How to grow a small capital account to the level of 500,000? It’s not that mysterious. Professional traders focus on three core points every day: trend direction, key levels, and entry signals.

Consolidating tens of thousands of dollars worth of practical experience into a methodology is actually very simple—the key is to lock onto the 1-hour major trend cycle, then use the 15-minute trading cycle to precisely position yourself. Only then can the win rate truly improve.

**How to judge the trend direction?** Don’t overcomplicate it. Beginners can simply look at three moving averages. If the red fast line is above, the blue mid-line is in the middle, and the white slow line is below = this indicates an uptrend; the opposite indicates a downtrend; if the three lines are mixed and no trend can be identified, then just observe and wait.

**How to identify the end of a trend?** Use the MACD indicator in three steps. First, find the high and low points before the zero line crossover to confirm the trend nature, then mark the extremities of MACD and candlesticks, and finally check if there is divergence between high points. If there is no divergence, it indicates that momentum is still there and it’s worth continuing to chase; once divergence appears, be alert.

**How to assess market energy?** A strong trend looks like this—frequent large bullish candles, low overlap among candlesticks, and newly formed FVGs that haven’t been filled yet (indicator above 8 points, retail traders can’t generate this level of volume). Conversely, if breakouts are weak and FVGs are quickly filled (indicator below 6 points), avoid such markets.

**Level judgment is key.** If MACD is not crossing the zero line, it’s just a small-scale fluctuation; crossing the zero line indicates a trend at this level; crossing the zero line upward upgrades to a larger trend. Only chase trends at this level or higher, as the profit space can then accommodate larger moves.

**How to apply in real trading?** The process is as follows—confirm an uptrend with the moving average group → check MACD to ensure no divergence (trend is still mid-term) → observe a cluster of large bullish candles and fresh FVGs (energy is sufficient) → MACD crosses the zero line (upgrading to a larger trend). At this point, wait for the best entry point during the correction, then enter the trade. Trade with the larger trend and smaller counter-movements, and generally, the market will then experience a continuous rally.

I will continue to break down how to specifically find the best entry points for OTE, as well as stop-loss and take-profit settings.