A gold strategy isn’t an indicator. It’s a set of decisions made before the trade, so you don’t have to make them during it.
1. Know when gold moves
Gold is most active at the London open and during the overlap with New York. The Asian session is often quieter. US economic releases, such as inflation, jobs or central bank decisions, can move the price by tens of dollars in a few minutes.
Before each session, check the economic calendar. If a major announcement is due within the hour, either you have a plan for it, or you wait.
2. Mark the structure before looking for an entry
Start from the higher timeframes. On H4 and H1, draw the previous day’s high and low, the weekly levels and the zones where price has already reacted. Only then do you drop down to M15 to look for an entry.
A trade taken in the middle of a range, far from any level, has no clear reason to exist.
3. Write your entry conditions in advance
For example: a rejection from a support zone with a clean wick, or a break of a level followed by a retest. If the conditions aren’t met, there’s no trade. It’s the simplest rule, and the hardest one to stick to.
4. The stop first, the size second
Place the stop where your idea is proven wrong, not where the loss feels acceptable. Only then, work out the position size so that this loss stays between 0.5 and 1% of your capital. The calculator on the home page does this for you.
5. Plan the exit
Decide in advance where you take part of the profit and when you move the stop up to the entry price. An improvised exit often turns a good trade into an average one.
6. Keep a journal
For every trade: a screenshot of the chart, the reason for the entry, the result and how you felt. After a month, the journal shows you your real mistakes, which are rarely the ones you imagined.
What to avoid
Jumping back into a trade right after a loss to win it back, averaging down on a losing position, and trading a news release without a plan.
No strategy wins every time. The one that lasts is the one you manage to apply on the days it doesn’t work.