Table of Contents
Raghee Horner sits down for a candid YouTube interview about how she actually trades—pulling from decades across futures, forex, commodities, and equities. She explains why macro pillars like the U.S. dollar, GDP, inflation, and central-bank behavior drive her market selection, and why her process must stay “universal and robust” so the same playbook works across pairs and asset classes. You’ll also hear how she shifted focus during the 2019–2020 regime change, why forex is beginner-friendly thanks to flexible sizing and 24-hour access, and how she keeps her day lean with a results-over-time mindset.
In this piece, you’ll learn Raghee’s core strategy: identify the trending markets, then execute simple pullback entries sized by historical volatility instead of prediction. She’ll show you the prime intraday windows (think the 8:00–11:30 a.m. ET overlap), how to keep a five-hours-a-week workflow without FOMO, and how annotated screenshots beat spreadsheets for journaling and faster feedback loops. By the end, you’ll have a clean, repeatable trader playbook you can start applying immediately—without adding more indicators or screen time.
Raghee Horner Playbook & Strategy: How She Actually Trades
How Raghee builds the watchlist (regime first, symbols second)
Before she hunts entries, Raghee Horner narrows the universe to markets with clean structure and supportive macro winds. The goal is simple: focus on the small set of symbols where trend, volatility, and session flow are already doing the heavy lifting.
- Start each morning by tagging instruments as “trend,” “chop,” or “transition” using a higher-timeframe structure (daily/4H).
- If the daily + 4H disagree, default to the slower chart’s verdict and trade a smaller size.
- Only add symbols that align with your primary theme (e.g., strong USD = prefer USD-long forex pairs, weak crude = short-energy bias).
- Hide anything with overlapping or redundant exposure to keep correlation risk under control.
- Keep 8–15 names max on the “A-list”; move the rest to a parking lot and don’t peek intraday.
Time windows that matter (when she actually pulls the trigger)
Raghee isn’t glued to screens all day. She concentrates risk into predictable windows where liquidity and movement are most dependable, then she steps away.
- Trade the opening flow 8:00–11:30 a.m. ET; avoid the lunch lull unless a news catalyst is active.
- For futures/FX Asia handoff, use 7:30–9:00 p.m. ET as a secondary scan window.
- If a “hot zone” (major economic release) lands within 30 minutes, stand down until the first post-release candle completes.
- Cap total intraday decision time to ~2–3 hours; no new day trades after 1:00 p.m. ET.
- If the first two trades are full losers, stop for the day and protect psychological capital.
Her core tools: the 34-EMA Wave and color-coded trend bias
Raghee’s backbone is a simple, visual way to confirm trends and ride pullbacks without guessing tops/bottoms. The idea is to let the wave define direction, so entries are mechanical and repeatable.
- Plot a 34-EMA “wave” (high/close/low EMAs or a channel) on your execution timeframe (5–15m for day, 1H/4H for swing).
- Bias long when price holds above the wave with higher highs/lows; bias short when price holds below with lower highs/lows.
- Stand aside when the price chops through the wave and the slope is flat.
- Only buy pullbacks into the rising wave; only short bounces into the falling wave—no countertrend “hero” trades.
- Require the wave slope to confirm direction before placing any order.
Entry setups: pullbacks, propulsion, and confirmation
Entries are built around waiting for the price to revisit value, then using a tight, rules-based confirmation. No prediction—just an if/then checklist.
- Long setup: trend up + pullback into the top/middle of the 34-EMA wave + a higher-low candle close to confirm.
- Short setup: trend down + bounce into the middle/bottom of the 34-EMA wave + a lower-high candle close to confirm.
- If the first pullback fails, allow exactly one re-entry on the next qualified pullback; after that, move on.
- Skip entries if spread > 1.5× normal or if slippage exceeds your average by 50%.
- Never chase breakouts; if price leaves without you, wait for the next pullback or switch symbols.
Position sizing with volatility (so losers are survivable)
She sizes to the market, not her mood. Volatility-based sizing keeps every trade’s dollar risk consistent, even when symbols get jumpy.
- Define initial stop at 1.0–1.25× ATR(14) beyond the wave on your entry timeframe.
- Risk a fixed fraction of equity per trade (0.25%–0.75% for day, 0.5%–1.0% for swing).
- Convert dollar risk → position size using stop distance in ticks/pips/points; never “round up” size.
- If ATR expands > 30% over your rolling 10-day average, cut size by half until it normalizes.
- For correlated positions, cut each size by 30%–50% so the total theme risk stays constant.
Stop placement and management (objective, not emotional)
Raghee treats stops as part of the setup, never a punishment. The market can do anything—your job is to define “you’re wrong here” in advance.
- Place the initial stop just outside the invalidation zone: below prior swing (long) or above prior swing (short) plus ATR buffer.
- Move to break-even only after price advances 0.75–1.0× initial risk (R); not earlier.
- Trail partial size behind the 34-EMA wave; if price closes through the opposite side of the wave, exit the rest.
