Range trading strategy, which is also called channel trading, is generally associated with the lack of market direction and it is used during the absence of a trend. Range trading identifies currency price movement in channels and the first task of this strategy is to find the range. This process can be carried out by connecting a series of highs and lows with a horizontal trendline. In other words, the trader should find the major support and resistance levels with the area in between known as “trading range”.
In range trading it’s quite easy to find the areas to take profit. You can buy at support and sell at resistance as long as the security hasn’t broken out of the channel. Otherwise, if the breakout direction is not favorable for your position, you may undergo huge losses.
Range trading actually works in a market with just enough volatility due to which the price goes on wiggling in the channel without breaking out of the range. In the case the level of support or resistance breaks you should exit range-based positions. The most efficient way of managing risks in range trading is the use of stop loss orders as most traders do. They place sell limit orders below resistance when selling the range and set the take profit down near support. When buying support they place buy limit orders above support and place take profit orders near the previously identified resistance level. And risks can be managed by placing stop loss orders above the resistance level when selling the resistance zone of a range, and below the support level when buying support.