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Since you’ve said you’re looking for trend confirmation, you can easily use all your indicators on a single chart if you want. You just need to understand what each indicator is actually used for and what each one shows.
“VWAP” shows you where you currently are in the market. Institutional traders often trade aggressively there. Here, you can also run ‘RSI’ as additional confirmation.
You can use “Volume Node” to clearly see the volume structure.
You can use “MAs” for timing entries. Good for your type of trading (trend trader).
Trend lines, support (S), and resistance (R) are your decisions.
Here a little chart example:
In today's world most free trading platforms from any US brokers are on a good level to fulfill most obligations traders ask for. The importance of the value of any platform depends finally on your trading style. So: First be clear what and how you want to trade and then decide which platform you need to do so.
FINALLY: No matter what you do or how you do it, never forget the following: As a trader, you’re not trading the market. You’re trading your hypothesis. What does that mean? Every one of your trades is the implementation of a hypothesis, not a certainty. You’re always trading only your interpretation of the market and the market will do what ever he wants when ever he wants with your trade.
I have been using price action with volume profile, order book and volatilities for years. It has proven to be the most efficient approach to adress levels ranges detection, and manage your related actions based on criteria, eg. Entry, Exit, or Invalidation actions.
You need to confirm your trend assumptions with highly correlated charts and info., to adjust your risk level.
Same boat — I trade ES and kept cutting indicators until the chart was almost bare. What survived for me is basically what you already listed: market structure first, then a couple of moving averages, and one level I actually make decisions off of.
The thing that helped most wasn't adding an indicator, it was defining trend mechanically so I stop arguing with myself:
Trend is defined by structure + a fast/slow MA relationship (I use an EMA vs a longer SMA). If they're aligned and sloping, that's my trend; if they're tangled, I treat it as no-trend and stand down. That one rule cut most of my bad trades.
For confirmation I don't stack oscillators. A Break of Structure is my "trend changed" signal, and the opposite Break of Structure is my "trend's over" signal. Clean and unemotional.
The single level I care about is the 50% equilibrium of the working range. In a confirmed trend, a pullback into that midpoint (with the MAs still aligned) is where I look — not at every wiggle.
What genuinely added noise for me: RSI and most momentum oscillators. They fire constantly in a trend and had me second-guessing good positions. Volume/VWAP I kept, but only as context, not as a trigger.
On platform — I'm on NinjaTrader for the charting and order handling; it stays clean if you're disciplined about what you put on it.
Short version for your question: fewer tools, but make the ones you keep rule-based. The win was removing discretion from "is this a trend," not finding a better indicator.
Curious how you're defining your MA trend filter — are you using slope, a cross, or just price relative to the averages?
This is what I am currently using for an overview. Ninja Trader software. The solarized color pallet I found on this site. It was developed by video game pros and I do think it helps my eyes. I paid the $100 to Henry (Fat Tails)to be a library user when he opened his service (Lizard Trading) so most of the indicators are his code.
The daily VWAP line is readily available. The important part of it is the three standard deviation levels positive and negative. With Fat Tails version I chose to shade the area between 1 and 2 so I don't have to think about which level. The experts say 3 sigmas is usually touched an average on 1 or two times a day. I find it very helpful for watching trends. I start the daily VWAP at 7 New York time to pick up the London volume from roughly mid day and have context for the New York open.
Because I consider myself a day trader I use the 21 EMA. I also use the KAMA on a faster setting. Lizard Tradings Moving Average Cross builder does the shading between the two. I find it informative.
I do have the indicators for opening range and pivot points selectively displayed. Because it gives me prior day high low close, overnight high low and opening range with labels. Price does frequently interact with those levels. Indicators that draw them without labels are less helpful. I don't want to have to decode.
Volatility is important. I am constantly adjusting during the trading period. I have four separate indicators running in one box at the top. One of those is the 21 period Average True Range (ATR). I run one that shows it in ticks. I adjust the horizontal grid lines to match. I use the automation in the chart trader to adjust my automatic stop and targets based on the ATR. So it becomes 1 R and the chart gives me a scale. End result is the trade size increases and decreases with volatility but the ratios of risk and reward are constant. I have added the 2,000 tick chart that shows ATR and does not have VWAP. You can clearly see how that ATR line tracks the ebb and flow of volatility during the day.
Good Luck to you! ES 09-26 (2000 Tick) 2026_08_07 (10_45_45 AM)
