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In this interview, Jakarta-based full-time forex trader Hardianto Sunoto (you’ll also hear him called “Hardy”) breaks down how he went from blowing up early accounts to running a steady, family-supported trading business. Recorded on the Desire To Trade podcast, Hardy walks through his day as a swing trader, why the 24-hour FX market fits his lifestyle, and how Elliott Wave analysis became his roadmap for filtering noise and setting a clear bias.
You’ll learn the exact process Hardy uses to plan trades across Asian, European, and U.S. sessions, how he sizes at around 1% risk, and why taking partial profits and moving stops to breakeven keeps him calm and consistent. We’ll cover his multi-year path to mastering Elliott Waves, how he validated his edge with small-size live testing, and why avoiding overtrading matters more than chasing “big wins.” You’ll also see why he prefers a trade-copier over signals—so the execution and risk management match the plan—and how aiming for steady monthly growth beats unrealistic expectations for most traders.
Hardianto Sunoto Playbook & Strategy: How He Actually Trades
Market Framework: Bias First, Trade Second
Before placing any orders, Hardy builds a directional bias so he’s not guessing. He reads structure first, then looks for a clean pullback into value rather than chasing price. The goal is simple: trade with the tide, not against it.
- Map the dominant trend on the daily chart; only trade in that direction on lower timeframes.
- Define the current swing using clear higher-high/higher-low or lower-high/lower-low sequences.
- If the structure is mixed or overlapping, skip the market until a clean leg forms.
- Mark key impulse and correction legs; no trades until price returns to the value area of the last correction.
- Accept that “no bias = no trade”; waiting is a position.
Set Up Criteria: Elliott-Wave Structure With Simple Confluence
Hardy uses Elliott Wave to frame swings, but he keeps execution simple. He looks for corrective pullbacks into prior structure, then times entries with momentum confirmation so he’s not catching a falling knife.
- Identify a 5-wave impulse on the higher timeframe; plan trades in the direction of that impulse.
- Enter on a 3-wave (A-B-C) pullback into a prior demand/supply zone or 50–61.8% retrace of the impulse.
- Require at least one confluence: prior swing high/low, round number, or daily open/weekly level.
- Use a candle close or minor break of a pullback trendline for confirmation—no raw “limit knife catches.”
- If the corrective leg becomes larger than the previous impulse, invalidate the setup and stand down.
Timeframes & Sessions: Swing Core, Intraday Timing
He plans from the higher timeframes and executes on the lower ones to reduce noise. Session awareness helps him avoid dead periods and hunt for cleaner moves.
- Build bias on D1/H4; refine the setup on H1; trigger on M15/M5.
- Focus entries during London open to early NY (approx. first 3 hours of each) when liquidity expands.
- Avoid late NY/Asia chop unless a higher-timeframe level is being tested.
- If the day’s ATR is already spent by the time you’re ready, pass—don’t force late entries.
- Log the session that produced your winners and concentrate your efforts there.
Risk Sizing: Small, Repeatable, Unemotional
Hardy’s rule is to survive first and grow steadily. Position sizing stays constant, so execution quality—not luck—drives equity growth.
- Risk a fixed 1% (or less) per idea; never stack correlated pairs beyond 2% total.
- Size positions from the stop distance, not from a “standard lot” habit.
- If two setups trigger on highly correlated pairs, take the better one or split the risk equally.
- Reduce risk to 0.5% after any losing day; restore after one green day with A-setups only.
- Cap daily drawdown at 2%; hit it and stop trading for the day.
Entry Tactics: Let Price Come To You
He doesn’t chase breakouts. He stalks the pullback, then commits when the market shows its hand.
- Place alerts at your confluence zone; no staring at screens waiting to “will” price there.
- Use limit orders only if the pullback shows slowing momentum (smaller candles, wicks into level).
- Otherwise, use a stop order above/below the signal candle to require momentum follow-through.
- Maximum two attempts per level; if both fail, the level is likely invalid—move on.
- Never widen stops after entry; either the thesis is right or you’re out.
