| Market Hours Strategy | Review the overnight ASX 24 session %R (the SPI 200 trades overnight tracking US/European markets); flag instruments sitting in overbought/oversold zones before the day session opens • 9:50-10:30 AM AEST - day session open; %R can gap sharply on the overnight Wall Street lead, so wait for price to settle before acting • 10:30 AM-3:00 PM AEST - best period for %R reversal and momentum signals with stable intraday liquidity • 3:00-4:30 PM AEST - day session close (cash equities run a 4:10 PM closing auction); %R reversals are common, manage positions ahead of overnight gap risk |
| Asx Specific | 14-period %R standard; -80/-20 levels work well on the S&P/ASX 200 (SPI 200) futures • The SPI 200 is generally less volatile than high-beta single names; standard -80/-20 thresholds are appropriate, tighten to -85/-15 only during elevated A-VIX periods • %R is effective on liquid ASX single stock futures (e.g. BHP, CBA, CSL), but single stock futures liquidity is thin versus the index - avoid illiquid contracts • SPI 200 is A$25 per index point; one contract is roughly A$212,500 notional at an index of 8,500 - factor this into position sizing • %R trades may extend across the overnight session; maintain adequate margin to cover gap risk from the US lead |
| Asx Commodities | %R suits ASX Eastern/Western Australia wheat futures for agricultural-cycle reversals; reaches extremes around weather and harvest events • Canola %R moves with seasonal and global oilseed flows; -80/-20 reversals are reasonably reliable • Thinner liquidity; use a longer period (21) or wait for -90/-10 extremes before acting • For gold, crude oil and base metals, Australian retail traders typically access global contracts (CME/ICE); note the SPI 200 itself is commodity-sensitive given its heavy materials and energy weighting • ASX grain futures trade mainly in the day session (~9:30 AM-4:00 PM AEST) where liquidity concentrates; the SPI 200 also runs a separate overnight session |
| Interest Rate Futures | 3 Year (YT) and 10 Year (XT) Treasury Bond futures are among the most liquid ASX 24 products; %R applies, but remember they are quoted as 100 minus yield, so price rises when yields fall • Australian bond futures correlate closely with US Treasuries; the overnight US bond move often leads the next Australian session • RBA cash rate decisions (8 scheduled meetings per year) cause sudden %R spikes in rate futures; avoid trading reversals immediately around RBA announcements |
| Tax Implications | No securities transaction tax in Australia; only brokerage and exchange fees apply, and GST does not apply to futures trading profits • Active futures trading is generally assessed by the ATO as ordinary income on revenue account (carrying on a business); the 50% CGT discount typically does not apply to short-term derivative trading • Keep records of all trades for at least five years per ATO requirements; document %R entry/exit levels for the audit trail • The ATO may place you into quarterly PAYG instalments once trading income exceeds thresholds; budget for the liability rather than waiting for year-end |
| Institutional Correlation | Strong foreign institutional buying often coincides with the SPI 200 leaving oversold; the Australian market is highly sensitive to global risk sentiment • Domestic superannuation fund flows provide structural support and can underpin %R bounces from oversold levels • The overnight US close (S&P 500 and US index futures) is the dominant lead for the next-day SPI 200 - check the overnight session for context rather than a domestic flows print • SPI 200 futures expire quarterly (March, June, September, December) on the third Thursday; %R can whipsaw during expiry and rollover week |
Both measure momentum, but they differ in calculation and behavior. Williams %R shows where price closes relative to the high-low range (position-based). RSI compares average gains to average losses (momentum-based). %R is faster and more reactive, ranging from -100 to 0. RSI is smoother, ranging from 0 to 100. %R is better for quick timing; RSI is better for divergence and smoother signals.
The standard period is 14, which works for most situations. For scalping (5-min charts), use 10-period for faster signals. For intraday (15-min), use 14-period. For swing trading (daily), use 14-21 period. Shorter periods give more signals but more noise; longer periods are smoother but slower. Match the period to your trading timeframe.
