How to Read Stock Charts: An Investor’s Guide

how to read stock charts

One of the biggest advantages of knowing reading stock charts is that you will be able to identify support and resistance levels easier. These terms are used when traders refer to certain price levels on the chart that tend to act as barriers that prevent prices from pushing a certain level. Before getting into different types of chart patterns like a cup with handle, double bottom or flat base, let’s look at the basic concept behind them. At its core, learning how to read stock charts and chart patterns comes down to tracking support and resistance.

If the stock bounces off the moving average and shoots higher on heavy volume, it can offer a chance to buy shares. It shows institutional investors are stepping in to “support” the stock and protect their position. It happens around these moving averages simply because professional investors use those lines as key benchmarks. The buy point in a cup with handle and other chart patterns is determined by a line of prior resistance, in this case the peak in the handle. If the stock can clear that peak (i.e., the prior ceiling of resistance) in heavy volume, chances are good it is ready to ride that breakout into a new run.

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Not all stock charting packages offer this type of indicator. Used widely in Japan and gaining a strong foothold in the rest of the world, the Japanese Candlestick chart gives an excellent insight into how to read stock charts current and future price movements. Good to use when comparing the performance of many stocks on the same chart. That’s especially true if you’re buying more shares in a stock you already own.

For currencies, a candlestick can form in as little as 15 minutes. Gerald Appel developed MACD to easily show the Moving Averages of stock in a way that could show the strength of the difference in the Moving Averages. For example, if the 10 & 20-day moving averages for a stock move away from each other as the stock goes up, this means the stock is gaining strength. The stock increases from $20 to $38 in the following three months, a 90% increase, but how would we know this was about to happen? However, here we see a monster, “Blow off Top,” the huge red Spike; this is a powerful sign to sell as soon as possible.

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This is the second biggest volume surge of the year for Netflix and is significant. The following diagram shows us the most common reversal patterns and their relative probability of accuracy. The Head and Shoulders pattern is said to be confirmed on a neckline break; this is about to occur/has occurred in the final price bar in July. See how Apple was in a sideways consolidation from 2001 through to 2004. When it eventually broke out of that channel upwards through resistance, the stock took off, making over 1600% gain.

how to read stock charts

It’s simple to follow, but the line chart may not tell traders much about each day’s activity. It will, however, help traders see trends easily and visually compare the closing price from one period to the next. Back in 2010, Fossil (FOSL) was a leader among its retail peers, not only for its great growth but also the appreciation of its stock price.

What is a Stock Chart?

The stock ran from $20 to $103.80 in less than eight months, then over the next five fell all the way back to its initial price levels around $20. Commodities were red hot throughout 2006 and 2007 and analysts believed every investor should have exposure to this trend. Like all trends though, the party eventually ended and many market leaders were crushed alongside the overall market. My best advice to minimize the pain is to use proper position sizing.

It’s important to understand support and resistance are merely psychological levels, but they can nevertheless be useful for traders who are developing a trading plan. The fluctuation in bar size is because of the way each bar is constructed. The vertical height of the bar reflects the range between the high and low price of the bar period. The price bar also records the period’s opening and closing prices with attached horizontal lines; the left line represents the open, and the right line represents the close. Bar charts help traders see the price range of each period. Bars may increase or decrease in size from one bar to the next or over a range of bars.

Volume at Price (VAP) Stock Chart

There is a simple way to see if the market is heading upwards or downwards. This chart is in the format of a Daily “Open High Low Close” https://www.bigshotrading.info/blog/cup-and-handle-pattern/ OLHC bar chart, mapped to the Logarithmic Scale. There are a few other types of charts that you probably have never heard of before.

A very important rule to keep in mind is that a lot can only be confirmed in the chart if it is followed by two high bars. The same is true for identifying high – if followed by two low bars, a high can be identified. Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services.