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GBPUSD M5 Scalping Setup Card

Entry criteria · Stop rules · Target levels · Session windows · Setup validity — printable quick-reference

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GBPUSD Pair Statistics

Avg Daily Range

80–130

pips (London session)

Typical M5 Range

5–15

pips per candle

Typical Spread

0.8–1.5

pips (raw/ECN broker)

Best Session

London

08:00–12:00 GMT

Pip Value (0.1 lot)

$1.00

per pip (USD account)

Min Target

8–12

pips (after spread)

Primary Setups

LONG

London Open Momentum

H1 bias is bullish (price above H1 21 EMA)
London open (08:00–09:00 GMT) produces bullish impulse candle
M5 pullback to the impulse candle's 50% level
M5 bullish confirmation candle with close above open
Spread ≤ 1.5 pips at entry time
No high-impact news within 30 minutes

SHORT

London Open Momentum

H1 bias is bearish (price below H1 21 EMA)
London open (08:00–09:00 GMT) produces bearish impulse candle
M5 pullback to the impulse candle's 50% level
M5 bearish confirmation candle with close below open
Spread ≤ 1.5 pips at entry time
No high-impact news within 30 minutes

LONG

M5 Support + EMA Bounce

Identified S/R level on H1 or H4 (previous swing high/low)
Price tests the support level on M5
M5 21 EMA is pointing upward (bullish slope)
Bullish rejection candle at support (long lower wick)
RSI below 40 at time of setup (not required, adds confirmation)
Within London or NY session — not Asian session

SHORT

M5 Resistance + EMA Rejection

Identified S/R level on H1 or H4 (previous swing)
Price tests the resistance level on M5
M5 21 EMA is pointing downward (bearish slope)
Bearish rejection candle at resistance (long upper wick)
RSI above 60 at time of setup (not required, adds confirmation)
Within London or NY session — not Asian session

Stop Loss and Take Profit Rules

Stop Loss Placement

Rule: SL = 1–2 pips beyond the setup candle extreme (+ spread)

London momentum: SL below/above the impulse candle low/high
S/R bounce: SL below/above the rejection candle extreme

Max SL allowed: 15 pips. If setup requires wider SL, skip — reduce size or wait for better entry.

Never: move SL to avoid a loss. Once set, the SL defines whether the setup was valid.

Take Profit Placement

Minimum TP: 1.5× SL distance after spread
If SL = 10 pips, TP = 15+ pips minimum

Targets:
TP1 = next M5 structure level (S/R, round number)
TP2 = H1 S/R level or daily range midpoint

Partial exit rule: close 50% at TP1, move SL to entry, let remainder run to TP2.

Session Windows — When to Trade

Best: London 08:00–12:00 GMT
Good: NY Overlap 13:00–16:00 GMT
Acceptable: NY 12:00–13:00 GMT (low volatility)
Avoid: Asian session (21:00–07:00 GMT) — thin spreads widen, range is narrow, fake breakouts common
Hard stop: No trades 30 min before/after high-impact news

Session Stop Rules

Max trades per session: 5
Stop after: 3 consecutive losses
Stop if: daily loss limit hit (prop firm: 4–5%)
Spread rule: Do not enter if spread > 2 pips
Position size: Never risk more than 1% per trade

Once any stop condition is hit — session is over. No exceptions. Replay again tomorrow.

Session Quality by Time Window

Time (GMT)	Session	GBPUSD Quality	Typical Range	Spread
21:00–00:00	Late NY / Sydney open	Avoid	5–20 pips	Wide (2–4 pip)
00:00–07:00	Asian session	Avoid	10–30 pips	Moderate
07:00–08:00	Pre-London	Cautious	20–40 pips	Improving
08:00–12:00	London core	Best	40–90 pips	Tight (0.8–1.5)
12:00–13:00	London/NY gap	Lower	15–30 pips	Moderate
13:00–17:00	London/NY overlap	Very good	30–60 pips	Tight
17:00–21:00	NY afternoon	Declining	10–25 pips	Moderate

Setup Invalidation Rules

❌ The following conditions invalidate any setup — do not enter:

High-impact news event within 30 minutes (NFP, CPI, BoE, FOMC)
Spread above 2 pips at the moment of entry
Price has already moved more than 10 pips from the ideal entry level (chasing)
H1 bias is against the trade direction (e.g., H1 bearish but attempting long)
3 consecutive losses already taken this session
Daily loss limit already hit (prop firm or personal)
Entry during Asian session (21:00–07:00 GMT)
Setup candle overlaps a major round number (e.g., 1.2500) without clear rejection