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Learn stock chart patterns

Learn 16 must-know chart patterns — head and shoulders, double tops, cup and handle, flags and triangles — with short lessons and quick quizzes.

Head & Shoulders (bearish)

Three peaks: a smaller peak (shoulder), a higher peak (head), then another shoulder. Breaking the neckline below signals a trend reversal lower.

Inverse Head & Shoulders (bullish)

Mirror of Head & Shoulders — three troughs with the middle one deepest. A break above the neckline is a classic bullish reversal.

Double Top (bearish)

Price hits a high, pulls back, then re-tests the same high and fails. The 'M' shape often signals exhaustion at resistance.

Double Bottom (bullish)

Two clear lows at the same level form a 'W'. Buyers defended that price twice — a break of the middle high confirms upside.

Cup & Handle (bullish)

A rounded 'U' bottom (the cup) followed by a small downward drift (the handle). A breakout above the rim targets a continued uptrend.

Bull Flag (bullish)

A sharp run-up (the pole) followed by a tight, slightly downward channel (the flag). A break upward continues the trend.

Bear Flag (bearish)

A sharp drop (the pole) followed by a tight, slightly upward channel (the flag). A break down continues the downtrend.

Ascending Triangle (bullish)

Flat resistance on top, rising lows below. Buyers keep stepping up — a breakout above the flat line usually runs.

Descending Triangle (bearish)

Flat support on the bottom, falling highs above. Sellers keep pressing — a break below the flat line often accelerates lower.

Symmetrical Triangle (neutral)

Lower highs and higher lows squeeze price into a point. Direction is unclear until the breakout — trade the break, not the wedge.

Rising Wedge (bearish)

Higher highs and higher lows, but the slope flattens as momentum fades. Often resolves with a sharp break lower.

Falling Wedge (bullish)

Lower highs and lower lows, but the slope flattens — sellers are losing steam. A break above the upper line is the bullish trigger.

Rounding Bottom (bullish)

A long, smooth 'saucer' shape as sellers exhaust and buyers slowly take over. Patient base-building — often precedes a sustained uptrend.

Triple Top (bearish)

Three failed pushes at the same resistance. Sellers defend it harder each time — a break of the support line confirms a reversal lower.

Triple Bottom (bullish)

Three failed pushes at the same support. Buyers defend it harder each time — a break of the resistance line confirms a reversal higher.

Pennant (neutral)

A sharp move followed by a tiny symmetrical squeeze — like a flag, but with converging lines. Continuation in the direction of the pole is most common.

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