First candle pivot cross
This intraday stock-futures setup uses classic floor pivots and the day's first 5-minute candle. If that candle opens between the pivot and R1 and closes above R1, buyers have pushed straight through a resistance level, so the strategy buys the future with a stop at the candle's open and a target at R2. The mirror pattern below the pivot sells. Both conditions together are rare, so trades come only a few times a month.How it trades
Results
PRE-BUILT · DEFAULTSWhere it made and lost money
Twenty trades leave most splits thin, but the 20-day trend made a clear difference in this test. The 10 trades taken in an uptrend all won, making ₹27,650, while the 10 in a downtrend made only ₹3,050 with half of them losing. When the bigger trend agrees, a first candle that jumps through a pivot level tends to keep going toward R2 or S2; against the trend it more often slips back to the candle's open and hits the stop. Trend days made ₹15,450 over 7 trades and quiet sessions ₹10,750 over 10, so the setup did not need a big day to work.
About this strategy
- Before the open, compute floor pivots from the previous session's high, low and close of the stock's near-month future: P, R1, R2, S1 and S2.
- Watch the first 5-minute candle from 09:15.
- Long: the candle opens between P and R1 and closes between R1 and R2. Short: it opens between S1 and P and closes between S2 and S1.
- Enter one lot of the future at the first price after the candle closes; one trade a day, none when the stock is in the F&O ban.
- Place the stop at the candle's open price and the target at R2 for longs or S2 for shorts.
- Square off anything still open at 15:15. Skip the session right after a futures expiry, when yesterday's levels belong to the old contract.
Why traders use it
Floor pivots are watched by many intraday traders, so price often reacts around them. A first candle that starts inside one band and closes beyond the next level shows strong early demand or supply. Using the candle's open as the stop gives a logical, nearby risk point, and the next pivot level gives a natural target. The rules fit stock futures where a clear opening move is common.
The year in plain words
On RELIANCE futures from 1 Oct 2025 to 30 Sep 2026 with default settings, the setup triggered 20 times and won 15, making ₹30,700 before costs with a profit factor of 3.54. Sixteen trades reached their R2 or S2 target, three hit the candle-open stop and one was squared off. Wins (₹2,853) and losses (₹3,025) were similar in size, so the high win rate drove the result. February was the only losing month (−₹9,550). With one futures lot and few trades, costs were moderate: after ₹20 per order and bid-ask slippage the result was ₹24,350. Twenty trades is a small sample.
What the settings do
Risks
- A single futures lot of a large stock moves several thousand rupees on an ordinary swing, so the stop can be costly.
- Twenty trades in a year is a small sample; a few losses would change the picture.
- Stops are filled at market, and fast opening moves can fill beyond the candle's open.
- Results are for one stock; other stocks' pivots and opening behaviour can differ.
Who it suits
Intraday stock-futures traders who watch the opening minutes, use pivot levels already, and want a rare, clearly defined setup with a logical stop. It needs futures margin and quick execution after 09:20.
Questions traders ask
How are floor pivot points calculated?
The pivot P is the average of the previous session's high, low and close. R1 is 2P minus the low and S1 is 2P minus the high. R2 is P plus the previous range, and S2 is P minus it. Here the levels come from the stock's own future, so they match the prices being traded.
Is the first 5-minute candle pivot strategy profitable?
In this backtest on RELIANCE futures from 1 Oct 2025 to 30 Sep 2026 it made ₹30,700 before costs and ₹24,350 after ₹20 per order and bid-ask slippage (statutory charges not included), from 20 trades. Past results do not guarantee future ones.
Can this strategy be used on other stocks or NIFTY?
Yes. The symbol is a setting, so any F&O stock future can be tested, and NIFTY futures work too. Results will differ by stock, because volatility and how prices react to pivot levels vary.
Why skip the day after futures expiry?
The previous session's high, low and close belong to the contract that just expired. The new near-month future trades at a different price because of the basis, so pivots from the old contract would sit at the wrong levels.