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TECHNICAL CHART PATTERNS CHARACTERISTICS
 Obtained from the book by Thomas N. Bulkowski, Encyclopedia of  Chart Patterns


Note! Most technical Analysis chart patterns typically occur slowly over a 3 months to 4 months time span. Therefore, you should only 
seriously use a weekly chart profile setting and at least 
one-years worth of weekly time plots. .
TOP 10 BULLISH  TECHNICAL CHART FORMATIONS  WITH HIGHEST MOST LIKELY RISE!
AVG. 
FAILURES %
AVG. RISE
 %
 

LIKELY
RISE
%

   1. Rounding Tops
6%
41%
30%
   2. Broadening Formations, Right Angled 
       & Descending
19%
27%
25%
   3. Scallops, Ascending
25%
33%
25%
   4. Head-and-Shoulders Bottoms,
Complex
6%
37%
25%
   5. Horn Bottoms
11%
37%
25%
   6. Head-and-Shoulders Bottoms
5%
38%
25%
   7. Double Bottoms
3%
40%
25%
   8. Wedges, Falling
2%
43%
25%
   9. Rectangle Top, Up Breakout
2%
52%
25%
 10. Flags, High and Tight
17%
63%
25%








TOP 10 BEARISH TECHNICAL CHART FORMATIONS WITH HIGHEST MOST LIKELY DECLINE!
AVG. 
FAILURES %
AVG. DECLINE %
LIKELY DECLINE%
   1. Pennant, trend down
34%
17%
25%
    2. Scallops, Descending
3%
24%
20%
    3. Head-and-Shoulders, 
       Tops, Complex
8%
27%
20%
    4. Diamond Tops
25%
21%
20%
    5. Broadening    Wedges, Descending, 
 Down Breakout
41%
24%
20%
    6. Rectangle Tops, Down Breakout
0%
20%
20%
    7. Broadening Bottoms, 
        Down Breakout
6%
27%
17.5%
    8. Bump-and-Run Reversal Tops
19%
24%
17.5%
    9. Broadening Tops, Down breakout
4%
23%
15%
10.Triangles, Descending
4%
19%
15%





 
 
 




Rounding tops
PATTERN CHARACTERISTICS
#1 Bullish! One of the most bullish and dependable chart pattern with only a 6% failure rate and an average positive rise of 41%. The average rise was 30%. These pattern chart formations are often long enough to appear on the weekly charts and daily charts.
Pattern Shape
- Rounded half-moon shape. The stock price trend curves beginning from the lower left price point upward to the top of the dome then the price trend rounds over and moves down again to a lower price support area.
Trading Tactics - The average trade for entry should occur on the right side of the dome when the price closes above the dome or at crest for the more aggressive investors.
Broadening Formations, Rigt-Angled and Descending PATTERN CHARACTERISTICS
#2 Bullish! Contrary to popular belief, more chart pattersn with right-angled descending broadening formations break out upwards than downwards.
Pattern Shape
- Looks like a megaphone, tilted downward, with the top the formation horizontal & bound on the bottom by a down ward biased sloping trendline.
Trading Tactics - The upper price tags must form a horizontal line. There is no consistent volume pattern for this formation. Note! Prices can break out in either direction, usually with a rise in volume that soon tapers off.
Scallops, Ascending

PATTERN CHARACTERISTICS
#3 Bullish!Ascending scallops appear when the stock prices are moving higher over 3, 6, or more months.
Pattern Shape - Ascending formations have a J shape and have two price peaks with a rounded price recession in between.
Trading Tactics - Ascending scallops often show a U-shaped volume trend that gets heavier over time.

Head -and-Shoulders Bottoms, Complex
PATTERN CHARACTERISTICS
#4 Bullish! This formation had only a 6% failure rate which is outstanding. When the neckline slopes downward at indicated, the stock performes better.
Pattern Shape
- A H&S bottom with multiple shoulders, mutiple heads, or (rarely) both. The head is lower than the shoulders but not very much.
Trading Tactics - Usually higher volume on the left side of shoulders than than the corresponding shoulders on the right side. Great stock to play up and down .

