[{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/reading-charts/candlestick-basics/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Candlestick Basics"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/psychology/emotion-and-trading/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Emotion and Trading"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/foundations/history-of-trading/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"History of Trading"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/risk-management/position-sizing/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Position Sizing"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/price-action/price-action-vs-indicators/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Price Action vs Indicators"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/execution/trading-plan/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Trading Plan"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/market-structure/what-is-market-structure/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"What Is Market Structure?"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/reading-charts/candlestick-patterns/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Candlestick Patterns"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/psychology/fear-greed-and-fomo/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fear, Greed, and FOMO"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/price-action/how-to-trade-trendline-breaks/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"How to Trade Trendline Breaks"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/execution/session-preparation/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Session Preparation"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/risk-management/stop-loss-placement/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Stop Loss Placement"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/market-structure/supply-and-demand/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Supply and Demand"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/foundations/evolution-to-digital-trading/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Evolution to Digital Trading"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/price-action/breakouts-and-fakeouts/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Breakouts and Fakeouts"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/reading-charts/chart-types-and-timeframes/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Chart Types and Timeframes"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/psychology/discipline-and-rules/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Discipline and Rules"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/execution/pre-session-checklist/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Pre-Session Checklist"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/risk-management/risk-to-reward-ratio/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Risk to Reward Ratio"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/market-structure/supply-demand-flips/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Supply and Demand Flips"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/foundations/what-are-markets/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"What Are Markets?"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/risk-management/daily-loss-limits/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Daily Loss Limits"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/execution/entry-execution/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Entry Execution"},{"content":"Before getting into this, a note. I use Steve Norman\u0026rsquo;s FVG indicator — Steve\u0026rsquo;s tools can be found here. It draws these zones automatically. Knowing how to identify them manually is still worth understanding — but in practice I\u0026rsquo;m not hand-drawing boxes every morning.\nWhat is a fair value gap? When price moves fast — really fast, driven by momentum or a large order hitting the market — it sometimes skips through a zone without properly trading there. Buyers and sellers didn\u0026rsquo;t get a chance to interact at those prices. The market moved on before they could.\nThat zone is a fair value gap. And the useful thing about it — the thing that makes it worth marking — is that price tends to come back and revisit it. Not always. Not on any particular schedule. But often enough that knowing where these zones are before the session starts is worth the few minutes it takes to look.\nHow to identify one Three candles. That\u0026rsquo;s all you need.\nThe middle candle is the impulsive move — strong body, clear direction. The FVG is the gap left between the high of candle 1 and the low of candle 3. In a bearish move it\u0026rsquo;s the inverse — the low of candle 1 and the high of candle 3. That range is your zone. Draw a box around it.\nBullish FVG:\nCandle 1: initial move up, establishes the high Candle 2: strong impulsive bullish candle — the move that creates the gap Candle 3: continues upward, opening above candle 1\u0026rsquo;s high Zone: between the high of candle 1 and the low of candle 3 Bearish FVG:\nCandle 1: initial move down, establishes the low Candle 2: strong impulsive bearish candle — the move that creates the gap Candle 3: continues downward, opening below candle 1\u0026rsquo;s low Zone: between the low of candle 1 and the high of candle 3 The three levels within the zone The zone has three candidate levels worth watching: the top, the midpoint, and the bottom. Price doesn\u0026rsquo;t always react at the same level — which is why watching what it does when it arrives matters more than placing an order blindly at any fixed point.\nThe midpoint shows up as a reaction area with some regularity. Whether that\u0026rsquo;s coincidence or something more structural is a question for people with more time for theory. The practical observation is that it\u0026rsquo;s worth marking.\nWhat to look for when price enters the zone This is where most FVG guides stop short. \u0026ldquo;Watch for price to react\u0026rdquo; isn\u0026rsquo;t much use without knowing what a reaction actually looks like.\nThe aim is to find a setup — evidence that the level is being respected before committing to a trade. That can be a single candle setup or a two to three candle sequence that collectively forms a rejection. What looks like a multi-candle rejection on a one minute chart often reads as a single candle on a three minute chart. Both are valid.\nPin bar A candle with a long wick into the level and a small body closing away from it. The wick shows the level was tested. The body shows it was rejected. A bullish pin has a long lower wick testing the zone and closes back up. A bearish pin has a long upper wick and closes back down.\nInside bar The previous candle tests the FVG level, then an inside bar forms entirely within its range. Compression and indecision at the level. The break of the inside bar in the expected direction is the trigger.\nEngulfing candle Previous candle touches the level. Next candle completely engulfs it and closes strongly away. The engulf is the confirmation that the level held.\nCandle gap at the level Occasionally price gaps open exactly at the zone top, midpoint, or bottom. Two forms of imbalance aligning at the same area. Worth noting when it occurs — it adds weight to the zone.\nThese setups are not named to make them sound more significant than they are. A pin bar at an FVG level in empty air is not a compelling trade. The same setup at an FVG that also sits at a previous support level, a session open, or a higher timeframe target is a different proposition entirely.\nConfluence is the real edge An FVG on its own is a zone worth watching. An FVG that aligns with something else — a supply or demand zone, a session level, a previous area of structure, a higher timeframe target — is worth trading.\nThe zone tells you where. The price action tells you when. Something else pointing at the same area tells you whether it is worth the risk.\nKey takeaways Three candles — the gap between candle 1\u0026rsquo;s high and candle 3\u0026rsquo;s low (bullish) or candle 1\u0026rsquo;s low and candle 3\u0026rsquo;s high (bearish) Mark the zone as a box and mark the midpoint as a dashed line Zone top, midpoint, and bottom are all candidate reaction levels Wait for a setup at the level — pin bar, inside bar, engulfing candle, or candle gap A multi-candle rejection on a lower timeframe reads as a single candle setup on a higher one — both are valid FVG plus confluence is worth trading; FVG alone is worth watching Nothing on this page is financial advice. Trade your own account, manage your own risk.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/market-structure/fair-value-gaps/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eBefore getting into this, a note. I use Steve Norman\u0026rsquo;s FVG indicator — Steve\u0026rsquo;s tools can be found \u003ca href=\"/tools/\"\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e. It draws these zones automatically. Knowing how to identify them manually is still worth understanding — but in practice I\u0026rsquo;m not hand-drawing boxes every morning.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"what-is-a-fair-value-gap\"\u003eWhat is a fair value gap?\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen price moves fast — really fast, driven by momentum or a large order hitting the market — it sometimes skips through a zone without properly trading there. Buyers and sellers didn\u0026rsquo;t get a chance to interact at those prices. The market moved on before they could.