ข่าวสารตลาด & มุมมองเชิงลึก
ก้าวนำตลาดด้วยมุมมองเชิงลึกจากผู้เชี่ยวชาญ ข่าวสาร และการวิเคราะห์ทางเทคนิค เพื่อเป็นแนวทางในการตัดสินใจซื้อขายของคุณ.
Multi-Timeframe (MTF) analysis is not just about checking the trend on the daily before trading on the hourly; ideally, it involves examining and aligning context, structure, and timing so that every trade is placed with purpose.
When done correctly, MTF analysis can filter market noise, may help with timing of entry, and assist you in trading with the trending “tide,” not against it.
Why Multi-Timeframe Analysis Matters
Every setup exists within a larger market story, and that story may often define the probability of a successful trade outcome.
Single-timeframe trading leads to the trading equivalent of tunnel vision, where the series of candles in front of you dominate your thinking, even though the broader trend might be shifting.
The most common reason traders may struggle is a false confidence based on a belief they are applying MTF analysis, but in truth, it’s often an ad-hoc, glance, not a structured process.
When signals conflict, doubt creeps in, and traders hesitate, entering too late or exiting too early.
A systematic MTF process restores clarity, allowing you to execute with more conviction and consistency, potentially offering improved trading outcomes and providing some objective evidence as to how well your system is working.
Building Your Timeframe Hierarchy
Like many effective trading approaches, the foundation of a good MTF framework lies in simplicity. The more complex an approach, the less likely it is to be followed fully and the more likely it may impede a potential opportunity.
Three timeframes are usually enough to capture the full picture without cluttering up your chart’s technical picture with enough information to avoid potential contradiction in action.
Each timeframe tells a different part of the story — you want the whole book, not just a single chapter.
Scalpers might work on H1-M15-M5, while longer-term traders might prefer H4-H1-H15.
The key is consistency in approach to build a critical mass of trades that can provide evidence for evaluation.
When all three timeframes align, the probability of at least an initial move in your desired direction may increase.
An MTF breakout will attract traders whose preference for primary timeframe may be M15 AND hourly, AND 4-hourly, so increasing potential momentum in the move simply because more traders are looking at the same breakout than if it occurred on a single timeframe only.
Applying MTF Analysis
A robust system is built on clear, unambiguous statements within your trading plan.
Ideally, you should define what each timeframe contributes to your decision-making process:
- Trend confirmed
- Structure validated
- Entry trigger aligned
- Risk parameters clear
When you enter on a lower timeframe, you are gaining some conviction from the higher one. Use the lower timeframe for fine-tuning and risk control, but if the higher timeframe flips direction, your bias must flip too.
Your original trading idea can be questioned and a decision made accordingly as to whether it is a good decision to stay in the trade or, as a minimum action, trail a stop loss to lock in any gains made to date.
Putting MTF into Action
So, if the goal is to embed MTF logic into your trade decisions, some step-by-step guidance may be useful on how to make this happen
1. Define Your Timeframe Stack
Decide which three timeframes form your trading style-aligned approach.
The key here is that as a starting point, you must “plant your flag” in one set, stick to it and measure to see how well or otherwise it works.
Through doing this, you can refine based on evidence in the future.
One tip I have heard some traders suggest is that the middle timeframe should be at least two times your primary timeframe, and the slowest timeframe at least four times.
2. Build and Use a Checklist
Codify your MTF logic into a repeatable routine of questions to ask, particularly in the early stages of implementing this as you develop your new habit.
Your checklist might include:
- Is the higher-timeframe trend aligned?
- Is the structure supportive?
- Do I have a valid trigger?
- Is risk clearly defined?
This turns MTF from a concept into a practical set of steps that are clear and easy to action.
3. Consider Integrating MTF Into Open Trade Management
MTF isn’t just for entries; it can also be used as part of your exit decision-making.
If your higher timeframe begins showing early signs of reversal, that’s a prompt to exit altogether, scale out through a partial close or tighten stops.
By managing trades through the same multi-timeframe approach that you used to enter, you maintain logical consistency across the entire lifecycle of the trade.
Final Action
Start small. Choose one instrument, one timeframe set, and one strategy to apply it to.
Observe the clarity it adds to your decisions and outcomes. Once you see a positive impact, you have evidence that it may be worth rolling out across other trading strategies you use in your portfolio.
