One of the biggest reasons why so many traders, especially those with a short-term time horizon, flock to technical analysis is the synchronicity between indicators displayed across different time frames. The table below shows several simple moving averages and their correspondence across different time frames.
The 800 SMA, for instance, corresponds to the 200 SMA on a 60 minute chart and to the 50 SMA on a 240 minute chart.
SMAs & Charts | 15 M | 30 M | 60 M | 240 M | 1 D | 1 W |
5 SMA | 1.2 hrs | 2.5 hrs | 5 hrs | 20 hrs | 5 days | 5 weeks |
15 SMA | 3.7 hrs | 7.5 hrs | 15 hrs | 2.5 days | 15 days | 15 weeks |
20 SMA | 5 hrs | 10 hrs | 20 hrs | 3.3 days | 20 days | 20 weeks |
50 SMA | 12.5 hrs | 1 day | 50 hrs | 8.3 days | 1.6 months | 0.9 years |
100 SMA | 25 hrs | 2 days | 4.2 days | 16.6 days | 3.3 months | 1.9 years |
200 SMA | 2.5 days | 4.2 days | 8.3 days | 1.1 months | 6.6 months | 3.8 years |
800 SMA | 8.3 days | 16.6 days | 1.1 months | 4.4 months | 2.2 years | 15.3 years |
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Working with several time frames simultaneously requires some sort of guidelines. Here are some of them listed:
1. Each time frame displays its own technical structure.
2. On less liquid pairs, shorter-term movements tend to clutter the picture as they may contain more noise. Apparent chaos on a small time frame can be a clear defined pattern on a higher time scale.
3. Daily, weekly and monthly charts better suit for identifying longer-term trends and patterns.
4. Shorter time frames usually respect technical levels from the higher time frames.
5. S&R levels from higher time frames prevail over those on lower time scales.
6. A higher time frame should be used to obtain a panoramic view while the lower one to apply the tactics.