Horn Bottoms
PATTERN CHARACTERISTICS
#5 Bullish! Great CCing pattern for stock price rise when the horn lengths are at least twice as long than most spikes over the prior year.
Pattern Shape - Use the weekly profile to locate two downward spikes in the horns separated by a week worth of time.
Trading Tactics - The left spike shows higher than average volume and thus more volatility.  Some horns appear near the end of uptrends, so watch for the trend to change!
Horns will usually not mark the end of the downtrends, but they will be close.
!
Head-and-Sholders Bottoms PATTERN CHARACTERISTICS
#6 Bullish! H&S Bottoms are quite easy to spot and they can be very profitable. H&S bottoms meets its price targets 83% of the time.
Pattern Shape
- A three-hump formation with the center hump below the other two. The three humps and two minor rises should be well defined.
Trading Tactics - The line slanted to the right is the neckline. The price usually advances above the neckline and stages an upside breakout.  Volume is usually highest on the left shoulder or head and dimishes on the right shoulder. Upwared breakouts occur usually with high volume. A low volume breakout is not an indictor of an impending failure. 
Double Bottoms
PATTERN CHARACTERISTICS
#7 Bullish! A double bottom occurs after a downward price trend. High volume commonly occurs on the first bottom.
Pattern Shape
- Shaped like a big upper case W that usually takes approxiately 4 months worth of time to complete the formation pattern.
Trading Tactics - 2/3s of the double bottom throw back to the breakout price. Therefore, consider waiting for the throwback and reversal  for prices to head upward again.Bottoms humps that are closer together usually show larger price gains and breakouts. It is suggested that you average down or leg into positions with sideshows.
Wedges Fallinf
PATTERN CHARACTERISTICS
#8 Bullish! The failure rate for falling wedges is very low at 10% while the average rise of 43% for this indicator suggest a profitable formation to trade. The highest price after the breakout is approx. the beginning of the trendlines.
Pattern Shape - Two drawn downward-sloping to the right side trendlines that eventually must intersect. Use the trendline feature to draw the lines. Most formations have at least five touches. 3 on one side and 2 on the other side.
Trading Tactics - Most falling wedges has a mininum duration of 3-wks or more. Anything less is most likely a pennant. Formations rarely exceed 4 months long. 
Rectangle Tops
PATTERN CHARACTERISTICS
#9 Bullish! - This tricky patern fails only 2% of the time! The average rise is an astounding 52% with a likely gain between 20% to 30% for late comers.
Pattern Shape
- Stock prices  oscillates between two horizontal trendlines before breaking upward. Looks like bridge iron support structures.
Trading Tactics - The price will bounce up and down within a price range. This pattern does take time to form and you can milk deep , depending on your investing style.
Flags, High and ataight
PATTERN CHARACTERISTICS
#10 Bullish! The price gaps upward after a consolidation  region of several days to several weeks long. This occurs after the stock doubles in price.
Pattern Shape - During a flag phase, prices can slowly drift downward as much as -20%. Prices move sideways for 3 to 5 weeks.
Trading Tactics - Buy after the breakout is the safest course of action. Wait for prices to rise above the highest high in the flag. You can buy and hold or average down your position. Let the trend be your friend. 
Pennants

PATTERN CHARACTERISTICS
#1 Bearish! This patters fools many investors. Prices usually go against the prevailing trend. In other words, the price will eventually fall as the smart money exists.
 Pattern Shape There are two patterns which are related. Flags:price action bounded by two parallel trendlines.
Pennants:the two trendlines converge to a point.
Trading Tactics - These formations usually form near the midpoint of a steep, quick price trend. If you do not have a strong advance or decline leading to the chart pattern, ignore the formation. This kind of pattern last a total of 3-weeks max. Volume usually trends downward throughout the formation. "Volume precedes price!" 
Scallops, Descending

PATTERN CHARACTERISTICS
#2 Bearish! Prices peak, curve downward and around, then form a lower peak. Look for previous 52-week lows or previous lower price support levels for clues. This is a good pattern to go short with only a 3% failure rate and an average decline of 24%.
Pattern Shape
- The price pattern looks like a letter-J reversed. There is no discernible volume trend for descending scallops. "Prices falls by it's own weight" is the term used to describe the downward price drift.
Trading Tactics - This is considered a short-term pattern up to 3 months time or less. 
Head and Shoulders Tops Complex

PATTERN CHARACTERISTICS
#3 Bearish! One of the most easy patterns to spot and one of the most profitable! Takes as long as three months to form.
Pattern Shape
- H&S tops have multiple heads, shoulders, or both. 
Trading Tactics - Pull-backs average 64% and formations with downword sloping necklines or higher left shoulders perform better.When prices closes below the neckline, a breakout occurs. For those cases with a steep, down-sloping neckline, use the lowest trough price as the breakout point.
Diamond Top

