30 Full Trading Strategies: Complete Setup, Entry, and Exit Guide
How Do You Trade Price Action Patterns at Support and Resistance?
You're entering where the real orders sit. That's it. Price action at support and resistance works because you can define risk tightly around a clear invalidation level — when the level breaks, you're out. Simple.
Setup: Focus on these candlestick patterns at significant levels:
- Pin bars (long wicks) at support/resistance
- Engulfing patterns at swing points
- Inside bars for continuation setups
Entry:
- Long: Bullish pin bar or engulfing at support — enter on next candle
- Short: Bearish pin bar or engulfing at resistance
- Inside bar: Enter on break of mother candle high/low
Stop Loss:
- Pin bar: Stop beyond the wick
- Engulfing: Stop below/above the pattern
- Inside bar: Stop at opposite side of mother candle
Take Profit:
- First target: 2R or next structure level
- Second target: 3R or measured move based on pattern size
- Trail stop behind new swing points as price moves
Example: EUR/USD prints a bullish engulfing at a weekly support level. You enter on the next candle, stop below the engulfing low, target the next resistance zone or 2R — whichever hits first.
📊 Key Stat: Cesar Alvarez (2019) ran 15 years of S&P 500 data and found engulfing patterns alone were random. Add a trend + volatility filter and expectancy jumped to +0.21 R per trade. The pattern isn't the edge. The context around it is.
How Do You Trade Trendline Bounces and Break-and-Retests?
Trendline trades only work when the line is actually respected. And you need at least three touches to prove it. Two touches is a line. Three is a trendline. Anything less and you're drawing wishful thinking.
Setup: Connect at least three swing points to form a valid trendline. Trade bounces in trend direction. Trade break-and-retests for reversals.
Entry:
- Bounce Long: Price touches ascending trendline, prints a bullish rejection candle
- Bounce Short: Price touches descending trendline, prints a bearish rejection
- Breakout: Wait for a candle CLOSE beyond the trendline, then retest from the other side
Stop Loss:
- Bounces: Below/above the trendline wick
- Breakouts: Inside the prior trendline zone (near the retest)
Take Profit:
- First target: 2R or next structure level
- Second target: Opposite trendline or Fibonacci extension
- Trail stops under/over minor swings as price runs
Example: SPY hits an uptrend line for the third time on the daily and prints a bullish rejection. You buy the next day, stop below the rejection wick, target the prior swing high or 2R.
📊 Key Stat: A decade-long S&P 500 analysis by Cesar Alvarez (2021) found third-touch trendline bounces hit a 62% win rate with 1.6 R/R. First and second touches? Statistically random. Patience pays.
How Do You Trade Moving Average Pullbacks in a Trend?
You're letting the moving average do the work. It tells you the trend direction AND gives you the entry zone. Best for trending markets — avoid like the plague in chop, where the MA whipsaws you to death.
Setup: Two moving averages define trend and entries:
- Fast MA: 20 or 50 period
- Slow MA: 100 or 200 period
Entry:
- Long: Price closes above both MAs + fast MA above slow MA + pullback to fast MA as support
- Short: Price closes below both MAs + fast MA below slow MA + pullback to fast MA as resistance
Stop Loss: Below the slow MA (longs) or above it (shorts).
Take Profit:
- First target: 2R or next resistance/support
- Second target: Trail using the fast MA as dynamic support/resistance
- Exit if price closes opposite side of slow MA
Example: 20 MA is above the 200 MA. Price pulls back into the 20 MA and prints a bullish close. You enter, stop below the 200 MA, trail as long as price holds above the slow MA.
📊 Key Stat: Meb Faber (2006–2013) showed that 10-month SMA timing on U.S. equities cut drawdowns roughly 65% while keeping most of the total returns. The MA isn't magic — but as risk control, it's brutally effective.
How Do You Trade EMA Crossovers for Trend Entries?
EMA crossovers give you a rules-based entry when momentum actually shifts. No guessing the turn. The short-term trend overtakes the longer-term trend, and you get on board with a defined risk point.
Setup: Apply two EMAs — 8 & 20 for intraday, 50 & 200 for swing. Watch for crossovers with trend alignment.
