How Do You Trade a 15 Minute Chart? - Article (2024)


As a day-traders' favorite, there are quite a lot of specifically designed strategies to trade a 15-minute chart.

The 15-minute chart is a favorite of day-traders. While scalpers may prefer lower time frames to catch more trade opportunities, day-traders could focus on the 15-minute chart to profit from larger price movements throughout the day. There are usually one or two profitable chances every day when we trade on the 15-minute chart, except on holidays and quiet trading days.

How should we trade on the 15-minute chart? There are quite a lot of specifically designed trading strategies out there. Here are some of them:

The 15-Minute Breakout

Requirements:

  • Sufficient knowledge about support resistance and simple candlestick reading.
  • Naked 15-minute chart with additional trend lines as needed.

The rule:

  • If it is trending in one direction and breaks a 15-minute high, then it is most probably going to continue (either upward or downward).

The caveat:

  • The strategy is more suitable for Asian and European trading hours.
  • Be aware not to open any position within 2 hours before market close in the New York session.

How Do You Trade a 15 Minute Chart? - Article (2)

The 20-EMA Trading Strategy

Requirements:

  • Understanding on how EMA (Exponential Moving Average) works, support resistance zones, and overall trend.
  • A 20-EMA on a 15-minute chart.
  • A Daily chart.

How Do You Trade a 15 Minute Chart? - Article (3)

The rule:

  • Check the major trend in the Daily chart. Is it uptrend or downtrend? Only open a position if the trend on the Daily chart is in the same direction as the current trade opportunity on the 15-minute chart.
  • If prices on the 15-minute chart moved over 20-EMA with substantial buying volume, then you can buy it. If prices on the 15-minute chart moved below 20-EMA with substantial selling volume, then you can sell it. See the example above.
  • If prices have moved over 20-EMA for several days, then you can look for buying opportunities when prices retrace to the 20-EMA line. if prices have moved below 20-EMA for several days, then you can open a short position when prices retrace to the 20-EMA line.

The caveat:

  • This strategy is only suitable for breakouts and trending markets. Be aware not to use it during choppy or ranging markets.
    To improve accuracy, you could also monitor price patterns and volume indicators. There is always more than one way to use a certain trading strategy, read more to learn further.

Multiple Time Frames Trading Strategy

Requirements:

  • Knowledge about support resistance zones, trend lines, and simple candlestick reading.
  • To trade on every currency pair, you would need to check 15-minute, 1-hour, and 4-hour or Daily charts.

The rule:

  • Determine the major trend in the largest time frame. You could make use of the 4-hour or Daily chart.
  • Confirm that the major trend is still ongoing in the mid-term time frame (1-hour).
  • Look for entry and exit points on the 15-minute chart. You could either apply the 20-EMA strategy above, or choose other indicators such as ADX, Parabolic SAR, and Bollinger Bands. You could also prefer a naked chart as long as you have sufficient experience with patterns and candlesticks.

So, which strategy would you choose to trade a 15-minute chart? Whichever it is, make sure to first try it out on the demo account till you could master it well. Good luck!


How Do You Trade a 15 Minute Chart? - Article (4)

Aisha Amajida

Aisha has been working with forex industry since 2008. Currently active as independent trader and educator in financial trading and investment.



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FAQs

How do you trade on a 15 minute chart? ›

Trading the 15-minute chart
  1. If the price on the 15-minute chart breaks the 20-EMA, you can open a “buy” position. If the price is below the 20-EMA, you can sell.
  2. If the price has been moving above the 20-EMA line for several days, buy when it returns to the line.

How do you trade the first 15 minutes? ›

Here is how. Let the index/stock trade for the first fifteen minutes and then use the high and low of this “fifteen minute range” as support and resistance levels. A buy signal is given when price exceeds the high of the 15 minute range after an up gap.

Is 15 minutes time frame good for trading? ›

For day trading, 15-minute charts and 30-minute charts are the best. Day traders who use indicators in their day trading strategy can use a 15-minute or lower time frame. In the case of price action-based trading, a combination of the 15-minute and 30-minute time frames is the best.

