Pre-Trade Checklist

Five gates before risk goes on — built for XAUUSD and USD pairs, where one data release can undo a week of good entries.

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📈Check the overall trend

Open the 4H first, then the 1H. Trade with the bigger picture, never against it.

· On gold, the 4H sets the story and the 1H sets the leg you are trading. If they disagree, stand down.
· A trend that has already run 3+ legs without a pullback is late — wait for the retrace, don't chase.

Mark the levels before price gets there, then let price come to you.

· Never enter on the first touch. A level is a decision point, not a signal.
· Fresh, untapped zones perform far better than a zone price has already reacted from twice.

Drop to 15m (or 5m for precision) and demand proof before clicking buy or sell.

· One confirmation is a guess; structure shift + zone + rejection together is a setup.
· If you have to zoom in and squint to see the setup, it isn't there.

Gold and USD pairs move violently on data. Know what is scheduled before you risk anything.

· Around red-folder news, spreads widen, slippage spikes and stops get hunted — flat is a position.
· If you are already in a trade into news, either close, move to breakeven, or accept the full risk knowingly.
· Gold reacts most to US real yields and the dollar — a strong DXY is a headwind for longs.

Stop loss comes from the chart. Lot size comes from the stop. Never the other way round.

· Risk per trade 1–2%, daily stop 4%, weekly stop 6% — survive the bad week and the good one pays for it.
· On XAUUSD a 'normal' 15m stop is 30–60 pips; if your stop is 8 pips you are trading noise, not structure.
· Correlated positions are one trade: gold + EUR/USD + GBP/USD long is a triple short-dollar bet.

Manage in stages: Take partials at TP1 (1:2), move the stop to breakeven only after structure confirms, and let the runner reach TP3 at opposing liquidity.
Never widen a stop: Moving the invalidation is admitting the idea was wrong while paying more for it. Close and re-read the chart instead.
One setup, one entry: Adding to a losing position doubles the exposure on the thesis that is already failing. Add only on a new, independently valid setup.
Trade the killzones: London 07:00–10:00 and New York 12:00–15:00 UTC carry the volume. Outside those windows expect chop and thinner fills.
Journal every trade: Screenshot before and after, tag the grade and the reason. The pattern in your losses is the fastest edge you will ever find.

· You cannot explain the setup in one sentence.
· You are entering because you missed the last move.
· The stop is placed where it 'feels affordable' rather than where the idea dies.
· You already lost twice today and want it back.
· The setup only appears after removing your own rules from the chart.

Educational routine based on the ZM Capital SMC system — not financial advice.