Final Thought
Multi-Timeframe Analysis is not a trading strategy on its own. It is a worthwhile consideration in ALL strategies.
It offers a wider lens through which you see the market’s true structure and potential strength of conviction.
Through aligning context, structure, and execution, you move from chasing an individual group of candles to trading with a more robust support for a decision.
USD surged higher on Thursday, with DXY having its second biggest daily gain since March, reclaiming the big figure at 106 and holding above its trendline support. Hotter than expected CPI readings with the M/M rising 0.4% (exp. 0.3%) and Y/Y coming in at 3.7%, above the 3.6% consensus got the Dollar rally going, but a dismal US 30yr auction later in the session saw long end yields surging higher, further boosting the Greenback. Cyclical currencies AUD, NZD and GBP were the underperformers, driven lower by a sour risk sentiment and USD strength rather than anything currency specific.
AUDUSD and NZDUSD tumbling to 1-week lows and nearing the bottoms of their recent ranges of 0.6308 and 0.5926, respectively, from earlier peaks near the top of the range of 0.6430 and 0.6025. GBPUSD also tumbled, breaking below 1.2200 amid the aforementioned negative risk sentiment and surging USD. There were some mixed UK macro releases and BoE members highlighting the extent of possible rate hikes to come but this had little effect as GBPUSD fell to a session low of 1.2173 a whisker above Monday’s low of 1.2163.
Gold finished the session down but considering USD strength and surging yields held up admirably as haven flows helped lessen the damage. XAUUSD also finding some support at the 78.6 Fib level at 1866. Today’s calendar is fairly light, Chinese CPI and US consumer sentiment being the highlights.
The ongoing sell-off in the US bond market has set the tone in FX and wider risk markets on Tuesday in an otherwise very slow news day. The USD has continued to grind higher against the higher yield backdrop with the US Dollar Index (DXY) adding to Mondays gains pushing above the 106 level, tracking yields higher. The Fed’s recent “higher for longer” statement still supporting yields, worries of a US government shutdown looming and more hawkish comments from the Fed’s Kashkari on Monday also giving a tailwind to yields and the US dollar.
EURUSD saw further declines, first breaking support at the May 31 swing low, before also dropping below the psychological 1.06 level, with the major support of the Jan/Feb/Mar lows at 1.0521 very much in play. USD strength was the main driver but also weighing on the EUR was weak world merchandise trade volumes data, the eurozone suffers from a declining trade environment, as does the Euro. GBPUSD also continued to decline after last week’s surprise hold from the Bank of England.
Ongoing USD strength, another hit to the cyclical GBP is the softening risk sentiment in global markets amid a possible US government shutdown. GBPUSD breaching the 1.22 support level and looking little in the way of technical support levels can be expected before the 1.2000/2075 area. USDJPY stalled from its recent grind higher after climbing just shy of the 149.00 handle, another round of the familiar jawboning from Japan’s Finance Minister Suzuki holding it in place for now, JPY also helped somewhat by the weakening risk environment seeing haven flows to the Yen.
The USD sell off continued Thursday moving in lockstep with yields again ahead of today’s key non-farm payroll figure. Unemployment claims came inline and had a limited impact as it was yields driving action in the USD. DXY dropped to close at the lows of 106.32 from earlier highs of 106.86.
So far this looks like a technical pullback from overbought levels, with a strong support at the lower trendline around 106.10 as traders turn to watch todays NFP figure. EUR was propped up once again by USD weakness, with EURUSD testing the key support at 1.05 several times before rallying to hit a high of 1.0558. ECB members de Guindos and Kazimir spoke, with the former saying the current level of rates will help tame inflation, but noted the ECB is data dependent and it is premature to discuss rate cuts.
While Kazimir noted that the September EZ core inflation confirmed ECB expectations, and reiterated he believes the last rate hike was the final one. JPY firmed against the USD with USDJPY dropping below 149.00 led by the softening of US Treasury yields. Traders seemingly still wary of a push above 150.00 seeing potential Yen intervention following the “flash crash” on Tuesday when the pair poked above this level.
AUD and NZD were bid with outperformance in both currencies, bolstered by the improved risk sentiment and lower US yields. AUDUSD rose above 0.6350 and NZDUSD rose above 0.5950, the Kiwi marginally outperforming the Aussie seeing the AUDNZD cross rate drop below 1.07 again, the pair has found some short-term resistance at the 1.07 level this week with cross make a few attempts to break and hold but so far being rejected. Today’s calendar is dominated by the always exciting NFP, a hot figure here will test the markets pricing of interest rates and should see the yield/USD rally recommence.
