Impulse–pullback–continue on EURUSD M5: the two-candle rule I use
Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2026 10:31 pm
I needed a rule that stops me inventing pullbacks on EURUSD.
On M5, after a clear London impulse, I only take the continuation if the pullback prints two consecutive candles that fail to make a new adverse extreme, and the second closes back in the impulse direction. One doji is not permission. A deep wipe through the impulse midpoint cancels the idea for that drive.
Stop sits beyond the pullback extreme; I do not widen it because "EURUSD always comes back". Time stop matters — if continuation has not started within a small handful of bars, I scratch rather than hope. The two-candle rule is deliberately blunt so I cannot decorate it with extra indicators mid-trade.
If news is due inside the hold window, the whole IPC idea is off regardless of candle beauty.
On M5, after a clear London impulse, I only take the continuation if the pullback prints two consecutive candles that fail to make a new adverse extreme, and the second closes back in the impulse direction. One doji is not permission. A deep wipe through the impulse midpoint cancels the idea for that drive.
Stop sits beyond the pullback extreme; I do not widen it because "EURUSD always comes back". Time stop matters — if continuation has not started within a small handful of bars, I scratch rather than hope. The two-candle rule is deliberately blunt so I cannot decorate it with extra indicators mid-trade.
If news is due inside the hold window, the whole IPC idea is off regardless of candle beauty.
- What is your minimum definition of a valid pullback?
- Candle count, structure, or both?