Continuation only after a higher-low reclaim — my simple filter
Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2026 3:06 am
Continuation entries got cleaner when I demanded a higher-low reclaim (or lower-high in a down move) after the impulse.
No reclaim of that micro higher-low means no continuation click, even if the breakout chatter is loud. The reclaim shows the pullback was bought or sold, not just a pause before failure. Invalidation is loss of that higher-low — clean and boring.
Rule is intentionally simple so I cannot decorate it mid-trade with extra confluence theatre. I define the higher-low on M5 for bias and may execute on M1, but I will not invent an M1 higher-low that M5 does not recognise.
This filter alone cut a surprising number of "continuation" losers that were really early fades of strength.
If the higher-low is only visible after heavy zoom and storytelling, it does not count for this filter.
No reclaim of that micro higher-low means no continuation click, even if the breakout chatter is loud. The reclaim shows the pullback was bought or sold, not just a pause before failure. Invalidation is loss of that higher-low — clean and boring.
Rule is intentionally simple so I cannot decorate it mid-trade with extra confluence theatre. I define the higher-low on M5 for bias and may execute on M1, but I will not invent an M1 higher-low that M5 does not recognise.
This filter alone cut a surprising number of "continuation" losers that were really early fades of strength.
If the higher-low is only visible after heavy zoom and storytelling, it does not count for this filter.
- Do you require a higher-low or lower-high reclaim before continuation?
- On which timeframe do you define it for scalps — M1 or M5?