What Are Scalp Lines?
Scalp lines are temporary areas of support and resistance. As I have already explained, an S+R line needs to have a lot of history behind it to be useable. A scalp line does not need this same history. Scalp lines are formed by a single, sudden, sharp reversal. If a candle, for any reason, moves to, and then bounces away from a certain point, that point becomes a scalp line. Scalp lines can be used to take 4hr chart scalp trades. A good scalp line will have three essential parts, if a scalp line does not have these three parts I will likely not use it.Preceding trend: The preceding trend required for a scalp line formation can be as short as a single candle, a single candle would however make for a weak scalp line. Ideally you would want to see a nice strong trend of four or more candles. The bigger and stronger the preceding trend the stronger the scalp line is. In the pics below the preceding trend is show in the blue box.
Bounce Candle: The bounce candle is the lowest point, it does not have to be a reversal candle it is just the lowest point of the trend.
Reversal trend: The reversal trend confirms that the point at which the bounce candle stopped has some strength. If there is no reversal it is hard to say that it is a valid scalp line since
How I place them
Scalp lines are even easier to place than S+R lines. Just about every week you are going to see the price bounce away from random places on the chart. This can be caused by news releases, CB intervention, or other various reasons. All you need to do is identify these bounces and place a line there. Next time the price reaches that level and breaks that line a trade is entered. There are two main types of scalp line formations, and a third weaker type of formation.‘V’ shaped bounce: To be more accurate, the ‘V’ shape can also be an upside down ‘V’. This is the best type of formation as it shows a very sharp and quick bounce.
‘U’ shaped bounce: The ‘U’ shaped bounce looks like the graphic you see below. It can vary a little, but it remains generally the same.
‘L’ shaped double bounce: L-shaped bounces are weaker lines. To place a scalp line on an L-shaped bounce, it has to have bounced at least two times from the same line. I personally do allow for 1-3 pips difference. Taking GBP/JPY as an example, if the first bounce is from 212.83 and the second from 212.80 I will still use it.
Scalp lines can be placed almost anywhere you see one of these types of formations. The only time I would not place a scalp line is if it is too close to an S+R line. I have an imaginary 20 pip boundary on either side of each S+R line, and I do not place my scalp lines there. If any of these bounces form within those 20 pips I just consider it a bounce from the S+R line.
If you get a strong bounce from an S+R line, it does not make the S+R line a scalp. If a scalp line gets a lot of bounces, it does not become and S+R line. It just becomes a very strong scalp line. It is important to understand that these lines are two different types of lines and should be treated as such.
Another thing to take note of is how often a scalp line should be placed. Personally, I like to see a minimum of 10 candles between my scalps. For example, if you see two ‘V’ shaped bounces form, as in the picture below, you do not place a scalp line at both price levels. You place the line at the lowest bounce. Of course, you would place it at the highest bounce if it is an upside down ‘V’ shape.
The 10 candle rule functions more as a guideline than a strict rule. You can place a scalp line at every minor bounce you see if you want to. If you do that though, you have to realize that the scalp lines placed on minor bounces are usually much weaker and your trade risk increases. Good scalp lines should be placed at the large, prominent bounces. They should mark the end of a trend. I do not place them at every single tiny bounce. I know this can seem very overwhelming at first, but after a few weeks you will be placing scalp lines like a pro. If you are ever unsure about placing a scalp line, simply ask in the Forex4noobs forum if the line you want to place is in fact a scalp line.
In conclusion, placing a scalp line is a simple process of identifying these bounces and then marking them. This is pretty much all I can do to explain how to place scalp lines. The rest is up to you. The best way to learn how to place lines is by placing them. So get to it! As I said above, if you are ever unsure about a line, ask in the Forex4noobs forum or the chat-room.
