Although chart patterns don't tell the whole story, identifying and understanding them is a critical tool during my everyday trading.
What are some chart patterns and how can you use them in your trading?
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Flags
Bull Flag: Bullish formation during an uptrend, considered a good continuation pattern.
Bear Flag: Bearish formation during a downtrend, considered a goof continuation pattern.
Flags offer a high conviction entry opportunity rather than rushing into an up/downtrend.
Bull Flag:
With every move to the upside, there will be a pullback. Instead of rushing into large green candles, I like to wait for stocks to pull back to the EMA's or flag. I tend to find bull flags on stocks in an uptrend with higher relative volume.
I never enter bull flags at HOD. Instead, I wait for that pullback/consolidation period and enter on 8EMA bounces or the bottom of the flag.
Bear Flag:
Basically the exact same concept as a bull flag, just inverse. I am looking for a strong sell-off into a slight bounce/consolidation period to enter before the next move to the downside.
Double Bottom:
A pattern that can indicate a change in trend and a reversal from previous price action. This pattern looks like a W where the double touched low is considered support.
I tend to add calls at the second test of the "bottom" looking for a quick bounce to see support confirm. Although this strategy may not always work, the risk to reward is high & we tend to see sharp bounces and rejections off previous lows/highs.
Double Top:
Inverse to the double bottom pattern - A double top indicates a reversal of an uptrend where I like to implement a put strategy. This chart formation looks like an M where the double touched top is considered resistance.
Head & Shoulders:
This chart pattern indicates to me a bullish to bearish trend reversal.
Head and shoulders formation is created when a stock creates three peaks. The outer two peaks are relatively similar in height and the middle peak is the highest.
I like to enter puts on rejections of the right shoulder or retracements to the 8ema shortly after the rejection.
Inverse Head and Shoulders
Similar to the H&S pattern but inverted (hints at the name). Bearish to bullish indicator.
I like to enter calls off the initial bounce off the second shoulder formation or pullbacks to the 8ema. I will also look to add off retests of the neckline.
Bullish Pennant:
Very similar to a bull flag where the only difference is that the consolidation period of a pennant has converging like trendlines rather than parallel trendlines.
Bearish Pennant:
Opposite to a bullish pennant, a bearish pennant indicated the continuation of a downtrend and offers a high conviction entry opportunity.
As stated before, no chart pattern/formation is king. That's why it is important to implement a plethora of tools into your arsenal... Understanding chart patterns, support/resistance, divergences, candlesticks, indicators, etc.
Find what works for you and run with it. Later this week I will post an "Understanding Candlesticks" thread. I hope you all enjoyed this thread and can implement some of these ideas in your trading!
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In honor of the New Year commencing, here is a tweet of my favorite threads I posted in 2022. Everything from options basics to charting & candlesticks to @unusual_whales flow, and much more. I hope this helps benefit your 2023 trading!
Although candlestick patterns don't tell the whole story, they can be a great tool to identify short-long term reversals in price action. Knowledge is power! Let's get into it.
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Here are a few of the basic candlesticks patterns everyone should be familiar with & will go further in-depth in this thread.
A+ Setups
An A+ setup to me might be different than what an A+ setup is to you. I like to have 3-4 pieces of conviction to deem something as A+. Examples include:
- Candlestick Patterns
- Charting Patterns
- Supply/Demand Breaks
- Gap Fill Strat/Peaky Strat/Golden Goose etc.
Building a broad watchlist of stocks that I'm interested in trading is a critical part of my preperation for the day. Here's a thread on how I create my watchlist.
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A watchlist is a small to medium list of stocks that align with your guidelines for solid trading setups.
Before the market opens I like to have at least 2-3 tickers with potential setups I will be watching throughout the day.
Pretty simple analysis in my eyes. Going to break it down with a few charts across a few different timeframes.
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Head & Shoulders - Daily Time Frame
Once the 100-102 neckline was broken it was game over. Also, very nice BHG setup on the retest of that neckline November 15th
Rounding Top into Head & Shoulders - Weekly Time Frame
Could've seen this move coming hence the rounding top posted on the weekly time frame. Once the 144 neckline was broken it was a clear move to 100 measured move count.
H&S Peak formed at the previous rounding top neckline
Before placing a trade I always have ideas about my sizing, entries/exits, stop levels & more. By formulating a risk management plan I decrease my risk of losing unnecessary amounts of capital and increase my chances of profitability.
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Risk = the chance that an investment's actual gains will differ from an expected outcome or return.
I like to look at risk as the amount of money you could lose on a trade. If you predetermine how much you are willing to lose, you are able to measure what "loss" means to you.
Determining a Stop Loss:
1. Max pain per trade (Dollar Figure) 2. Key level/area on the chart
Here's a thread on critical trading tactic that I take very seriously. Without consistent uniform sizing, I have noticed, successful trading becomes harder. It's important to come up with a position sizing plan that works for you.
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Position sizing refers to the guide that dictates how much working capital you allocate on a single trade.
Key components to consider:
- Risk Tolerance
- Account Size
- Type of Trade
- Trading Goals
Risk Per Trade:
Everyone is different. Everyone's goals are different. The first question I like to ask myself is how much money am I willing to risk per trade.
I usually choose one or two options: 1. Fixed Amount 2. Percentage of Portfolio