Stop Loss & Targets: Mechanical, Then Adaptive
Stops live where the setup fails, not at arbitrary pips. Targets are planned, then trailed if momentum accelerates.
- Initial stop: beyond the structure that validates the pullback (e.g., under wave C low for longs).
- First target at 1R to de-risk: take 30–50% off and move stop to breakeven after a clean push.
- Trail remaining size behind the most recent swing low/high on the trigger timeframe.
- If price hesitates at prior high/low and momentum stalls, scale another 25% and tighten the trail.
- Never let a +1R winner turn into a loser; worst case should be scratch after partials.
Trade Management: Fewer Decisions, Better Decisions
Hardy reduces mid-trade tinkering so emotions don’t wreck good setups. He codifies triggers for actions rather than “feel.”
- Pre-write actions: add, hold, reduce, or exit on specific technical events (new HH/HL sequence, failed retest, engulf).
- If price returns to entry after hitting 1R without making a higher high/lower low, exit rest at breakeven.
- No adding to losers; add only to fresh structure in your direction with risk still capped at the plan.
- If news is imminent and unrealized P&L ≥ 1.5R, take another partial and lock breakeven+.
- Log every deviation from plan; repeat offenders become new rules or banned behaviors.
Watchlist & Preparation: Curate, Then Execute
He keeps a tight list and plans scenarios ahead of time. The work is done before the bell.
- Limit active watchlist to 6–8 FX pairs you know well; include one commodity or index only if liquid.
- Pre-mark HTF zones and write two scenarios per pair: continuation and reversal invalidation.
- Set price alerts at levels, not times; remove pairs with messy overlapping structure.
- Snapshot charts before/after each trade; tag by session, setup type, and outcome.
- Review weekly: promote clean movers to your A-list, demote chronic chop.
Psychology & Expectations: Professional Pace, Not Lottery Tickets
Consistency beats excitement. Hardy treats trading like a business with modest, compounding goals.
- Aim for steady monthly growth (e.g., 2–5%) rather than “home runs.”
- Limit total trades to a weekly cap (e.g., 8–12) to prevent boredom trades.
- Use a pre-trade checklist: bias, level, trigger, stop, size, target, risk events.
- If three consecutive losses occur, pause and re-mark the higher-timeframe structure before resuming.
- Celebrate process compliance, not P&L; reward yourself only for perfect plan execution.
Tooling & Execution Hygiene: Reduce Friction
Clean execution helps the plan survive contact with live markets. Hardy standardizes workflows to keep things boring—in a good way.
- Use consistent chart templates: timeframe labels, levels, and ATR displayed; no clutter indicators.
- Maintain a single order entry method (platform or copier) to avoid mismatched stops or sizes.
- Automate alerts and screenshots; manual tasks invite errors during volatility.
- Keep a “do-not-trade” list for news hours that historically disrupt your setups.
- Backtest one change at a time for at least 30 trades before adopting it live.
Build a bias first, then only trade aligned pullbacks.
Hardianto Sunoto starts every session by deciding direction first, execution second. He reads the higher timeframes for a clear higher-high/higher-low or lower-high/lower-low structure, then commits to trading only with that tide. If the structure is messy or overlapping, he simply passes and waits for a clean leg to form. By defining the map upfront, he avoids the impulse trades that come from reacting to every candle.
Once the bias is locked, Hardianto hunts for pullbacks into value rather than chasing breakouts. He wants the price to return to the prior structure or a fair retracement zone and then show a fresh push with momentum. If the pullback digs too deep or breaks the swing definition, the setup is invalid, and he moves on. This “bias first, pullback second” routine keeps him patient, selective, and aligned with the path of least resistance.
Size every position at one percent and cap daily drawdown
Hardianto Sunoto keeps risk boring on purpose: a fixed one percent per idea, calculated from the stop distance, not from a gut-feel lot size. He won’t stack correlated pairs beyond two percent total because one macro headline can hit them all at once. If two setups are highly similar, he either takes the cleaner one or splits the original risk between them. That way, variance can’t bully the account while he waits for the edge to play out.
