eMark, on your first question, yes. The higher timeframes will...

eMark, on your first question, yes. The higher timeframes will generally dictate the overall trend. So I keep my positions smaller and stops wider, and trail them at a minimum of 45 pips (450 pips on MT4).

On smaller timeframes, trade slightly bigger positions but I try to lock in a profit, however small, quickly to avoid bigger losses.

On your last question, no, the opposite. The June-August period means that northern hemisphere trading volumes can drop dramatically, so volatility can increase because fewer large trades push the markets around very easily. Also, a lot of "stop hunting" occurs during low volume periods.

Pit traders know where small timers put their stops.

All the best.