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fair Value Gaps (FVG)"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/price-action/inside-bars-and-compression/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Inside Bars and Compression"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/psychology/patience-sitting-on-your-hands/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Patience — Sitting on Your Hands"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/reading-charts/support-and-resistance/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Support and Resistance"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/foundations/who-controls-markets/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Who Controls Markets?"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/risk-management/account-management/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Account Management"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/psychology/consistency/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Consistency"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/market-structure/impulse-and-corrective-waves/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Impulse and Corrective Waves"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/execution/managing-the-trade/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Managing the Trade"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/price-action/pullbacks-and-entries/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Pullbacks and Entries"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/reading-charts/trendlines/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Trendlines"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/foundations/types-of-markets/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Types of Markets"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/market-structure/elliott-waves/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Elliott Waves"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/price-action/failed-breakouts/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Failed Breakouts"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/reading-charts/intro-to-indicators/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Intro to Indicators"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/execution/post-session-review/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Post-Session Review"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/risk-management/prop-firm-risk-rules/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Prop Firm Risk Rules"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/psychology/revenge-trading/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Revenge Trading"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/foundations/trading-instruments-and-cfds/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Trading Instruments and CFDs"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/risk-management/compounding/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Compounding"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/price-action/confluence/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Confluence"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/foundations/market-opens-and-closes/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Market Opens and Closes"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/market-structure/order-blocks/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Order Blocks"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/psychology/overtrading/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Overtrading"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/reading-charts/volume/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Volume"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/execution/when-to-stop-trading/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"When to Stop Trading"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/psychology/burnout/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Burnout"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/market-structure/liquidity-and-stop-hunts/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Liquidity and Stop Hunts"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/execution/trade-journaling/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Trade Journaling"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/foundations/trading-sessions/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Trading Sessions"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/market-structure/accumulation-and-distribution/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Accumulation and Distribution"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/psychology/dealing-with-losses/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Dealing With Losses"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/foundations/pips-and-points/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Pips and Points"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/foundations/brokers-and-spreads/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Brokers and Spreads"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/psychology/building-a-trading-routine/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Building a Trading Routine"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/market-structure/multiple-timeframes/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Trading Multiple Timeframes"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/foundations/leverage/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Leverage"},{"content":"Content coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/learn/foundations/demo-vs-live-trading/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContent coming soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Demo vs Live Trading"},{"content":"Here is another example of a trade using the strategy from Buy the dips, sell the rallies — almost the same setup, but the result could have been better. The entry was fine. The problem was the exit: no target, and an emotional decision to get out early.\nThe trade — M1 entry M1 — price rejection at Day Open with Inside Bar (IB), Acceleration Correction visible in eWaves, 3.20R exit\nThe setup was clean — price rejection at the Day Open with an Inside Bar, Acceleration Correction confirmed in eWaves. Entry was good. The exit at 3.20R was the result of not having a plan.\nHow it played out M1 — the full move. A target at the right level would have captured close to 6R.\nLooking at M1 as the trade played out, there was a possibility of close to double the profit — a potential 6R trade. There is always a risk of giving back profits if the target isn\u0026rsquo;t reached, but there is a good likelihood that price will reach a key level before it retraces again. That level needs to be identified before the trade is taken.\nGood target levels to look for: key session levels, supply and demand zones, support and resistance, or Fibonacci levels. I\u0026rsquo;ll typically use M5, M15, or occasionally H1 for this.\nM15 — the target that was there M15 — Overnight High (ONH) supply/demand zone was the obvious target. Entry and both exits marked.\nOn M15 there was a clear supply and demand zone at the Overnight High (ONH) — an obvious target that was sitting there before the trade was even taken. With that target in mind, the exit plan writes itself.\nSummary — why targets matter Know the potential R:R before entering — if it doesn\u0026rsquo;t meet your minimum, don\u0026rsquo;t take the trade Direction — a target gives you a reason to stay in one direction and not second-guess the trade An exit plan removes emotion — a trailing stop or take profit at a defined level avoids the early exit that cost R here Better chance of higher profits — letting price reach the target rather than exiting on feel The market always offers clues about where price is likely to go. Do the work on the higher time frames first, set the target, then let the trade run.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/blog/2026-07-08-the-importance-of-targets/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eHere is another example of a trade using the strategy from \u003ca href=\"/blog/2026-06-24-buy-the-dips-sell-the-rallies/\"\u003eBuy the dips, sell the rallies\u003c/a\u003e — almost the same setup, but the result could have been better. The entry was fine. The problem was the exit: no target, and an emotional decision to get out early.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"the-trade--m1-entry\"\u003eThe trade — M1 entry\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cfigure\u003e\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"m1-entry.jpg\"\n         alt=\"M1 — price rejection at Day Open with Inside Bar (IB), Acceleration Correction visible in eWaves, 3.20R exit\"/\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003e\n            \u003cp\u003eM1 — price rejection at Day Open with Inside Bar (IB), Acceleration Correction visible in eWaves, 3.20R exit\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The importance of targets"},{"content":"I trade the London Session on GER40 and I\u0026rsquo;m normally done after an hour and a half — although there are plenty of times when the action comes later in the day. I choose to limit my time in the market.\nThe process starts with a weekly review of the higher time frames — D1 and H1 — but my main interest is M15 for direction and target, and M1 for entry. I\u0026rsquo;ll try to align the trade with Elliott waves, but this post is focused on the trade setup itself.\nThe two setups Both setups are variations of the same idea: buy the dip in an uptrend, sell the rally in a downtrend. The difference is how the corrective move resolves.