Six Killer Forex Trading Strategies
There are several forex trading strategies that can bring you profits. However, what works in a trending market may not work in a sideways market (and vice versa).
Here are six general strategies for placing trades in different forex trading situations. You may have seen some of these ideas in previous blog posts, but this will be a nice summary of forex trading rules to print and keep by your forex trading desk.
Remember to combine the general information listed here with the more detailed, case-specific information you’ve learned throughout this blog.
Strategy #1: This forex trading strategy works well in both sideways markets and trending markets. To trade the first trading strategy, follow these steps:
-
Enter with one lot.
- Place your stop loss order at the last level of support if you are a bull (you are buying) or the last level of resistance if you are a bear (you are selling).
- Analyze the potential risk compared to the potential reward in the trade. Keep your potential losses small.
- Go for small profits, don’t get greedy.
- Exit just before the market makes a new high or low. Exit as the market passes through the previous level of support (resistance) to make a new low (high).
Strategy #2: This forex trading strategy works better in sideways markets, but also works fine in trending markets. To trade the second forex trading strategy, follow these steps:
-
Enter with several lots (5 or 10, for example).
-
Place your stop loss order at the last level of support if you are a bull (you are buying) or the last level of resistance if you are a bear (you are selling).
-
Analyze the risk-reward ratio. Keep your potential losses small.
-
Go for small profits (20-30 pips). You should be in and out of the trade quickly.
-
Exit just before the market makes a new high or low. Exit as the market passes through the previous level of support (resistance) to make a new low (high).
Strategy 3: This forex trading strategy works well in trending markets and poorly in sideways markets. To trade the third forex trading strategy, follow these steps:
-
Enter with one lot.
-
Place your stop loss order at the last level of support if you are a bull (you are buying) or the last level of resistance if you are a bear (you are selling).
-
Analyze the potential risk compared to the potential reward in the trade. Keep your potential losses small.
-
Cancel and replace your original stop loss order (to seal in profits). Only cancel and replace the previous stop loss order after the market has made a new high (low).
-
Don’t set a profit limit order. Stay in the market until you are automatically exited when the market hits your stop loss order price (when you are stopped out).
Strategy #4: This forex trading strategy works well in trending markets and modestly in sideways markets. To trade the fourth forex trading strategy, follow these steps:
-
Enter with two lots.
-
Place your stop loss order at the last level of support if you are a bull (you are buying) or the last level of resistance if you are a bear (you are selling).
-
Analyze the potential risk compared to the potential reward in the trade. Keep your potential losses small.
-
Exit with one lot for a small profit before the market makes a new high or low. Exit as the market passes through the previous level of support (resistance) to make a new low (high).
-
Exit with the second lot just before the market hits to Fibonacci extension bounce point (you will be going for a larger profit with this lot).
Strategy #5: This forex trading strategy works well in trending markets and poorly in sideways markets. To trade the fifth forex trading strategy, follow these steps:
-
Enter with multiple lots (5 or 10, for example).
-
Place your stop loss order at the last level of support if you are a bull (you are buying) or the last level of resistance if you are a bear (you are selling).
-
Analyze the potential risk compared to the potential reward in the trade. Keep your potential losses small.
-
Place limit exit orders for each lot at different pip increments (e.g. place your first exit order to exit one lot at 40 pips away from entry; place your second exit order to exit one lot at 60 pips away from entry; place your third exit order to exit one lot at 100 pips away from entry; place your fourth exit order to exit one lot at 150 pips away from entry; place your fifth exit order to exit one lot at 200 pips away from entry).
-
Once the market has started to trend and has moved 100 pips or more away from entry, cancel and replace the stop loss orders for your remaining lots to eliminate your risk. In this case, cancel your original stop orders for the fourth and fifth lots, replacing those stop orders at the breakeven point (the market price 100 pips away from entry).
Strategy #6: This forex trading strategy also works well in trending markets and poorly in sideways markets. To trade the sixth forex trading strategy, follow these steps:
-
Enter with multiple lots (5 or 10, for example).
-
Place your stop loss order at the last level of support if you are a bull (you are buying) or the last level of resistance if you are a bear (you are selling).
-
Analyze the potential risk compared to the potential reward in the trade. Keep your potential losses small.
-
Place limit exit orders for each lot at different pip increments, just as you would in the fifth trading strategy, except this time don’t set a limit exit for the last lot (the fifth lot, in this case). Instead, allow your trade to take advantage of potentially huge moves.
-
Once the market has started to trend and has moved 100 pips or more away from entry, cancel and replace the stop loss orders for your remaining lots to eliminate your risk. In this case, cancel your original stop orders for the fourth and fifth lots, replacing those stop orders at the breakeven point (the market price 100 pips away from entry). As you follow the market with your fifth lot, continue canceling previous stop loss orders and replacing them at new highs or lows, to lock in your profit.
