Trading the forex market using supply and demand zones is a powerful strategy that even beginner traders can implement. Supply and demand zones allow traders to visualize areas where the price is likely to reverse based on previous price action. Learning how to identify and trade supply and demand zones can give forex traders an edge. This comprehensive guide will provide everything beginner traders need to know to start effectively trading supply and demand zones.
What Are Supply and Demand Zones?
Supply and demand zones are areas on a forex chart where the price has previously reversed multiple times. Zones are formed when there is more pressure from buyers or sellers in a particular area.
Supply Zones
Supply zones form when sellers overwhelm buyers and drive the price down rapidly. This area of selling pressure is marked on the chart as a supply zone. The price is expected to reverse if it returns to this area in the future.
Demand Zones
Demand zones occur when there is more buying pressure than selling pressure, driving the price up rapidly. Demand zones indicate areas where buyers overwhelmed sellers in the past. The price is expected to bounce higher if it retests a key demand zone.
How to Identify Supply and Demand Zones
There are some key characteristics to look for when identifying potential supply and demand zones on a forex chart:
- Previous swing points – Look for areas where the price has reversed multiple times, creating obvious swing highs or lows. These are likely supply or demand zones.
- Rapid price movements – Supply and demand zones often form after fast directional moves in the price. Look for zones after strong rallies or sell-offs.
- High volume – Increased trading volume adds more significance to potential supply and demand areas on the chart. High volume confirms real buying or selling interest.
- Reaction to zones – Watch how the price reacts around identified supply and demand zones. Valid zones will cause reversals as the price tests them.
- 3 touches minimum – Only consider zones with 3 or more price touches as valid supply or demand areas. The more times a zone has caused a reversal, the more significant it becomes.
How to Draw Supply and Demand Zones
Once high probability supply or demand zones have been identified, traders will need to properly draw or plot the zones on their forex chart. Here are some tips:
- Mark the zone so it covers the full swing point, from the beginning of the move to the peak. Capture all of the price action.
- Draw zones based on visible price swings, ignoring wicks and spikes. Focus on the body of the candlesticks.
- Make sure to label each zone clearly as either supply or demand. This helps quickly identify zones.
- Zone edges should be marked clearly with a vertical line extending above and below the zone.
- Adjust or move your supply and demand zones over time if the price action shifts. But try not to over-edit.
- Be patient in drawing quality zones. Don’t force zones on the chart that do not meet your criteria. Wait for high probability setups.
How to Trade Supply and Demand Zones
Once traders have identified significant supply and demand zones on their forex charts, they can look to trade bounces and breakouts from the key zones. Here are effective strategies:
Fading the Zones
This strategy involves looking for trading opportunities as the price retests supply and demand zones. The aim is to trade the expected bounce higher from demand zones or reversal lower from supply zones.
- Buy near demand – Enter long position trades when the price tests an untested demand zone. Place stop loss below zone.
- Sell near supply – Enter short position trades when the price tests an untested supply zone. Place stop loss above zone.
- Define risk – Use a stop loss order when fading zones to control potential losing trades. Risk only 1-2% per zone trade.
- Confirm entry – Wait for bullish or bearish candlestick patterns to form before entering zone fade trades. This helps confirm the reversal.
Trading the Breakouts
Traders can also look to trade breaks above supply zones and breaks below demand zones. This captures continuations instead of fades from the zones.
- Buy on supply break – Enter long positions when bulls break above a key supply zone, indicating the selling pressure has eased.
- Sell on demand break – Enter short positions when bears break below a key demand zone, signaling buyers have disappeared.
- Volume confirmation – Look for an increase in trading volume as the breakout above or below a zone occurs. Volume confirms the supply/demand shift.
- Stop loss placement – Place stops around previous swing high or low points after entering on supply or demand breakouts.
Zone Trading Tips
- Focus on trading only the most obvious and well-formed supply and demand zones with multiple touches.
- Be patient and wait for price confirmation and optimal zone entry points before trading. Don’t force zone trades.
- Use stop losses on all zone trades to control potential losses. Risk only 1-2% of your account per trade.
- Move stop loss to breakeven once trades become profitable to lock-in gains.
- Trail stops below demand or above supply to maximize profits as trades move favorably.
- Stick to your trading plan and zone strategy. Don’t overtrade the zones. Quality over quantity.
Advantages of Supply and Demand Zone Trading
Trading with supply and demand has some unique advantages for forex traders:
- Works on all timeframes – Supply and demand zones can be traded on 1 minute to monthly charts, providing trading opportunities across all sessions.
- Simple visualization – Zones provide a visual map showing areas likely to cause the price to reverse or breakout. Easy to see potential trades.
- Objective strategy – Zone trading is based on concrete rules, removing emotion. Traders follow set criteria for identifying and trading high probability zones.
- Works for all currency pairs – The concepts of supply and demand work universally across all forex currency pairs and other markets like crypto and commodities.
- High probability – Trade setups based around historically significant supply/demand zones have a higher probability of working out favorably due to previous reactions.
- Great for beginners – Supply and demand provides a structured trading approach for beginners with clear trade entry rules and risk management. Easy to learn and apply.
Common Questions About Supply and Demand Zone Trading
What timeframes work best for identifying supply and demand zones?
While supply and demand zones can form on any timeframe, the 1 hour, 4 hour and daily timeframes tend to provide the clearest and most reliable zones. The higher timeframes filter out market noise.
Where is the best place to put a stop loss order when trading zones?
Stop losses are best placed just beyond significant swing highs or lows. This avoids getting stopped out prematurely before a zone has a chance to reverse the price as expected.
Should I trade zone fades or breakouts? Which is higher probability?
Both fading zones and trading breakouts can be profitable if done with effective risk management. Fades carry slightly higher probability as they trade with the expected zone reaction.
Can I find supply and demand zones during times when the market is not trending?
Yes, ranges and non-trending markets will still see supply and demand zones form, usually near range support and resistance areas. Trade the expected bounces.
How many times should a zone be tested before it is considered a valid supply or demand area?
Traders should look for zones with 3 or more touches for validation. The more times a zone has historically reversed the price, the more confidence trading the zone.
Should I avoid trading during major news events using supply and demand zones?
Yes, it’s wise to avoid trading zones during major scheduled news events as the increased volatility can cause erratic price action around zones.
Conclusion
Trading with supply and demand zones provides forex traders at any experience level with a structured approach to identifying high probability trades. Zones form on all timeframes and currency pairs, creating a roadmap for entries and stop placements. By mastering how to properly draw and trade supply and demand on the charts, beginner forex traders can gain an edge with a reliable trading strategy based on the underlying market forces of supply and demand. Use the guidelines provided in this guide to start effectively trading zones today.