Ok you trade breakouts from stock patterns...
What are your rules for entry and exit around the initial break zone...
Now before you reply and say I give a 10c stop when I place an order at break out of $20.01, when current price is $19.95, this may work fine for stocks under $25.00 but its far too narrow for stocks around $50, and a whipsaw will get you kicked out of a trade too quickly.
I expect that break out trades will be mostly done by ON STOP orders, as this will allow a you to get filled if its a fast break.
The rules I try are enter market at 0.01 after critical price zone, like 20.26 or 20.01 or 25.51, with a stop order. Using 2 min bar chart, if the breakout bar or the following bar after breakout bar smashes down to the break price, say price entry was 20.01, and filled for 1000 shares at 20.05, then price smashes down to 19.95 immediately then I will exit the trade as there is no Break out holding price at the new levels. And try to re enter trade if price makes a new high.
The problem with this that when it smashes down far to quickly your losses can be more that expected, and one never has enough time to enter protective stop losses orders.
So what do you do...in the break out trade...
For example say this is your trade...
Price Currentlty at $19.95
Your enter On STOP entry LONG order to buy at $20.01
You get filled for 1000 shares average at 20.06
Then what do you do it trade foes BAD !
What are your rules for entry and exit around the initial break zone...
Now before you reply and say I give a 10c stop when I place an order at break out of $20.01, when current price is $19.95, this may work fine for stocks under $25.00 but its far too narrow for stocks around $50, and a whipsaw will get you kicked out of a trade too quickly.
I expect that break out trades will be mostly done by ON STOP orders, as this will allow a you to get filled if its a fast break.
The rules I try are enter market at 0.01 after critical price zone, like 20.26 or 20.01 or 25.51, with a stop order. Using 2 min bar chart, if the breakout bar or the following bar after breakout bar smashes down to the break price, say price entry was 20.01, and filled for 1000 shares at 20.05, then price smashes down to 19.95 immediately then I will exit the trade as there is no Break out holding price at the new levels. And try to re enter trade if price makes a new high.
The problem with this that when it smashes down far to quickly your losses can be more that expected, and one never has enough time to enter protective stop losses orders.
So what do you do...in the break out trade...
For example say this is your trade...
Price Currentlty at $19.95
Your enter On STOP entry LONG order to buy at $20.01
You get filled for 1000 shares average at 20.06
Then what do you do it trade foes BAD !