- If a hot zone is due within 10 minutes and you’re not at break-even, flatten to half.
- Never widen a stop; reduce the size or re-enter on a fresh signal instead.
Profit taking: scale systematically, not randomly.
She books gains on the path to the target, so one reversal doesn’t nuke a green day. Scaling rules make the P&L curve smoother.
- Set TP1 at +1R, TP2 at +2R; exit remainder at structure (prior high/low or VWAP/previous day’s high/low).
- At TP1, take off 1/3 and move the stop on the rest to break-even.
- If momentum stalls (two failed pushes with long wicks), cut an extra 1/3, even if TP2 hasn’t hit.
- On trend days (wave strong, slope steep), trail the final runner using the wave midline, not fixed ticks.
- No “home run” mindset on chop days—use fixed targets and be done.
Hot zones: how she trades around major releases
Macro prints can blow up otherwise good trades. Raghee respects the calendar and adapts size and timing around it.
- Pre-event: no new positions 15 minutes before Tier-1 releases (CPI, NFP, FOMC rate, Powell, ECB/BOE decisions).
- During the event: flat or at minimum size; if already in profit, lock to break-even and reduce by half.
- Post-event: wait for the first full candle close; only trade if the 34-EMA wave realigns with pre-event bias.
- If the release flips the higher timeframe regime, purge the watchlist and rebuild.
- For energy/metals, add EIA/DOE and inventories to your Tier-1 list; for FX, include central-bank speeches and PMIs.
Multi-asset translation (futures, FX, stocks, options)
Her process is built to travel. The instruments may differ, but the steps don’t: find trend, enter pullback, size by volatility, respect the clock.
- Futures/FX: prioritize liquid contracts/pairs; keep spread cost ≤ 0.3× average candle size.
- Stocks: trade names inside your A-list sectors; no small caps with erratic spreads.
- Options: use directional debits (calls/puts) when IV is cheap; use verticals when IV is elevated.
- For options exits, use the underlying’s wave/ATR for levels and convert to premium targets (e.g., +50% at TP1).
- Never mix timeframes for signals and risk; the chart that gives the entry gives the stop and trail.
Daily routine and journal (fast feedback, fewer mistakes)
Raghee favors a minimal, repeatable routine. The journal captures what happened and why, with visuals that make patterns obvious.
- Pre-market (20–30 min): mark trend/chop on higher timeframes; update hot-zone windows; finalize A-list.
- Intraday: take screenshots of entry, scale-outs, and exit with notes on time, session, and catalyst.
- Post-market (15 min): tag each trade “A-quality” or “B-quality” and note if it followed the exact checklist.
- If three B-quality trades appear in a week, trim the watchlist and reduce its size the following week.
- Archive a “best trade of the week” image with rules annotated; reuse it as next week’s template.
Risk controls that keep her in the game
Longevity beats lucky streaks. She bakes in brakes so bad days don’t turn into bad weeks.
- Daily loss limit = 2R; hit it and stop—no exceptions.
- Weekly loss limit = 5R; if hit, trade half-size the next week and review every journaled rule.
- Max three concurrent positions unless all three are in unrelated themes.
- If the drawdown reaches 8% from the equity peak, switch to demo for five trading days and rebuild confidence with A-setups only.
- Celebrate process wins: a stopped-out A-setup is a green checkmark in the journal.
Swing add-ons: pyramiding without blowing up risk
When trends persist, she adds intelligently rather than dumping size all at once. Adds must earn their place.
- Add only after TP1 has hit on the core position and the pullback rules re-trigger.
- New add uses the same dollar risk as the original, not a bigger “confidence” size.
- If the add fails while the core remains, cut the add immediately and keep the original with its trail.
- Never stack more than two ads in a single swing.
- If total exposure in a theme exceeds 3R of planned risk, stop adding until earlier legs realize profit.
Execution hygiene (little things that protect P&L)
Small frictions compound. Raghee treats execution and platform behavior as part of the edge.
- Use stop-limit orders with a 1–3 tick/pip limit offset on liquid markets to control slippage.
- If the spread widens beyond your threshold, switch to limit-only entries or skip the setup.
- Lock chart templates per asset class so indicators/lengths don’t drift between symbols.
- Sync session templates to ET and label charts by session to avoid mixing signals across markets.
- Reboot platforms and clear DOM data before the open to prevent stale quotes.
Mindset cues that keep her out of trouble
Process beats prediction, and boredom is dangerous. These reminders keep her aligned with the playbook.
- “If it’s not in trend, it’s not my trade.” No countertrend scalp just to be busy.
- “Price pays, not opinions.” A macro view helps pick symbols, but the wave decides entries.
- “Protect the next trade.” When tilted, stop early; green days come from clean rules, not revenge.
- “The market opens again tomorrow.” Missed moves are tuition—document them and wait for the next pullback.
- “Less is more.” One A-quality trend trade > three B-quality chops every time.
