Signals and indicators
Trend
A trend is the general direction of price over a period: up with higher highs and lows, down with lower highs and lows, or sideways.
A trend is the prevailing direction of price. The textbook definition uses swing points. An uptrend is a series of higher highs and higher lows. A downtrend is a series of lower highs and lower lows. When neither pattern holds and price moves between roughly the same high and low, the market is sideways, also called range-bound.
Trend always belongs to a timeframe. Nifty can be in an uptrend on the daily chart, a downtrend on the hourly chart and flat on the 5-minute chart, all at the same moment. None of these is wrong. The one that matters is the one that matches how long you intend to hold the trade.
For intraday and swing traders in India, trading with the trend of the next higher timeframe is a common filter. A 5-minute buy signal generally has more room when the hourly chart is also rising. Trend-following methods earn their keep on directional days and give part of it back on range-bound days.
The common mistake is calling a trend from one big candle. A trend needs at least a couple of swings to define it. The second mistake is assuming it will continue because it has so far; an uptrend is in doubt once price makes a lower low. The third is fighting a clear trend because price looks too high or too low.
Worked example
Reading an uptrend from Bank Nifty swing points
Illustrative numbers from an hourly chart: swing low 55,400, swing high 55,900, swing low 55,650, swing high 56,200, swing low 55,950. The second high, 56,200, is above the first, 55,900. Each low is above the one before: 55,650 is above 55,400, and 55,950 is above 55,650. Higher highs and higher lows make this an uptrend. If price now falls below 55,950, the run of higher lows is broken and the uptrend is in doubt.
In WizeBuySell
Trend sits inside several WizeBuySell strategies. Nifty Bull & Bear Spreads shows the daily and 3-minute trends in its corner panel and trades only when they agree. Nifty Hedged Positional Option Selling switches side when the trend flips. Shares Swing Trade exits its remaining shares when the trend turns. Checking a higher timeframe for the larger picture is useful; whether to act on it is your own rule.