Average true range (ATR) is a technical analysis volatility indicator that is developed by J. Welles Wilder. The indicator does not provide an indication of price trend, simply the degree of price volatility.

For all trades, it is important to place a stop loss order which is designed to limit an investor’s loss on a position in a security. One of the simplest stop strategy is the hard stop, in which you simply place a stop a certain number of pips from your entry price. However, in many cases, having a hard stop in a dynamic market doesn't make much sense. Why would you place the same 20-pip stop in both a quiet market and one showing volatile market conditions? Similarly, why would you risk the same 80 pips in both quiet and volatile market conditions?