\nAccelerated Correction (AC) — price corrects in a tight, fast pattern before resuming the impulsive move.\nLevel Flip — a key level (Day Open, ONH, ONL, etc.) is briefly broken and then reclaimed, signalling the correction is done.\nPre-trade checklist Check for news and higher time frame (H1 \u0026amp; D1) for potential reversal levels and trend direction M15 for target, favourable price action and direction Strong M1 move in the direction of the trade Retrace with an AC or Level Flip Confluence — usually a strong level or combination of levels Setup candle(s) confirming the entry Trade example M15 — direction and target M15 — break of ONH from LO, strong impulsive candles up\nLooking at M15 first. From London Open we see a break of the Overnight High (ONH), followed by strong impulsive candles up. That gives me the direction and a target level to work towards.\nM1 — entry M1 — Day Open flip with doji entry, second entry on ONH break\nOn M1 — a flip of the Day Open level with price holding above it. I recognised a pattern and took a low pip risk trade on the doji with the stop just below the Day Open. A second entry presented itself when price broke above ONH for the second time.\nTrade management After a break above the previous high I moved the stop to break-even. I was lucky not to get stopped out when price retraced briefly below ONH — it held. The low pip risk on entry gave me room to trail out early without getting greedy.\nI set the trail to a candle stop at the M5 TP level and exited at 8R — 8% on 1% risk. One of the better trades. I\u0026rsquo;d normally aim for at least 3R, which keeps me in profit at the win rate I trade at (above 35%).\nI\u0026rsquo;ve been trading this strategy for two years and still learning something every day. As with all trading, the most important qualities are discipline and patience — with those, the results follow.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/blog/2026-06-24-buy-the-dips-sell-the-rallies/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI trade the London Session on GER40 and I\u0026rsquo;m normally done after an hour and a half — although there are plenty of times when the action comes later in the day. I choose to limit my time in the market.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe process starts with a weekly review of the higher time frames — D1 and H1 — but my main interest is M15 for direction and target, and M1 for entry. I\u0026rsquo;ll try to align the trade with Elliott waves, but this post is focused on the trade setup itself.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Buy the dips, sell the rallies"},{"content":"Part of an ongoing trader interview series — the same set of questions put to different traders, covering background, psychology, strategy, and lessons learned. Originally published on Traders Questions.\nI\u0026rsquo;ve been trading for around 4 years now. Mostly DAX from Frankfurt/London Open, occasionally NASD, EURUSD, GBPUSD, USDJPY.\nAbout me Brit, living in South Africa since 2009. Past work in electronics and IT.\nWhat was your journey that led you into trading?\nAt the beginning of 2016 I found myself in position to buy a house. The money was in Euros and the purchase was in South African Rand. I put an offer in which was accepted and I exchanged the Euros into Zar for a deposit. The EURZAR fell and I did not have enough money to complete the purchase. I spent the next 3 months glued to the EURZAR chart. As a side effect I started learning the basics of trading from various trading guides. Luckily the EUR retraced the bear move, I started bringing money over and we bought the house. This was the start of my learning.\nI then got interested in bitcoin and algo trading and I found after a lot of perseverance I had 2 fairly decent sized FTMO accounts with a profitable return, trading several Forex pairs overnight. Inevitably the crash came and one night, the market was against me and the bot protection EA failed at the same time. I lost one account and put the other seriously close to the edge. I took a break and when returning I decided to learn to trade properly. I went from \u0026ldquo;guru\u0026rdquo; to \u0026ldquo;guru\u0026rdquo;. Eventually settled with one I liked and have benefited since.\nWhat trading challenges are you currently facing and how do you have a plan to get through them?\nThe main challenge in my trading has been fear. This includes some FOMO, but mostly it is fear when I am in a trade. I have a strong urge to close trades early or move SL early to either avoid loss or to lock in a small amount of profit. With a win/loss ratio that is under 40% I need to be sure that my winners are decent, and I recognize that this isn\u0026rsquo;t always the case. Awareness is the key here — being honest with myself, being open with others and sharing my faults as well as my wins.\nWhat inspires you to trade and what are your specific reasons to pursue trading?\nI am driven by the challenge and really enjoy the psychological side of trading. Earning an income outside of the city grind is the other main one. It\u0026rsquo;s important I can work my own hours and at my own pace. I also love the discipline required and the lessons I learn about myself.\nHow many years have you been trading (hands on, not algo)?\nMore than 4 years.\nIn your head What\u0026rsquo;s the thing you enjoy most about working as a trader and what was your most painful experience?\nGetting in on a LPR trade, executing the management well, coming away with something and knowing I did it right. The worst day was the one I talked about above — losing an account on algo trading overnight. I have also had some classic revenge days in succession, and I ended up outside with a lot of screaming and even some tears.\nWhat are the key factors that separate successful day traders from those who fail?\nDiscipline, patience, honesty with yourself, and realistic expectations.\nHow do you deal with frustration, self-doubt, and other emotional aspects of trading?\nNot always that well. When I have self-doubt it haunts me and I cannot trade properly. The best place to be, with this or any other emotion, is somewhere other than the charts. One of my main focuses is recognizing these emotions before they cause harm.\nWe all have off days — do you have a process or criteria to understand if it\u0026rsquo;s a day to not trade?\nMeditation is a good tool, and I do have a checklist and a pre-session where I write how I\u0026rsquo;m feeling, how I slept, etc.\nStrategy and trading plan What does your typical trading session, including pre and post, look like?\nPre: Start writing on my real-time journal, outlining where I am, where price is, news etc. I open the charts on the higher timeframes D1, H1 and M15 to get an idea of potential reversal zones and targets for the session. Session: Take any trades as per plan, keep writing on the online journal. Post: Wrap up, post-journal and review.\nWhat market or markets and timeframes do you trade and why?\nDAX, entry on M1, following M15 closely. I also keep an eye on H1 for reference. I trade DAX as it has low spreads on the broker I use and a good spread-to-ADR ratio. It also suits me to trade London Open mostly.\nWhat are the key indicators or charts you look at first thing in the morning to understand the market trend?\nI use eWavesHarmonics for wave count, a session indicator, and some of the other indicators.\nGive 1 or 2 examples of your strategy explaining your reasons for entering the trade, how you managed the trade and your exit.\nDAX (M1): Testing the overnight high after an impulsive move up and retracing to test the M15 target zone and FVG. The impulsive move, ABC retrace, hammer, and AC gave me confidence to enter the trade. I closed after a rejection at the HTF fib level. NASD: A flip of the day close level and then a test of that level. Closed at London close. UJ: Flipping ONH after an impulsive move up. ABC retrace to ONH, AC with IB. Entered on IB. Closed trailing candle after the HTF level was hit. What platform, indicators and other tools do you rely on for analysis, placing and managing a trade?\nMT4, as mentioned above — eWavesHarmonics and Advanced Trade Manager for managing trades.\nDo you have contact with other traders?\nI\u0026rsquo;m in a chat group and share trades most days. This has been an invaluable resource emotionally and for my trading development.\nHow do you adapt your trading strategies to different market environments?\nI like to see movement of the price and some flipping of levels before I look for a setup. If price is moving sideways or not clear, I stay out of the market. M15 is my go-to gauge during a session.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/blog/2025-08-13-interview-dan/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePart of an ongoing trader interview series — the same set of questions put to different traders, covering background, psychology, strategy, and lessons learned. Originally published on \u003ca href=\"https://tradersquestions.netlify.app/dan\"\u003eTraders Questions\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;ve been trading for around 4 years now. Mostly DAX from Frankfurt/London Open, occasionally NASD, EURUSD, GBPUSD, USDJPY.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"about-me\"\u003eAbout me\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBrit, living in South Africa since 2009. Past work in electronics and IT.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat was your journey that led you into trading?\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Trader Interview: Dan — London Session DAX Trader"},{"content":"Part of an ongoing trader interview series — the same set of questions put to different traders, covering background, psychology, strategy, and lessons learned. Originally published on Traders Questions.