TUTORIAL 03 OF 04
Pro and Elite feature
Reading signals and taking entries
This tutorial covers everything that happens after the opening range closes — how APEX detects a valid breakout, what the signal looks like on the chart, and how to execute the trade with correct SL and TP placement.
How the signal fires
APEX monitors every candle that closes after the session hour ends. A signal fires when the range is locked in, price closes beyond the session high or low, the candle closes in the direction of the breakout, the body meets the engulfing threshold, the move is inside the 5-hour window, and no prior signal has fired from that session today.
Bar close confirmation: APEX only fires on a confirmed closed candle — never on an in-progress bar. This prevents false signals from candles that briefly break the range then pull back before closing.
OPENING RANGE
SL
TP1
TP2
▲
Buy signal — engulfing candle closes above range
What you see on the chart
When a signal fires, APEX draws a signal triangle, a session label with entry price, and SL/TP lines projected from the signal bar. The triangle is your entry confirmation and the lines show your risk plan immediately.
Stop loss placement
The stop loss is placed automatically by APEX, 1 pip beyond the opposite side of the opening range. For a bull signal, the SL sits below the session low. For a bear signal, the SL sits above the session high. If price returns to the opposite end of the session range, the trade thesis is invalid.
Pip size setting: Make sure your pip size is correct for the instrument. Default is 0.0001 for most forex pairs. For JPY pairs set 0.01. For indices and gold, APEX uses an ATR-based buffer automatically.
Take profit levels
TP1
1:1 risk-reward
Dark green line
TP2
2:1 risk-reward
Medium green line
TP3
3:1 risk-reward
Bright green line
A common approach is to split your position across all three levels — for example taking one third of the position off at each TP. This locks in profit while letting part of the trade run for the larger move.
Entry execution
The signal fires at bar close. You can enter with a market order immediately after the signal, or wait for a small pullback toward the broken range level. Market entries are simpler; pullback entries can improve RR but risk missing the trade.
TradingView alerts: Set up an alert using APEX’s built-in alert conditions so you do not need to watch the chart. Alerts fire at bar close automatically.
Trade management
Do not move your SL before TP1 is hit. Once TP1 is hit, move SL to breakeven on the remaining position. Let the rest run to TP2 and TP3, and do not chase a signal that has already moved significantly before you could enter.
Candle pattern settings
Under Signal Settings you can enable additional candle patterns beyond the default engulfing body: Marubozu, Pin Bar / Liquidity Grab, Two-Bar Reversal, and Fakey / False Break. Start with Engulfing only and add patterns one at a time as you learn how each behaves.