PATTERN CHARACTERISTICS
#4 Bearish! Prices usually trend up to the formation. Diamond tops need not form at the top of a price chart!
Pattern Shape - Diamond pattern forms after a downward price trend. Trendlines surrounding the minor hights & lows resembles a diamond.
Trading Tactics - Should you locate a diamond pattern and later discover that it may be a head & shoulders top, don't worry! Both formations are very bearish! Diamonds will sometimes form after a quick run up in prices. The reversal will usually erase these gains and return prices to where they were before the run-up.
Broadening Wedges Descending

PATTERN CHARACTERISTICS
#5 Bearish! Descending broadening wedges act as a consolidation of the prevailing trend. The volume tends to increase over time.
Pattern Shape
- Price pattern looks like a megaphone titled downward. Both trendlines slope downward with the lower trendline having a steeper slope.
Trading Tactics - This formation acts as a consolidation of the trend. If prices are moving down, prices usually continue down after a downside breakout. If the formation is especially broad, buy as the lower trendline and sell at the top. Alternatively, sell short at the top trendline once prices are heading down and close the position after it rebounds off the lower trendline.
Rectangle Tops

PATTERN CHARACTERISTICS
#6 Bearish! Prices trend for as long as 3 months up to the formation then oscillate with pull-backs that aver 55% between two horizontal trendlines before breaking out downward.
Pattern Shape - Two parallel trendlines for the highs and the lows.Looks like bridge iron support structures.
Trading Tactics - The actualThe price will bounce up and down within a price range. This pattern does take time to form and you can milk deep.
Hanging Man

PATTERN CHARACTERISTICS
#7 Bearish! The price trend begins as a negative downtrend that leads to a bounce forming a megaphone appearance with higher highs and lower lows that widends over time. Then, the breakout is upward usually off the moving average line.
Pattern Shape
-
Looks like a bull-horn and usually takes less than three months to form. Volume usually follows price; rises as price rises, falls when prices fall.
Trading Tactics - Partial rise at the end of the formation predicts a downside breakout 67% of the time and partial declines predicts an upside breakout 80% of the time. Once recognizing a broadening formation, go long at the low and buy after the stock makes its turn at the low. Likewise, go short at the high prices start heading down at the top.
Bump-and-Rum Reversal Top

PATTERN CHARACTERISTICS
#8 Bearish! Prices  rise steadily along a trendline, bump up, round over, then declines through the trendline and continues downward.
Pattern Shape
-
If the trendline is flat or nearly so, it is not a good bump-and-rund reversal  candidate. The typical trendline was a 30-degree angled line.
Trading Tactics - Waiting for the breakout improves investment performance. The close should be above the down-sloping trendline before you buy the stock. When prices rises to the old high, consider selling it if the the stock shows weakness.
Broadening Tops
PATTERN CHARACTERISTICS
#9 Bearish! The price trend begins as a positive uptrend that leads to a pull-back forming a megaphone appearance with higher highs and lower lows that widends over time. Then, the breakout is upward usually off the moving average line.
Pattern ShapeLooks like a bull-horn and usually takes less than three months to form. Volume usually follows price; rises as price rises, falls when prices fall.
Trading Tactics - Partial rise at the end of the formation predicts a downside breakout 65% of the time and partial declines predicts an upside breakout 86% of the time. The breakout can occur in either direction and, in several cases, prices move horizontally for several months before staging a definitive breakout.
Triangles Symmetrical Bottoms

PATTERN CHARACTERISTICS
#10 Bearish! Prices trend downward then form lower highs and higher lows following two sloping trendlines that eventually intersect. The breakout is downward with a 57% average pullback.
Pattern Shape - Prices trend downward then form lower highs and higher lows following two sloping tredlines that eventually intersect. Looks like a triangle on its side.
Trading Tactics - Triangles with high volume breakouts show larger losses. Pullbacks are more likely to occur after a high volume breakout. Unknows ahead of time. You must wait for the breakout before investing.
 
TECHNICAL TERMS DEFINED:
 
FAILURE RATE: Percentage of formations that do not work as expected. The numbers apply to formations once they stage a breakout (confirming the formation).
REVERSAL
OR
CONSOLIDATION:
The letter R appears if the majority of formations act as reversals of the price trend and the letter C appears for consolidations. If both R and C appear in an entry, then the chart pattern has no overriding majority of either type.
THROWBACK, 
PULLBACK:
A throwback is an upside breakout that returns price to the top of the formation or trendline boundary. A pullback is a downside breakside breakout that returns prices to the bottom of the formation or trendline boundary 
LIKELY RISE 
OR 
DECLINE
Computed by measuring the individual percentage rise or decline for each formation and tabulating a frequency distribution of the results. The most likely rise or decline is the range with the highest frequency and usually excludes the rightmost column. 



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