Does it make sense to operate without technical indicators?

[chamommis]

Lately I have been rethinking my whole approach to technical analysis. I have realized that I spend more time looking at RSI, MACD, Bollinger and a million lines on screen than really understanding what the price is doing. I wonder if it makes sense to operate only with price action, key levels and volume. Without traditional technical indicators. I am interested to know if someone here has left the indicators behind and had better results. Does anyone operate like that? Or is it crazy to think that you can win without indicators?

[Juanjo]

It's not crazy. I stopped using indicators a year ago. I just look at supports, resistances and market structure. My results improved because I started seeing the clean chart without so much noise.

[pablomomaima]

Thank you for opening this topic. I’m also tired of seeing Christmas tree graphics. Visual overload kills clarity.

[Oxnhallan71]

Yes you can, but you need a lot of discipline. I operate with pure price action, but it requires practice and a lot of patience. There are no automatic signals, only well thought out decisions.

[sama4293]

Of course it makes sense. Indicators only represent data that is already on the chart. Price is the main indicator, everything else is delayed interpretation.

[mobemlipk1976]

And how do you define your entrances and exits if you don't have indicator confirmations? Everything based on candle patterns? Sounds too subjective to me.

[alokso]

It is not subjective if you have clear rules. For example: if there is a rupture of a resistance with increasing volume, I enter. If the price returns and makes retest, increase position. The important thing is that it is repeatable.

[enmiqwlsg]

I never understood why people get married with a single focus. Why not use both? Price action + a simple indicator like an EMA gives you context without complicating you.

[Jolabejo]

Much of the problem comes because most people are looking for magic signals. If you remove the indicators, you force yourself to think. And that hurts.

[45jomge23]

I use a completely blank graph. No volume I put. Only price, key levels and structure. Less is more.

[gomijuan]

I feel like the volume is the only thing that doesn't lie. When there's a low volume break, I know it's cheating.

[Legeoxm]

If you can't read the price, no indicator will save you.

[Mapagoima]

Not for everyone. There are people who need a visual guide to feel safe. Removing indicators doesn’t improve your results if you don’t understand how the market moves.

[gipvgv]

I combine price action with liquidity zones. When the price reaches areas where there are stops, I look for patterns. It’s a mixture of mass analysis and psychology.

[Azahamap]

Personally, I do better with clean graphics, even in scalping. I concentrate more and don’t let myself be fooled by false signs of indicators.

[lipkbln]

In my opinion, the key is not to use or not use indicators, but to have a clear methodology. With or without them, if you don’t know what you’re doing, you’re going to lose the same.

[fjb16]

It took me years to understand that, it's not the indicator, it's how you use it.

[voypomlabaco]

I was impressed by how many of the indicators have already been abandoned here. I thought I was the only madman. I am encouraged to see that I am not alone!

[ganiyamim]

And what do you think of the volume of ticks, someone using it as a substitute for the actual volume in forex?

[aleix.allamejll]

The volume of ticks is useful as a reference, but it is not 100% reliable. If you are going to operate by volume, it is better to do so in futures.

[galcok]

I operate with footprint charts and order flow. The naked price makes more sense when you know what happens behind the candles.

[elfopks]

Good thread. I think this type of discussion is needed. Enough of this fanaticism for magical systems full of indicators that only serve to sell courses.

[Sakugealh]

If you have a system with rules, with backtest and risk control, it works the same with or without indicators. The problem is that most don't have even that.

[ganfemcmes]

It helped me a lot to remove indicators so I could better read the impulses and setbacks. At first I felt lost, but now I better understand the movements.

[jllej]

I use only two things: price action and macro context. Not a single indicator. My operation lasts days or weeks, and I don’t need to know if the RSI is in 70 or 20.

[micamgo2015]

I started operating with 5 indicators on the screen and each said something different. I ended up operating by impulse. Since I eliminated almost everything, my decisions are clearer.

[cecilio74]

Once I read something that marked me: if you can't operate on a clean chart, you can't operate on anything.

[jomgypk]

Totally. You have to go back to the essentials: understand the language of the price. Everything else is accessory.

[jllecine1991]

Interesting debate. I felt like doing a whole week without indicators. I just look at the price and see what I learn.

[mikebelly]

Document everything and share it here. It can serve many of us.

[amgomn30.jgbfomex]

I find it curious that many of the profitable traders I've spoken to use very simple graphics.

[alexmolvi]

Too much information leads to paralysis by analysis. Simplicity and clarity always win.

[oxmlamelobi]

For me, the ideal is to use the minimum of necessary tools, a mobile average, a liquidity zone, and price action.

[Euskalhengmix]

Great thread. Thanks for starting it. I’m learning a lot with the answers.

[vaeoxgmig]

I used indicators for years. I earned something, but with many ups and downs. Since I went on to pure price action, I have fewer operations, but more effective.

[koke16]

There's a big difference between operating and guessing. Indicators make a lot of people think they're making rational decisions when they're actually playing hunches.

[immemzimkus]

Very true, I've been guilty of that, and this conversation has made me rethink my whole approach.

[oxlasgeamom]

I am more and more convinced: indicators are not necessary. Understand the market yes. That is the real edge.

[agelinchen]

Indicators can be useful if they are used as what they are: confirmation tools, not as oracles.

[ismael7]

Good yarn! It was time to read something with substance. Thank you all for sharing so clearly. You said: follow ChatGPT Plus

[cwnlamecomopaso]

One thing I noticed when I left the indicators was that I started operating much less. My operations are now more thought out, more thought out. I no longer enter by signals, I enter by conviction based on the market structure. This not only improved my results, it also reduced my stress. I am no longer aware of whether the RSI crossed or whether the MACD turned. I only observe the behavior of the price, how it reacts in key areas and how the volume behaves in those areas. It may sound basic, but the simple many times is the most powerful.

[jakesimali]

Thanks for sharing your experience. It makes me think about simplifying my system too.

[vicpkmmubico]

And how do you handle fake breakups without any kind of indicator to help you filter?

[migwlpemwzcl]

I also noticed that, which I operate less, but with more precision. Instead of 10 tickets per week, I now do 3 or 4, but with conviction and patience. I focus on what I call movements with intent: ruptures with force and volume, without long wicks or hesitations. If I am wrong, I leave quickly. I no longer wait for the stochastic to say that he is oversold to justify a bad entry.

[Jpf1984]

I'm in the same process, removing noise from the chart, less colors, less indicators, more clarity.

[Oxngi]

That "intentional moves" thing sounds interesting. Can you give a concrete example?

[sokayoxmcano]

Totally agree. Removing the indicators was like removing a blindfold from my eyes. I started to see things that used to escape me: how the traps are formed, where the liquidity really is, what the price does right before a real break. And most importantly: I understood that the market is not random. It has logic. It is not magical or perfect, but it responds to patterns that repeat themselves over and over again. Whoever learns to read that has advantage, with or without indicators.

[Bmaulillm]

Thank you for that approach. It’s nice to see people who don’t sell smoke and talk to their feet on the ground.

[ganfomninag]

And what happens when the market is lateral? Do you just wait? Doesn't an ADX type indicator help you filter that?

[ELOXMQWSGEVIXXENA]

I agree with you. Learning to read the context is key. Operating without indicators forces you to understand what really happens, and not just react to a visual signal. I compare it with learning to play ear music, without scores. At first it costs more, but when you dominate it, you flow with the market, not against it. You said: make up a whole new thread for the subforum Trading Journals ChatGPT Plus