liquidity

Breakout Trades and High Volume Trade Spikes

As individual traders, one of the key strategies we use is breakout trades. These are a key edge we can use because they allow small share traders to get in at the key pivot points in the market. We can use price action alalysis to find key levels of S&R in the market, and enter as they are broken.

On top of this, we watch the level 2 on a trade to see price ceilings/floors eaten up by orders before we choose to trade. This is a key advantage of taking a smaller size in the market. When we see a seller with 50k shares on the ask, we can time our entries as they are getting eaten up.

Why these levels?

When we are searching for breakout trades, we must identify key price action levels. These levels are agreements between buyers and sellers in the market. With each agreement of highs and lows, there are key levels outlined in the market. At each point in time the market turns, a level is formed. When these levels are re tested, they gain strength. This is assuming the re test was followed by a move away from the price point.

What about minor re tests of price action levels?

We need to clarify the difference between a re test, and a weakening of a key price action level. When a market comes down to re test a level in the market, two things can happen. One is where the market bounces off that level, re enforcing it. The other is when a trade tests that level multiple times on a lower time frame, weakening that level. With the latter, the price keeps re testing, each time weakening the level.

How can we use the difference between these two type of level testing?

When we see a key price action level being tested, we know it is prime for a breakout trade. These levels have been proven over time, and when broken will have an accumulation of traders willing to sell/buy.

The breakout trade moment:

When a key price action level is broken. Technical traders jump at the opportunity to make money. They see these levels in the sand drawn around areas where traders not only want to buy/sell, but want to exit their existing positions. This doubling effect is the key in breakout trades. You have an accumulation of both traders who are profitable, and traders who want to be profitable watching the same level. When that level is crossed. A volume spike appears. This is created by both stop orders, and new traders coming into the trade.