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In this interview, veteran trader Jason Sen walks through his journey from the London Stock Exchange pits to running his analysis business from Thailand—why he trades the way he does, and how decades across options, futures, and FX shaped his edge. He’s candid about the ’87 crash shaping his risk lens, the transition from pit arithmetic to screens, and why he now splits his time between providing levels to institutions and mentoring select traders—while keeping his own process simple and repeatable.
Read on to learn Jason Sen’s core playbook: how he combines Fibonacci retracements, moving averages, and clean trend lines with candlestick context and a light touch from the slow stochastic; why he caps risk near 1–2% per trade and prefers steady compounding over flashy swings; and how patience, journaling, and multi-timeframe checks keep him aligned with real market conditions. You’ll also pick up hard-won insights on avoiding indicator overload, spotting when ranges kill swing setups, setting realistic monthly goals, and building credibility if you ever manage outside capital—full transparency, small size, no drama.
Jason Sen Playbook & Strategy: How He Actually Trades
Core Market Framework
Before pushing buttons, Jason Sen defines the backdrop: trend, volatility, and where obvious levels sit. This top-down read keeps him from forcing trades and helps him pick the right play—trend follow, mean-revert, or no trade.
- Identify the market regime on the daily chart first: trending if price is above/below the 50 & 200 MAs and making higher highs/lows; ranging if those MAs are flat and swings overlap.
- If ATR(14) on the daily is expanding, favor trend-continuation setups; if ATR is contracting, tighten targets and expect ranges.
- Only trade instruments where the daily structure is clean and the levels are respected in recent weeks.
Chart Setup & Tools
He keeps charts simple: clean price action, a couple of moving averages, Fibonacci, trend lines, and a slow oscillator to avoid chasing. The point is clarity, not indicator soup.
- Use 20/50/200 simple MAs; hide anything else by default.
- Draw obvious swing highs/lows and anchor trend lines to at least two touches.
- Apply Fibonacci retracements on the latest impulse leg only (swing low to swing high in an uptrend, opposite in a downtrend).
- Add Slow Stochastic (14,3) just to confirm overbought/oversold at levels—never as a standalone signal.
Multi-Timeframe Process
Jason builds a case from higher to lower timeframes so entries align with the bigger move. This avoids counter-trend traps and random scalps.
- Daily: set directional bias and key S/R zones.
- 4-hour: refine structure, mark fib clusters, and MA confluence.
- 1-hour/15-minute: time entries; if lower-timeframe momentum disagrees with daily bias, skip the trade.
Level Selection With Fibonacci
Fibs give him “where,” not “when.” He hunts clusters where fibs, moving averages, and prior S/R meet—then waits for price to react.
- Prioritize 38.2%, 50%, and 61.8% retracements that overlap with a daily/4H level or a rising/falling 20/50 MA.
- Strengthen a level if a trend line and a prior swing pivot sit within the same ±0.15% price band.
- Ignore fibs drawn from messy, overlapping ranges; only use the most recent clear impulse leg.
Entry Triggers (Price Action First)
He lets price prove the level. Triggers are simple candlestick tells that the market is accepting the level.
- Longs: at a pre-marked support, wait for a rejection wick or bullish engulfing that closes above the level on 15m–1h.
- Shorts: mirror rules at resistance with a bearish engulfing or pin bar close below the level.
- If the trigger candle’s range is huge (>1.5× the 14-period ATR of that timeframe), pass—risk/size becomes inefficient.
- Enter on the next candle open or a 50% retrace of the trigger candle; no market chasing.
Risk Sizing & Trade Limits
Capital preservation sits above everything. Jason keeps size consistent and risk small, so a streak never puts him out of business.
- Risk 0.5%–1.0% per trade in normal conditions; cap at 2% only in A+ setups with multi-timeframe confluence.
- Maximum open risk at any time ≤ 3% of the account across all trades.
- Hard stop always placed at entry; never widen stops after entry.
Stop Placement & Invalidations
Stops live where the idea is wrong, not where it “feels” safe. That keeps the win/loss math honest.
- Trend continuation: stop beyond the swing that defines the impulse (below the higher-low for longs, above the lower-high for shorts).
- Mean reversion to level: stop just beyond the level plus a volatility buffer of 0.5× ATR(14) of the entry timeframe.
- If price closes beyond the invalidation on the setup timeframe, exit without debate—even if the hard stop hasn’t hit.
