Table of Contents
In this Desire To Trade interview, Raman Gill—founder of Trading With Venus and a seasoned forex day trader—breaks down how she blends price action with macro context to make clean, repeatable decisions. She’s known for a structured routine, accountability habits, and a beginner-friendly way of explaining why process beats prediction—especially if you trade London or New York sessions and want consistency without sitting at the screen all day.
Read on to learn Raman Gill’s daily flow (news calendar, market overview, daily bias, then multi-timeframe entries), how she times trades from higher-timeframe levels down to 5-minute triggers, and the risk rules that kept her in the game after hard lessons. You’ll also get her take on avoiding major news, setting realistic returns, and using “prep the night before” plus external accountability to keep your edge sharp when emotions kick in.
Raman Gill Playbook & Strategy: How She Actually Trades
The Daily Routine That Keeps Her Consistent
Raman runs a simple, repeatable checklist before she risks a dollar. The idea is to make decisions calmly, long before the market starts moving fast. Use this flow to reduce impulse trades and anchor your day.
- Night before: mark key daily/4H levels, note trend direction, and list “if-then” scenarios for tomorrow.
- Pre-session (20–30 min): check the economic calendar, pick 1–3 instruments only, and write your primary bias (long/short/neutral) in one sentence.
- Chart pass: confirm higher-timeframe structure, draw zones once, and don’t redraw intraday unless a higher high/low forms.
- Plan three things: where you’ll enter, where you’re wrong, and where you’ll take profits—before the open.
- Commitment device: type your plan into a journal or chat with an accountability buddy before placing orders.
What She Trades and When (Pairs & Sessions)
Raman focuses on liquid FX majors and trades when they’re actually moving. That means London and New York, not random midday boredom. Fewer pairs, tighter focus, cleaner reads.
- Primary watchlist: EURUSD, GBPUSD, USDJPY, XAUUSD; add one “wildcard” only if it’s trending cleanly.
- Sessions: trade London and early New York; avoid low-volatility lunch hours.
- Spread & ADR check: if spread > 20% of your stop size or ADR is compressed, skip.
- One pair at a time: no new entries while managing an open trade—attention is your edge.
Build the Bias First (Top-Down Framework)
She starts on higher timeframes to set the bias, then hunts entries on lower timeframes. This avoids fighting the dominant flow and keeps you aligned with the market’s “path of least resistance.”
- HTF map: mark weekly/daily swing highs/lows, trendlines, and supply/demand zones.
- Structure rule: only look for longs above daily structure highs/EMAs you respect; shorts below.
- 3 checks for bias: trend (HH/HL or LH/LL), location (at/away from zone), and momentum (range expansion vs. compression).
- Only flip bias after a clear break and close beyond your zone, plus a successful retest.
The Exact Setups She Prefers (Price Action First)
Raman’s setups are simple: reactions at clear levels with confirmation from the tape (candles) and volatility. No need to predict; just let the market tag your levels and show intent.
- Valid location: previous day high/low, daily/4H supply/demand, or round numbers (00/50).
- Confirmation: an impulsive candle close from the level, then a shallow pullback that holds above/below the decision candle’s midpoint.
- Invalidation always visible: if price closes back through the zone or the decision candle’s midpoint, the setup is dead.
- Avoid chop: if three alternating candles straddle your level, stand down until a range breaks.
Triggering the Entry (From HTF to 5–15 Minutes)
Bias set, level defined—now you need precision. Raman drills down to the 5–15 minute chart to time risk tightly and let winners breathe.
- Single trigger only: engulfing close, break-and-retest, or a 3-bar pullback—pick one style and stick to it.
- Limit > market: place limit at the pullback into the level; cancel if not tagged within two candles.
- One try per level: if stopped, don’t re-enter at the same zone; wait for the next clean level.
- Time stop: if price goes nowhere for 30–45 minutes, scratch at breakeven.
Risk That Survives Bad Days (Sizing & Stops)
Her risk rules protect confidence and capital. You’ll notice the math is boring—and that’s the point. Consistency in size beats hero trades.
- Fixed fractional risk: 0.25%–0.5% per trade until you’ve logged 100 trades with positive expectancy.
- Stop placement: just beyond the structure that proves you’re wrong (below swing low for longs, above swing high for shorts).
- Max daily loss: 1% hard stop; hit it and you’re done for the day.
- Weekly circuit breaker: at −2.5% on the week, reduce size by half until back to −1% or better.
- Position count: one trade at a time; stacking only after the first position is risk-free.
Managing the Trade (Exits & R-Multiples)
Raman treats exits like entries—rule-based, not vibes. Your first job is to remove risk, then let the market pay you for being right.
