Stop-loss Hunting

priceSeries attempts to expose market manipulation techniques to empower the retail customers so that the financial industry and regulatory bodies can promote a fair and transparent market environment, and reduce the vulnerability of less-experienced traders to fraudulent practices. This knowledge can ultimately contribute to a more resilient and trustworthy financial system.

Stock market spoofing is a form of market manipulation where traders place orders with the intention of canceling them before they are executed. This deceptive practice aims to create a false impression of supply or demand in the market, influencing other traders' behavior or prices.

Here's how spoofing typically works:

• Placing False Orders: A trader places large buy or sell orders for a particular security, intending to manipulate market perceptions. These orders are often placed at prices far away from the current market price.
• Creating Illusion: The intent is not to execute these orders but to create an illusion of substantial buying or selling interest. This can attract other traders to follow suit, thinking there is significant market demand or supply at that price level.
• Quick Cancellation: Shortly before the orders are filled, the trader cancels them. By the time other market participants react to the apparent demand or supply, the false orders have been removed, and the market returns to its previous state.
• Benefiting from Market Movement: The trader might have initiated this strategy to profit from the ensuing market movement caused by other traders reacting to the false impression of demand or supply.

Spoofing is considered illegal and violates securities laws as it deceives other market participants and disrupts the normal functioning of the market. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act passed in response to the 2008 financial crisis, explicitly prohibits spoofing in the United States and grants regulators authority to pursue enforcement actions against individuals or entities engaged in such practices.

Regulators, such as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), actively monitor markets for suspicious trading activities, including spoofing. However, detecting and prosecuting spoofing can be challenging due to the complexity of market data and the need to differentiate between legitimate trading strategies and manipulative actions.

Traders and investors should be cautious and report any suspicious or potentially manipulative activities to regulatory authorities to maintain market integrity and fairness. Additionally, trading platforms and exchanges have implemented surveillance systems to detect and prevent spoofing activities in an effort to create a more transparent and trustworthy market environment.

Stop-loss hunting refers to the practice where traders or market participants intentionally move the price to trigger stop-loss orders placed by others. This can significantly impact retail traders in several ways:

• Forced Liquidation: Stop loss hunting aims to trigger stop orders, leading to forced liquidation of positions. Retail traders' positions might be closed at less favorable prices than anticipated, causing unexpected losses.
• Increased Volatility: The intentional triggering of stop orders can lead to abrupt and exaggerated price movements. This increased volatility might disrupt normal market conditions, causing rapid price swings that affect retail traders' positions.
• Loss of Capital: Retail traders might experience losses due to stop-loss hunting, impacting their capital. Sudden price movements caused by stop hunting can result in trades being executed at unfavorable prices, eroding traders' funds.
• Disruption of Trading Strategies: Stop loss hunting can disrupt the effectiveness of trading strategies that rely on specific technical levels or stop orders. Retail traders might find their planned trades disrupted or prematurely closed, affecting their strategy's performance.
• Emotional Impact: Experiencing losses due to stop loss hunting can lead to emotional responses such as frustration, fear, or hesitation. Traders might become hesitant to use stop-loss orders in the future, which can further increase their exposure to risk.
• Loss of Confidence: Continuous exposure to stop loss hunting can erode retail traders' confidence in the market. Traders might question the fairness and integrity of the market, impacting their willingness to participate in trading activities.

To mitigate the impact of stop loss hunting, retail traders can:

• Use Diverse Order Placement: Avoid placing stop-loss orders at obvious price levels and consider using multiple indicators or technical analysis tools to determine stop levels.
• Employ Mental Stops: Instead of relying solely on automatic stop orders, consider implementing mental stops where traders monitor their positions actively and manually decide when to exit.
• Stay Informed: Keep track of market news and trends to identify unusual price movements or suspicious trading activities that might indicate potential stop loss hunting.
• Implement Risk Management: Use appropriate position sizing, diversification, and risk management techniques to limit the impact of unexpected price movements caused by stop loss hunting.

While retail traders might not have direct control over stop loss hunting, being vigilant, employing risk management strategies, and staying informed about market conditions can help mitigate its impact on their trading activities.

The Buy, Profit, and Sell (BPS) is a trading strategy that provides a structured approach used by traders to enter, manage, and exit trades based on predefined price levels. This strategy involves three key zones: Buy zone, Profit zone, and Sell zone, each serving specific purposes in managing trades effectively.

priceSeries platform analyzes thousands of data points to identify these price zones and help traders make informed decisions accordingly. The strategy allows traders to maintain a structured approach, optimizing trade entries, managing profits, and mitigating potential losses effectively.

BPS Trading Strategy