Level 3 - Trading strategies

Trading strategy types

Compare trend-following, range, breakout and mean-reversion ideas.

Trend and breakout strategies

Trend-following strategies try to participate when price keeps moving in one direction. Breakout strategies look for price leaving a range. Both can suffer during choppy markets when price repeatedly reverses.

Range and mean-reversion strategies

Range strategies assume price may continue moving between support and resistance. Mean-reversion strategies assume stretched moves may partially reverse. Both can struggle when a strong trend breaks the range.

Matching strategy to market

No strategy works in every condition. A good lesson is to ask what market behavior the strategy needs, what invalidates it and what costs could damage it.

Practical example

A grid-style range idea may look sensible when price moves sideways between EUR 50 and EUR 60. If price trends down through EUR 50, the same idea can become risky.

Important terms

TrendBreakoutRangeMean reversionInvalidation
A strategy can fail simply because the market condition changed.

Lesson quiz

Answer all 3 questions, then submit. You need 3/3 correct to unlock the next lesson.

Can one strategy work well in every market condition?
What do range strategies usually assume?
Should a strategy have an invalidation idea?