- Reduce risk quickly: at +0.8R to +1R, move stop to breakeven minus spread/commissions.
- Take partials: scale out 50% at 1R–1.5R if structure is nearby; hold the rest for 2R–3R.
- Trail behind structure: trail below/above fresh swing points or the decision candle’s midpoint—never a random pip count.
- End-of-session exit: close runners at session end if they haven’t hit the target and momentum fades.
News & Events Filter (Staying Out of Trouble)
She respects scheduled news because it changes volatility and spreads. The goal is not to predict news—just to avoid getting shredded by it.
- Blackout window: no new trades 15 minutes before tier-one news (CPI, NFP, rate decisions) and 15–30 minutes after.
- Open management only: if already in with cushion >1R, consider holding; otherwise flatten.
- Spread watch: if spreads widen beyond your stop buffer, pause entries.
- Post-news reset: wait for the first clean level to form before re-engaging.
Journal Like a Pro (Fast, Useful, Zero Fluff)
Raman leans on journaling and accountability to keep improving. Keep it lightweight so you actually do it daily.
- Before screenshot: bias note, key level, entry/stop/target.
- After screenshot: outcome, maximum favorable excursion (MFE), adverse excursion (MAE), and whether you followed rules.
- Tag every trade: session, setup type, news proximity, and emotion rating 1–5.
- Weekly review: sort by tag, drop the worst setup, and double down on the best one for next week.
Psychology & Accountability (Staying in the Box)
Your rules only work if you stay within them. Raman uses simple guardrails to keep emotions out and process in.
- Two-strike rule: two rule breaks in a session = immediate stop for the day.
- Checklist aloud: Read the pre-trade checklist out loud before placing any order.
- External check: share your plan with an accountability partner; mismatches = no trade.
- Environment: remove distractions—no phone, no social feeds—during your active session.
Scaling the Playbook (From Small to Sustainable)
Growth is methodical, not dramatic. Raman scales the size only after proof that the process is working on a real sample.
- Milestones: after +4R net in a rolling 30-trade sample with <2% drawdown depth, increase risk by 0.1%.
- Capacity check: if slippage or spreads worsen at size, scale back and switch to more liquid pairs.
- System slotting: run at most two concurrent strategies (e.g., break-and-retest and 3-bar pullback) to avoid dilution.
- Lifestyle fit: cap screen time to defined sessions; growth should improve freedom, not reduce it.
A One-Page Checklist (Use It Every Session)
Here’s how Raman keeps it tight, the same way every day. Print this or paste it into your journal so you never guess.
- Bias: HTF trend + location + momentum = long/short/neutral.
- Level: pre-marked zone with clean history; no mid-range trades.
- Trigger: one lower-TF pattern only; cancel if not filled within two candles.
- Risk: fixed %; stop beyond structure; daily/weekly loss limits respected.
- Manage: protect at +1R, partial at structure, trail behind swings, close at session end if momentum dies.
- Review: screenshots, tags, MFE/MAE, and one improvement to test tomorrow.
Codify One Setup: Process Discipline Beats Prediction Every Trading Session
Raman Gill hammers home that consistency comes from a single, codified play—not from guessing the next big move. She wants your setup written in plain English so you can run it the same way on good days and ugly days. That means defining where you scan, how you form bias, what must be true at the level, and exactly which candle pattern triggers the trade. When the rules live outside your head, your execution stops drifting with mood and FOMO.
She also insists the setup include the “no-trade” conditions, because restraint is part of the edge. You’ll predefine the stop relative to structure, the initial target in R-multiples, and the moments you reduce risk to breakeven. If price action doesn’t line up perfectly with your checklist, you pass and preserve capital for the next clean look. Over a month of disciplined reps, Raman Gill’s one-setup approach creates a predictable process that quietly outperforms seat-of-the-pants prediction.
Size Small, Survive Drawdowns: Fixed Risk Per Trade, Weekly Circuit Breaker
Raman Gill keeps it boring on purpose: one fixed risk per trade, so no single idea can wreck your month. She favors tiny fractions—think 0.25% to 0.5%—until your sample size proves a real edge. A hard daily stop (around 1%) ends the session the moment emotions start negotiating with rules. Stops live beyond structure, not arbitrary pip counts, so a loss means “invalidated,” not “got shaken out.”
Her weekly “circuit breaker” is the backbone of survival during cold streaks. If the week hits roughly −2.5%, Raman Gill halves the size until performance stabilizes. She won’t stack new positions unless the first is risk-free and the structure supports it. The result is simple math: small, repeatable bets compound, while disciplined brakes cap the damage when markets turn mean.
