The Volume Detective

Love the charts. Please keep 'em coming.

Didn't have much of a good target for take profit in this short, such a bullish day. Just TP at POC.

Thanks, just waiting for more of yours : )

I need a better way of keeping track of my trades, or even better, take less! I remember all my losses were mostly trying to short this highlighted area before it was ready. Two were from going long early on in the day with too tight a stop, entered right back in though. Ended +63.

7:20 6E start time still a bit more clear than 7:00 on TPO, almost always is. I use both though.

7:00,7:20

Other major loss was shorting this, what looked to be a second giant hangman, before it was even complete (other small TF factors involved but I gave too much precedent to the not fully formed 1H candle. Not a good idea..
60m

An earlier trade from today, saw this setting up on Demand zone, didn't expect much so I only risked 2 ticks. Long at green arrow, grabbed 13.
3m chart had a NS, then, what I'm calling a low volume test dip down to demand zone. I also took the following long after it went up and came back into zone again on increasing volume.
3m

I see no answers to this question, so in answer: I call the value area of Market Profile the accumulation and distribution areas of VSA. It's the easiest place to build positions without anybody knowing what's going on. I don't consider the accumulation and distribution happening in all 70% of profile like the value area, more in and around the vPOC and POC. This is all on a smaller scale than real true accumulation/distribution over a long period of time, but I consider it an area of temporary Acc/Dist. Price has found "fair value" around the POC sure, but it's also found the easiest place to build a position, slowly and secretly.

Here's the last one for today I'm posting, almost forgot it, it was a small short I risked 5 for 20 ticks profit. Normally I see these hangman like candles on the 5m as bearish but lately I've been using the 3m and 1m TF (I never liked the idea of using a 1 min candle but it really seems to help when it's a slow time of day) to deduce what it really is/means. You can see price being held up on the 1m w/ large volume spikes. This may not be the most coherent chart/trade, it's hard to describe these ones because it's more than what I can type/say. I was in earlier at the nice dip down to low of supply zone but I exited it out for a small profit (mistake).


Edit: I failed to mention the 5m hangman like candle was right up by a small supply gap, showing resistance, that's why I was bearish until I looked at the volume on smaller TF's. Also the candle after 5m hangman was a NS, it had decreased volume not increasing volume (as chart annotation says).

And the same exact idea here, the drop down right before N.Y. open. 1m shows UHV coming in at what is top of a demand zone, on an up candle, we know what that means. 3m shows the hangman, a probable one, by way of 1min spike, and confirmed next 3m candle.
1M, 3M

A few of the trades today. Ended up +35, got burnt a few times longing a falling market, always feels good...
Same old trade, increasing vol on down bar into an area of demand.
both 3m

Here's a bit more of what I'm talking about how professional's are building positions in and the POC and vPOC, balance has been found and positions can be built that are rather hard to decipher.Even a few weeks ago I would have scoffed at the idea of looking at the 1m chart for anything. I'm getting much better now at seeing their plan with volume and the 1m, although there is times it can get you into huge trouble and must be ignored. The white box is of POC etc.
1m,15m

Trades working out rather well today. I have only taken two today, very good for me, I'm trying to stop overtrading.
Long was simple harami cross NS, short was actually from 1m chart, triple top on 3m though, UHV shooting star>doji ND at weekly vPOC and 12h zone.
3m,1m

Long at bottom on demand zone, first one after KME (zone from 5m chart). Took 18, 5 tick risk.
1m,3m

Edit: HUV=UHV

Took another long at bottom of a demand zone also was easy support line form previous huge hammer. + 14, left a bit early, risked 5.
3m,1m

Just figured out how to plot trades. Still took a lot but much less than usual. Two lossers I think, up 114 ticks. Kind of ridiculous to read the chart but it shows entries and exits better than my arrows, green is long blue is close of long, red is short and pink is close of short. As is shown, I TP too early, always. Edit: white line is gain, red = loss. It's missing some trades and I'm not sure why (I found out why, I had put in some trades on M6E and that won't plot on this chart).

Finally got my account healthy again and far back in profit this month. I'm not going to be trading my live account, at least not on the 6E for awhile (M6E and SIM for now). My bankroll is really not big enough for the swings and it affects my trading too much thinking about it. I could go to spot FX since I can have a smaller lot size but that will NEVER happen after going over to futures. There are way too many reasons to list, a few: It's real, a real life market (even though futures brokers also match orders in house I think), the volume is a hundred times more clear, it's not MT4 (sorry I hate mt4, and I know there are many traders better than me making a fine living off of spot FX and also using mt4, so no offense to anyone), I could never trade without the trading DOM (it visually makes much more sense and is so easy to place limit orders, I never use market orders). Also, the spread factor in spot would really mess up my tight stops. I'm going to sign up w/ Topsteptrader in a week or two. I've passed the combine multiple times without ever taking it (following their rules etc), so I'll see what happens. I paid for it once before and got to the goal, then preceded to lose $505, which negates passing test (can't lose over $500/day)! Since there is next to no proof one can even really get funded and/or paid, I don't have a whole lot of hope or confidence in them, but I think it's worth a try. If anybody has ever wondered if it really works, I guess stay tuned and find out. The thread on them at tradetowin has like one guy saying he's funded (or was funded) and about a thousand detractors in any case.
Edit: If anybody knows of another co. (pseudo prop shop) that's actually legit, let me know.
Edit: Also the M6E moves a bit to wonky for my tight stop style, can't be trusted most times and you need a 6E DOM open to see where the price is really at as well, I do trade it though. The commissions are also pretty bad on it compared to 6E.

Tiny range day today, Asia was a big mover. 2 longs of note. First is low vol test in demand zone, second was demand coming in > inverted hammer on 3m. 5 min chart included has low volume test for both entry.
3m,1m,3m,5m

Took profit too early on this, but long after bullish hammer and test here. Price finally jumped up 15 min later.
3m

and other 3m definitely helped clarify.
3m@7:20

Try and post a live trade here. Long with stop just below low of test, 1 tick. It may be too early, lot of vol keeping it down at the moment.