Ashraf Laidi vs Andrew Lockwood

Veteran Traders Clash for Charity with Bold Market Moves

In this exciting episode of The Trading Battle, two veteran traders, Ashraf Laidi and Andrew Lockwood, face off in a series of strategic challenges while trading for impactful causes. Both traders selected their charity. Ashraf trades for UNRWA, which provides essential support to Palestinian refugees, and Andrew supports Macmillan Cancer Support, aiding cancer patients and their families.

The challenges:

Challenge 1: Fed Focus & The Dollar’s Path

• Andrew:
  Andrew shorts EUR/USD, expecting the dollar to strengthen as the Fed maintains a cautious stance on rate cuts amidst robust economic data and inflationary pressures. Target: 1.0700.
• Ashraf:
  Ashraf shorts Gold, anticipating range-bound movement ahead of the Fed’s PCE data release. He argues that a breakout above resistance levels is unlikely before major economic updates.

Challenge 2: Short-Term Trades

• Andrew:
  Andrew goes long on the DAX, leveraging the strong bullish trend in the German stock index. He places stops below key support levels, aiming for further upside momentum by week’s end.
• Ashraf:
  Ashraf takes a long position in the S&P 500, expecting resilience in U.S. equities. He balances his portfolio with this trade, countering earlier positions with cautious optimism.

Sabotage Challenge: Devil’s Advocate

Each trader selects a high-risk trade to put their opponent at a disadvantage:

• Andrew’s Sabotage for Ashraf:
  Short Bitcoin (BTC/USD): Andrew forces Ashraf to bet against Bitcoin, which has been rallying on ETF optimism and breaking key resistance levels.
• Ashraf’s Sabotage for Andrew:
  Long USD/JPY: Ashraf places Andrew in a precarious long position, betting that resistance at 150.30 will hold and lead to a reversal.

This episode showcases not only expert-level trading strategies but also thoughtful discussions on market psychology, risk management, and macroeconomic trends—all while supporting meaningful charitable causes.