I day trade the DAX primarily on 1-minute and 5-minute charts, but I always zoom out — 1 hour, 4 hour, and daily — for the macro picture: swings, pullbacks, highs and lows. Indicators sit on top of that structure as confirmation, not as the thing that generates a trade on its own. Here's exactly what's on my chart, and how the pieces work together.
Trend Structure: EMAs and Supertrend
50 & 200 Period EMAs Trend Context
These give me the average price over the last 50 and 200 periods on whatever timeframe I'm on — so on a 1-minute chart, that's the last 50 and 200 minutes. They're a quick visual read on the underlying trend direction.
Supertrend Preferred
My preferred trend and direction indicator. Price crossing above or below Supertrend is one of the key signals I watch for, and it's the anchor I look for confluence against with everything else on the chart.
VWAP (Volume Weighted Average Price) Always On
Always on my chart. VWAP confirms whether genuine volume is behind a move — price above VWAP tells me buying pressure is present, price below tells me selling pressure is present. It's a volume-based reality check on what price action is already suggesting.
Momentum & Confirmation
Awesome Oscillator
On the entry timeframe — 1 or 5 minute — I want to see the bars above the zero line when buying, or below the zero line when selling. I'm looking for confluence here with Supertrend, not using it in isolation.
ROCnROLL
A secondary confirmation layer, not a primary signal. Green means bullish, red means bearish, blue means neutral — stand aside until another signal appears. I use it alongside Supertrend and Awesome Oscillator, adding weight to a setup rather than triggering one on its own.
On Balance Volume (OBV)
Another volume confirmation tool, used alongside VWAP to build a fuller picture of whether real conviction is behind a move.
Trend Strength: ADX and DMI
ADX (14)
ADX confirms the strength of whatever direction price is moving in. I'm looking for it above 20 and rising as a sign that momentum is genuinely strong, whether I'm buying or selling. I've noticed it often rises quickly around the FTSE 100 open at 8am and the Wall Street open at 2:30pm — worth watching for at those times specifically.
DMI (Directional Movement Index)
Used alongside ADX for directional confirmation — telling me not just how strong the move is, but which direction genuinely has control.
Higher Timeframe Checks
A few indicators I check specifically on longer timeframes — not for entries, but for context and confirmation of the bigger picture.
| Indicator | Timeframe | What I'm Looking For |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 1 Hour | Overbought above 70, oversold below 30 — standard levels, checked on the hourly rather than the entry timeframe |
| MACD | 1H / 4H / Daily | Convergence, divergence, and crosses above/below the signal line — far fewer, more meaningful signals than on the micro timeframes, where crosses happen constantly |
The same MACD approach applies when I'm looking at individual stocks too, not just the DAX.
Structure Still Comes First
None of this replaces what actually drives the decision: higher highs and higher lows when I'm buying, lower highs and lower lows when I'm selling, and genuine support and resistance levels for entry location. The indicators above confirm what price action is already telling me — they don't lead it.
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→ 10 Trading Indicators Every Trader Should Know (IG Academy)
Risk Warning: Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with IG. Technical indicators do not guarantee trading results and should be used as part of a wider, tested risk management framework.