Breakout and rejection range trading

Table of Contents

1. Core Concepts
2. Breakout & Rejection Rules
3. Entry & Exit Strategies
4. Risk Management
5. Trade Examples
6. Common Mistakes

Core Concepts

The Breakout Trend Indicator identifies two key market behaviors:

• Breakouts: Price breaks through support/resistance levels
• Rejections: Price fails to break through these levels

Indicator Calculations

Top = Highest high of X candles (excluding current) Top1 = Highest high of X candles (including current) Bottom = Lowest low of X candles (excluding current) Bottom1 = Lowest low of X candles (including current) H1 = Top1 - Bottom1 (Range) Buy Trigger = Top1 - 0.3 × H1 (Exit level for uptrends) Sell Trigger = Bottom1 + 0.3 × H1 (Exit level for downtrends)

Visual Elements

Breakout & Rejection Rules

Bullish Breakout

Conditions (all must be met):

• ✅ Top1 > Top (new high created)
• ✅ Close > Top (candle closes ABOVE previous Top)
• ✅ Trend State = UPTREND

BEFORE: BREAKOUT: │ 1.2000 ═══ Top │ 1.2015 ─╱ Close at 1.2012 ✓ │ │ 1.2000 ════ Top (Broken!) │ 1.1900 ═══ Bottom │ 1.1900 ═══ Bottom NO TREND → UPTREND CONFIRMED

Bearish Breakout

Conditions:

• ✅ Bottom1 < Bottom (new low)
• ✅ Close < Bottom (closes below Bottom)
• ✅ Trend State = DOWNTREND

Important: Only closing price matters, wicks don't count!

Rejection at Top (Bearish)

Conditions:

1. ✅ (high[i] ≥ Top OR high[i+1] ≥ Top) - Either candle touched Top
2. ✅ close[i] < Top AND close[i+1] < Top - BOTH closed below Top
3. ✅ NOT (Top1 > Top) - No breakout occurred

[i+1]: High 1.2008 ──┐ [i]: High 1.2005 ──┐ │╲ │╲ Top 1.2000 ══════════│═══════════════════════│═══ │ │ Close 1.1993 ──┘ Close 1.1992 ──┘ Purple Arrow → BEARISH REJECTION Bulls failed TWICE → High probability reversal DOWN

Rejection at Bottom (Bullish)

Conditions:

1. ✅ (low[i] ≤ Bottom OR low[i+1] ≤ Bottom)
2. ✅ close[i] > Bottom AND close[i+1] > Bottom
3. ✅ NOT (Bottom1 < Bottom)

Why check both candles? Two consecutive failures = stronger confirmation than single candle rejection.

Entry & Exit Strategies

Entry Methods

1. Breakout Entry

• LONG: Enter when candle closes above Top, or wait for pullback to Buy Trigger
• SHORT: Enter when candle closes below Bottom, or wait for pullback to Sell Trigger

2. Rejection Entry

• Aggressive: Enter at next candle after rejection arrow appears
• Conservative: Wait for confirmation candle that breaks high/low of rejection candle

3. Multi-Timeframe Confirmation (Highest probability)

Required conditions:

• ✅ Current timeframe shows valid signal
• ✅ MTF shows SAME direction trend (or neutral)
• ✅ EMA confirms direction (if enabled)

Exit Methods

1. Trigger Break (Primary Exit)

• LONG: Exit when price closes BELOW Buy Trigger
• SHORT: Exit when price closes ABOVE Sell Trigger
• Why: 30% retracement indicates weakening trend

2. Opposite Signal

• Exit LONG when Rejection at Top appears (Purple arrow)
• Exit SHORT when Rejection at Bottom appears (Aqua arrow)

3. Take Profit Targets

Based on Range (H1):

• Conservative: 1.0 × H1
• Moderate: 1.5 × H1
• Aggressive: 2.0 × H1

Scale-out Strategy: Close 1/3 at each target level

Risk Management

Position Sizing Formula

Risk per trade = 1-2% of account Position Size = (Account × Risk%) / (Stop Loss in pips × Pip Value) Example: Account: $10,000 Risk: 2% = $200 Stop Loss: 100 pips Pip Value (1 lot): $10/pip Position Size = $200 / (100 × $10) = 0.2 lots

Stop Loss Placement

Breakout Trades:

• LONG: Place SL below Bottom (with small buffer)
• SHORT: Place SL above Top (with small buffer)
• Reason: If price returns to these levels, breakout failed

Rejection Trades:

• SHORT (Rejection at Top): SL above rejection high + buffer
• LONG (Rejection at Bottom): SL below rejection low + buffer

Risk-Reward Ratios

Multi-Timeframe Rules

MTF Trading Principles:

1. Align with MTF Trend

   • ✅ GOOD: M15 Uptrend + H1 Uptrend
   • ❌ BAD: M15 Uptrend + H1 Downtrend

2. MTF as Support/Resistance

   • Take profit before MTF Top/Bottom
   • Expect reactions at MTF levels

3. MTF Timeframe Selection

Trade Examples

Example 1: Successful Breakout Trade

Setup: M15 timeframe, X=20

1. Range: Top=1.2000, Bottom=1.1900, H1=100 pips 2. Breakout: Close at 1.2012 (above Top) ✓ 3. MTF Check: H1 = UPTREND ✓, MTF Top at 1.2200 ✓ 4. Entry: 1.2015 5. Stop Loss: 1.1895 (below Bottom) = 120 pips risk 6. Targets: TP1=1.2115, TP2=1.2165 7. Result: +133 pips average

