Instead of buy low, stoploss lower ; sell high, stoploss higher ; enter - panic and get out for a wash - one could replace with calm methodical trading to take net gains from the session.
How about, setting a range of 15 points from the high or low as the "optimum" range for this market, and play with continuous reversals.
This generates the following signals.
09.12: $93.58 sell short
09.45: $92.74 reverse long
10.20: $93.24 reverse short
10.34: $92.68 reverse long
11.42: $93.29 reverse short
12:02: $93.26 reverse long
12.23: $93.51 reverse short
12.58: $92.94 reverse long
13.14: $93.65 reverse short
13.27: $93.37 reverse long
14:06: $94.05 reverse short
14.12: $93.68 reverse long
14:30: $94.01 go flat
This gives the following net results:
0.84, 0.50, 0.56, 0.61, 0.03, 0.25, 0.57, 0.71, 0.28, 0.68, 0.37, 0.33.
Your net total is $5.73, or $5,730 per contract less commissions. You are continuously in the market for the whole session, open to close, 09.00 to 14.30.
This is an example of using 15 cent distances to time turns. A more proficient trader could use a tighter tolerance, or come up with something closer to "optimum" from extensive testing. In addition, a serious player could use any of the following plans (or a combination) to give signals to watch for buy or sell reversals:
- knowledge of the likely price levels and time windows (clock time) where reversals are likely to occur
- template for the type of day - whether an up day, down day, range bound day, which levels are important, likely range etc
- pattern recognition skills from looking at thousands of CL trading days
- multiple timeframe analysis to drill down into entries, including very fast charts, volume or tick based charts etc
- on chart lines and indicators
- volume analysis
There are some good clues in posts by Cheese and other members, here and elsewhere, and some other clues in between your own two ears, but one has to do the work to find them. Happy hunting!