Continuation Setups
When these continuation trading patterns are formed they confirm that the current trend is going to continue heading in same direction.
These patterns are used by traders to spot half-way points of the trend, this is because they form at the half-way point of a trend.
There are 4 types:
- Ascending triangle
- Descending triangle
- Bull flag/pennant
- Bear flag/pennant
Ascending Triangle
The ascending triangle is formed in an up trend & it shows that the upwards direction of the market is going to continue.
It illustrates that there is a resistance zone that the buyers(bulls) keep pushing each time moving it higher, and once it breaks, the price will continue heading up-ward.
Overhead resistance temporarily stops the market from moving higher, while the rising trend line beneath the pattern formation signals that the buyers are still present. An up side penetration of the upper line is a trading buy signal for a market breaking-out from an ascending triangle.
Found within a upwards trend, the ascending triangle forms as a consolidation phase within the up trend and indicates up-side continuation will follow.
The market formed an ascending triangle pattern during its up trend which led to up side continuation. Buy point is when the price clears the upper sloping line & the market continues heading up-ward.
Descending Triangle
The descending triangle is formed in a down trend and it highlights that the downward direction of price movement is going to continue.
It illustrates that there is a support area that the sellers keep pushing every time moving it lower, and once it breaks, the price will continue to move downwards.
Support temporarily stops the market from declining, while the descending sloping line above the pattern formation signals that the sellers are still present. A down-side penetration of the lower line is a trading sell signal for a market breaking out down from a descending triangle, and this shows selling will follow.
Found within a downwards trend, the descending triangle pattern develops/forms as a consolidation period within the down trend and shows down-side continuation will follow.
Market formed a descending triangle during its down trend which led to further selling & continuation of the downward trend. The technical sell signal is when the price breaks-out lower horizontal sloping line as selling resumes to push the market lower.
Bull Flag/Pennant
This pattern setup forms what looks like a rectangle. The rectangle is formed by two parallel lines that act as support and resistance for the price til the price breaks out. In general, the flag will not be formed perfectly flat but it'll be sloping.
The bull flag is found within a upwards trend. In this continuation pattern where the market price retraces a little, it is therefore a slight retracement with narrow price action that has a modest downward tilt. The technical buy point is when price penetrates upper line of the flag. The flag portion has highs & lows that can be linked by small lines which are parallel, giving it what looks like a small channel.
The pennant occurs at halfway point of a bullish upwards trend & after a break-out a similar move equal to the height of the flag pole is expected.
The bull pennant above was just a resting phase as the market gathered momentum to breakout and move higher. The continuation trading signal was completed/confirmed as the upper line was broken to the up side.
Bear Flag/Pennant
This flag is found in a downwards trend. The bear flag is a continuation pattern where the price retraces slightly/a little with a narrow price action which has a modest upwards tilt. The technical sell point is when price penetrates lower line of the inverted flag. The pennant portion has highs and lows that can be linked by small lines that are parallel, giving it what looks like a small channel.
The bear pennant above was just a resting phase for the market before more selling. The continuation trading signal was completed/confirmed as the lower line was broken to the down side.
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