The Forex pin bar trading strategy is by far my favorite price action pattern. In this lesson we’re going to cover what makes a pin bar a pin bar, how to know if a pin bar is worth trading as well as entry and exit strategies. As always, the term ‘bar’ is interchangeable with ‘candlestick’, however the common term has always been pin bar, not pin candlestick 😉
Before getting into the actual Forex pin bar trading strategy, we need to know the parts that make up a pin bar so we can easily identify them.
What is a Pin Bar?
Let’s start with the “tail” of the pin bar, which is its defining characteristic and also sometimes called the “wick” or “shadow”. The tail of a pin bar should be at least 2/3 the length of the entire bar. The longer the better, but it must make up at least 2/3 of the bar from end to end. Notice in the image to the right, the tail is about 3/4 of the entire bar, so this qualifies.
The “body” of a pin bar is also important as it represents the open and close of the pin bar. The open and close should be close together; the closer the better. The body should also be close to the end of the pin bar. Notice how close the open and close are to the nose of the pin bar in the image.
Last but not least, the “nose” of the pin bar. While not as important as the tail or body, the nose is important only as it relates to the tail and body. This is because if the tail is at least 2/3 of the entire bar and the body is small, then the nose should also be relatively small. Also know that a pin bar doesn’t need a nose to be a pin bar. Sometimes it’s non-existent if the open or close occur at the extreme end of the pin bar.
Two Types of Pin Bars
There are two main types of pin bars as it relates to price action patterns that are taught in my price action course. Most traders assume the pin bar is simply a reversal pattern, and it is, but there’s another way to trade pin bars that I’ll explain shortly. First, let’s look at the more common way to trade pin bars as a reversal pattern.
The reversal pin bar (above) is best played in a ranging market or on a pullback within a larger trend. Let’s look at both in action.
Below is a great example of a pin bar that formed after price broke through support and then retested it from the other side as resistance. This is actually a pattern that’s still taking shape as I type this.
Now for the other type of reversal pin bar, which can be found in a ranging market…
Forex pin bar trading strategy
Justin Bennett is a full-time Forex trader and Owner of Daily Price Action. His Forex trading career began 6 years ago and has followed a path similar to many traders. For the first 3 years he tried nearly every indicator and strategy known to man, but each time the journey ended where it began, frustrated and in search of the next “holy grail” that would bring consistent profits. It wasn’t until he cleared every indicator from his chart that he had his “ah ha” moment. For the past 3 years, Justin has worked to perfect that moment into something that can be easily duplicated by other traders in search of consistent profits.
