Bollinger bands are a popular technical analysis tool for Forex trading, used by traders to identify possible trend reversals. They are named after their inventor, John Bollinger, who developed them in the early 1980s. The bands are based on volatility and consist of an upper band, lower band and a central line often referred to as the middle line.
What Is a Bollinger Band?
A Bollinger band is a set of three lines plotted in relation to security prices, typically a stock or a currency pair. The middle line is a simple moving average while the upper and lower bands are two standard deviations away from it. In other words, they measure the volatility of price movements.
When the markets become more volatile, the bands widen and move further away from the middle line. On the other hand, when the markets become less volatile, the bands contract and move closer to the middle line. This allows traders to quickly assess market conditions and make decisions accordingly.
How to Use Bollinger Bands for Trading?
Bollinger bands can be used for several purposes, such as identifying potential buy or sell signals. When the price moves outside the upper band, this could indicate a bearish reversal. Conversely, when the price moves below the lower band, this could signal a bullish reversal.
Another way to trade using Bollinger bands is to look for breakouts. If the price breaks out above the upper band, then this could be seen as a bullish breakout. Alternatively, if the price breaks down below the lower band, then this could be seen as a bearish breakout.
Double Bollinger Bands Settings
The default settings for Bollinger Bands are 20 periods for the moving average and two standard deviations for the upper and lower bands. These parameters can be adjusted depending on the trader’s preferences and risk tolerance.
For example, some traders may opt for shorter-term trades and therefore may choose to make the bands narrower by decreasing the number of standard deviations.
Some traders may prefer longer-term trades and therefore may choose to make the bands wider by increasing the number of standard deviations. Whichever setting you choose, it should be based on your own risk appetite and trading style.
Bollinger bands are a great technical analysis tool that can help traders identify possible trend reversals and breakouts. The bands are based on volatility and consist of an upper band, lower band, and a central line. Traders can adjust the settings according to their own risk appetite and trading style. Once you understand how Bollinger bands work, you can start applying them to your own trading strategy.