What Are Support and Resistance Levels?
Introduction: The Invisible Walls of the Market
Ever wonder why prices “bounce” at certain levels again and again? That’s not random — it’s called support and resistance.
These two concepts are foundational in technical analysis. Whether you’re trading EUR/USD, GBP/JPY, or XAU/USD, understanding support and resistance helps you identify:
- Where price might reverse
- Where to set stop losses and take profits
- When to enter or exit trades
Let’s break it down in simple, actionable terms.
1. What Is Support?
Support is a price level where buying pressure tends to overcome selling pressure, causing the market to bounce upward.
🟢 Think of it as a floor that holds price up.
📌 Traders look to buy at support — especially after confirmation (like a bullish candle or a bounce).
2. What Is Resistance?
Resistance is a price level where selling pressure tends to overcome buying pressure, pushing price down.
🔴 Think of it as a ceiling that prevents price from going higher.
📌 Traders look to sell at resistance or close long positions there.
3. How to Identify Support and Resistance Levels
You can spot them by:
✅ Looking left on the chart:
- Horizontal areas where price reversed multiple times
- Previous highs and lows
- Ranges and congestion zones
✅ Using tools like:
- Trendlines
- Fibonacci levels
- Moving averages as dynamic S/R
- Pivot points
4. Why They Matter in Forex and XAU/USD
These levels are used by:
- Retail traders
- Institutions
- Algo systems
Because they reflect psychological zones where orders are clustered.
Especially on XAU/USD (gold), you’ll notice that price respects these levels with high volatility — creating amazing intraday and swing trading setups.
5. The More Touches, the Stronger the Level
If a level is tested multiple times without breaking, it becomes more significant.
But be careful — the more it’s tested, the closer it gets to breaking, especially if volume increases.
6. Broken Support Becomes Resistance (and Vice Versa)
Once a level breaks, its role often flips:
- Broken support becomes new resistance
- Broken resistance becomes new support
This is called an S/R flip — and it’s a powerful setup for trend continuation trades.
Conclusion: Don’t Trade Blind — Trade Around Structure
Support and resistance aren’t magic, but they show you where the smart money is active.
Whether you trade price action, indicators, or fundamentals — you still need structure.
🎯 Learn to identify these levels.
🛡 Use them to protect your capital.
🚪 Use them to plan cleaner entries and exits.
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