\nNearly full time trader — but have a farm and a deli business to run too.\nAbout yourself Started trading approximately 12 years ago but scaled back due to other commitments. Re-entered the field 3-4 years ago, experienced difficulty in the first year, then achieved steady progress. Now generates income through trading activities.\nWhat was your journey that led you into trading?\nA friend working as an FX trader at a major London investment bank sparked the interest, followed by a personal fascination with macroeconomic matters. The path involved exploring courses, making errors, and filtering through unreliable information until connecting with like-minded traders who shared a similar methodology. Emphasis placed on the psychological aspects of trading, developed through practical experience.\nWhat trading challenges are you currently facing and how do you have a plan to get through them?\nAn overtrading tendency persists after successful trades. Addressed through journaling, data tracking, reading, and observing skilled traders in action.\nWhat inspires you to trade and what are your specific reasons to pursue trading?\nMultiple income streams reduce financial pressure. The mental challenge drives motivation — executing disciplined plans and continuously improving performance matters most, alongside accepting the market\u0026rsquo;s indifference to individual efforts.\nHow many years have you been trading (hands on, not algo)?\nMore than 5 years.\nIn your head What\u0026rsquo;s the thing you enjoy most about working as a trader and what was your most painful experience?\nMost enjoyable: executing higher timeframe plans with discipline rewarded. Most painful: an early options trade with incorrect sizing and a forgotten news event, causing significant losses.\nWhat are the key factors that separate successful day traders from those who fail?\nThree critical elements: discipline, process, and accepting losses immediately upon entry. FOMO affects inexperienced traders significantly. Patience proves essential — waiting for continuation rather than early-open entries provides superior entry options. Accepting loss is the biggest difference.\nHow do you deal with frustration, self-doubt, and other emotional aspects of trading?\nStepping away and practicing IIDSO (If In Doubt Stay Out). Maintaining emotional equilibrium through wins and losses helps prevent overreaction. Journaling and breaks require discipline but demand no performance skill.\nWe all have off days — do you have a process or criteria to understand if it\u0026rsquo;s a day to not trade?\nIf price action becomes unreadable, taking a break is necessary. During range-bound consolidations with breakout potential, referring to higher timeframes helps identify major levels worth monitoring.\nStrategy and trading plan What does your typical trading session, including pre and post, look like?\nUses a journaling template assessing sleep quality and mental state first. Zooms out to understand the weekly position and upcoming news events. Analyzes price action from daily through individual timeframes, identifying key levels and magnets. Since November, gives equal weight to both directional possibilities rather than predicting a specific outcome.\nWhat market or markets and timeframes do you trade and why?\nM15 timeframe for decision-making; M1 for entries.\nWhat are the key indicators or charts you look at first thing in the morning to understand the market trend?\nPrimarily D1 and H1 price action interpretation rather than indicators. Al Brooks\u0026rsquo; candle price-action reading methodology proves particularly effective.\nGive 1 or 2 examples of your strategy explaining your reasons for entering the trade, how you managed the trade and your exit.\nA DAX trade where a confluence zone formed just above the overnight high after a fair value gap. Successfully entered at the overnight high test, managed through corrections despite reaching the initial target, then banked fixed points covering decent session returns while allowing the remainder to run.\nWhat platform, indicators and other tools do you rely on for analysis, placing and managing a trade?\nMT4 (despite acknowledged flaws), Steve\u0026rsquo;s execution tools (Advanced Trade Manager and eWavesHarmonics), Fibonacci retracements. No moving averages or other common indicators.\nDo you have contact with other traders?\nPrefers smaller chat rooms — larger communities devolve into noise without useful information exchange.\nHow do you adapt your trading strategies to different market environments?\nAdjusts risk-reward targets and position sizing based on major events like FOMC and NFP announcements.\nOld hands How long did it take for you to really get trading down?\n\u0026ldquo;Haven\u0026rsquo;t yet.\u0026rdquo;\nIf you could start over what would you do different?\nWould prioritize securing an early mentor rather than pursuing countless courses, which largely lack genuine value.\nWas there a notable time when you started to regularly make a profit? Was it gradual or a lightbulb moment?\nA gradual process, emerging from lessons extracted through mistakes.\nWhat are the things that are going to separate you from the large majority of traders who fail?\nLoss acceptance and developing a personal trading style. While aspiring to other traders matters, owning a method aligned with individual natural tendencies becomes essential.\nWhat\u0026rsquo;s your best advice for experienced traders who want to become independent and trade full time?\nMaintain secondary income initially to reduce pressure. When focusing on process and methodology, results naturally follow.\nWhat\u0026rsquo;s the most effective method of spotting strength in an instrument?\nHigher timeframes frequently provide early signals when reacting to key areas.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/blog/2025-06-05-interview-kiwi/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePart of an ongoing trader interview series — the same set of questions put to different traders, covering background, psychology, strategy, and lessons learned. Originally published on \u003ca href=\"https://tradersquestions.netlify.app/kiwi\"\u003eTraders Questions\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNearly full time trader — but have a farm and a deli business to run too.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"about-yourself\"\u003eAbout yourself\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStarted trading approximately 12 years ago but scaled back due to other commitments. Re-entered the field 3-4 years ago, experienced difficulty in the first year, then achieved steady progress. Now generates income through trading activities.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Trader Interview: Kiwi — Nearly Full Time Trader"},{"content":"Part of an ongoing trader interview series — the same set of questions put to different traders, covering background, psychology, strategy, and lessons learned. Originally published on Traders Questions.\nPete is a trader from Snorm\u0026rsquo;s chat group with over 5 years of experience. He actively trades DAX in mornings and DOW/NASD in afternoons.\nA bit about yourself What was your journey that led you into trading?\nPete sought an independent business venture after running a company with employees proved stressful. He wanted work he could manage alone with \u0026ldquo;possible unlimited rewards.\u0026rdquo;\nWhat trading challenges are you currently facing and how do you have a plan to get through them?\nPete struggles with moving stop losses too early during drawdowns. He notes that premature SL adjustments cause him to exit trades that would have \u0026ldquo;run to 10, 15 or 20R\u0026rdquo; had he followed his rules properly.\nWhat inspires you to trade and what are your specific reasons to pursue trading?\nHis motivations include \u0026ldquo;freedom to do this anywhere in the world,\u0026rdquo; overcoming psychological trading errors, and unlimited earning potential.\nHow many years have you been trading (hands on, not algo)?\nMore than 5 years.\nIn your head What\u0026rsquo;s the thing you enjoy most about working as a trader and what was your most painful experience?\nPete values \u0026ldquo;freedom and contact with mutual souls doing the same.\u0026rdquo; His most painful experience involved losing 60k in one evening after a year of building capital, using a flawed martingale system when GBP moved 800 points.\nWhat are the key factors that separate successful day traders from those who fail?\nSuccessful traders \u0026ldquo;choose ONE trading strategy/system as simple as possible, test this and 100% follow the rules with proper risk defined.\u0026rdquo; He emphasizes defining daily/weekly loss limits and matching risk exposure to personal temperament.\nHow do you deal with frustration, self-doubt, and other emotional aspects of trading?\nPete focuses on other activities. Over the years, handling emotional challenges has improved, with fewer setbacks and reduced susceptibility to FOMO trading.\nDo you have a process to understand if it\u0026rsquo;s a day to not trade?\nYes — he avoids trading during personal difficulties or after insufficient sleep.\nStrategy and trading plan What does your typical trading session look like?\nPete trades for 1-2 hours starting around London Open, then stops because \u0026ldquo;brain energy/focus start to deteriorate.\u0026rdquo; He spends approximately 10 minutes per trade on logging and analysis.\nWhat market or markets and timeframes do you trade and why?\nHe trades the 1-minute timeframe across several strategies that suit this interval.\nWhat key indicators or charts do you look at first?