“Demystifying the world of Classical Charting”
– AKSEL KIBAR
Right angle triangles, with the hypotenuse slanting upwards from the origin of the pattern, are ascending triangles and they are bullish.
The below educational video describes how to identify a bullish ascending triangle, along with some of the characteristics of this pattern that could help you identify and take advantage of such patterns within your own personal trading.
India equity benchmarks have been in a steady uptrend. For the past few months the BSE Sensex index and other equity benchmarks has been in a sideways consolidation. These short-term consolidations can prove to be bullish continuation chart patterns if resolved on the upside. On the long-term chart of BSE Sensex Index, 30K levels continue to form strong support. Long-term uptrend remains intact.
Read MoreThe flag forms on a mast, a nearly vertical price movement, either up or down. The length of the mast (in points) from the preceding congestion to the point where the Flag begins to form, will be found to indicate in by far the great majority of the cases the extent of the rapid price movement which proceeds from the last reversal point in the Flag. The price projection by using this half mast technique will give us the possible price target but does not call for a reversal of trend when the price objective is met.
Read MoreEvery week Tech Charts Global Equity Markets report features some of the well-defined, mature classical chart patterns under a lengthy watchlist and the chart pattern breakout signals that took place during that week. Global Equity Markets report covers single stocks from developed and emerging markets, ETF's and global equity indices. The report starts with a review section that highlights the important chart developments on global equity benchmarks. This blog post features one of several great chart analysis that were highlighted in the review section from the latest Global Equity Markets report.
It has been a volatile week for Spanish politics and the country's financial assets. Spain's IBEX 35 index has been trending lower since May 2017. The downtrend in the short-term formed a well-defined trend channel. During last week's sell-off, the index rebounded from the lower boundary of the trend channel. There is no classical chart pattern that would suggest that index is finding a bottom or another chart pattern development that would signal further downside. However, two interesting candlestick patterns drew my attention which I find worth mentioning.
Read MoreVolume is an important indicator that can be used to confirm certain price movement. It is always positive to see increasing volume when a stock is advancing. An advance on expanding volume is deemed more robust than an advance on contracting volume. Likewise, it is good to see an increase in volume during a breakout from a lengthy consolidation range.
Another way to use volume indicator is to confirm price action at market tops and bottoms. After a sharp sell-off, a spike in volume is usually considered a selling climax and suggests a possible bottom. If consecutive attempts to reach new highs are accompanied by lower volume it is usually considered a non-confirmation and forecasts a possible trend reversal.
Read MoreWhile still at the early stages, an important chart development might be taking place on the U.S. Dollar Index. In the second half of 2016, the U.S. dollar index breached the upper boundary of its consolidation range at 100.3 levels. The breakout was a bull trap (false breakout) and after couple of weeks, the price reversed back into the trading range and traveled sharply towards the lower boundary of the rectangle. In the beginning of September 2017, the price breached the chart pattern boundary on the downside. Those who are looking for a possible reversal of the downtrend on the U.S. dollar, should keep an eye on the 93 levels on the U.S. Dollar Index Futures chart and 24.15 levels on the US Dollar ETF (UUP) chart. A reversal above the mentioned levels can result in a bear trap (false breakdown) and turn out to be positive for the U.S. dollar in the coming months.
Read MoreBelow two paragraphs are taken from Peter L. Brandt's Diary of a Professional Commodity Trader - Lessons from 21 weeks of real trading.
"A premature breakout is different from an out of line movement in the sense that a premature breakout can close outside of a predrawn boundary line and even spend several days in breakout mode. Prices then return back to the geometric pattern. However, the initial breakout was only a harbinger of things to come, and within a few weeks a genuine breakout occurs. I call these subsequent breakouts secondary breakouts or pattern recompletions." - Ch 3, page 38, Identifying the trades and the trading vocabulary
"Unlike the premature breakout, which is followed by a genuine breakout in the same direction, the false breakout results in prices either developing a much larger pattern or strongly moving in the opposite direction. Some traders refer to false breakouts to the downside as a bear trap and false upside breakouts as a bull trap. This means that traders who normally position themselves in the direction of the initial price thrust get stuck on the wrong side of the market." - Ch 3, page 40, Identifying the trades and the trading vocabulary
Read MoreHead and shoulder chart pattern can form as a continuation on price charts. In uptrends, a H&S continuation will be similar to a H&S bottom and in downtrends it will resemble an inverse H&S. The implications and interpretations continuation H&S are usually the same with reversals. Price objectives can be derived in the same way as it is calculated on a reversal chart pattern.
Head and shoulder continuation is one of my favorite chart pattern. A head and shoulder continuation that forms in an uptrend, will usually breakout to all-time highs once the chart pattern is completed. Breakout to all-time highs from bullish continuation chart patterns are usually reliable and powerful.
A head and shoulder continuation that forms in a downtrend will usually take out the minor lows and move in the path of least resistance. Price that is already in a downtrend is likely to accelerate on the downside (sometimes in a sharp fall) as it breaks down a well-defined horizontal support.
Below are some examples of H&S continuation chart patterns in up and down trends.
Read MoreChina SSE Composite has been forming an 8 month-long rectangle chart pattern. Over the past two weeks the index breached the upper boundary of its multi month-long rectangle chart pattern standing at 3,300 levels. The daily close above 3,350 levels confirmed the breakout with a possible chart pattern price target of 3,560 levels. Breakouts from chart patterns with horizontal boundaries are reliable. After a confirmed breakout, resistance becomes support. Strong support for the index now stands at 3,300 levels. Positive momentum in Chinese equities can boost Emerging Markets performance. (Learn more: Video Tutorial - Rectangle)
Read MoreA stock (ETF, Index etc.) price is either in a trending phase or in a consolidation period. During strong trend periods prices move uninterrupted from one price level to another. During consolidations prices move in both directions without producing any meaningful or sustained price change and will form well-defined support and resistance areas on the charts. A support range represents a concentration of demand, and a resistance range represents a concentration of supply.
A resistance level is an approximate level or fairly well-defined price range, where previously advancing stock meets resistance in the form of strong selling. A support level is an approximate level or price range where a preceding decline meets support, in the form of strong buying. A possible explanation for appearance of such well-defined price boundaries in the form of support and resistance can be the fact that the public tend to remember previous levels the stock has traded.
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