How the trade time works
Expiry, and why it has to match your analysis.
Choose an expiry deliberately, matched to the timeframe you analysed.
Step 1 of 1
ATR shows the average candle range — the expiry is checked against it.
ATR shows the average candle range — the expiry is checked against it.
The trade time is the moment the result is fixed. It is chosen before entering and does not change afterwards. Together with the amount it sets the risk of the trade.
- 5-15 seconds
- — Practically pure noise, unsuitable for learning
- 1 minute
- — The minimum working horizon, needs a precise entry
- 5 minutes
- — More room for an idea to develop
- 15+ minutes
- — Works with a wider context and the news backdrop
The main rule: the expiry has to contain the idea. If the analysis was done on a five-minute chart, the idea describes the move of the next few candles — that is 5–15 minutes, not 15 seconds.
The second rule is about volatility. On a quiet market a one-minute trade can close exactly where it opened — there is not enough movement. On an accelerated one, a minute is enough for price to change direction several times.
A short expiry does not mean less risk. It means less time for the idea to play out and a larger share of chance in the result.
Key takeaways
- Expiry is chosen before entering and does not change.
- The trade time has to contain the idea formed on your working timeframe.
- A shorter expiry means more chance, not less risk.
A note from Leon Mercer Academy
Settle on two working expiries (5 and 15 minutes, say) and do not leave them for a month. Stable conditions give you comparable statistics.
The usual mistake
Setting a 15-second expiry “to find out the result faster”. Analysis does not work on that horizon — noise does.
A practical example
Take M5 and mark how long a move from level to level usually lasts. Often it is 3–4 candles, which is 15–20 minutes.
Now compare that with a one-minute expiry. Your idea simply does not have time to play out — the noise decides the result.
Lesson 12 of 15 in “BINODEX START”