Profit Targets & Trade Management
He scales out mechanically to bank progress and let winners breathe. The goal is steady compounding, not hero trades.
- First target at 1R; take off 50% and move stop to breakeven once 1R is printed intrabar or on close.
- Second target at the next structure level or a 161.8% fib extension of the entry swing.
- If ATR contracts sharply after entry, tighten stop to the 20 MA on the execution timeframe and trail bar-by-bar closes.
- Never add to a losing position; consider one add-on only after a higher low/lower high forms in favor of the trade.
Trend vs. Range Playbook
Matching the tactic to the tape avoids death by chop. He classifies conditions quickly and adjusts rules.
- Trend mode (MAs stacked & angled): use pullback-to-20/50 MA plus fib retracement; skip counter-trend fades.
- Range mode (flat MAs, overlapping swings): fade clean edges with tight stops and smaller size; target the range mid and opposite band.
- If the regime is unclear, stand down for one full session and re-assess.
Session Timing & News Risk
Timing smooths execution and reduces whipsaw. Big scheduled events are treated as risk, not opportunity.
- FX/indices: favor London open through early New York for liquidity; avoid the last hour on Fridays.
- Flatten or reduce size 15 minutes before high-impact economic releases; re-engage only after the first post-news 15-minute bar closes and spreads normalize.
- If spreads or slippage widen beyond your backtested average by 2×, cancel pending orders.
Instrument Selection & Watchlist
He trades where the technicals behave and levels stick. A curated list keeps focus high.
- Limit active watchlist to 6–10 instruments where recent levels have been respected within ±0.15% on tests.
- Prefer major FX pairs, gold, oil, and top index futures; avoid thin crosses during illiquid sessions.
- Drop any instrument after three consecutive failed level reactions; re-evaluate in a week.
Daily Routine & Checklist
Consistency beats brilliance. A tight routine reduces decision fatigue and errors.
- Pre-market (20–30 min): update daily/4H levels, mark two A-setups max, write the invalidation and targets before the open.
- During market: execute only pre-planned setups; if two losers occur back-to-back, pause for 60 minutes.
- Post-market (10–15 min): screenshot entries/exits, note whether rules were followed, and record R-multiple outcome.
Metrics, Journaling & Review
He tracks what matters, so the process keeps improving. Data, not mood, drives refinement.
- Log: setup type, confluence count (0–5), ATR state (expanding/contracting), session, and news proximity.
- Review weekly: cut any setup with a win rate < 40% and expectancy < 0.25R after 30 samples; scale focus to setups > 0.5R expectancy.
- Monthly: recalibrate position size if drawdown exceeds 6%—reduce risk per trade by one-third until equity recovers to prior peak.
Psychology & Discipline Rules
Edge dies without discipline. Simple rules protect the mindset and account.
- No revenge trades: after a stop-out, wait at least one full candle of the execution timeframe before considering a new entry.
- Max two discretionary overrides per month; track them—if they underperform plan trades, ban overrides next month.
- If you break any risk rule, stop trading for the day and write a one-page debrief before the next session.
Scaling & Managing Outside Capital (If Applicable)
Professional habits matter when others’ money is involved. Transparency and small size build longevity.
- Publish a simple monthly statement with net R, max drawdown, and number of trades.
- Cap single-instrument exposure to 40% of total open risk; cap strategy exposure (trend or mean-reversion) to 60%.
- Withdrawals or fees never exceed realized profits; no performance fees are taken in a drawdown month.
Quick Setup Templates
Having a few “go-to” templates speeds execution without losing discipline. Pick one that matches the tape and stick to it.
- Trend-Pullback Long: daily uptrend, 4H higher-low, 50% fib + rising 20/50 MA cluster; enter on bullish engulfing; stop under HL; targets 1R then prior high/extension.
- Range-Edge Fade Short: flat MAs, triple-tested resistance, stochastic overbought; enter on bearish pin; stop above wick + buffer; targets mid-range then opposite band.
- Break-Pullback Continuation: clean break of daily level, 4H closes through, retest to broken level + 38.2% fib; enter on rejection wick; stop beyond level; trail via 20 MA.
Size risk is small, compound consistently, and survive every losing streak.
Jason Sen hammers one idea above all: tiny risk keeps you in the game long enough for skill to matter. He treats each trade as one of thousands, not a lottery ticket, so position size stays boring by design. By risking a fraction of capital per idea, he makes drawdowns manageable and lets compounding do the heavy lifting. Survival first, growth second—that’s his north star when the tape turns ugly.