\nPete uses Elliott Wave analysis from for-exe.com.\nWhat platform and tools do you rely on?\nMT4, for-exe indicators, and for-exe\u0026rsquo;s EA for trade placement and management.\nDo you have contact with other traders?\nYes — Pete participates in the for-exe trading group and a futures trading community.\nTags Technical trader, swing trader, day trader, indices, forex.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/blog/2025-05-29-interview-pete/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePart of an ongoing trader interview series — the same set of questions put to different traders, covering background, psychology, strategy, and lessons learned. Originally published on \u003ca href=\"https://tradersquestions.netlify.app/pete\"\u003eTraders Questions\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePete is a trader from Snorm\u0026rsquo;s chat group with over 5 years of experience. He actively trades DAX in mornings and DOW/NASD in afternoons.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"a-bit-about-yourself\"\u003eA bit about yourself\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat was your journey that led you into trading?\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePete sought an independent business venture after running a company with employees proved stressful. He wanted work he could manage alone with \u0026ldquo;possible unlimited rewards.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Trader Interview: Pete — Simple Dutch Foody Guy"},{"content":"Part of an ongoing trader interview series — the same set of questions put to different traders, covering background, psychology, strategy, and lessons learned. Originally published on Traders Questions.\nGrant is featured as part of the trader interview series from Snorm\u0026rsquo;s trading chat group. He\u0026rsquo;s noted for a structured approach to trading that facilitates backtesting and comfortable trade execution.\nA bit about yourself What was your journey that led you into trading?\n\u0026ldquo;Did my work experience whilst at school at a trading house in London that specialised in Japanese stocks. Joined them full time once I left school.\u0026rdquo;\nWhat trading challenges are you currently facing and how do you have a plan to get through them?\n\u0026ldquo;Time. Would love more time to trade around the major centre opens. Waiting for the kids to become fully self-sufficient and to retire.\u0026rdquo;\nWhat inspires you to trade and what are your specific reasons to pursue trading?\n\u0026ldquo;I genuinely love it. Mentally both challenging and stimulating.\u0026rdquo;\nIn your head What\u0026rsquo;s the thing you enjoy most about working as a trader and what was your most painful experience?\n\u0026ldquo;Creating my own future, knowing it\u0026rsquo;s me against the markets. Painful was watching an older trader have a heart attack at his desk during a news announcement.\u0026rdquo;\nWhat are the key factors that separate successful day traders from those who fail?\n\u0026ldquo;Discipline.\u0026rdquo;\nHow do you deal with frustration, self-doubt, and other emotional aspects of trading?\n\u0026ldquo;Walk away and take a break.\u0026rdquo;\nWe all have off days — do you have a process or criteria to understand if it\u0026rsquo;s a day to not trade?\n\u0026ldquo;No, charts are opened every day. PA may not play ball but the charts are open.\u0026rdquo;\nStrategy and trading plan What does your typical trading session, including pre and post, look like?\n\u0026ldquo;Pre — coffee then HTF analysis (wave counts, PA magnets/targets). Post — coffee then review day\u0026rsquo;s PA and entries.\u0026rdquo;\nWhat market or markets and timeframes do you trade and why?\n\u0026ldquo;DAX, DOW, Nasdaq, major FX pairs — using all TFs to analyse but M1 to enter and manage.\u0026rdquo;\nWhat are the key indicators or charts you look at first thing in the morning to understand the market trend?\n\u0026ldquo;Elliott Wave count on M15, H1, D1.\u0026rdquo;\nGive 1 or 2 examples of your strategy explaining your reasons for entering the trade, how you managed the trade and your exit.\n\u0026ldquo;1. Major centre open prices break and retest. 2. Low of wave 2 in an Elliott wave 2 (AC on eWaves).\u0026rdquo;\nWhat platform, indicators and other tools do you rely on for analysis, placing and managing a trade?\n\u0026ldquo;Pepperstone UK, MT4, Advanced Trade Manager from for-exe, eWaves from for-exe, Session Lines from for-exe.\u0026rdquo;\nDo you have contact with other traders?\n\u0026ldquo;Yes, I am in a matrix room full of like-minded traders so we all call set-ups. I met the room owner 20 years ago in another trading room before he branched out on his own.\u0026rdquo;\nHow do you adapt your trading strategies to different market environments?\n\u0026ldquo;Same set-ups regardless of environments.\u0026rdquo;\nOld hands How long did it take for you to really get trading down?\n\u0026ldquo;5 years.\u0026rdquo;\nIf you could start over what would you do different?\n\u0026ldquo;Be more disciplined on not taking 50/50 set-ups on fear of missing out — there are plenty of set-ups, let the market come to you, stop chasing.\u0026rdquo;\nWas there a notable time when you started to regularly make a profit?\n\u0026ldquo;I stopped doing dumb shit by chasing entries that weren\u0026rsquo;t my set-up.\u0026rdquo;\nWhat are the things that are going to separate you from the large majority of traders who fail?\n\u0026ldquo;Discipline on only taking the correct set-ups.\u0026rdquo;\nWhat\u0026rsquo;s your best advice for experienced traders who want to become independent and trade full time?\n\u0026ldquo;Don\u0026rsquo;t. Pressure of having to make a living will eat them up.\u0026rdquo;\nWhat\u0026rsquo;s the most effective method of spotting strength in an instrument?\n\u0026ldquo;Candles — how it\u0026rsquo;s made up and size relative to the previous.\u0026rdquo;\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/blog/2025-05-23-interview-grant-ac/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePart of an ongoing trader interview series — the same set of questions put to different traders, covering background, psychology, strategy, and lessons learned. Originally published on \u003ca href=\"https://tradersquestions.netlify.app/grant_ac\"\u003eTraders Questions\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGrant is featured as part of the trader interview series from Snorm\u0026rsquo;s trading chat group. He\u0026rsquo;s noted for a structured approach to trading that facilitates backtesting and comfortable trade execution.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"a-bit-about-yourself\"\u003eA bit about yourself\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat was your journey that led you into trading?\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Trader Interview: Grant (aka AC) — Part Time Trader, Full Time Ship Moorer"},{"content":"Part of an ongoing trader interview series — the same set of questions put to different traders, covering background, psychology, strategy, and lessons learned. Originally published on Traders Questions.\nSteve describes himself as a full-time trader with extensive experience coding trading tools. His primary objective involves developing automated systems so he can dedicate more time to leisure: \u0026ldquo;My number one goal, with trading, is to create a robot to do all the trading for me.\u0026rdquo;\nAbout me What was your journey that led you into trading?\nSteve\u0026rsquo;s interest began during economics studies through a bank-sponsored investment competition where his team placed third. He subsequently traded long-term equities and short-term CFDs before transitioning to day trading after a friend began doing it.\nWhat trading challenges are you currently facing and how do you have a plan to get through them?\nSteve identifies automation as his primary challenge, requiring significant time and patience. Otherwise, he expresses satisfaction with his current trading position and reports no other substantial obstacles.\nWhat inspires you and what are your specific reasons to pursue trading?\nSteve finds inspiration in \u0026ldquo;the ability to predict the movement of price and identify the price magnets and potential reversal zones.\u0026rdquo; He emphasizes that trading represents continuous education: \u0026ldquo;Every day at the charts is another day at trading school. No two days are ever the same.\u0026rdquo;\nIn your head — the tricky topic of psychology What\u0026rsquo;s the thing you enjoy most about working as a trader and what was your most painful experience?\nHe most enjoys \u0026ldquo;the high RR trades from low pip/point risk entries.\u0026rdquo; His most painful experience involved selling investments at a massive loss during 9/11 instead of holding through the correction — a lesson that stuck with him.\nWhat are the key factors that separate successful day traders from those who fail?\nSteve emphasizes psychological discipline: \u0026ldquo;If you can\u0026rsquo;t trade like a robot, devoid of any emotion, you will struggle to succeed.\u0026rdquo; He identifies fear, revenge trading, poor planning, and overtrading as primary failure factors.\nHow do you deal with frustration, self-doubt, and other emotional aspects of trading?\nHis approach involves stepping away from trading temporarily. He notes that emotions shouldn\u0026rsquo;t influence trading decisions, but acknowledges the value of self-recognition following successful trades.\nWe all have off days — do you have a process or criteria to understand if it\u0026rsquo;s a day to not trade?\nSteve practices self-awareness regarding internal trading impulses: \u0026ldquo;If those voices are defying logic, contrary to what the price is telling you, or against the trading rules … you know it\u0026rsquo;s time to take 30 minutes off for some mindfulness.