TradeStation - Price Action and Understanding Multiple Market Modes Using TradeStation Indicators

TradeStation MTF Price Action Indicator - Key To Knowing Which Market Mode You Are Trading

Advanced TradeStation indicators can provide multiple time frame (MTF) price action. Price action is undisputedly the most important fact in trading. If you use multiple time frames to track price action you will increase the effectiveness of your trading edge many fold. The interaction of the different time frames provides great information regarding which market mode you are trading. This article will explain about how the MTF Price Action Indicator will show you what market mode you are trading. Knowing this will assist you to greatly improve your trade management.

The 3 major market modes are consolidation, trend (up-trend or down-trend), and choppy (a trading range). Every financial instrument goes through these three market modes on any chart. The interplay of a multiple time frame price action indicator shows at a glance when you are in an up-trend, a down-trend, when you have a MTF consolidation, and/or when you are trading a choppy market.

First, let's focus on consolidation. A consolidation can be any of the following types; price, volume, volatility, or oscillating inside a trading range. Price consolidation across multiple time frames gives the most powerful consolidation breakout trades. With a MTF consolidation, TradeStation traders can typically get breakouts that will sometimes go on for several days. This is a very powerful method of trading. The MTF Price Action Consolidation trade set-up is present when all the price action lines are collapsed into a tight trading range.

The second major market mode is trend. A MTF trend is shown by the expansion of the interaction of the different MTF price action lines. You'll see this where the shortest trend line is breaking out to the upside and the MTF price action lines are fanning out into a ribbon. But don't be mistaken; simple moving average ribbons are nothing more than a single time frame indicator using multiple different lagging periods. Unlike the simple moving average ribbon, a true MTF price action indicator has nothing to do with lagging lines. In fact, the MTF price action lines lags no more than one bar, and yet it shows a smooth price line. The interaction between the MTF price action indicator lines is very powerful.

You can also see a MTF trading range. When you go into a MTF choppy trading range, the interaction of the MTF price action indicator lines will show a trading range inside several higher time frame lines and the shortest line will be oscillating between the longer time lines.

You have a big advantage when you know what market mode you are trading in and know how to appropriately trade that market mode. With a quick glance at a multiple time frame price action indicator, this information will be at your fingertips to advance your trading success.