long time frame means fewer trades, and fewer trades means fewer times to pay the spread. Moreover, traders get enough time to plan their moves.
But for a long time frame, traders need a bigger account. Not to mention that traders should also have patience. This time frame is used for position traders.
Medium time frame
Example: 15 minutes chart
By using a medium time frame, traders can keep an eye on the smaller moves within the broader trend. Experienced traders generally use a medium time frame because it offers a sense of a long time frame and a short time frame. Additionally, traders who don’t have enough time to check the market also use this time frame.
By using a medium-term time frame, traders can get more trading opportunities. Also, a medium time frame means fewer chances of losing. But the transaction cost for this time frame is more.
Short time frame
Example: 1 minute chart
The last time frame is the short-term time frame that traders use to have a clear idea of price fluctuations. A short time frame also gives a better idea of the increased market volatility.
Just like the medium time frame, a short time frame also offers more trading opportunities. But there is more risk of losing. A short time frame is ideal for scalping and day trading.
When traders use all these time frames for a single trade, they create a roadmap for a successful trade. Also, incorporating multiple time frames helps in knowing the support and resistance level.
(Risk warning: Your capital can be at risk)
How does the multiple time frame analysis work?
Multiple Time Frame Analysis is simple to understand and easy to execute. To apply this technician analysis method, you first need to find a medium time frame. After that, you should find out the short time frame and long time frame.
If you hold a trade for around 8 hours, then it will be the medium time frame. Whereas 90 minutes will be a short time frame and one day will be the long time frame.
By using a single indicator, you can analyze more than one-time frame in a single chart. If you start your analysis with a long time frame, it will help you get an idea of the general trend of the asset.
On the other hand, the medium time frame will show fluctuations in the general trend. At last, you can take the help of a short time frame to conclude the market. That’s because the short-term time frame gives an idea of the subtle price movement of the asset.
If you want to make a winning trade, you should only enter the market when the medium time frame and short time frame are moving in the same direction.
Multiple time frame helps you understand time frames so that you do not trade with trend against a larger time frame. It further offers an edge to your trading.
Multiple time frame analysis for day traders
As a day trader, you have an entire day for analyzing the market and charts. That’s why day traders trade using small time frames. The small time frame can start from a 1-minute and can range up to one hour.
Most day traders use the one-hour chart to understand the market movement in a better way and establish a trend. Similarly, a 15 minutes chart helps the trader learn how the price evolves in the market over time.
Multiple time frame analysis for swing traders
As compared to the day traders, swing traders have less time for trading. That means they have limited time for analyzing the market.
That’s why swing traders must check the daily chart to get an overall idea of the trend and then use the four-hour chart to spot market entries.
Conclusion
Multiple Time Frame Analysis, MTA, is one of the best ways to understand the price movement of an asset. Traders who use this technical analysis tool examine the behavior of a single asset in different time frames.
Doing this helps the traders understand fine-tuned entry and exit levels and have a birds-eye view of the market movement. If you properly use the Multiple Time Frame Analysis with a detailed strategy, you can easily win any trade.
But if you don’t have enough experience and idea of using Multiple Time Frame Analysis, you might get confused rather than getting clarity. Thus, you should not use more than three-time frames for analyzing any given asset.
(Risk warning: Your capital can be at risk)
