Grid Trading
Grid trading places buy and sell orders at regular intervals, profiting from oscillation but exposed to runaway trends.
Grid trading ladders buy and sell orders at fixed intervals, profiting from oscillation. It works in ranges and loses badly in trends, where every level accumulates against you.
Grid trading places a ladder of buy and sell orders at fixed price intervals around a base level, profiting from price oscillating through the grid. It works beautifully in ranging markets and fails in trends: when price runs one way without retracing, the grid accumulates losses on every level in the wrong direction. Grid systems are popular in automation because they are simple to code, which also makes them simple to blow up.
How It Works
- Orders placed at regular price intervals
- Each oscillation captures a small profit
- A one-way trend loads the grid with losing positions
Trading Tips
Grids need a range, so define the regime before running one
Add a hard stop beyond the grid, or a trend leaves you holding every level
The drawdown graph of a grid looks great until it does not
Related Terms
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