Entry:
- Long (Golden Cross): 8 EMA crosses above 20 EMA; candle closes above both with conviction
- Short (Death Cross): 8 EMA crosses below 20 EMA; candle closes below both
Stop Loss: Below the most recent swing low (longs) or above the most recent swing high (shorts) — about 1× ATR.
Take Profit:
- First target: 2R or next structure
- Trail using the shorter EMA (e.g., 8 EMA) as a dynamic stop
Example: On a 5-minute chart, the 8 EMA crosses above the 20 EMA. Candle closes above both. You go long, stop below the last swing low, trail under the 8 EMA until it breaks.
📊 Key Stat: A century-long U.S. equity test by Meb Faber (2013) found a 50/200-day EMA crossover cut max drawdowns by over 70% — while keeping 90% of buy-and-hold returns. That's the math of trend-following: smaller losses, similar gains.
How Do You Trade VWAP Breakouts and Retests?
VWAP is intraday fair value. A clean break plus a successful retest tells you real order flow showed up — not just a noise spike. That's why this works and why "VWAP touch and reverse" gets faded so often.
Setup: Watch for price to break above (longs) or below (shorts) the VWAP with strong volume. The breakout candle has to close fully beyond VWAP with rising volume. Half-baked breaks get faded.
Entry:
- Long: Price closes above VWAP and retests it as support
- Short: Price closes below VWAP and retests it as resistance
Stop Loss: Just past VWAP — give it a 0.25–0.5 ATR buffer so you don't get wicked out by noise.
Take Profit:
- 2R as the first profit zone
- Trail with a 9 EMA or previous swing low/high once in profit
- Optional extended target at daily high/low or 1.5× ATR from entry
Example: SPY breaks above VWAP on rising volume, pulls back, holds VWAP. You enter on the hold, stop just below VWAP, target 2R or the session high.
📊 Key Stat: A five-year SPY intraday backtest by Lars Kestner (Quantified Strategies, 2023) showed that adding a 9-EMA confirmation filter to VWAP breakouts pushed the win rate from 51% to 61% — and cut drawdowns by 12%. Same setup. Better filter. Different outcome.
How Do You Scalp Using VWAP and the 9 EMA?
Simple rule: only take longs above VWAP AND above the 9 EMA. Shorts below both. No exceptions, no fudging. This is a momentum filter — break it once and you're gambling, not scalping.
Setup: Liquid instruments with tight spreads and high volume (EUR/USD, SPY). Best window: first 2 hours after a major market opens. Use 1-min or 5-min charts with EMA + VWAP for direction.
Entry:
- Long: Price above VWAP + bullish candle closing above 9 EMA
- Short: Price below VWAP + bearish candle closing below 9 EMA
- Confirm with tape or a volume surge
Stop Loss: Tight — usually 0.5× ATR or just beyond the recent micro-swing.
Take Profit:
- 1R–1.5R per trade (scalping is high frequency, lower R:R)
- Bail immediately if price stalls or reverses
- Optional trailing exit via 9 EMA crossover
Example: EUR/USD is above VWAP. A strong bullish candle closes above the 9 EMA. You enter, tight stop below the last micro low, take profit at 1R–1.5R before momentum fades.
⚠️ Warning: Performance data from Tickmill Institutional (2022) showed pro EUR/USD scalpers averaged just 0.7 pip edge per trade during the London-NY overlap with sub-1 pip spreads. That's the ceiling. Wide spreads or slow execution and the edge dies before you even click buy.
How Do You Trade the Opening Range Breakout (ORB)?
The Opening Range Breakout gives you a clean risk box. The first 15 minutes define your high and low — you trade the break. The range itself IS your stop logic. No interpretation needed.
Setup: Define the opening range as the first 5, 15, or 30 minutes of market open (15 is the standard). Mark the high and low — those are your breakout triggers.
Entry:
- Long: Price breaks above ORB high with volume
- Short: Price breaks below ORB low with volume
- You need a candle CLOSE beyond the range, not just a wick
Stop Loss: At the midpoint of the opening range, or opposite side of the range if you want to be more conservative.
Take Profit:
- First target: 1× the opening range size (measured move)
- Second target: 2× the opening range or daily pivot levels
- Trail using the 9 EMA on the 5-min chart once in profit
Example: First 15 minutes form a $1 range. You buy a confirmed break above the high, stop near the midpoint (or the low for conservative), target $1 then $2 above the breakout.
