How to Trade Without Technical Indicators & Oscillators

Those who trade without technical indicators need an alternative method of interpreting the markets. One of the popular alternative methods involves the use of Japanese candlesticks -- a graphical representation of price over a particular time period. The period that each candlestick represents is dictated by the time frame of the chart you are viewing. For example, if the chart is a one-hour chart, each candlestick will represent one hour's worth of price movements. Japanese candlesticks have a body, a wick and a tail. The size of the body is dictated by the opening and closing prices of the session. The wick and tail are dictated by the high and low, respectively, of the session.

Traders can use the shape of these candlesticks to interpret the balance between buyers and sellers in the market. In turn, they can use the interpretation to predict future price movements. A number of well-known single candlesticks reliably produce profitable signals. Other patterns include two or more candlesticks, and they also produce reliably profitable signals.

The single candlestick that traders use the most is the pin bar. A pin bar candlestick has a thin body at the top of a long tail, or at the bottom of a long wick. The thin body of the candlestick indicates the session had similar opening and closing prices. The long tail or wick indicates that during the session the price moved substantially in one direction, but then reversed. Traders look to take advantage of this reversal momentum by entering a trade in that direction. Therefore, a pin bar with a long wick is a bearish pin bar. If you see a bearish pin bar, you could look to enter a short trade. A pin bar with a long tail is a bullish pin bar. If you see a bullish pin bar, you could look to enter a long trade.

One of the most popular multiple-candle patterns is the inside bar candlestick. An inside bar candlestick forms when one candlestick is completely engulfed by the previous candlestick. This pattern indicates indecision in the markets and can precede a large movement. Traders normally look for the price to break through the high or the low of the bigger of the two candles, and then enter on the break. If it breaks the high of the candle, they enter long. If it breaks the low of the candle they enter short.

One way to improve your chances when using candlesticks to enter trades is to look for points of confluence. A point of confluence is a point at which two or more factors indicate a potential price movement. For example, if a bullish pin bar forms at a level of support, it could be considered confluence.