XAUUSD M1 Scalping — How to filter trend and place SL correctly?
Hi everyone,
I have been scalping XAUUSD on the 1-minute chart for some time now
and I keep running into two major problems that I cannot fully solve:
1. False signals — I enter a trade and immediately get reversed
2. Stop loss placement — either too tight and gets hit, or too wide
and kills my risk/reward
I would love to hear how experienced M1 traders handle these two issues.
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PROBLEM 1 — Trend Filter
Right now, I only use the M1 chart to decide direction and entry.
I suspect this is wrong, and I need a higher timeframe filter
to confirm the trend before entering M1.
My specific questions:
- Which higher timeframes do you check before entering on M1?
(H4, H1, M15, M5?)
- What indicator or method do you use on those higher TFs to
confirm trend direction? (EMA stack, Supertrend, MACD?)
- How many timeframes must align before you take the M1 entry?
- Do you use any volatility filter like ATR to avoid choppy
markets on M1?
- Which sessions do you find M1 signals most reliable for XAUUSD?
(London, New York, Asia?)
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PROBLEM 2 — Stop Loss Placement
This is where I lose the most. On M1, XAUUSD has wide wicks
And my SL gets hit even when the direction is correct.
My specific questions:
- Do you use ATR-based SL, structure-based SL, or fixed SL?
- If ATR-based, what multiplier works best for M1 XAUUSD?
(1x, 1.5x, 2x?)
- If structure-based, how many candles back do you look for the
swing high/low on M1?
- Do you add a buffer beyond the swing point to avoid wick
stop-outs? How much? (0.3 USD, 0.5 USD?)
- What is your minimum SL size on XAUUSD M1 in USD terms?
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Please share your actual settings, not just theory.
Also mention:
- Which broker and account type you use (ECN/STP)
- Whether you trade manually or with an EA
- If you trade prop firm accounts, do the SL rules change?
Any screenshots or examples would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.