A financial market is an uncertain place. One cannot predict the exact movement of the price of any instrument in the market. But traders and analysts can at least predict the trend that may follow with the help of the indicators. The trend basically means the expected direction of the movement of the price of a particular instrument or security. There is more than one type of indicator and each of them has its own process of predicting the pattern of a trend in price.
Indicators can provide signals for almost all the financial instruments but most importantly for Forex. One can have a real-time analysis of the complete price movement in the market.
What is a divergence in forex trading
Divergence is the process of price movement when the price of an asset (currency pair) is moving in the opposite direction of a technical indicator, usually an oscillator. Divergence warns that the current price trend may lead to the price changing direction.
Divergence is a situation in the market when there is contradictory movement between the oscillator for example RSI and the price of an instrument. In only theory – divergence warns the trader not to believe in the movement of the price as the situation may get reversed i.e., the price of the asset will start moving in the opposite direction of the current trend.
Understanding the divergence can be more clear if you are using it with the combination of indicators. One can choose among many available indicators. The commonly used among them is the Relative Strength Index (RSI), Moving Average (MA), Bollinger Bands, Stochastic Oscillator, and many more. If the trader or the analyst is able to understand the pattern correctly, they will know the correct time to enter or exit the market, without facing any loss or may make some profits.
Trading Divergence
As the name suggests, ‘divergence’ is meant to indicate a change in the direction. Here, in the trading market, it indicates the change in the movement of price. Although, the price of a security and the indicator, used by the trader, is supposed to move in the same direction or indicate the same trend. But when they do not agree with each other, the result is divergence.
The divergence can be both negative and positive. The positive divergence signals that there may be a positive (upward) movement in the price. It is indicated when the technical indicator is moving higher but the price is moving lower. This type of signal is known as a bullish signal or bullish divergence.
The negative divergence signals that there may be a negative or downward trend or movement in the price. It is indicated when the technical indicator is showing a lower movement but the price is showing a higher movement. This type of signal is known as a bearish signal or bearish divergence.
These divergences lay between the high points and the low points showed by the price and indicators. Depending upon the position of the price and the indicator, divergences can be classified into four types:
- Regular Bullish
- Hidden Bullish
- Regular Bearish
- Hidden Bearish
Let’s understand these 4 types for divergences in detail.
Regular Bullish Divergence
Regular Bullish Divergence is just a usual signal of an upcoming bullish trend in the market price of an instrument. This divergence is indicated when the price shows the lower low but the indicator shows a higher low. Regular bullish divergence indicates that the ongoing bearish or downward trend is going to end and will be replaced by an upward trend. At this point, traders may go long expecting a favorable return to their investment.
Regular divergences are perfect indicators of a possible reversal in the trend.
Hidden Bullish Divergence
Hidden Bullish Divergence also shows a possible upward trend but with a signal that the trend will continue. It means that if it is an upward trend, it will continue to go upward. It is indicated when the price shows a higher low but the indicator is showing a lower low. This marks the end of a downward trend and indicates a start and continuation of an upward or bullish trend.
Regular Bearish Divergence
Contrary to the Regular Bullish Signal, Regular Bearish Signal shows an approaching downward trend in the market. This is indicated when the price of an asset shows a higher high while the indicator shows a lower high. This divergence occurs in the uptrend that signals the traders to find a way out of the market before the downtrend approaches.
Hidden Bearish Divergence
When the downward trend approaches with a signal of continuation, it is known as Hidden Bearish Signal. It indicates that the price will start to fall and will continue to fall for a while. This divergence approaches when the price shows a lower high while the indicator shows a higher high.
How to trade divergence in Forex?
The best divergence trading strategy use the RSI 50 level principle.
The Best Divergence Trading Strategy
The Best Divergence Trading Strategy is based on the assumption that the fastest rising or falling trend on the chart is around 45 and 55 Relative Strenght index. If we create an experiment and make buy or sell trades based on Relative Strenght Index RSI divergence the best results for bullish and bearish trades will be when the RSI value is around level 50.
See an example of weekly Divergence Trading Strategy:
I picked a long-term period, weekly chart, just to better see how the divergence strategy works.
On this GBPJPY weekly chart, we can see on August 23. 2009 bearish trend. RSI indicator is in a bullish trend. But several months’ price was going down. The bullish trend started in February 2012. So all most 3 years in bullish divergence and price went down.
The bullish divergence rising trend started around 50 levels.
The same 50 level divergence principle can be applied on divergence day trading strategy, hourly chart, or daily chart. Applied divergence strategy has the best performance on long time frames such as daily, weekly, and monthly charts.
Divergence in Forex Trading
With careful practice and using the right indicator, one can easily get used to tracing divergences in the charts. But in certain cases, one must not confuse small differences between the price and the indicator’s movement as a real divergence. Understanding this concept can prove to be profitable for you. One who is well aware of the divergences knows that it is suggested to sell when the price is at the top and buy when the price is at the bottom.
Divergence brings out the analytical strength of a trader. Once you are comfortable in trading with the divergence you can move upward in the market with this acquired knowledge. Trading in instruments like Forex will become much easier with time. It is an amazing tool and can prove to be a friend who warns you of any changes in the market.
