New here? Every term used in this briefing, explained in plain words. No jargon left unexplained.
Swing High / Swing Low
The last peak (swing high) or valley (swing low) on the chart — the little bumps price made before reversing.
Traders watch these because price often reacts there: it might bounce off a swing low or stall at a swing high.
Range
How far price moved from its lowest to highest point in a session.
A 'quiet range' means price barely moved. An 'expanded range' means it moved more than usual — higher volatility day.
ATR (Average True Range)
The average distance price travels in a typical session — its 'normal step size'.
When the day's range is bigger than ATR, price is moving more than usual. When smaller, it's a quiet day. Helps size stops sensibly.
Liquidity Sweep
Price briefly dips below a swing low (or above a swing high) to grab the stop orders sitting there, then snaps back.
It's the market 'raiding' the stops before the real move. Seeing a sweep then a reversal is often a strong signal.
Bias / Directional Lean
Which way the market seems to be leaning — bullish (upward), bearish (downward), or no strong lean.
Bias doesn't mean price will definitely go that way. It's the direction that looks more likely given current structure. Always have a plan if it goes the other way.
Invalidation Level
The price where your reason for the trade is no longer valid — 'if it gets here, my idea was wrong'.
Knowing your invalidation level before entering helps you decide where to put your stop loss and whether the trade is worth the risk.
Retest
When price comes back to a level it just broke through — testing whether that level now holds as support or resistance.
After a breakout, many traders wait for the retest (the return visit) as a higher-quality entry rather than chasing the initial break.
Scalping
Taking very quick, small trades — in and out in minutes, targeting small price moves.
Scalpers trade frequently and need tight spreads. Around news events, TFW teaches to avoid scalping because spreads widen and stops get hit fast.
Spread
The gap between the buy price and sell price — the broker's fee for the trade.
Around high-impact news, spreads can widen dramatically (5-10× normal). This is why TFW teaches to step back before news: your stop might get hit just from the spread alone.
Stop Hunt
When price briefly spikes to hit a cluster of stop-loss orders before reversing in the original direction.
Common before and after news events. Setting stops at 'obvious' round numbers or just below swing lows makes you more vulnerable.
Consolidation
Price moving sideways in a tight zone — taking a breather, not going anywhere in particular.
After a big move, markets often consolidate before continuing. TFW teaches patience here: wait for a breakout with momentum rather than trading inside the range.
Breakout
When price pushes through a level it's been unable to get past — breaking the ceiling or the floor.
The best breakouts have momentum behind them (strong candle, volume if available). Fakeouts (false breakouts) are common, so many traders wait for a close beyond the level or a retest.
Pullback
A temporary move against the main trend — a step backwards before the trend continues.
Pullbacks are one of the best trade entries in trending markets. TFW teaches to wait for price to pull back to a key level (like the 50 EMA or a swing low) before entering in the direction of the trend.
Red Folder
High-impact news events shown in red on the ForexFactory economic calendar — the big announcements that can move markets sharply.
Examples: CPI (inflation), NFP (US jobs), central bank rate decisions. TFW teaching: step back from the market 15-30 minutes before red folder releases and wait for the chaos to settle.
Risk:Reward (R:R)
How much you could make versus how much you're risking on a single trade — e.g. 1:2 means risking $1 to potentially make $2.
Even if you're only right 40% of the time, a 1:3 R:R can still be profitable. TFW teaches to aim for at least 1:2 before taking a trade.