Glossary · Chart and price

Timeframe

The period each candle or bar on a chart represents — for example M1 for one minute or H1 for one hour.

By Sky Trade editorial teamUpdated November 5, 2026

The timeframe sets how much time one candle covers. M5 means each candle is five minutes; H4 means four hours. The same price history looks completely different on different timeframes: a sharp drop on M1 may be a tiny dip on H1.

Choosing a timeframe is about matching the chart to the decision. For a Higher/Lower trade, a sensible starting point is a candle length equal to or somewhat shorter than your expiry. Studying a daily chart for a 30-second trade, or a 5-second chart for a one-hour trade, mixes up two different questions.

Lower timeframes contain more noise and generate more signals, most of them weak. Higher timeframes are steadier but slower to react. Neither is better in general; the common mistake is hopping between them until one shows the signal you were hoping for.

Sky Trade's chart offers S5, S10, S15, S30, M1, M2, M3, M5, M10, M15, M30, H1, H4 and D1. Using two or three of them together is the idea behind multi-timeframe analysis. See timeframes explained and choosing expiry time.

Example

You plan a 5-minute trade on EUR/USD. You read the trend on M15 and time the entry on M1, rather than basing the decision on the S5 chart.

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