\u0026rdquo;\nStrategy and trading plan What does your typical trading session, including pre and post, look like?\nPre-session involves multi-timeframe analysis on target instruments, identifying direction, price magnets, and PRZs, plus checking scheduled news. Sessions typically last a couple of hours with occasional higher-timeframe checks. Post-session now focuses on robot development rather than journaling.\nWhat market or markets and timeframes do you trade and why?\nSteve primarily trades DAX, DOW, and NASD \u0026ldquo;due to the spread/ADR value.\u0026rdquo; He enters from M1 charts for optimal risk-reward but uses higher timeframes (M15 through D1) for targets, occasionally using M1 targets when sufficient reward potential exists.\nGive 1 or 2 examples of your strategy explaining your reasons for entering the trade, how you managed the trade and your exit.\nAfter identifying the strongest higher-timeframe price magnets, Steve enters corrective moves at PRZs with high confluence. In one example, he identified an M15 target zone as the primary session magnet, bought the dip at demand, waited for significant movement and correction, then moved stops accordingly. He closed early approaching resistance rather than risking a substantial correction — his typical approach of trailing price bars near targets.\nWhat platform, indicators and other tools do you rely on for analysis, placing and managing a trade?\nMT4/MT5, eWavesHarmonics, the ABC123 indicator, custom tools he developed, and Advanced Trade Manager.\nDo you have contact with other traders?\nHe engages daily within a trading group, valuing companionship since \u0026ldquo;trading can be a lonely game,\u0026rdquo; and benefiting from multiple perspectives identifying quality set-ups.\nHow do you adapt your trading strategies to different market environments?\nDuring slow or choppy price action, Steve avoids trading. He prefers fast-moving markets and reduces reward expectations during unclear higher-timeframe conditions, targeting 3-5R rather than pursuing larger gains.\nOld hands How long did it take for you to really get trading down?\n\u0026ldquo;Many, many years.\u0026rdquo;\nIf you could start over what would you do different?\nSteve would avoid purchasing services from scammers, and stop the time-consuming experimentation with countless indicator combinations pursuing perfect entries.\nWas there a notable time when you started to regularly make a profit?\nProfitability emerged when documenting his technical analysis discoveries, eventually leading to course creation that crystallized his thinking. Developing indicators like eWavesHarmonics and ABC123 proved transformative — requiring logic to translate visual pattern recognition into programmable code for highlighting high-probability setups.\nWhat are the things that are going to separate you from the large majority of traders who fail?\nMental attitude, above all else.\nTags Old hand, 5 years+, indices, day trader, price action trader, forex.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/blog/2025-05-16-interview-steve-snorm/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePart of an ongoing trader interview series — the same set of questions put to different traders, covering background, psychology, strategy, and lessons learned. Originally published on \u003ca href=\"https://tradersquestions.netlify.app/steve_snorm\"\u003eTraders Questions\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSteve describes himself as a full-time trader with extensive experience coding trading tools. His primary objective involves developing automated systems so he can dedicate more time to leisure: \u0026ldquo;My number one goal, with trading, is to create a robot to do all the trading for me.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Trader Interview: Steve (aka Snorm) — Trader, Coder, Trading Coach"},{"content":"Apex is a futures-only firm and, by most trader accounts, the most controversial large prop firm currently operating — it also pays out more in absolute terms than most competitors, but has the highest reported rate of payout denials in the industry, including a documented $800,000 dispute between two traders.\nTraders have filed complaints with the Michigan and Texas Attorneys General over accounts being put \u0026ldquo;under maintenance\u0026rdquo; during payout review, and Apex is currently pursuing a gag-order lawsuit against a YouTube creator over claims of retroactive rule changes and bait-and-switch practices. A 2026 program overhaul was marketed heavily around \u0026ldquo;no more payout denials\u0026rdquo; — worth watching whether that holds.\nNote the evaluation is billed as a monthly subscription, not a one-time fee — factor that into any cost comparison.\nFull review coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/prop-firms/apex-trader-funding/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eApex is a futures-only firm and, by most trader accounts, the most controversial large prop firm currently operating — it also pays out more in absolute terms than most competitors, but has the highest reported rate of payout denials in the industry, including a documented $800,000 dispute between two traders.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTraders have filed complaints with the Michigan and Texas Attorneys General over accounts being put \u0026ldquo;under maintenance\u0026rdquo; during payout review, and Apex is currently pursuing a gag-order lawsuit against a YouTube creator over claims of retroactive rule changes and bait-and-switch practices. A 2026 program overhaul was marketed heavily around \u0026ldquo;no more payout denials\u0026rdquo; — worth watching whether that holds.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Apex Trader Funding Review"},{"content":"Blue Guardian is run by Iconic Exchange FZCO out of Dubai, founded in 2021. No rebrand history found.\nDocumented complaints include the firm quietly changing its daily-loss-limit enforcement from a soft warning to a hard account breach without directly notifying traders (updating only the FAQ), vague \u0026ldquo;shared device\u0026rdquo; or \u0026ldquo;ban evasion\u0026rdquo; terminations that traders say don\u0026rsquo;t hold up to scrutiny, and reports of the firm blocking traders on social media after they asked for evidence backing a breach claim. Trustpilot shows a 3.6/5 average across 2,166 reviews — mostly positive, but with a notable cluster of serious 1-star complaints.\nFull review coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/prop-firms/blue-guardian/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eBlue Guardian is run by Iconic Exchange FZCO out of Dubai, founded in 2021. No rebrand history found.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDocumented complaints include the firm quietly changing its daily-loss-limit enforcement from a soft warning to a hard account breach without directly notifying traders (updating only the FAQ), vague \u0026ldquo;shared device\u0026rdquo; or \u0026ldquo;ban evasion\u0026rdquo; terminations that traders say don\u0026rsquo;t hold up to scrutiny, and reports of the firm blocking traders on social media after they asked for evidence backing a breach claim. Trustpilot shows a 3.6/5 average across 2,166 reviews — mostly positive, but with a notable cluster of serious 1-star complaints.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Blue Guardian Review"},{"content":"City Traders Imperium has been operating since 2018 with one of the stronger trust profiles in this comparison — over 21,000 funded traders and $367M+ paid out, with a 4.3/5 Trustpilot score across roughly 1,700 reviews. No rebrand found.\nThere are standard-pattern complaints about payout denials tied to enforcement of copy-trading and high-risk-behavior rules, and a handful of reports of accounts being locked right before a payout request clears — but nothing that points to systemic bad faith, and the overall consensus across review sites is that CTI is legitimate.\nFull review coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/prop-firms/city-traders-imperium/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCity Traders Imperium has been operating since 2018 with one of the stronger trust profiles in this comparison — over 21,000 funded traders and $367M+ paid out, with a 4.3/5 Trustpilot score across roughly 1,700 reviews. No rebrand found.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are standard-pattern complaints about payout denials tied to enforcement of copy-trading and high-risk-behavior rules, and a handful of reports of accounts being locked right before a payout request clears — but nothing that points to systemic bad faith, and the overall consensus across review sites is that CTI is legitimate.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"City Traders Imperium Review"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://barechart.com/brokers/compare/","summary":"","title":"Compare Brokers"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://barechart.com/prop-firms/compare/","summary":"","title":"Compare Prop Firms"},{"content":"You have a trading system. You need it in code. I build MQL5 Expert Advisors and indicators that reflect exactly how you trade.\nWhat I build Entry and exit logic from your rules or manual strategy Risk management — fixed lot, percent of equity, or equity-based sizing Pending order systems, trailing stops, partial closes, break-even logic Custom indicators and signal filters Backtest-ready with proper tick handling, whatever the instrument How it works Describe your strategy — a call or a written brief is fine I send a fixed-price quote, no hourly surprises I build, test on historical data, and deliver the .ex5 with full source code Get started Get in touch with a brief description of what you need — what you\u0026rsquo;re trying to build, what instrument and timeframe, what you\u0026rsquo;ve already tried.