Last Thursday I shared a long term trade on NZDUSD on the four hour chart, with the entry, stop loss and take profit. It hit take profit on Monday, so it lasted about two or three days.
It was a 1 to 1.5 risk to reward, and a very good trade because there was minimal drawdown and price went almost straight into profit. It took a few days, but that might actually be the better thing.
Key takeaways
Swing trading on the four hour chart uses a lot more data than a one minute or 15 minute chart.
More data means your entry, stop and target levels are more likely to be respected by price.
A trade lasting a couple of days carries lower risk and gives you more time to manage it.
Spend 15 to 20 minutes analyzing, set your levels, enter, and the profit or loss collects almost automatically.
You get your return in one trade without sitting and watching charts, unlike a scalper making quick decisions all day.
You can run swing trades and scalps together, either on separate accounts or on one with careful risk management.
Why the four hour chart gives you accuracy
When you swing trade and look at the four hour chart, that is a lot more data than a one minute or 15 minute chart. For that reason the accuracy increases by a lot.
Your levels become more accurate, so it is more likely that price will actually respect them. On my trade, the entry was not broken by much and price reacted to the take profit level.
Those areas were respected because of the accuracy of that timeframe. The four hour holds a lot of accumulated data you can take advantage of.
“The four hour timeframe, that’s a lot of data, and it’s more accurate. Your levels become more accurate.”
Why holding for days can lower your risk
It is more efficient to take trades that last a couple of days. Because the trade takes time, your risk is automatically a little lower and you have more time to manage it.
For that reason you can risk a little more, in line with your risk management strategy. A scalper often does the opposite, risking less because they take multiple trades a day.
A lot of prop firms have a limit of 5 percent per day. Some scalpers take more than that in trades, so they reduce their risk to leave room. A swing trader does not have that problem in the same way.
The efficiency of one good trade
It is much more efficient to take one trade you spend maybe 15 minutes analyzing, then enter, set your stop loss and take profit, and collect the result automatically.
In two days you get the return without sitting behind the laptop watching the chart, losing one and winning another, going through stress and making decisions very quickly.
The swing trader did the work up front, spent maybe 20 minutes setting levels, entered, and got the same return in two days without doing anything else. That is a lot less effort than a scalper taking 10 trades for 1 or 2 percent.
Who swing trading suits, and doing both
Swing trading is great for those who do not have a high stress tolerance or just want a more relaxed approach. If that is you, it is a good option.
It does not mean I will never scalp or day trade. For those who love being involved and enjoy the different emotions of trading, which is very normal, you can really do both.
You can run swing trades you hold for longer and trades that last a few minutes. Do it on separate accounts, one for swing trading and one for scalping, or on the same account by managing your risk carefully.
If swing trading suits you, compare prop firms on Propvator and pick one with fair conditions to trade with.