📊 Key Stat: Testing by Quantified Strategies (2021) found ORB setups worked best when the opening range was 0.5–1.5% of ADR — 68% win rate. Ranges outside that window? Performance collapsed. The range size IS the filter.
How Do You Trade Gap and Go Setups at the Open?
Gap and Go trades hunt catalyst-driven gaps that keep going. Not every gap goes — but the right ones extend hard. VWAP is the line in the sand: hold it, and the trade is alive; lose it, and you're out.
Setup: Stocks gapping 4%+ at the open with a real catalyst (earnings, FDA approval, contract wins). Low-float stocks (under 50M shares) with premarket volume of 1M+ shares.
Entry:
- Setup 1: Breakout above pre-market high with strong opening volume
- Setup 2: Opening range breakout (ORB) after the first 5-minute candle
- Setup 3: Red-to-Green move — price moves above yesterday's close after opening red
Stop Loss: Below VWAP or the opening range low — whichever is closer.
Take Profit:
- First target: 2R
- Second target: 3R or psychological levels ($10, $20, etc.)
- Trail using the 5-min 9 EMA or VWAP — exit if price loses VWAP with volume
Example: Stock gaps up 8% on earnings. Breaks the premarket high with heavy volume. Holds VWAP on the first pullback. Pushes higher. Your stop sits under VWAP, your first target is 2R.
📊 Key Stat: A review of 1,000 SPY gap days by Cory Mitchell (2023) showed small gaps (under 0.3%) filled intraday 92% of the time. Large catalyst-driven gaps continued 68% of the time. That spread between the two? That's your edge — if you can tell the difference before you click.
How Do You Trade Overnight Gaps: Fill vs Continuation?
Two plays, opposite directions. Gap fill: price returns to yesterday's close. Gap continuation: price keeps running in the gap direction. The catalyst — and the size of the gap — tells you which one to play.
Setup: Stocks that gap 2%+ from previous close with a catalyst. First hour of trading is prime time. After that, momentum fades fast and you're left holding bag.
Entry:
- Gap Fill: Short gaps up, long gaps down, expecting the gap to fill
- Gap Continuation: Long gaps up or short gaps down after the first pullback or consolidation
Stop Loss:
- Gap fills: Stop beyond the gap extreme (high for shorts, low for longs)
- Continuation: Stop at gap midpoint
Take Profit:
- Gap fills: Target the previous day's close (complete fill)
- Continuation: Target 1.5–2× the gap size as measured extension
- Trail with VWAP or 9 EMA for momentum trades
Example: Stock gaps up 3% with no real catalyst and stalls — gap-fill short, target yesterday's close. Same stock gaps up on strong news and holds VWAP after the first pullback — continuation long, target 1.5–2× the gap.
📊 Key Stat: A 15-year SPY/ES study by Cory Mitchell (2023) found Monday gap-ups filled intraday 61% of the time vs. roughly 47% mid-week. Catalyst gaps were twice as likely to extend. Day-of-week and catalyst type aren't details — they're filters that decide which side of the trade you're on.
How Do You Turn These Strategy Rules Into Consistent Improvement Over Time?
You measure rule-following and results in the same units across every strategy — R multiples. If you can't prove you followed the rules, you can't tell whether the strategy failed or your execution failed. That's the whole game.
Most traders skip this step. Then they wonder why they're scrapping setups every three months and starting from scratch.
Log the basics:
- Setup name, instrument, timeframe
- Entry, stop, target
- Position size
Log the context:
- Market regime (trending vs. ranging)
- Time of day
- Volatility/ATR
- Whether price was actually in your strategy's environment — or you forced it
Review weekly:
- Your biggest rule breaks (late entries, oversized risk, moved stops)
- The filters that actually improved outcomes
- Which setups had A+ context vs. which you took out of boredom
A trading journal lets you review every trade with full context — so you can separate strategy edge from avoidable execution mistakes. A dedicated tracker standardizes how you measure R multiples, win rate, drawdowns, and rule adherence across every strategy on this list. That's how you find out which one actually fits you.
🔥 Pro Tip: Don't grade your trades on P&L. Grade them on execution. A green trade where you broke your rules is still a bad trade — you just got lucky. A red trade where you followed every rule is a good trade. Run that math for 100 trades and watch your real edge finally show up.