Failsafe Checklist

Many a Forex trader will relate to this experience:

• Price has been in a consolidation channel for one or two hours.
• You place an entry order to get taken in at the top or bottom of the channel.
• Within a few minutes your trade is in and within a few minutes more you are looking at a loss of -10 pips, then -15 pips, and then your stop gets taken out.
• Price hardly moved for hours but as soon as you got into a trade you were taken out within minutes for a loss leaving you bewildered and muttering, "What happened?"

In the early stages of gaining trading experience, it is good for the novice Forex trader to go by a checklist every time before entering a trade until certain habits become ingrained.

For a very cautious approach to trading the newer Forex trader can use this Failsafe Checklist to determine whether the potential trade setup is likely to be high probability or low probability.

Avoid Going Long If:

• There is negative divergence on MACD on the 4 hour, 1 hour, or 15 minute chart.
• MACD on the 4 hour or 1 hour chart is pointing down.
• Price is well above the Central Pivot Point for the day in a Sell Area.
• Price is below the 200 EMA (Exponential Moving Average) on the 4 hour and 1 hour chart but above the 200 EMA on the 15 minute chart. (With this setup on the 3 times frames price is bucking the overall trend and can turn against you at any time.)
• Price is above a Fibonacci 50, 62, or 79 retracement (calculated from the last high and low)
• Your stop is not below multiple layers of support such as a significant previous high or low, pivot point, or Fibonacci level.

Avoid Going Short If:

• There is positive divergence on MACD on the 4 hour, 1 hour, or 15 minute chart.
• MACD on the 4 hour or 1 hour chart is pointing up.
• Price is well below the Central Pivot Point for the day in a Buy Area.
• Price is above the 200 EMA on the 4 hour and 1 hour chart but below the 200 EMA on the 15 minute chart.
• Price is below a Fibonacci 50, 62, or 79 retracement (calculated from the last high and low)
• Your stop is not above multiple layers of resistance such as a significant previous high or low, pivot point, or Fibonacci level.

Implementing this Failsafe Checklist strategy may reduce the number of trades the Forex trader participates in. However, here an important lesson is learned - patience! Waiting for a high probability setup can make many demands on a Forex trader's mental resources and emotional strength.