Trading Strategy - Descending Triangles Downside Breakout

By Jeff Cartridge

Descending triangles have been very popular with traders on the short side and are not so often traded when it breaks in the upward direction. A descending triangle is defined by two lines, one on the lower boundary of the price movement which is horizontal and one on the upper side which slopes down.

Descending Triangles, One Of The Best

Descending triangles are one of the most predictable patterns that are available to trade short. With 57% of the patterns breaking down descending triangles can deliver good returns when they do. The average gain is 0.92% in 9 days with about half of the breakouts (45%) being profitable. These results are good but selecting the right conditions can make trading descending triangles very attractive.

Specific Setups to Improve Profitability

When you look at the performance of a descending triangle in bearish market conditions you will see the results were stronger than they were in more bullish years. Trading descending triangles when the market is in a down trend or consolidating improves your trading results. The sector should be falling to make the most profits. Unusually the trend of the sector at the end of the pattern, prior to the breakout is less important than the sector trend at the start of the pattern.

Breakouts can occur anywhere along the length of the descending triangle pattern. Another key to picking successful short breakouts from descending triangles is to look for a turning point up from the lower boundary that fails to reach the upper boundary and then falls away.

If the volume supports the breakout the results are better. Supportive volume means the volume on the way down is higher than the volume on the way up.

Trading Descending Triangles Can Be Profitable

Incorporating these simple changes when selecting descending triangles to trade short, dramatically improves the results. With an average return per trade of 2.55% in 10 days and a hit rate of 48% descending triangles are one of the most profitable patterns to trade on the short side.

Note: Statistics for this article have been provided by Patterns Trader after analyzing over 60,000 chart patterns on the Australian market from 2000 - 2008. - 23309

About the Author:

Jeff Cartridge has been trading CFDs since 2002 and created the website LearnCFDs.com Discover Patterns of Success

Automated Forex Trading System - The Benefits

By Jane MacRae

Automated forex trading is something anyone interested in forex trading should know about.

Forex trading is another name for foreign currency trading. Investors simply buy one of the world's currency when it is low and sell it when it is high, and make a profit with the balance.

Do not be fooled by its simple concept, the actual forex trading process is filled with complexities. The forex market moves at a fast pace, and changes occur from time to time. An automated forex trading system can be just what you need to keep up.

As said by its name, an automated forex system automates the process of currency trading. Probably to some people, a more hands-on, manual approach might seem like the best way to go. However, the benefits of using an automated system are something most players will not pass by.

1. It works restlessly

The forex market is a restless market. It is live 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.

You are not a machine. You need to sleep, to eat, to entertain, to shop, to pick up your kids from school. There is no way you can monitor everything that happens on the forex market, all hours of the day and night, manually.

Now, with automated forex system, you can become more efficient. The system does not require breaks, and It can monitor the market changes restlessly. Even while you are sleeping, brushing your teeth, or running errands, your automated system can be making money for you.

2. It Does A Number of Jobs

The forex market moves fast and, sometimes, a lot of different things can happen at once. Even if you are sitting in front of your computer, diligently monitoring the market, you can still end up missing amazing opportunities.

This is not a problem for an automated forex system. No matter how fast something happens, no matter how many different things happen at the same time, your automated trading system will still keep track.

3. It Does Not Give Ways to Emotions

Sometimes, emotions can get in the way of making sound business decisions. On the forex market, where making the right split second decisions can mean the difference between making and losing money, being impulsive, indecisive, unsure, or rash can do you financial harm.

An automated forex system will never have problem with emotions. Once you tell the system what to do and when to do it (based on your knowledge of the market) those things will get done, and in a timely manner.

Undoubtedly, automated forex trading can bring currency trading to the next level. Because of such, the number of automation software is on the rise in the market. You should do yourself a favour by checking out some really good ones, as the benefits an automated system will bring about are just an asset you can not afford to live without. - 23309

About the Author:

Click here for our review of a leading automatic forex trading system in the market, which will grant you a huge advantage over your competitors. Also check out this related article about forex currency trading beginner.