Quote from golablue:
...I'd love to hear from others how they view S/R.
Hi golablue,
The question really isn't what exactly is a break of the s/r level or zone.
To me, I think the question should be is there a valid pattern signal when the s/r level or zone is reached (more about this later in my post).
If you can answer that on your own...you'll know what s/r info to ignore and which ones to trade.
There are so many different ways of defining s/r info that it really comes down to a personal preference.
More importantly, the right way is one that is profitable and it doesn't imply such will be profitable for someone else that may have a completely different Entry Signal when that particular type of s/r info is reached.
With that said...s/r info is suppose to represent a change in supply and demand.
In my opinion, such a change can not be represented by a single price level like some
line drawn in the sand.
It usually represents a
zone of price activity where volatility had suddenly either increased or decreased and then followed by (within a few intervals) a
zone of price activity that stablizes just long enough for a change in supply and demand to occur.
Therefore, one of my favorite types of analysis is WRBs (wide range bodies) and Long Shadows (candlestick wicks) because they represent sudden changes in volatility levels.
Further, a s/r zone stays intact as long as there are no intervals in the price action that occurs afterwards that have their bodies
fill in that s/r zone.
Thus, you can have several key s/r zones that develops as prices traverses throughout the trading day from Open to Close.
I'm just not a fan of using s/r levels as if they never change throughout the intraday price action while we all know that volatility changes throughtout the intraday price action for many different reasons that moves the market (key economic report releases, regular schedule market events et cetera).
The above statement about one particular way of using s/r levels (that don't change) is represent by the attachment that was presented in this thread.
http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/attachment.php?s=&postid=1048383
If you look at the above attachment closely...
I see a s/r
zone in the entire range of the long lower shadow of that White (green) Hammer Line that formed two intervals after his first annotations on that chart.
(Note: I said zone and not a valid Hammer pattern to prevent getting confused about the Trading Hammers (revisited) thread at ET)
Last of all, regardless if its a level like a line drawn in the sand or a zone...
Just because price activity reaches it doesn't imply a pattern signal will appear.
I've seen too many times that when price declines to a support level...
No bullish pattern appears that represents a
new change in supply/demand and prices than continues southward and vice versa for resistance levels.
I've just met too many traders that open a trade position because they think that the s/r level or zone that has been reach...it'll support the trade.
P.S. Any one that use s/r info for part of their entry method should also be using it as part of their profit (exit) method.
Just seems like common sense to me.
Mark