
What Is Price Action Trading?
Introduction: The Market Leaves Clues — You Just Have to Read Them
Price action trading means trading based on what price is doing, without relying on indicators.
You analyze raw movement, structure, and candlesticks to:
- Spot trend direction
- Find high-probability entries
- Understand momentum and reversals
It’s how most professional traders operate — especially in volatile pairs like XAU/USD.
1. What Is Price Action?
Price action = the movement of price on the chart, including:
- Candlestick patterns
- Swing highs and lows
- Support/resistance reactions
- Trendline breaks
- Order flow (buyers vs sellers in real-time)
📉 It’s not about prediction — it’s about reading and reacting.
2. Key Price Action Concepts
✅ Market Structure
- Higher highs & higher lows = uptrend
- Lower highs & lower lows = downtrend
✅ Support and Resistance
- Horizontal levels where price reacts
- Former support can become resistance (and vice versa)
✅ Candlestick Patterns
- Pin bars, engulfing candles, inside bars
- Rejection candles at key levels = strong signal
3. Why Use Price Action?
- Works on all timeframes
- Adaptable to any market (Forex, gold, indices)
- Removes lagging indicators and noise
- Helps you understand the “why” behind the move
💡 Especially useful for XAU/USD, which moves fast and often ignores indicators.
4. Price Action Entry Examples
📌 Long setup:
- Price pulls back to support
- Bullish engulfing candle forms
- Higher low is confirmed
→ Enter long with stop below the candle
📌 Short setup:
- Price hits resistance
- Pin bar or bearish rejection
- Break of minor structure
→ Enter short with stop above the wick
🎯 Add confluence (e.g., Fibonacci or trendline) for higher probability.
5. Price Action Doesn’t Mean “No Tools”
You can still use:
- Moving averages for trend filtering
- Volume for breakout confirmation
- Fibonacci for entry zones
But you make decisions based on what price is doing, not what indicators say.
6. Common Mistakes to Avoid
🚫 Ignoring structure and trading patterns in random areas
🚫 Overtrading every candle
🚫 Forcing trades without confirmation
✅ Wait for clear signals at clear levels — discipline is key.
Conclusion: Let Price Tell the Story
Price action is simple but not easy.
It takes time to develop your eye — but once you do, it becomes your most powerful tool.
🚀 I've been trading for more than two decades, and as you could imagine, in this time, I've tested a lot of brokers. However, there's one brokerage firm that has consistently stood out to me, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to fellow traders and investors - TradeNation.
Trade with my preferred broker, TradeNation! You can open an account HERE.
Find out why I chose this broker HERE!