Three Ways to Time the Market

I still remember when I first started watching my dad trade. I was completely mesmerized by those flashing green and red candles on the screen. Price action was something else.

If only he could see the speed of today’s markets. Back in the 90s, it was steadier. You could actually follow along as each move formed. I’d sit there day after day, staring, reflecting, reviewing.

But it wasn’t until years later that I realized: the bottom of the chart — the time axis — is just as important as the price.

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Three Ways I Teach Market Timing

I weave market timing formally into half of my current course offerings. Each one approaches it a little differently.

1. Gann Trading Patterns System

Now, “timing” isn’t in the title, I know. But when I teach patterns here, I’m not only talking about price patterns. I also focus on time patterns.

I encourage students to ask: How long are these moves taking to form?

• The rallies of price action moving higher
  
• The dips of price action moving lower
  
• Even the sideways stretches of consolidation
  

Sometimes that sideways action tilts up, which often breaks down. Sometimes it tilts down, which tends to break upward. Sometimes it’s neutral, and you have to wait for confirmation of the directional break.

Simply tracking duration gives you a whole new filter for setups — which ones to avoid, and which to maximize.

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2. Lost Forecasting Trading System

The second way I teach timing is in my Lost Forecasting Trading System. And it really almost was lost!

There was a trader — not Gann, another gentleman — whose work was based on short-term futures action. As I studied his teachings, I realized it could be applied to higher timeframes and other markets outside of futures like stocks and options.

When I tracked the author down to try and collaborate with him for an online course, he was actually quite ill. His wife had passed, and he was ready to let go of this world. And his family wasn’t concerned with his teachings or carrying on the legacy. So I helped him to finally copyright his work, I purchased the rights from him, and carried it forward. 

In 2018, I released the first version of the Lost Forecasting system. It’s been refined since then, but even in that early form, our Trading Tribe loved it!

The big shift I want you to consider from this teaching is: Don’t look at moves as isolated legs. See them as flows.

A rally from low to high and back down to low… that’s one cycle component. A drop from high to low and back to high… that’s another. Timing those flows unlocks forecasting power.

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3. Advanced Lost Forecasting

Most recently, I built upon my forecasting foundation with Advanced Lost Forecasting.

This is where timing goes deeper. It’s not just about forecasting the next move — it’s about mapping out future time and price points beyond what’s in front of you.

The best way I can describe it is like The Matrix. At first, you’re reacting to the moves right in front of you, almost dodging bullets. But once you “step inside” the framework, you realize there’s a structure beneath it all. Suddenly, the market’s movements aren’t random — they’re part of a bigger map.

From just one current cycle component, you can start projecting forward into where future cycles are likely to unfold. And the more you practice, the clearer that map becomes.

Timing becomes less about reacting — and more about being prepared.

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Why This Still Matters Today

These concepts have been with me for years, but they’re still fresh for traders today. Just last week, one of our First 40 Trading Club members shared in Discord how paying attention to timing completely shifted her trade review.

That’s why I keep teaching it. 

And if you’ve been ignoring the bottom axis of your charts, now is the time to start.

Price action is only half the story. Time completes it. And in trading, timing really is everything.

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💬 What about you? Have you noticed how the duration of a move changes the quality of your trade? I’d love to hear in the comments.

~Hima