The best time frame will ultimately depend on your trading strategy. In general, the timeline of the trade should reflect the pattern, event, or indicator that inspired the trade. For example, if a cup and handle pattern takes weeks to form, then the bullish follow-through will likely take more than a day or two to happen. On the other hand, if the relative strength index is oversold on the hourly time frame, then that trade might play out over a matter of days rather than weeks.