In practice, that means risking around one percent or less per trade and capping total open risk so multiple losers can’t snowball. Jason Sen never widens a stop after entry; he’d rather take the loss and redeploy on the next clean setup. He also uses a daily loss limit to cut off tilt and review what went wrong before returning to the screens. Over months, these guardrails compound into steadier equity curves and the confidence to execute the plan without flinching.
Use multi-timeframe confluence: trend, Fibonacci levels, candlestick confirmation.
Jason Sen stacks the deck by starting on the daily, confirming on the 4-hour, and pulling the trigger on the 15-minute or 1-hour. He wants the larger trend clear first, then a Fibonacci retracement or level cluster on the mid timeframes. Only after price reacts does he look for a clean candlestick tell—a rejection wick or engulfing close—to confirm intent. This sequence keeps him from guessing and filters out low-quality noise.
When everything lines up, Jason Sen acts; if one piece is missing, he waits. The fib level marks “where,” the trend supplies “direction,” and the candlestick gives the “when.” If the trigger candle is too big for efficient risk, he lets it pass and hunts the next rotation. That patience means fewer trades, better average R, and a calmer head.
Trade what’s clear: avoid chop, tighten targets when volatility contracts.s
Jason Sen keeps a simple filter: if the structure looks messy, he skips it. Flat moving averages, overlapping swings, and tiny ATR tell him the market is in chop, not a runway. In that environment, he either stands aside or trades edges with a smaller size and faster exits. Clarity means readable swings, clean levels, and candles that actually react where they should.
When volatility contracts, Jason Sen narrows targets and brings stops closer to structure. He favors quick 1R clips back to the range mid, instead of swinging for multi-R runs that rarely come. If ATR expands and the trend resumes, he widens targets again—same rules, different volatility. The discipline is binary: trade only when the picture is clear, and make the whole playbook smaller when it isn’t.
Diversify by instrument and setup, not random signals or hunches.
Jason Sen spreads risk across instruments and play types so one market or idea can’t wreck the week. He’ll pair trend-pullbacks in indices with range fades in FX, and maybe a commodity breakout, so the equity curve isn’t hostage to a single regime. The point isn’t more trades; it’s uncorrelated risk that lets small edges stack without clumping losses. If two charts are highly correlated, he treats them as one position and sizes the total accordingly.
In practice, Jason Sen caps exposure by instrument, by strategy, and by duration. He won’t run three trend longs in the same index future, and he avoids stacking multiple fades in correlated pairs during the same session. If an entry overlaps with an existing theme, he either reduces the size or skips it to keep the total open risk under control. This way, diversification becomes a rule set—not a hope—that keeps him consistent when markets flip regimes.
Strict playbook beats prediction: plan entries, stops, scales beforehand.
Jason Sen doesn’t forecast headlines or macro narratives—he scripts actions. Before the price reaches a level, he’s already written the entry trigger, stop location, first target, and when to move to breakeven. That way, when the market taps his zone, he executes the checklist instead of debating the story. The plan covers what to do if the candle is too wide, if slippage appears, or if momentum stalls—no improvisation required.
In trade, Jason Sen follows pre-set scales: partial at 1R, trail or extend only if structure supports it. If any rule breaks—like a missed trigger close or a news spike through the zone—he cancels and waits for the next rotation. Post-trade, he logs whether he followed the script, not whether the result was green or red. Over time, this turns randomness into a repeatable business: rules in, rules out, and no predictions needed.
Jason Sen’s biggest lesson is ruthless simplicity backed by discipline. After decades from the London floor to screens, he still leans on a compact toolkit—Fibonacci retracements, moving averages, trend lines, candlestick patterns, and a slow stochastic as a light secondary check—and warns that piling on indicators just jams decision-making. The edge is clarity: map the higher-timeframe trend, mark clean levels, and let price action confirm before committing. Keep the chart readable, the rules tight, and the execution boring enough to be repeatable.
Equally firm is his risk lens. Jason Sen pushes traders to think in thousands of small, scripted decisions: risk ~1–2% per trade, cap total exposure, and chase consistency over eye-catching returns—because “hero” months usually end badly. A realistic good month is steady and survivable; education, deliberate practice, and even time on demo help wire the habits that keep you in the game when volatility bites. In short, clarity first, process over prediction, and compounding through restraint—the playbook that turns experience into durable results.
