Forex Trading Tips: Multiple Time Frame Analysis 2 – Which Time Frame Should You Trade?

One of the reasons why beginners often don’t perform well when they first start forex trading is that they choose the wrong trading time frame.

New traders want to get rich quickly, so they tend to pick smaller time frames, such as the 1-minute or 5-minute charts, to trade. However, when they actually trade, they find themselves overwhelmed because, in reality, these time frames don’t suit them.

For some traders, the 1-hour chart feels most comfortable.

The hourly chart offers a longer time range—but not too long—and provides fewer trading signals—but not too few. Trading on this time frame gives you more time to analyze the market without feeling rushed.

On the other hand, we have a friend who never trades on the hourly chart.

For him, price movements on the hourly chart are too slow, so he prefers trading the 10-minute chart. This still gives him enough time (but not too much) to make trading decisions based on his strategy.

Another friend of ours doesn’t like trading the hourly chart either, but for the opposite reason—he thinks price movements there are too fast. He only trades on daily, weekly, and monthly charts.

Now, you might be wondering: What’s the best time frame for you?

Well, as you may have noticed, it depends on you. You must adapt to the time frame you’re trading on.

When you’re actually trading, you’ll naturally feel some pressure or frustration because you’re dealing with real money. That’s normal.

However, your stress shouldn’t come from price movements being too fast (making decisions difficult) or too slow (causing frustration).

When starting out, you shouldn’t limit yourself to just one time frame.

You can begin with the 15-minute chart.

Then, try the 5-minute chart.

You can also experiment with the 1-minute chart, daily chart, and 4-hour chart.

This is completely normal for beginners until you find the time frame that suits you best. That’s why we recommend starting with demo trading—test different time frames and discover which one works best for you.