Daily risk is boxed in, too. Hardianto caps drawdown at two percent; if he hits it, he’s done for the day and reviews instead of revenge-trading. After a losing day, he dials risk down to half a percent until he prints a clean, A-setup win. The result is a stable equity curve where discipline—not adrenaline—decides position size and trading frequency.
Use A-B-C corrections in the structure for safer entries.
Hardianto Sunoto frames entries by waiting for a clear A-B-C pullback back into prior structure rather than chasing breakouts. Wave A shows the counter-move, B is the pause, and C is the final probe into the zone he marked from the impulse. He wants the C-leg to tag a level like a prior swing, round number, or 50–61.8% retrace, then show rejection. This keeps him trading with the trend while letting sellers or buyers exhaust themselves first.
Execution is straightforward: he places an alert at the zone, looks for a shift in momentum, and triggers only after price confirms with a decisive candle close or micro break of the pullback line. The stop goes beyond the C-leg extreme, so the idea fails cleanly if the structure breaks. If the corrective leg grows larger than the impulse, he invalidates the setup and moves on without hesitation. Two tries per level max—after that, Hardianto assumes the market has different plans and preserves capital.
Take partials at one R, trail stops behind swing structure.
Hardianto Sunoto treats risk multiples like checkpoints, not decorations. Once price hits 1R, he locks in progress by taking a partial—usually thirty to fifty percent—and bumps the stop to breakeven. That instantly removes the emotional pressure to “be right” and lets the rest ride with a clear head. If momentum is strong, he resists the urge to cash everything, keeping skin in the game for the trend leg.
From there, Hardianto trails behind objective structure, not arbitrary pips. For longs, the stop follows successive higher lows on the trigger timeframe; for shorts, it hides above lower highs. If price hesitates at a prior high/low and can’t punch through, he scales another slice and tightens the trail. He never allows a +1R winner to flip red—worst case becomes scratch after partials. This routine compounds small edges by turning good entries into a conveyor belt of controlled, repeatable gains.
Trade high-liquidity sessions, skip chop, protect capital before profits.
Hardianto Sunoto plans his week around the windows when the market actually moves: London opens and the first hours of New York. He wants participation, range expansion, and clean follow-through—conditions that reduce random noise and reward structure-based entries. If Asia drifts or late NY goes flat, he simply logs levels and waits, refusing to donate spread and slippage to slow markets. This session discipline keeps him aligned with momentum instead of forcing trades into dead air.
When conditions aren’t right, Hardianto protects the capital first. He tracks daily ATR to avoid chasing after the move has already traveled its expected range, and he’ll pass if the pair is exhausted. If price returns to his level during low-liquidity hours, he prefers alerts over screen-gluing, entering only when liquidity returns. By skipping chop and focusing on prime sessions, he preserves mental energy, execution quality, and the bankroll that powers the next A-setup.
In the end, Hardianto Sunoto’s edge isn’t one magic indicator—it’s a tight loop of structure, timing, and restraint. He builds a top-down bias, waits for A-B-C pullbacks into clear levels, and only strikes when momentum confirms. Position size never drifts: about one percent per idea, with a hard daily drawdown cap so randomness can’t wreck the week. Once in, he treats 1R as a decision point—take some, go to breakeven, and let structure trail the rest—so small wins survive the market’s noise while bigger legs have room to run. Sessions matter, too: he concentrates on London and early New York, skipping tired markets and late-day drift, because patience is cheaper than churn.
What ties it all together is the professional process. Plans are written before the trade, reviews happen after, and anything that repeatedly causes trouble becomes a new rule or a banned behavior. He favors simple confluence over clutter, trims watchlists to instruments that actually move cleanly, and protects mental capital by limiting attempts per level. The result is a playbook built for real life: consistent risk, clean setups, strict session selection, and zero heroics. If you adopt just those principles—bias first, defined risk, partials at 1R, structure-based trailing, and a cap on bad days—you’ll trade closer to how Hardianto actually wins: methodically, patiently, and with a plan that makes money possible and mistakes survivable.
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