Been using moving averages for months but my entries are always late to the party.
Tried MACD and RSI but still struggling with false signals on choppy days.
What indicators actually work for catching trends early without getting whipsawed every other trade?
Ichimoku cloud gives decent signals once you get past the complicated look. When price breaks above the cloud with momentum, trends usually follow through.
ADX combined with a single trend line works better than most complex setups. ADX shows you when a real trend is building versus sideways noise. When ADX crosses above 25 and keeps climbing, that’s your signal to look for entries. Draw one clean trend line connecting the obvious highs or lows. When price breaks that line with momentum while ADX is rising, you have a solid entry. Skip trading when ADX is below 20. Those are the choppy days that kill accounts.
Price action beats indicators most of the time for early trend detection.
I watch for higher highs and higher lows forming on daily charts, then drop to 4H to find entry points when price pulls back to support.
Adding one simple EMA can help confirm direction but keeping it minimal works better than stacking multiple indicators that just create noise.
ADX above 25 plus ATR breakouts gets me in early.
Bollinger Bands with volume actually gave me the best early entries once I figured out the right setup.
When price hits the lower band on strong volume, that’s usually where the selling pressure exhausts. Then I wait for the candle to close back inside the bands - that’s my entry signal for a potential reversal.
For continuation trades, I look for price riding the upper band while volume stays consistent. The squeeze periods work great too - when the bands get really tight, a breakout is usually coming within a few days.
The key is ignoring the middle line completely. Most people use it wrong and get caught in ranging markets. I only trade the outer band touches with volume confirmation.