The Rule of Three in Multi-Timeframe Analysis | Real Trading (2024)

Multi timeframe analysis is the process of making trading decisions by looking at several timeframes first. The strategy is helpful because it helps traders identify the primary trend and potential support and resistance levels.

In this article, we will look at the multi-timeframe analysis and how you can use the rule of three to succeed.

What is multi-timeframe analysis?

As mentioned, this is a trading approach where a trader looks at several key timeframes before they initiate a trade on assets like stocks, currencies, commodities, and exchange-traded funds. It is an approach that is used by all types of traders, including scalpers, swing traders, and position traders.

When used well, multi-timeframe analysis can help you make better decisions. For example, a currency pair may be in a strong upward trend on a 5-minute chart. But when you zoom out in a daily chart, you find it in a deep consolidation phase

What is the rule of three in analysis?

Rule of three is an unwritten rule that recommends that a trader should use three timeframes before they initiate a trade. Proponents believe that looking at three timeframes will help a trader identify all the necessary points they need to execute a trade.

For example, a scalper who focuses on extremely short-term charts can use three timeframes like: hourly, 30-minute, and 5-minute. Alternatively, they can use a 30-minute, 15-minute, and 5-minute chart. Other scalpers start at 15-minutes and then narrow to 5-minutes, and 1-minute.

While many day traders look at multiple charts when making decisions, long-term traders don’t focus on it. That’s because many of them focus on fundamental analysis to identify whether to buy or sell a financial asset.

Benefits of this strategy

There are several benefits of using the rule of three in day trading. First, the long chart will help you identify the asset’s primary trend. As such, it will help you make better decisions in the market.

Second, it is a relatively straightforward strategy that you can use to enter and exit positions. Third, it is a rule that helps you identify support and resistance levels as as we are about to go to see in the Apple chart below.

Finally, the rule of three is an essential trading strategy since it can help you avoid making simple mistakes like entering a short trade when an asset has just moved above a key resistance point.

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Why the rule of three is important

The rule of three is an important one in day and swing trading for three important reasons. First, it helps traders identify trends in the market. For example, on the daily chart below, we see that Apple shares are in an overall bearish trend.

Related » How to spot a trend early

Notably, we see that they have formed what looks like a double-top pattern and a death cross. A death cross forms when the 200-day and 50-day moving averages make a bearish crossover.

Therefore, as a day trader, you have a good idea on the overall state of the market. At the same time, we have identified key support and resistance levels in the market.

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Now, when you narrow down to the hourly chart, you see that the stock is near the support level at $132 as shown below.

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Confirm/invalidate primary trend

Second, rule of three is an important strategy because it helps to confirm or invalidate the primary trend. As shown above, we see that the stock is clearly in a downward trend on the daily chart. The same is also seen when you narrow it down to the hourly chart.

Find entry and exit points

Finally, rule of three can be used to define potential entry and exit positions in a trade. In the initial chart, we saw that $132.84 is an important support point since it was the lowest level on May 23rd. Therefore, you can execute a short trade and then set your take-profit at that level.

Best time combination in rule of three

A common question among traders is on the best time combination when you use the rule of three in market analysis.

There is no correct answer to this since traders use different trading strategies. For example, a scalper will often use different combinations compared to swing traders.

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Scalpers

For s scalper, the ideal combination is 30-minute, 15-minute, and then 5 -minute. On the other hand, a trader using the 1-minute trading strategy, an ideal combination can move from 15, 5, and 1. These are the most popular timeframes.

Day traders

On the other hand, for day traders, an ideal combination can move from 1-day, 4-hour, and then 30-minute chart.

In this, the daily chart will show the primary trend while the four-hour chart will help you to confirm the initial trend. Finally, the 30-minute chart will help you execute the trade.

Swing traders

Swing traders are people who execute trades and then hold them for a few days. These traders tend to execute trades on the 30-minute or hourly chart. As such, a potential combination can move from daily, to four-hour chart, and hourly chart.

Still, it is recommended that you spend a lot of time testing several timeframe combinations to see those that work well. At times, you don’t need to stick to the rule of three. Instead, you can decide to use four charts.

Summary

Rule of three is an important trading strategy in all types of trading. It is essential because it helps to identify entry and exit trades in an easy process. It is not mandatory to use this technique to analyze a trend, but it is certainly supportive especially to avoid abnormal asset movements.

External useful resources

The Rule of Three in Multi-Timeframe Analysis | Real Trading (2024)

FAQs

The Rule of Three in Multi-Timeframe Analysis | Real Trading? ›

What is the rule of three

rule of three
The rule of three is a writing principle that suggests that a trio of entities such as events or characters is more humorous, satisfying, or effective than other numbers.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Rule_of_three_(writing)
in analysis? Rule of three is an unwritten rule that recommends that a trader should use three timeframes before they initiate a trade. Proponents believe that looking at three timeframes will help a trader identify all the necessary points they need to execute a trade.

