- Ascending and descending triangles: reading a squeeze before the breakHow ascending and descending triangles form, why the direction of the breakout matters more than the shape, and how a common textbook target is measured.
- Breakouts and false breakouts: how to tell a real move from a fake oneWhat a breakout is, how traders confirm one with closes, volume and retests, and why many breakouts reverse back inside the range they left.
- Bull and bear flags: the short pause after a strong moveHow bull and bear flags form after a sharp move, how the flagpole sets a textbook target, and what to check before trading a flag breakout.
- Candlestick patterns explained: what the shapes tell you and what they do notWhat the hammer, engulfing candle and doji show, how to read them in context, and why their record is weaker than their names suggest.
- Do chart patterns work? An honest look at the evidenceChart patterns are popular, but the evidence that they predict prices is mixed. How to test a pattern fairly, and what the research suggests.
- Chart reading mistakes: the errors that make a clean chart misleadThe common chart reading errors, from hindsight and cherry-picked timeframes to ignored costs and scale, and a short check to catch each one.
- Cup and handle: a rounded base with a small pullbackWhat a cup and handle pattern looks like, how traders set a breakout level and a textbook target, and why the breakout matters more than the rounded shape.
- Double tops and double bottoms: how to spot them on a chartWhat double tops and double bottoms look like, where to place the neckline, and why both patterns need a confirmed break before they mean anything.
- Fibonacci retracement explained: the levels traders draw and why they are conventionsHow Fibonacci retracement levels such as 38.2, 50 and 61.8 percent are drawn from a swing, and why they are reference points rather than laws.
- Gaps on charts explained: common, breakaway and exhaustion gapsWhat a price gap is, the types traders name, how gaps are filled, and why a gap at the open can make a stop-loss fill at a worse price than planned.
- Head and shoulders pattern: how to spot it and how often it worksThe head and shoulders is a reversal shape with a neckline. How to draw it, how traders use it, and why its record is weaker than its reputation.
- MACD explained: how the moving average convergence divergence line worksWhat the MACD line, signal line and histogram show, how the standard 12, 26 and 9 settings are built, and why crossovers often come after a move has started.
- Moving averages explained: simple, exponential and how traders use themWhat simple and exponential moving averages calculate, how traders use them to read trend and support, and why crossovers lag and can whipsaw.
- Multiple time frame analysis: using a higher chart to read a lower oneHow traders combine a weekly, daily and intraday chart, why the higher timeframe usually sets the bias, and how to avoid reading too many charts at once.
- Price action basics: reading the chart without indicatorsHow traders read price alone through swings, candle structure and key levels, and why a clean chart can still mislead without context.
- Rising and falling wedges: when a narrowing range leans against the trendHow rising and falling wedges form, why they often lean against the prevailing trend, and how a break in either direction changes the reading.
- RSI explained: what the relative strength index measures and where it misleadsHow the relative strength index is calculated, why 70 and 30 are common reference lines, how divergence is read, and why an overbought reading can persist.
- Support and resistance: the price levels traders watchHow to find support and resistance on a chart, why they work as zones rather than exact lines, and how to use them without false precision.
- How to draw trendlines that mean somethingHow to draw uptrend and downtrend lines, which points to use, how to test a line, and the errors that make trendlines look better than they are.
- Volume and price confirmation: when a move has backing and when it does notHow traders use trading volume to judge a price move, what confirmation and divergence mean, and why volume data differs from market to market.
Chart Patterns and Technical Indicators Explained
Common chart patterns and indicators: what each one shows, and what the evidence says about it.