How to Use the ATR Across the Markets


» Get the Atlas Line «

Now you can learn how to apply our ATR (Average True Range) strategies to markets other than the E-mini S&P. We use the ATR to determine profit targets, stop losses, and gauge volatility in many of our trading methods. The ATR is usually bundled with most professional trading platforms. As a bit of background, we set the ATR Period value to 4 to set the calculation to be based on the last four bars. This provides a clearer picture of what the market can realistically achieve. In any new, unfamiliar market, you can manually determine the ATR of the last four bars to help guide your trading.

Each market has a different measurement for price. This changes how we interpret the ATR values. You might be used to the ATR on the E-mini where each tick is worth .25. A tick is the smallest possible movement up or down. With the E-mini, John Paul recommends rounding down to the nearest whole tick. For example, an ATR at .824 would be considered .75 (three ticks) when calculating the profit target and stop loss.

In this video, John Paul reviews the Russell (TF), Dow Futures (YM), 30 Year U.S. Treasury Bonds (ZB), and 10 Year U.S. Treasury Notes (ZN). Pay close attention because the calculations will slightly differ for each market. Also, remember to consider how the actual dollar cost of each tick and market behavior will inherently differ with each market.

Leave a Reply