What is the 3 trading rule? ›

Many investors are often tempted to do so as they see an opportunity to buy at a lower price. However, the 3-day rule advises investors to wait for a full 3 days before buying shares of the stock. This rule clarifies the importance of patience in making best high return investment decisions. Trade Now.

What is the 3 5 7 rule in trading? ›

What is the 3 5 7 rule in trading? A risk management principle known as the “3-5-7” rule in trading advises diversifying one's financial holdings to reduce risk. The 3% rule states that you should never risk more than 3% of your whole trading capital on a single deal.

What is the 3 minute time frame strategy? ›

The 3 minute chart trading strategy allows traders to capture more opportunities in a shorter amount of time. With each candle representing just three minutes of market activity, traders can quickly spot trends and price action changes.

What is the power of 3 in trading? ›

Understanding the Power of 3 (PO3) is crucial for successful intraday trading. Power of 3 (PO3) consists of three key elements: accumulation, manipulation, and distribution. During accumulation Price collects orders on both sides of the market.

What is a three time frame analysis? ›

Multi-timeframe analysis is a technical analysis strategy that involves searching for market's potential entry points based on mutually confirming signals provided from three timeframes at once. In intraday trading, a combination of 30M, 15M, and 5-minute time frames is often used.

What is the 3 30 rule in trading? ›

This rule suggests that a stock's price tends to move in cycles, with the first 3 days after a major event often showing the most significant price change. Then, there's usually a period of around 30 days where the stock's price stabilizes or corrects before potentially starting a new cycle [1].

What is the golden rule of traders? ›

Let profits run and cut losses short Stop losses should never be moved away from the market. Be disciplined with yourself, when your stop loss level is touched, get out. If a trade is proving profitable, don't be afraid to track the market.

What is No 1 rule of trading? ›

Rule 1: Always Use a Trading Plan

You need a trading plan because it can assist you with making coherent trading decisions and define the boundaries of your optimal trade. A decent trading plan will assist you with avoiding making passionate decisions without giving it much thought.

What is 90% rule in trading? ›

The 90 rule in Forex is a commonly cited statistic that states that 90% of Forex traders lose 90% of their money in the first 90 days. This is a sobering statistic, but it is important to understand why it is true and how to avoid falling into the same trap.

What is the 1 3 2 strategy? ›

The 1-3-2 structure supposedly appears as a tree. The strategy profits from a small increase in the price of the underlying asset and maxes when the underlying closes at the middle option strike price at options expiration. Maximum profit equals middle strike minus lower strike minus the premium.

What is the 5m time frame trading strategy? ›

How Does the 5-Minute Trading Strategy Work? This trading strategy looks for momentum bursts on short-term, 5-minute currency trading charts that a market participant can take advantage of, and then quickly exit out of when the momentum starts to wane.

What are the three time frames? ›

The three time frames put forward, the time of an eternal present, the time of a discontinuous future and continuous, emergent time, have been analysed over the last 20 years through the author's 'grounded theory'.

What is 315 trading strategy? ›

315 is a simple swing technique which tries to identify a trend very early. In this strategy we use only EMAs name EMA 3 & EMA 15 (hence the name 315).

Can I risk 3% per trade? ›

A trader should only use leverage when the advantage is clearly on their side. Once the amount of risk in terms of the number of pips is known, it is possible to determine the potential loss of capital. As a general rule, this loss should never be more than 3% of trading capital.

Why do traders use 3 monitors? ›

Given that the average monitor can comfortably display four different charts, many traders will opt for three or four monitors in order to keep an eye on as many metrics as possible, without having to switch between different windows.

What is the 80 20 rule in trading? ›

In investing, the 80-20 rule generally holds that 20% of the holdings in a portfolio are responsible for 80% of the portfolio's growth. On the flip side, 20% of a portfolio's holdings could be responsible for 80% of its losses.

What is the 11am rule in trading? ›

It is not a hard and fast rule, but rather a guideline that has been observed by many traders over the years. The logic behind this rule is that if the market has not reversed by 11 am EST, it is less likely to experience a significant trend reversal during the remainder of the trading day.

What is the 70 30 trading strategy? ›

The strategy is based on:

Portfolio management with 70% hedge and 30% spot delivery. Option to leave the trade mandate to the portfolio manager. The portfolio trades include purchasing and selling although with limited trading activity.

What is the 60 40 rule in trading? ›

While short-term capital gains from stocks or ETFs are taxed at your ordinary income tax rate, futures are taxed using the 60/40 rule: 60% are taxed at the long-term capital gains tax rate of 15%, while only 40% of your short-term capital gains are taxed at your ordinary income tax rate.

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