Trading the EUR/USD currency pair can be a test of patience, especially when it comes to dealing with technical support and resistance levels. The EUR/USD market is known for its tremendous interest and liquidity, making it prone to prolonged tests of these technical levels that can last for hours or even days.
Understanding the Market Dynamics
The high level of interest in the EUR/USD market is a result of various viewpoints and trading interests coming together when technical levels are in play. This leads to an abundance of bids and offers at these levels, creating a significant amount of market interest that needs to be absorbed. As a consequence, it can take considerable time for the market to work through these orders and determine the direction in which the price will move.
Using Leading Indicators for Insights
Professionals trading the EUR/USD often keep a close eye on other currency pairs like GBP/USD (British pound versus U.S. dollar) and USD/CHF (U.S. dollar versus Swiss franc) as leading indicators. By observing how these pairs behave around similar technical levels, traders can gain insights into potential moves in the EUR/USD. If GBP/USD and USD/CHF aggressively test and break through key technical levels, it increases the likelihood of EUR/USD following suit.
Tactical Trading Considerations
Patience is key when trading the EUR/USD, particularly during periods of testing technical levels. Traders should identify short-term support and resistance levels to determine the potential continuation or reversal of a move. Taking advantage of “backing and filling,” which is the tendency of EUR/USD to retrace some of its short-term movements, can offer traders better entry points into positions.
Understanding the Margin of Error
When determining whether a technical level has been broken, it’s essential to consider a margin of error, typically around 10 to 15 pips. This accounts for the fact that the forex market does not always respect technical levels precisely, and interest may still be present even if the level has been breached. Understanding this margin of error allows traders to better interpret price movements around technical levels.