EURUSD is once again at an interesting technical level coming into key US data this week. After holding firm in a rising channel for most of 2023, price fell away in early September. This coincided with the price also falling below the 200 SMA which also acted as support multiple times in 2023 so far.
After bouncing nicely on the first horizontal support zone, we saw this level fail last week. A couple of days of positive trading sees price back up at this key zone, where we will be waiting to see if that horizontal support flips to resistance to bounce price back south and continue the downward trend. With the US interest rate decision out on Wednesday, we could be in for some volatility on this pair.
The market is currently predicting a 99% change of a continued pause, keeping rates at 5.5%. Any deviation from this is likely to cause some big movements in the USD, and this pair. With mixed inflation data out lately and oil prices soaring, this will be an important decision for the US Fed.
If the 1% probability occurs and the Fed hikes rate, this will likely see strength form in the dollar. With price currently at some key technical levels going into big economic data, it could be an interesting trading period for EURUSD this week.
EURUSD is heading into today’s knife-edge ECB rate decision lacking any real direction after Wednesdays CPI inspired choppy performance. Markets are split on today’s ECB rate decision with money markets pricing around a 65% chance of a 25bps rate hike, but a slight majority of economists polled by Bloomberg expecting a hold. Against this backdrop traders seem to be taking a wait and see approach with EURUSD unchanged, trading in a tight range in Thursdays APAC session and so far in EU session.
This will change at 12:15pm GMT as the ECB announces its rate decision, with a split market there will be almost certain volatility in EURUSD whichever way the ECB goes, with markets pricing in a 65% chance of a hike the risk on balance does seem skewed to the downside for EURUSD. A lot will also depend on the guidance released with the rate decision and the press conference 30 minutes after. No hike and a statement anything less than ultra hawkish will likely see a sharp drop in EURUSD initially, possibly testing the June and September lows support zone just under 1.07.
This will be a key area to watch after the initial reaction. A Hike of 25bp will likely see an initial pop in EURUSD, but attention will then turn to the statement. The ECB is expected to stick with the data dependent narrative as to its future moves, but it will be hints of possible further hikes (hawkish) or hints that they may be at the peak (dovish) which will likely drive the Euro once the initial reaction is done.
Even if we get the 25bp hike today money markets are pricing in 23bp of hikes this year already, this should cap any sustained rise in the Euro after a likely initial spike higher unless the statement hints strongly of more to come, which against a backdrop of a slowing EU economy seems unlikely. The key level to watch to the upside is the psychological 1.08 level, which would also bring EURUSD up to its trendline resistance and would see hard going for further gains unless at a technical perspective. The ECB rate decision will be released at 12:15 GMT with the presser at 12:45 GMT.
WTI Crude oil got off to a flyer on Monday open as news broke of conflict in the Middle East saw a hefty risk premium being priced in fueled by fears of supply disruptions. It seems some of those fears have abated and along with a massive crude inventory build of almost 13mm barrels reported by API on Wednesday, a classic gap fill chart pattern has formed on USOUSD after a steep drop, with USOUSD currently trading at 83.37, down markedly from the conflict spike high of 87.65 in Monday’s session. Geopolitical risk will be very much at the forefront of Oil traders’ minds with an escalation and/or expansion of the current conflict very much having the ability to cause high volatility in oil, we do also have some important technical levels and scheduled economic announcements to watch for the remainder of the week’s trading.
Chart Technicals: Monday’s gap open found resistance at the upward trend line, which up until early October has been a significant support level, to the upside this will be the next technical level to watch, around the 87.225 zone, a retake of this trendline support could then see USOUSD next testing the 23.6 fib level at 88.958 which had also offered support during September. To the downside Fridays low and the nearby 50% fib level at 81.333 will be the first major technical level, a break of this support zone will indicate a possible leg down to the 61.8 fib level around 76.867, which was also a swing low support level back in August. Along with further updates from the Middle East, tonight’s US CPI figure will also be important to watch, a low reading will cheer market participants that are banking on a less aggressive Federal Reserve, this will likely see risk assets rally, and Oil along with them as a less aggressive Fed will take the shackles off the US economy and have oil repricing for a more robust demand.