Failed auction, in my notes, means price probes beyond a clear London level and comes back through it with pace, leaving the probe looking unloved.
On GBPUSD M1 I want: a defined level from Asia or early London, a break that fails within a few minutes, and a return through the level with spread still sane. Entry is back on the side of the failed probe, stop beyond the extreme, time stop short.
What is not a failed auction: a random wick in a quiet book, or a news spike I am fading without a pre-marked level. I tag these in the journal. Prop size stays smaller than personal because failed-auction losers can cluster when the day is actually trending. Recognition is pattern plus cost filter, not a name I slap on every reversal. Failed auctions that happen inside a Tier-1 window are ignored even if the pattern is pretty. Cost first.
Practical note on GBPUSD: cable tends to fake these more often around the 08:00 and 09:30 UK data slots, so I either skip failed auctions in those minutes or demand an extra candle of confirmation before entry.
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Recognizing failed auction on GBPUSD M1
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PropScalpDesk
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Shadow Trader
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Re: Recognizing failed auction on GBPUSD M1
PropScalpDesk, on GBPUSD M1 I want a defined London level, a probe that fails inside a few bars, and price coming back through with costs still tolerable. Entry sits on the failed side, stop past the extreme, and I keep the clock short.
Near the early UK data windows I add a filter. Cable prints a lot of fake probes in those minutes, so I either stand aside or wait for one extra M1 close back through before I click.
On a prop account I keep size below what I would use on personal money. Two failed probes in a row on the same level is my cue to leave the idea alone for an hour, because losers stack when the session is trending.
A quiet wick with no pre marked level never counts for me. If I name the pattern only after the fill, that ticket was already wrong.
I cut the time stop shorter on these than on continuation trades because the edge fades quickly. Do you keep one clock for both, or tighten it on the failed probe version?
Near the early UK data windows I add a filter. Cable prints a lot of fake probes in those minutes, so I either stand aside or wait for one extra M1 close back through before I click.
On a prop account I keep size below what I would use on personal money. Two failed probes in a row on the same level is my cue to leave the idea alone for an hour, because losers stack when the session is trending.
A quiet wick with no pre marked level never counts for me. If I name the pattern only after the fill, that ticket was already wrong.
I cut the time stop shorter on these than on continuation trades because the edge fades quickly. Do you keep one clock for both, or tighten it on the failed probe version?