Now you have 6 different forex trading strategies for different market situations. Mastering a few of these could become your bread and butter as a forex trader. The rapid forex blog will continue to teach you more forex trading strategies, but knowing these will add valuable tools to your forex trading toolbox!
Related posts:
Tags: forex trading, losses, profits, resistance, risk-reward, sideways market, stop loss order, support, trending market Posted in


March 25th, 2010 at 11:52 am
Brian,
I’ve been following every blog post. This will help tie things together. Like you suggested, I printed this out and will be keeping it at my desk
[Reply]
March 25th, 2010 at 11:58 am
Great! I was looking for something like this on the blog. Thanks for putting this together for all us struggling forex traders
[Reply]
March 25th, 2010 at 12:01 pm
Aren’t all of these strategies the SAME? After briefly scanning them, they look like the same rules. Why are there six?
[Reply]
March 25th, 2010 at 12:07 pm
Brian – Sorry about that. I read the post more carefully and they are different. I apologize for the heated comment.
[Reply]
March 26th, 2010 at 9:43 am
thanks Brian. these are great ideas. I’ve been out of forex trading for a couple years. I want to try again but I think I should go in with more knowledge this time (& $ LOL). I find it overwhelming though having to learn all the Fibonacci & other technical analysis. I just thought that if it gets too complicated that couldn’t be good. but alas I guess I should learn it all. Your website is a good place for that.
[Reply]
Rapid Forex
Reply:
March 26th, 2010 at 12:27 pm
Brain surgery is complicated, but it’s also profitable! The good news is that forex trading isn’t as complicated as brain surgery, and can be more profitable (if you know what you’re doing).
Thanks for letting me know you’re getting back into the game. This website is full of people right where you’re at, heck – I’m also coming back to the Forex after an extended break
[Reply]
March 26th, 2010 at 1:15 pm
Good Stuff! I’m taking this with my family this weekend on our camping trip. I’ll be committing this to memory.
Thanks for giving me this Brian!
[Reply]
April 2nd, 2010 at 4:50 am
I was wondering if you or anybody else was familiar with Karl Dittmann’s “Forex Secret Indicator”? It sounds to good to be true and probably is. However if yo have some info I would love to here it.
Thanks,
Wayne
[Reply]
Rapid Forex
Reply:
April 3rd, 2010 at 4:26 pm
Wayne,
I’ll have to look into that one. I don’t know much about it. I’ll let you know what I discover…
[Reply]
April 23rd, 2010 at 6:28 am
Hi Brian,
Thanks for this wonderful and easy-going summary of the Six Killer Forex Trading Strategies. With this, Forex Trading Experts among us will be adding more beautiful colors to their caps but a newbie like me, hm hm hm! Do allow me to quote you here so you could understand the challenge I have with the correct application of these strategies, and I quote: “Remember to combine the general information listed here with the more detailed, case-specific information you’ve learned throughout this blog.” Question, Since you were quite broad in your blog posts, which area or topic do you refer to as “… more detailed, case-specific information . . . “? Or is it the Lesson on the Six Killer Strategies itself? Knowing this area or topic, will certainly assist me to take full advantage of this Six Killer Forex Trading Strategies. I remain most grateful and hope you’re enjoying your “working” holidays! Augustine
[Reply]
Rapid Forex
Reply:
April 23rd, 2010 at 6:29 am
@Augustine – what was meant was that you should “READ” the rest of the blog. As you learn certain things will make sense. The point that happens is unique for you.
If you focus on Forex Sailing, you’ll have a good guide to follow. The Six Killer Strategies are meant to enhance what you already know. Just keep reading, if you don’t understand something don’t get stuck, just move forward. Some things will make sense the 2nd or 3rd time you see them. This is what learning is about.
[Reply]
May 9th, 2010 at 11:39 pm
Hi Brian
These 6 strategies, which one will you recommend a newbie to start with?
[Reply]
May 23rd, 2010 at 8:00 pm
Hi Brian,
Thanks for this great blog post. It’s so helpful to have six powerful trading strategies all together in one post. Trading decisions will become much easier to make now!
[Reply]
September 28th, 2011 at 8:15 am
There are many FOREX trading strategies. The ideal is to have your own. Try to trade on a demo first. This is where you can start building your own guide.
[Reply]
January 1st, 2012 at 5:24 pm
awesome..thanks for the great stuff
[Reply]
June 11th, 2012 at 5:58 am
The 6 different strategies only differ in two areas – lot size and exits! The $64 000 question which you do not address (understandably) is when to go long and when to go short! And that is the rub! You simply cannot know whether the market is going to go UP or whether the market is going to go DOWN and it will do one or the other IRRESPECTIVE of what the market has been doing up to the time of entry. Solve that one and you have found the Holy Grail of trading!
[Reply]