Gold Supply and Demand Routine (XAUUSD): From the Weekly Chart to Your Journal

Lesson 8 of 8 · Advanced

Why a routine matters more than a pattern

So far you have learned the parts of this style separately: drawing zones, scoring, RTM concepts, multi-timeframe analysis, entries and exits, and traps. For most traders the problem is not knowing these parts; it is applying them consistently. A routine means the same steps every day, in the same order, with the same criteria. Only then can your results be measured and you can tell which part works and which does not.

The routine below is an educational sample. All prices are hypothetical and none is a trade suggestion.

Step 1: the big picture (weekly and daily)

At the weekend or before the week starts, open the weekly and daily XAUUSD charts and answer these questions:

• Is the daily trend up, down or ranging? Where are the latest important high and low?
• Where does price sit on the curve of the larger range: the lower third, the middle or the upper third?
• Where is the nearest fresh supply zone above price and the nearest fresh demand zone below it?

Hypothetical example: the daily trend is up, the last few weeks' range is 3,980 to 4,155 and price trades around 4,110, which is in the upper third. The output of this step is a single sentence: The trend is up, but price is in the expensive part of the range; new buys only make sense from deeper demand zones, and sells only for short moves.

Step 2: zones, scores and the calendar

On the 4-hour chart, draw every fresh zone that fits your rules and score them with the checklist from the zone quality lesson. Two or three zones per direction is usually enough. Hypothetical example:

Then check the week's economic calendar. Major US data is usually released at 8:30 a.m. New York time, which is 12:30 UTC during US daylight saving and 13:30 UTC otherwise (13:30 or 14:30 in London, depending on the season). Mark the times of CPI, NFP, FOMC decisions and major speeches, and decide in advance that you will not open new trades in those windows.

If you take levels from COMEX gold futures (GC), convert them to XAUUSD using the live basis (the price gap between the two markets) before use, and write both numbers side by side; the gap is not constant and changes over time.

Step 3: the trade plan before the session

For each high-priority zone, write a plan before the London or New York session starts:

1. The refined zone on the lower timeframe (for example 15-minute) and the original zone.
2. Entry method: limit at the proximal line, or entry with confirmation.
3. Stop location behind the distal line, with a buffer for spread.
4. The first target at the opposing zone and the room to run relative to risk.
5. Position size calculated from the risk percentage.
6. A cancel condition: for example, if price touches the opposing zone before reaching your zone, or major news is near.

In the hypothetical example, for the 4,028 to 4,039 demand zone: confirmation entry on the 5-minute chart, a stop below 4,025, and a first target near the proximal line of the supply zone, around 4,140. A price alert at 4,042 is enough, so you do not have to sit in front of the chart constantly.

Step 4: execution and journal

During the session your main job is patience. If price does not reach the zone, there is no trade; chasing price outside the plan makes the routine meaningless. If it does reach it, just execute the written plan.

After the market closes or the session ends, fill in the journal:

• A chart screenshot before and after, with the drawn zone.
• The zone score, entry method, stop, target and the result in R (multiples of risk).
• Did you follow the plan exactly? If not, where and why?
• Price behavior at the zone: a quick reaction, a deep penetration or a full pass-through.

After you have enough samples, you can see which type of zone, which entry method and which session worked better for you. No course provides that information; it comes only from your own data. Before trading with real money, run this same routine on a demo account for a while.

Add a weekly review too: at the end of the week go through all the drawn zones, delete the consumed ones and check whether you applied your drawing rules consistently. If you change a rule, record the date of the change in your journal so results before and after do not get mixed. A routine is not supposed to be exciting; it is supposed to be repeatable and measurable.

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Frequently asked questions

How long does the daily routine take?

The weekly analysis is usually done once and takes longer. Once you are used to it, the daily routine gets short, since you are only updating existing zones. The exact time depends on experience and the number of zones.

Which session is best for gold supply and demand?

Gold has more liquidity in the London and New York sessions, and zones usually react more clearly in those hours, but this is a general pattern. Your own journal will show which session suits you best.

Why does XAUUSD differ from GC?

GC is a futures contract whose price includes carrying costs and interest until expiry, while XAUUSD is a spot price. The difference (the basis) is not constant, so every GC level must be converted to XAUUSD with the live gap.

Education only, not a recommendation to buy or sell; we never give signals. Price examples are illustrative. Test any method on a demo account first, with strict risk management.