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/services/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYou have a trading system. You need it in code. I build MQL5 Expert Advisors and indicators that reflect exactly how you trade.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"what-i-build\"\u003eWhat I build\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEntry and exit logic from your rules or manual strategy\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRisk management — fixed lot, percent of equity, or equity-based sizing\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePending order systems, trailing stops, partial closes, break-even logic\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCustom indicators and signal filters\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBacktest-ready with proper tick handling, whatever the instrument\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"how-it-works\"\u003eHow it works\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDescribe your strategy — a call or a written brief is fine\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eI send a fixed-price quote, no hourly surprises\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eI build, test on historical data, and deliver the \u003ccode\u003e.ex5\u003c/code\u003e with full source code\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"get-started\"\u003eGet started\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/#contact\"\u003eGet in touch\u003c/a\u003e with a brief description of what you need — what you\u0026rsquo;re trying to build, what instrument and timeframe, what you\u0026rsquo;ve already tried.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Custom EA Development"},{"content":"E8 Funding rebranded to E8 Markets in November 2023 (the old e8funding.com domain now redirects), alongside a new Riseworks payout integration and clearer consistency-rule documentation.\nPre-rebrand, the firm had a public dispute over a $500,000 payout and reports of rules being added after the fact. Complaint volume looks meaningfully cleaner since the rebrand, though the account terms remain highly customizable (drawdown, daily loss, and payout split can all be adjusted at checkout), which makes direct comparison to other firms approximate.\nFull review coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/prop-firms/e8-funding/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eE8 Funding rebranded to \u003cstrong\u003eE8 Markets\u003c/strong\u003e in November 2023 (the old e8funding.com domain now redirects), alongside a new Riseworks payout integration and clearer consistency-rule documentation.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePre-rebrand, the firm had a public dispute over a $500,000 payout and reports of rules being added after the fact. Complaint volume looks meaningfully cleaner since the rebrand, though the account terms remain highly customizable (drawdown, daily loss, and payout split can all be adjusted at checkout), which makes direct comparison to other firms approximate.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"E8 Markets (E8 Funding) Review"},{"content":"FTMO is a Czech company founded in 2015 and is one of the longest-running, most recognized firms in the prop trading space. It\u0026rsquo;s generally considered legitimate, not a scam.\nThat said, it has a documented pattern of complaints: traders report passing the challenge, receiving one or two payouts, then getting hit with a \u0026ldquo;non-genuine trading\u0026rdquo; flag and a permanent ban with no clear explanation. There are also reports of timezone discrepancies between FTMO\u0026rsquo;s stated trading day and the platform\u0026rsquo;s displayed time affecting day-count rules, and of stop-loss orders being cancelled outright during price gaps on cTrader.\nLike almost all firms in this space, FTMO is not a regulated broker — there\u0026rsquo;s no external body to appeal to if a dispute arises.\nFull review coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/prop-firms/ftmo/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eFTMO is a Czech company founded in 2015 and is one of the longest-running, most recognized firms in the prop trading space. It\u0026rsquo;s generally considered legitimate, not a scam.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat said, it has a documented pattern of complaints: traders report passing the challenge, receiving one or two payouts, then getting hit with a \u0026ldquo;non-genuine trading\u0026rdquo; flag and a permanent ban with no clear explanation. There are also reports of timezone discrepancies between FTMO\u0026rsquo;s stated trading day and the platform\u0026rsquo;s displayed time affecting day-count rules, and of stop-loss orders being cancelled outright during price gaps on cTrader.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"FTMO Review"},{"content":"FundedNext (Bangladesh) runs several challenge types — Stellar, Rapid, Legacy, and Bolt — each with its own targets and drawdown rules, which makes like-for-like comparison harder than most firms in this list.\nDocumented complaints include a crypto refund that was approved and then retroactively rejected after the full processing window elapsed (escalated to Dubai consumer authorities), claims of after-the-fact rule enforcement, and a 3.5% payout processing fee that traders say isn\u0026rsquo;t clearly disclosed before purchase. Its official futures-challenge terms explicitly prohibit automated trading bots — we haven\u0026rsquo;t been able to confirm whether that also applies to the forex/CFD challenge.\nFull review coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/prop-firms/fundednext/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eFundedNext (Bangladesh) runs several challenge types — Stellar, Rapid, Legacy, and Bolt — each with its own targets and drawdown rules, which makes like-for-like comparison harder than most firms in this list.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDocumented complaints include a crypto refund that was approved and then retroactively rejected after the full processing window elapsed (escalated to Dubai consumer authorities), claims of after-the-fact rule enforcement, and a 3.5% payout processing fee that traders say isn\u0026rsquo;t clearly disclosed before purchase. Its official futures-challenge terms explicitly prohibit automated trading bots — we haven\u0026rsquo;t been able to confirm whether that also applies to the forex/CFD challenge.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"FundedNext Review"},{"content":"Lux Trading Firm prices its challenges in GBP, not EUR/USD as an earlier version of this page had it — real 1-Step Evaluation tiers are £199 / £449 / £999 for 100k / 400k / 1M accounts.\nThe bigger issue: Lux operates without an FCA, ASIC, or other financial regulator license, and independent reviews report struggling to find confirmed accounts of traders actually being paid out. Trading-rule disputes are described by some traders as feeling designed to trip you up, and when the firm has acknowledged errors, it has attributed them to \u0026ldquo;database or server failures\u0026rdquo; without offering compensation. It is not the same company as the similarly-named \u0026ldquo;Lucid Trading\u0026rdquo; or \u0026ldquo;Luxemarkets\u0026rdquo; — those are separate, unrelated firms.\nFull review coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/prop-firms/lux-trading-firm/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLux Trading Firm prices its challenges in GBP, not EUR/USD as an earlier version of this page had it — real 1-Step Evaluation tiers are £199 / £449 / £999 for 100k / 400k / 1M accounts.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe bigger issue: Lux operates without an FCA, ASIC, or other financial regulator license, and independent reviews report struggling to find confirmed accounts of traders actually being paid out. Trading-rule disputes are described by some traders as feeling designed to trip you up, and when the firm has acknowledged errors, it has attributed them to \u0026ldquo;database or server failures\u0026rdquo; without offering compensation. It is not the same company as the similarly-named \u0026ldquo;Lucid Trading\u0026rdquo; or \u0026ldquo;Luxemarkets\u0026rdquo; — those are separate, unrelated firms.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Lux Trading Firm Review"},{"content":"Last updated: 10 July 2026.\nBareChart is run by a single private trader. This page explains what data is collected when you visit and why.\nAnalytics This site uses Google Analytics to understand overall traffic — pages visited, approximate location (country/city level, from IP), device and browser type, and how visitors found the site. This is aggregate usage data, not tied to your name or identity. Google Analytics sets cookies to do this; you can block them with your browser\u0026rsquo;s cookie settings or a tracking-blocker extension without affecting your ability to use the site.\nAffiliate links Some links on this site (marked or routed through /go/) are affiliate links — if you sign up with a firm or broker through one, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Clicking one of these links takes you to the partner\u0026rsquo;s site, which will set its own cookies to track that the referral came from here. I don\u0026rsquo;t control what those third-party sites do with your data once you\u0026rsquo;re there — check their own privacy policy for that.