| Strategy Type | Trend Following |
| Market Bias | Directional - Trade with the trend indicated by Supertrend |
| Timeframe | 15-minute to 1-hour charts |
| Holding Period | 1 hour to full session (intraday) or 1-5 days (swing) |
| Risk Reward Ratio | 1:1.5 to 1:3 |
| Capital Required | £500-£5,000 depending on contract size and number of open positions |
| Best Market Conditions | Trending markets with clear directional moves |
| Key Concept | Follow the Supertrend indicator for trend direction and use it as dynamic stop loss |
| Exchange | ICE Futures Europe (NBP) - accessed by UK retail traders via FCA-regulated spread betting and CFDs (e.g. IG, CMC Markets, City Index). Prices reference the ICE UK NBP Natural Gas Future and are quoted in pence per therm (GBp/therm). |
| Trading Hours | Underlying ICE NBP future is most liquid roughly 07:00-17:00 UK time (settlement window 16:05-16:15 UK). Spread bet / CFD prices are typically quoted from Sunday 23:00 to Friday 22:00 UK time with a daily break from 16:00 to 17:00 UK time. Outside London hours the quote reflects the broker view and liquidity is thin. |
| Natural Gas Supertrend Note | Use a wider ATR multiplier (3.0-3.5) for natural gas due to extreme volatility |
| Tax Implications | Spread betting profits are generally free of Capital Gains Tax and Stamp Duty for UK retail traders (HMRC treats spread betting as a wager, not a trade - guidance BIM22015), so most people keep 100% of profits but cannot offset losses. CFD profits are subject to Capital Gains Tax (18% or 24% depending on income band) with no Stamp Duty, and CFD losses can be offset against gains. Tax-free status does not apply if spread betting is your main income or you are deemed a professional. NBP is quoted and settled in GBP, so there is no currency conversion; the USD-quoted US Henry Hub product adds GBP/USD exposure. This is general information, not tax advice. |
For natural gas on 15-minute charts, use ATR Period 10 and Multiplier 3.0-3.5. The standard 2.0 multiplier causes too many whipsaws due to natural gas's extreme volatility. Start with 3.0 and adjust based on your experience.
Enter when Supertrend flips color. GREEN flip (from red to green) = Buy signal. RED flip (from green to red) = Sell signal. Wait for the candle to CLOSE to confirm the flip - don't enter on intra-candle crosses that may reverse.
Your stop loss is the Supertrend line itself. If long (green line), your stop is the green line value. The beauty of Supertrend is the built-in trailing stop - as price moves in your favor, the line moves with it, tightening your stop.
Common causes: (1) Multiplier too tight - try increasing to 3.0-3.5, (2) Trading during ranging/choppy conditions, (3) Trading thin periods after the London close. Use the European session (07:00-12:00 UK) and add volume/EMA filters.
Hold until Supertrend flips color against your position. This is the core principle - let winners run and cut losers. The Supertrend's trailing stop keeps you in trends while exiting on reversals.
Only take long signals when price is above the 50 EMA; only take short signals when price is below. This ensures Supertrend signals align with the broader trend, filtering out counter-trend whipsaws.
Flip entry enters immediately when Supertrend changes color. Pullback entry waits for price to retrace toward the Supertrend line after the flip. Pullback entry has better price/risk but may miss moves that don't pull back.
Use the higher timeframe (e.g., 1-hour) to determine direction - only trade in that direction on the lower timeframe (e.g., 15-min). If 1-hour is green, only take 15-min green flips. Exit on lower TF flip.
Look for at least 1.5x the 20-period volume average on the flip candle. High volume confirms genuine interest in the new direction. Low volume flips (below 1x average) have much higher failure rates.
Backtest different ATR periods (7-14) and multipliers (2.5-4.0) on historical data. Use walk-forward testing (optimize on 70%, test on 30%). For natural gas, ATR 10 with multiplier 3.0-3.5 typically performs best.
Adaptive Supertrend adjusts the multiplier based on current volatility: Multiplier = Base × (Current ATR / Average ATR). High volatility automatically widens bands; low volatility tightens them. This provides automatic regime adjustment.
After reaching a profit threshold (e.g., 2x ATR), switch from Supertrend to a tighter ATR-based trail (e.g., 1.5x ATR from price high). This locks profits faster than Supertrend alone while still allowing trend continuation.
Monitor the TTF Supertrend alongside NBP. Highest conviction when both flip the same direction. TTF often moves with or just ahead of NBP - use it as early warning. Use Henry Hub for global sentiment. Divergence (different directions) warrants caution or skipping.
Supertrend excels in trending markets and struggles in ranging markets. Performance varies with market regime. Use adaptive parameters, multiple filters, and the whipsaw rule (stop after 2-3 consecutive) to manage regime changes.
Monitor RSI while in Supertrend trades. If price makes a new high but RSI makes a lower high (bearish divergence), consider partial exit or tightening stop. Divergence often precedes the Supertrend flip, providing an early exit signal.
Full guided lessons, quizzes, and a complete strategy library for the United Kingdom market. One-time purchase. No subscription, ever.
Get United Kingdom access →