Common reasons: (1) Entering when %R enters the zone instead of when it leaves, (2) Trading counter-trend signals in strong trends (ADX > 30), (3) No confirmation (candlestick, volume, support/resistance), (4) Stop loss too tight - use swing high/low or 1.5x ATR. Williams %R is fast and can give false signals; filtering is essential.
Yes, in strong trends, %R can stay at extreme levels for many bars. In a strong uptrend, price keeps making new highs, keeping %R near 0 (overbought). In a strong downtrend, price keeps making new lows, keeping %R near -100 (oversold). This is why ADX filtering is crucial - avoid counter-trend %R signals when ADX > 30.
The -50 midline represents equilibrium - price in the middle of its recent range. Uses include: (1) Momentum confirmation - crossing above -50 after leaving oversold confirms bullish momentum, (2) Exit signal - crossing against your position suggests momentum has ended, (3) Trend filter - %R consistently above -50 indicates uptrend, below indicates downtrend.
Use ADX and EMA together. ADX < 20: Ranging, take both %R directions. ADX 20-30: Moderate trend, prefer trend direction signals. ADX > 30: Strong trend, only trade WITH trend (oversold longs in uptrend, overbought shorts in downtrend). Additionally, check EMA slope - only take longs when price above upward-sloping EMA, shorts when below downward-sloping EMA.
Analyze %R across multiple timeframes for better signals. Higher timeframe (daily) %R sets the momentum context - above -50 = bullish bias. Trading timeframe (hourly) provides entry signals - zone exits aligned with daily bias. Lower timeframe (15-min) fine-tunes entry timing. Best trades have alignment across all timeframes.
Extreme levels (-90/-10) indicate price in the top/bottom 10% of range vs 20% for standard levels. Signals from extremes have higher probability (60-70% vs 50-55%) but occur less frequently. Trade-off: fewer signals but better quality. Best for patient traders who prefer quality over quantity. Can combine: wait for extreme, enter on standard level cross.
Double bottom + %R bullish divergence = high probability long. Double top + %R bearish divergence = high probability short. %R oversold + key support level = stronger signal. %R zone exit + confirming candlestick (hammer, engulfing) = entry confirmation. Stacking confirmations improves win rate from 50-55% to 60-70%.
Quarterly SPI 200 futures expiry and rollover weeks have unusual price action due to rollover effects. %R can whipsaw significantly. Options: (1) Reduce position size 50%, (2) Use extreme levels (-90/-10) only, (3) Require extra confirmation (divergence + pattern + volume), (4) Avoid %R signals entirely during expiry week. Similar caution for major news events.
Adaptive %R adjusts the lookback period based on current volatility (ATR). Formula: Adaptive Period = Base Period × (Current ATR / Average ATR). When volatility is high, period lengthens to reduce noise. When low, period shortens for sensitivity. Bounded between 7-28. This adapts %R to changing market conditions automatically, improving signal quality.
Algorithm steps: (1) Identify swing lows/highs in price using local min/max detection, (2) Record %R values at those swing points, (3) Compare slopes: If price lows are falling (negative slope) but %R lows are rising (positive slope), bullish divergence exists. Requires robust swing point detection to avoid false readings in noisy data.
Portfolio %R Score = Sum of (%R × Position Weight) across all positions. It measures net momentum positioning. Near -50 = balanced. Near -20 = portfolio overbought (reduce long exposure or add shorts). Near -80 = portfolio oversold (reduce short exposure or add longs). Prevents concentrated directional bets and helps with portfolio-level risk management.
Yes. Train a classifier on signal features: %R value, %R slope, ADX level, volume ratio, time since last signal, price pattern present. Target: signal success (1) or failure (0). Use probability output to filter entries (only trade if P > 0.6) or size positions (higher probability = larger size). Requires programming skills and continuous model retraining.
Research directions: (1) Smoothed %R: Apply 3-5 period EMA to %R for less noise, (2) %R Bands: Bollinger-style bands around %R itself, (3) Multi-period composite: Weighted average of %R(7), %R(14), %R(21), (4) Volume-weighted %R: Weight HH/LL calculation by volume, (5) %R Rate of Change: Momentum of %R itself. Each addresses different weaknesses. Backtest thoroughly.
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