Trade guide · 1
Direction
Decide which way you are allowed to trade before you look for an entry.
Read the timeframe above
Trade one timeframe and take your direction from the one above it. The higher timeframe sets the tide; your timeframe gives the entry.
- Open a second chart tab with CyclesX on the higher timeframe.
- Read Position in Cycle: rising or falling, how far along, and when the next turn is due.
- Read the Dominant Cycle grade. It tells you how much to trust that direction.
- Read Bigger trend: Up, Down or Mixed against the agreement FLDs.
In CyclesX
Higher timeframe tab: 📍 Position in Cycle, 🔁 Dominant Cycle and 🧭 Bigger trend.
Grade and stability are your trust dial
The same reading means more when the cycle behind it is clear. Two things decide how much to trust a cycle: its grade (does it stand out and repeat enough?) and its stability (is it still running the way it does today?). Both are in the 🔁 Dominant Cycle row, for example "Confirmed cycle · steady 0.72".
| Higher timeframe cycle | How to use its direction | Your trades |
|---|---|---|
| Strong and steady | Lean on it fully | Trade only in its direction, full size |
| Confirmed and steady | Lean on it | Trade in its direction, normal size |
| Confirmed but unsteady | Real but drifting: lean lightly | Reduced size, or check the timeframe above it |
| Developing | Lean lightly | Trade in its direction, reduced size |
| Low confidence | Treat as neutral | Only Standard or Conservative entries, reduced size, or wait |
In CyclesX
Steady means a stability of 0.5 or more. An unsteady cycle is never graded Strong.
In the 🌊 Composite row, cycles marked unsteady in grey are used only because there were not enough steady ones.
Which way you may trade
| Higher timeframe | Longs | Shorts |
|---|---|---|
| Rising, Bigger trend Up | Yes | No |
| Rising, Bigger trend Mixed | Yes, reduced size | No |
| Near a peak (Peak due with ●) | No new longs | Only after a crossing down |
| Falling, Bigger trend Down | No | Yes |
| Near a trough (Trough due with ●) | Only after a crossing up | No new shorts |
Timeframe pairs
| You trade | Direction from | Typical holding |
|---|---|---|
| Daily | Weekly | Days to weeks |
| 4h | Daily | One to several days |
| 1h | 4h | Hours to a couple of days |
| 15m | 1h | Within the session |
Tip. If the Dominant Cycle row names a higher timeframe to check, use that one as your direction chart.