What is the best 15 minute chart strategy? ›

Open a new chart, set the time period to 15 minutes. Load 3 EMAs (exponential moving averages) – the 5, 10, and 50 EMA. When price and the 5 and 10 EMA lines all cross above the 50 EMA line, buy. Or, conversely, when they all cross the 50 EMA line, sell.

Should we trade in first 15 minutes? ›

If you are a seasoned trader, trading within the first 15 minutes might not be as much of a risk. For beginners, it's recommended to wait until 9:30. The reason behind this is simple; in the first few minutes of the market opening, stocks are likely reacting to the previous night's news.

What is the 15-minute MACD strategy? ›

The 15-minute MACD gives a buy signal when the fast MACD leg (12) crosses the slow MACD leg (26) upwards. The 15-minute MACD chart gives a short sell signal when the fast MACD leg crosses the slow MACD leg downwards.

What is the 10am rule in trading? ›

You use the 10 A.M. rule, and wait until after 10 A.M. for the right forex stock investing time to buy the stock. If the forex stock makes a new high for the day after 10 A.M., then, and only then, should you trade the stock. Of course, you will use stops to protect yourself, like you would on any trade.

How to trade at 15? ›

Although you will be unable to open a brokerage account on your own if you are under the age of majority, you can work with a parent, guardian, or trusted adult to open a custodial or joint account that will allow you to begin investing.

What is the perfect time to trade? ›

Key Takeaways

The closest thing to a hard-and-fast rule is that the first hour and last hour of a trading day are the busiest, offering the most opportunities, while the middle of the day tends to be the calmest and most stable period of most trading days.

Which time frame most traders use? ›

Trading On a 15-Minute Chart

For some day traders, a 15-minute chart is a preferred choice for identifying intraday patterns and detecting key entry points. This time frame provides traders with proper insight into support and resistance levels and allows them to cash in on major intraday price movements.

What is the 15-minute rule in stocks? ›

The rule of thumb is this: If a stock gaps down below the stop that has been established, wait for the first 15 minutes (up to 9:45am EST) to trade before doing anything. Then place a new protective stop just under (adjust this amount for the volatility of the issue) the low of that first 15 minutes of trade.

What time frame do scalpers use? ›

In general, most traders scalp currency pairs using a time frame between 1 and 15 minutes. Whilst there is not really a "best" time frame for scalping, the 15-minute timeframe does tend to be the least popular with most Forex scalping strategies. Both 1-minute and 5-minute timeframes are the most common.

What is the best RSI for 15-minute chart? ›

Periods between 9 and 11 are favored by day traders and scalpers, including those who trade in 5 min, 15 min chart, and so on up to hourly timeframes. The default RSI setting of 14 is widely used by medium-term swing traders. Periods between 20 and 30 are chosen by long-term traders and investors.

What is the best stochastic setting for a 15-minute chart? ›

The best stochastic settings for a 15-minute stock chart is generally a 14-period %K (fast stochastic line) and a 3-period %D (slow stochastic line) with settings of 14,3,3.

What is the best moving average for a 15 seconds chart? ›

The best Moving Average for 15 Min Chart are 8 MA and 13 MA.

What EMA setting should be used for a 15-minute chart? ›

The 20 EMA is the best moving averages to use in the 15-minute charts because the price follows it most accurately during multi-day trends. In other words, you can easily identify the trend from there.

What is the best RSI setting for a 15 min chart? ›

Periods between 9 and 11 are favored by day traders and scalpers, including those who trade in 5 min, 15 min chart, and so on up to hourly timeframes. The default RSI setting of 14 is widely used by medium-term swing traders. Periods between 20 and 30 are chosen by long-term traders and investors.

How do you trade with a short timeframe? ›

As a general rule in short-term trading, you want to set your sell stop or buy stop within 10% to 15% of where you bought the stock or initiated the short. The idea is to keep losses manageable so gains will be considerably more than the inevitable losses you incur.

What is the best time frame for trading chart? ›

Trading On a 15-Minute Chart

For some day traders, a 15-minute chart is a preferred choice for identifying intraday patterns and detecting key entry points. This time frame provides traders with proper insight into support and resistance levels and allows them to cash in on major intraday price movements.

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