Build Top-Down Bias: Higher-Timeframe Levels Guide Lower-Timeframe Triggers
Raman Gill builds her edge from the top down so she’s trading with the tide, not against it. She starts on weekly and daily charts to mark swing highs and lows, obvious supply and demand, and whether momentum is expanding or fading. From that map, she writes a single-line bias—long, short, or neutral—so every lower-timeframe decision serves the bigger picture. If price sits in the middle of nowhere, she waits; if it’s at a well-defined level, she prepares. This keeps her from forcing trades when the market hasn’t actually offered anything.
Execution happens only when the lower timeframe mirrors the higher-timeframe plan. A clean break and close beyond a daily level followed by a respectful retest sets the stage; a 5–15 minute trigger gives precision without guessing. If price re-enters the zone and closes back through it, Raman Gill treats the idea as invalid and stands down. She flips bias only after a decisive shift in structure plus a successful retest, not just a single spiky candle.
Trade When Markets Move: London-New York Sessions, Avoid Major News
Raman Gill focuses her energy where volatility reliably shows up: the London open into early New York. She builds plans the night before, then executes when liquidity and range expansion are most likely. If the tape goes flat during the midday lull, she steps aside instead of forcing marginal trades. That simple timing filter keeps her attention sharp and her sample filled with higher-quality opportunities.
She also protects open risk around tier-one news because spreads and slippage can nuke a clean setup. If she’s flat, Raman Gill waits for the dust to settle and a new level to form; if she’s in profit, she’ll often reduce risk or take partials ahead of the release. After news hits, she insists on a fresh structure break and retest before re-engaging. The rule is consistent: trade the move when it’s real, skip the noise when it’s random.
Let Winners Breathe: Partial Profits, Structure-Based Trails, End-of-Session Exit
Raman Gill treats exits as a system, not a feeling. She takes a first partial around 1R to 1.5R, moves the stop to breakeven minus costs, and lets the remaining position work. If price stalls or prints a reversal at a marked level, she scales again rather than hoping the market “comes back.” Her rule is simple: never give back more than half of open profit after a clear momentum push.
The rest rides behind structure, not arbitrary pip counts. Raman Gill trails under fresh swing lows for longs (or above swing highs for shorts) and only advances the stop when the market creates new structure. If momentum dies into the session close, she flattens runners instead of gambling overnight. She avoids re-adding unless the trend re-tests and holds the level cleanly. The goal is consistent paydays: protect early, trail logically, and exit when the edge is no longer present.
Raman Gill’s message lands the same way her trades do—clean, deliberate, and repeatable. Build a top-down map first, write a one-line bias, and only act when the price reacts at a level you marked the night before. Keep risk tiny and fixed so the math protects you when your read is off, and use a weekly circuit breaker to cap damage during cold streaks. Focus on the hours that actually move—London into early New York—and step aside around tier-one news until fresh structure forms. For entries, wait for a decisive break, a respectful retest, and one pre-chosen trigger on the 5–15 minute chart. For exits, pay yourself early at 1R–1.5R, move to breakeven, and trail behind real swing points, not hope.
Around that core, Raman Gill wraps real-world habits that keep the edge intact. Prepare the night before so you show up with a plan instead of a mood. Do a fast fundamentals pass each morning so you’re not blindsided by schedule-driven volatility. Use external accountability—journals, goals, or a trading buddy—so discipline isn’t optional. Keep expectations realistic, grow in size only after a genuine sample proves your edge, and prune anything that bloats your attention. In short: one codified setup, small repeatable risk, strict timing, and ruthless process discipline—the simple framework that turns “knowing” into consistent execution.
Related posts:
- Andrew Mitchem Trader Strategy: Price-Action, Timeframes, and Risk That Actually Scales
- Navin Prithyani Trader Strategy: How a Price-Action Purist Scales, Manages Drawdowns, and Wins Big
- Samuel Kavanagh Trader Strategy: How a Discretionary Price-Action Trader Builds Consistency
- Franklin Lyembela Trader Strategy: How a Price-Action Swing Trader Built Prop-Firm Consistency
- ICT Trader Strategy: Ali Khan on Algorithmic Price Action
- Al Brooks Trader Strategy: Price Action That Actually Works
- Al Brooks Trader Strategy: Price Action That Actually Works
- Al Brooks Trader Strategy: Price Action That Actually Works
- Jake Trades: The Price-Action Trader Strategy You Can Actually Use Today
- Chris Lee Trader Strategy: Price Action Within a Fundamental Context
- Walter Peters Trader Strategy: Psychology-First, Price-Action Done Right
- Al Brooks Trader Strategy: Price Action Truths You Can Actually Trade