Build the watchlist by regime, then trade only A-setups
Raghee Horner starts by classifying the market—trend, chop, or transition—before a single order is considered. She builds a tight watchlist around instruments that clearly fit the active regime, so the wind is already at her back. If the daily and 4H disagree, she defers to the slower chart and reduces size, keeping risk honest. This pruning step kills FOMO and keeps her day focused on symbols most likely to pay.
From there, Raghee Horner only takes A-setups: trend confirmed, pullback clean, and timing aligned with her preferred sessions. Anything borderline gets shelved instead of “just testing” it with real money. By filtering this hard, her win rate isn’t magically higher—her average trade quality is. The result is fewer trades, clearer decisions, and a P&L driven by process, not hope.
Size positions by ATR so every loss hurts the same
Raghee Horner treats position size like a safety fuse—measured, repeatable, and set before the spark. She uses ATR to translate market noise into dollars, so a stop on crude doesn’t dwarf a stop on EURUSD. If ATR expands, she cuts size automatically; if it contracts, size scales back up, but never beyond her fixed percent risk. The point is simple: Raghee Horner makes every trade’s downside comparable, so one wild symbol can’t hijack the account.
She starts with a fixed fraction of equity, divides by the ATR-based stop distance, and that math prints the share/contract count. No rounding up, no “it looks small so I’ll add”—rules kill impulse. When volatility jumps 30%+ versus recent norms, she halves size and waits for conditions to normalize. Over time, this keeps losers boring, winners meaningful, and Raghee Horner free from the emotional rollercoaster that wrecks most traders.
Trade defined-risk pullbacks with the 34-EMA wave bias
Raghee Horner uses the 34-EMA “wave” to decide direction first, then only hunts pullbacks in that direction. If price rides above a rising wave, she buys retracements into it; if price lives below a falling wave, she shorts bounces back to it. A confirmation candle—higher low for longs, lower high for shorts—prevents early stabs. Stops are defined before entry, placed just beyond the invalidation zone with an ATR buffer so a routine wiggle won’t knock her out.
Raghee Horner avoids chasing breakouts because the edge is in value, not velocity. If a pullback fails, she allows one re-entry on the next qualified touch and then moves on. Targets scale out at fixed multiples while a runner trails behind the wave to stay in trend days. The whole idea is simple: let structure pick the bias, let the pullback set the price, and let pre-planned risk define the outcome.
Concentrate entries in prime sessions, stop after two strikes.s
Raghee Horner concentrates her trading in the windows where participation and follow-through are most reliable. She prioritizes the morning session when liquidity thickens and the initial drive sets up clean pullbacks. If a major economic release is imminent, she waits for the first post-release candle to settle before engaging. By compressing decisions into these prime hours, Raghee Horner reduces noise, avoids revenge trades, and lets time-of-day edge do part of the work.
She also caps attempts: two strikes and she’s done for the day. If the first two qualified setups fail, she preserves cash and mental capital rather than forcing a comeback. This cutoff prevents a red morning from becoming a red week and keeps her execution sharp for the next session. In practice, the rule turns discipline into a habit—trade when the market is most generous, then step away before fatigue writes the plan.
Scale out at 1R and 2R, trail winners mechanically.
Raghee Horner locks in progress, so Earl, so a good trade doesn’t round-trip to nothing. She takes a first scale at +1R to pay herself and move the rest to break-even, removing the fear of loss and the urge to meddle. A second scale at +2R banks meaningful profit while leaving a runner to participate if trend day momentum kicks in. By predefining these exits, Raghee Horner eliminates the guesswork that creeps in once a trade turns green.
After partials, she trails the remainder using the wave, not feelings—if price closes through the opposite side of the 34-EMA structure, she’s out. When momentum visibly stalls—think back-to-back failed pushes with long wicks—she’ll clip another piece rather than hope. No fixed “home run” target on choppy days; she keeps it mechanical and lets the market decide how far the final slice goes. The net effect is a smoother equity curve: steady paydays, limited give-back, and the occasional extended runner doing the heavy lifting.
Raghee Horner’s edge isn’t a single indicator—it’s the way she stacks simple advantages so they compound. She starts by classifying regimes on slower charts, builds a tight A-list that fits the current macro winds (think strong or weak U.S. dollar themes), and then focuses execution inside predictable time windows where participation is highest. Direction comes from a straightforward trend read, execution comes from pullbacks back to value, and risk is fixed before the click using volatility, so every loss is survivable. Add in hot-zone discipline around economic releases, and you get fewer, cleaner decisions where the clock and the market structure do half the work.
From there, Raghee Horner keeps the math and the mindset boring—in the best way. She sizes by volatility, scales at predefined milestones, trails the runner mechanically, and shuts it down after two strikes to protect the next session. Her multi-asset approach stays consistent across futures, FX, stocks, and options because the steps don’t change: find trend, enter pullback, define risk, respect time. A quick, visual journal turns screenshots into feedback, so the best trades get repeated and the sloppy ones get priced out of the routine. The big lesson is clarity: a process you can repeat on a Tuesday after a red Monday—because you know exactly what you’re looking for, exactly how you’ll size it, and exactly when you’ll step away.
