Entry trigger
The single, specific event that turns a watched setup into a live trade.
Trading Conceptstriggerentry signal
Full explanation
The trigger is the last thing you wait for. Typical triggers are a candle closing beyond a level, a retest holding, or a pullback making a higher low in an uptrend.
A trigger has to be observable and binary: it either happened or it did not. "Price looks strong" is not a trigger. "The 15-minute candle closed above the range high" is.
Because the trigger is the moment risk begins, your stop loss and position size should already be calculated before it fires.
Why traders watch it
Without a trigger you enter on feeling, usually too early. The trigger is what keeps you out of setups that never actually completed.
Trading considerations
- State the trigger in one sentence before the session starts.
- Size the position and place the stop before the trigger fires, not after.
- If the trigger never appears, there is no trade — that is a result, not a miss.
Educational guidance only — never a trading signal or recommendation.