Why You Need a Weekly Outlook
Traders who plan the week ahead outperform traders who don't — every serious study on trading performance confirms it. A weekly outlook forces you to:
- Identify the bias BEFORE you're staring at live price action
- Mark key levels while you're calm
- Know the news calendar so you're not surprised
- Have pre-planned scenarios instead of reacting emotionally
This is the exact template we use at Aurex Trader every Sunday night for XAUUSD. Copy it, customize it, and never enter a week blind again.
The Weekly XAUUSD Outlook Template
1. Higher-Timeframe Bias
Weekly chart review:
- Weekly candle close: bullish / bearish / doji
- Current weekly structure: higher highs & higher lows / lower highs & lower lows / ranging
- Last unmitigated weekly order block: $______
- Next weekly liquidity target: $______ (weekly high / weekly low)
Daily chart review:
- Daily trend: bullish / bearish / ranging
- Last daily BOS or CHoCH: date + level
- Last unmitigated daily OB: $______
- Daily FVG in play: $______ to $______
Bias for the week: long / short / neutral
2. Key Levels for the Week
Mark these on your chart before Monday open:
- Previous week high (PWH): $______
- Previous week low (PWL): $______
- Weekly open price: $______
- Monthly high/low: $______ / $______
- Nearest daily order block above/below: $______ / $______
- Nearest daily FVG: $______
3. Economic Calendar Scan
List all high-impact events for the week:
- Monday: ___
- Tuesday: ___
- Wednesday: ___
- Thursday: ___
- Friday: ___
Flag the top 3 events most likely to move gold (NFP, CPI, FOMC, Fed speakers, geopolitical). Plan to be flat or on the sidelines 15 minutes before and after each.
Read our guide on reading USD high-impact news for detailed news trading rules.
4. Scenario Planning
Write out three scenarios BEFORE the week starts:
Scenario A — Base case (most likely):
- Price action expectation: ___
- Trade plan: ___
- Invalidation: ___
Scenario B — Alternate:
- Price action expectation: ___
- Trade plan: ___
- Invalidation: ___
Scenario C — Black swan:
- Trigger: ___
- Response: reduce size / stay flat / hedge
5. Risk Parameters for the Week
- Maximum risk per trade: ___% (typically 0.5%-1%)
- Maximum total risk per day: ___% (typically 2%)
- Maximum consecutive losses before pause: ___ (typically 3)
- Weekly profit target (optional): ___%
- Weekly drawdown stop: ___% (mandatory)
Use our risk of ruin calculator to confirm these parameters keep your account survivable.
6. Execution Rules Reminder
Write these down every week — even after years of trading:
- I will only trade in the direction of my daily bias.
- I will not enter without a clear SMC setup (order block, FVG, or mitigation block).
- I will place my stop beyond structural invalidation, not at arbitrary pip counts.
- I will target a minimum 1:2 R:R.
- I will journal every trade the same day I take it.
- I will not chase price after missing an entry.
- I will not add to losing positions.
7. Post-Week Review (Fill in Friday Close)
- Bias called correctly: yes / no
- Trades taken: ___
- Win rate: ___%
- Average R:R achieved: ___
- Weekly PnL: ___%
- Best trade: ___ (why it worked)
- Worst trade: ___ (rule broken)
- One improvement for next week: ___
How to Use This Template
- Every Sunday night (or Monday morning before London open), sit down with the template and your XAUUSD charts.
- Fill in every section. Don't skip.
- Save it as a PDF or in your trading journal.
- Refer to it before every trade during the week.
- Fill in section 7 on Friday close, then review before writing next week's plan.
Common Weekly Planning Mistakes
- Writing the plan but ignoring it. The template is worthless if you don't reference it during execution.
- Changing bias mid-week without new information. Your Sunday bias should hold unless the weekly structure genuinely shifts.
- Skipping scenario B and C. Base-case-only planning leaves you unprepared when the market deviates.
- Not scanning the news calendar. Getting caught off-guard by NFP is a completely avoidable mistake.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should the weekly outlook take?
30-45 minutes for an experienced trader, up to 90 minutes when you're new. It's the highest-ROI 45 minutes of your trading week.
Should I share my outlook publicly?
Only if you're prepared for public accountability. Sharing bias publicly can be a great discipline tool but also creates ego pressure to defend bad calls. Choose deliberately.
What if my bias is wrong by Wednesday?
Reassess with fresh eyes. If the weekly structure has clearly invalidated your bias (e.g., a weekly CHoCH), it's fine to flip. Just don't flip based on one day of noise.
Can I use this template for other pairs?
Yes. The framework is instrument-agnostic. Swap XAUUSD for EURUSD, GBPUSD, NAS100, or BTCUSD without changing the structure.
Quick answer
Winging it every Monday is why most XAUUSD traders lose. Steal this weekly outlook template — the exact framework we use every Sunday to plan the week ahead.