\nWhat this site doesn\u0026rsquo;t do No account system, no login, no comments, no newsletter signup, no payment processing on this site directly. No personal data is sold to third parties.\nYour choices You can block or delete cookies at any time through your browser settings. Doing so may affect analytics accuracy but won\u0026rsquo;t break any page on this site.\nContact Questions about this policy — email me.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/privacy/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLast updated: 10 July 2026.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBareChart is run by a single private trader. This page explains what data is collected when you visit and why.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"analytics\"\u003eAnalytics\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis site uses Google Analytics to understand overall traffic — pages visited, approximate location (country/city level, from IP), device and browser type, and how visitors found the site. This is aggregate usage data, not tied to your name or identity. Google Analytics sets cookies to do this; you can block them with your browser\u0026rsquo;s cookie settings or a tracking-blocker extension without affecting your ability to use the site.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Privacy Policy"},{"content":"EAs and indicators built from real trading research. Each product is backtested on live tick data and comes with full documentation.\nExpert Advisors Coming soon.\nIndicators Coming soon.\nAll products are delivered via Gumroad. You receive a download link immediately after purchase — no account required.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/shop/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eEAs and indicators built from real trading research. Each product is backtested on live tick data and comes with full documentation.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"expert-advisors\"\u003eExpert Advisors\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eComing soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"indicators\"\u003eIndicators\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eComing soon.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll products are delivered via \u003ca href=\"https://gumroad.com\"\u003eGumroad\u003c/a\u003e. You receive a download link immediately after purchase — no account required.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Shop"},{"content":"The5%ers is an Israel-based firm with a straightforward, low-cost entry ($74 flat fee across account sizes) and a scaling model that grows accounts up to $100k-$125k on performance.\nDocumented complaints include payout requests being approved and then later denied, and accounts being terminated over vaguely worded \u0026ldquo;integrity concerns\u0026rdquo; shortly after a trader requests a withdrawal — with support described as slow to respond and reluctant to give specifics when challenged.\nFull review coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/prop-firms/the-5ers/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe5%ers is an Israel-based firm with a straightforward, low-cost entry ($74 flat fee across account sizes) and a scaling model that grows accounts up to $100k-$125k on performance.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDocumented complaints include payout requests being approved and then later denied, and accounts being terminated over vaguely worded \u0026ldquo;integrity concerns\u0026rdquo; shortly after a trader requests a withdrawal — with support described as slow to respond and reluctant to give specifics when challenged.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The5%ers Review"},{"content":"Steve Norman\u0026rsquo;s for-exe.com tools are the best I\u0026rsquo;ve found for trading whether on the 1 minute or 1 hour timeframe. I\u0026rsquo;ve used a lot of indicators. These stayed on my chart.\nI\u0026rsquo;m an affiliate — I earn a small commission if you buy through my link, at no extra cost to you. Use code BARECHART at checkout to get a comprehensive 3-year licence for eWavesHarmonics and ATM for the price of just one year.\neWavesHarmonics eWavesHarmonics analyses recent price action and shows you where corrections are likely to end and where the next impulsive move is likely to go, long before price gets there. It\u0026rsquo;s not a buy/sell signal indicator. It tells you where the big-money buyers and sellers are probably waiting, so you can position with them rather than against them.\nThe core idea is simple: buy the dips, sell the rallies — but with a framework that tells you with a reasonable degree of probability when a corrective wave has completed and where the next impulsive move is likely to target. The accuracy with which it identifies turning points can be striking.\nAvailable for MT4 and MT5.\nTarget Zone 1 (TZ1) projected at the 61.8% level on GBPUSD — price arrives and stalls at the eWavesHarmonics target If you\u0026rsquo;ve been trading off a stack of squiggly indicators all derived from the up-and-down movement of price — this is a different category of tool. The original eWaves has been running since 2012. eWavesHarmonics is the current version, designed and coded by real traders with decades of experience.\nGBPUSD M1 — impulsive wave 3 peaks at the eWavesHarmonics target, corrective wave 4 consolidates in a tight range, then impulsive wave 5 launches from the projected completion level Get eWavesHarmonics at for-exe.com → — use code BARECHART for a 3-year licence at 1-year price.\nAdvanced Trade Manager (ATM) ATM handles the mechanical side of execution so you can focus on the trade itself. Available for MT4.\nThe ATM panel Automatic:\nCalculation and setting of target prices — based on points or R:R Lot sizing — fixed lots or variable percentage risk, changeable per trade Move stop loss to break-even (or lock in profits) at points or R:R Advanced trade management — take profits, move and trail stops at predefined levels when trade in profit Break-even point calculation and display for multiple trades Trade entry using a compatible indicator for hands-free trading Delete pending order if stop level hit Display break-even level for multiple trades on one instrument One-click:\nBuy/Sell: market order or pending stop and limit orders on bar high/low, swing high/low, or user-defined levels Trail stop loss on candles, fractals, or stepping/jumping stop levels Trail stops using your own compatible indicator (Bill Williams Alligator, moving average, etc.) Partial trade closure: smallest lot size, half lots, or user-defined percentage Stop loss to break-even Close all pending orders Close all open orders Stop and reverse an open order Hide/Show/Move buttons Full customisation with on-the-fly changing of all parameters — not just expert property inputs. All settings saved to a user-defined CSV file, unique per symbol and timeframe.\nFIFO compliant for US customers.\nGet ATM at for-exe.com → — use code BARECHART for a 3-year licence at 1-year price.\nNew to the methodology? Steve Norman\u0026rsquo;s course is the right starting point before diving into the tools.\nI earn a commission if you purchase via my links, at no extra cost to you. I only recommend tools I personally use.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/tools/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSteve Norman\u0026rsquo;s \u003ca href=\"https://for-exe.com\"\u003efor-exe.com\u003c/a\u003e tools are the best I\u0026rsquo;ve found for trading whether on the 1 minute or 1 hour timeframe. I\u0026rsquo;ve used a lot of indicators. These stayed on my chart.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;m an affiliate — I earn a small commission if you buy through my link, at no extra cost to you. Use code \u003cstrong\u003eBARECHART\u003c/strong\u003e at checkout to get a comprehensive 3-year licence for eWavesHarmonics and ATM for the price of just one year.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Tools"},{"content":"Topstep is one of the oldest names in futures prop trading, billed as a monthly subscription ($49-$199/mo depending on account size) rather than a one-time fee.\nAs of April 2026, Topstep is named in an active federal lawsuit alleging a \u0026ldquo;systematic and deceptive scheme\u0026rdquo; involving shifting rules and profits held in an effectively inaccessible reserve account, on top of a history of Better Business Bureau complaints about account terminations arriving just before payout eligibility. Topstep has also taken legal action against at least one public critic, resulting in that person being barred from discussing the firm publicly — worth knowing given how much of prop-firm due diligence relies on public trader reporting.\nFull review coming soon.\n","permalink":"https://barechart.com/prop-firms/topstep/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eTopstep is one of the oldest names in futures prop trading, billed as a monthly subscription ($49-$199/mo depending on account size) rather than a one-time fee.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs of April 2026, Topstep is named in an active federal lawsuit alleging a \u0026ldquo;systematic and deceptive scheme\u0026rdquo; involving shifting rules and profits held in an effectively inaccessible reserve account, on top of a history of Better Business Bureau complaints about account terminations arriving just before payout eligibility. Topstep has also taken legal action against at least one public critic, resulting in that person being barred from discussing the firm publicly — worth knowing given how much of prop-firm due diligence relies on public trader reporting.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Topstep Review"}]