Outcome: ✅ WIN

Example 2: Rejection Reversal

Setup: H1 timeframe, Rejection at Top

1. Pattern: Both [i] and [i+1] touched 1.2000 Top 2. Both closed below Top (1.1993, 1.1992) 3. Purple arrow appears 4. Entry SHORT: 1.1985 5. Stop Loss: 1.2015 (above rejection) = 30 pips 6. Targets: TP1=1.1930, TP2=1.1900 7. Result: +70 pips average

Outcome: ✅ WIN

Example 3: Failed Trade (Learning)

Mistake: Ignored MTF warning

1. M15: Breakout above 1.2000 ✓ 2. MTF: H1 = DOWNTREND ❌ (IGNORED!) 3. MTF Top at 1.2020 ❌ (Very close!) 4. Entry LONG: 1.2010 5. Price hit MTF resistance, reversed 6. Exit at Buy Trigger: 1.1990 7. Result: -20 pips

Outcome: ❌ LOSS
Lesson: ALWAYS check MTF before entering

Common Mistakes

1. Ignoring the Close

• ❌ WRONG: "High touched Top, entering long!"
• ✅ CORRECT: Wait for CLOSE above Top to confirm

2. No Stop Loss

• ❌ "I'll wait for it to come back..." → Account blown
• ✅ ALWAYS place stop loss BEFORE entering

3. Revenge Trading

• ❌ After loss: Double position to "win it back" → Bigger losses
• ✅ Analyze what went wrong, maintain same risk per trade

4. Overtrading

• ❌ Taking every signal, 40-50% win rate, exhausted
• ✅ 2-3 high-probability setups per day, 60-70% win rate

5. Ignoring MTF

• ❌ "M15 looks perfect!" (ignores H1 downtrend) → Gets crushed
• ✅ Only trade when MTF aligns or is neutral

6. Wrong Position Sizing

• ❌ Fixed lot size regardless of stop distance
• ✅ Risk 1-2% per trade based on actual SL distance

Quick Reference Checklists

Before LONG Entry (Breakout):

• [ ] Top1 > Top
• [ ] Close > Top
• [ ] MTF = Uptrend or Neutral
• [ ] Not at MTF Top resistance
• [ ] Stop loss set at/below Bottom
• [ ] Position size = 1-2% risk
• [ ] R:R minimum 1:1.5

Before SHORT Entry (Breakout):

• [ ] Bottom1 < Bottom
• [ ] Close < Bottom
• [ ] MTF = Downtrend or Neutral
• [ ] Not at MTF Bottom support
• [ ] Stop loss set at/above Top
• [ ] Position size = 1-2% risk
• [ ] R:R minimum 1:1.5

Before LONG Entry (Rejection):

• [ ] Aqua arrow appeared
• [ ] Both candles tested Bottom
• [ ] Both closed above Bottom
• [ ] No breakdown occurred
• [ ] Stop below rejection lows
• [ ] R:R minimum 1:2

Before SHORT Entry (Rejection):

• [ ] Purple arrow appeared
• [ ] Both candles tested Top
• [ ] Both closed below Top
• [ ] No breakout occurred
• [ ] Stop above rejection highs
• [ ] R:R minimum 1:2

Parameter Settings

X Value (Lookback Period)

Recommended Settings by Style

Conservative Trader:

X = 30
ShowMTF = true
MTFTimeframe = H4 or higher
ShowEMA = true, EMALength = 50
Only trade with full MTF + EMA confirmation

Aggressive Trader:

X = 15 ShowMTF = true MTFTimeframe = H1 ShowEMA = true, EMALength = 20 Can trade with partial confirmation

Beginner:

X = 20 (default) ShowMTF = true MTFTimeframe = one level higher ShowEMA = true, EMALength = 20 ONLY trade with full MTF confirmation Start with minimum position size

Key Success Factors

Do: ✅ Wait for proper close confirmation
✅ Always check MTF before entering
✅ Use rejection signals for reversals
✅ Respect trigger levels for exits
✅ Manage risk on EVERY trade
✅ Keep a trading journal

Don't: ❌ Trade based on wicks alone
❌ Enter without stop loss
❌ Ignore MTF warnings
❌ Revenge trade after losses
❌ Risk more than 2% per trade
❌ Overtrade in ranging markets

Final Tips

Trading Psychology:

• Trust the system, follow rules mechanically
• Accept losses as part of the game (40-50% loss rate is normal)
• Quality over quantity - wait for best setups
• Journal every trade to improve

Risk Management:

• Never risk more than 2% per trade
• Always use stop losses
• Don't move stops away from entry
• Scale out at profit targets

Market Conditions:

• Best in trending markets
• Avoid choppy/sideways markets
• Wait for volatility if too quiet
• Use higher timeframes in low volatility

Remember: No indicator is 100% accurate. Focus on process, not individual results. Let your edge play out over hundreds of trades.

Quick Summary

This strategy identifies:

1. Breakouts when price closes beyond Top/Bottom levels
2. Rejections when price fails to break these levels (both candles must fail)

Entry priorities:

1. MTF confirmation (highest probability)
2. Breakout entries (momentum)
3. Rejection entries (reversal)

Exit when:

1. Price closes beyond trigger levels (30% retracement)
2. Opposite signal appears
3. Profit targets hit

Success formula:

• Right setup + Right timing + Right risk = Consistent profits

Good luck and trade safely! 🎯📈