Have you ever felt like the market waits exactly for you to place your order to go in the opposite direction? It's not a conspiracy theory, it's the design of the game. 📉
In the world of trading, if you don't know who the food at the table is, **you are the food.**
**What is a Market Maker (MM) really?**
They are not "villains", they are liquidity providers. Their job is to ensure that there is always someone to buy from you or sell to you. But to move large institutional volumes, they need something vital: **YOUR LIQUIDITY.**
**How do they beat the retail trader?** 🧠
1️⃣ **Liquidity Hunting:** MM knows that most retail traders place their *Stop Loss* in the same places (just above resistances or below supports). The price "sweeps" those areas to trigger your orders and use that volume to drive the real movement.
2️⃣ **Information Asymmetry:** They see the complete map of orders. They know where the fear is and where the greed is.
3️⃣ **HFT Algorithms:** Their systems operate in milliseconds, exploiting inefficiencies that the human eye cannot see.
**How to stop being the prey?** 🛡️
✅ **Change your mindset:** Instead of entering where everyone else enters, ask yourself: "Where are the Stop Losses of others?". That's where the opportunity usually lies.
✅ **Look for "Institutional Footprints":** Learn to identify *Order Blocks* and *Fair Value Gaps*. Don't trade against the shark, swim alongside it.
✅ **Patience:** Many times, the best trade is the one that is not made until the "cleaning" of liquidity is finished.
**Has it ever happened to you that the price hits your stop and a second later it goes in your favor?** Share your experience below. 👇💬