Cup And Handle Patterns In Trading

Firstly we want the stock to have attained a strong relative strength when compared to all other stocks, so we require an RS of 70 on a scale from 1-99. We also want the pivot to be approaching the left cup level, so we require the pivot price to be at least 60% of the left cup. Thirdly, there must have been sufficient time for a shakeout of holders during stage 2, and sufficient time for institutions to notice and take an interest in the stock during stage 3.

This e-book provides an in-depth analysis of the pattern and how you can use it to trade with greater success. The handle formed after a strong upward gap and formation of a short-term bearish island cluster of two sessions . The handle moved price from $64.50 down to $62.50 over less than one week. The initial bullish trend moved price from $61.75 to resistance of $63.75 in approximately a two-week period. At that point, the rounded bottom of the cup began to form.

Price Target Once the breakout takes place, you can project the upward price move by measuring the distance between the right peak, or high, of the cup to the bottom of the cup. The confirmation signal of the figure comes at the moment when the price action breaks the handle downwards. After the bearish Cup with Handle signal, you can start pursuing the bearish potential of the pattern. The confirmation of the pattern comes when the price action breaks the channel of the handle in the bearish direction. The first target of the pattern equals to the size of the bearish channel around the handle, applied downwards starting from the moment of the breakout. The second target equals to the size of the cup, applied downwards starting from the moment of the breakout.

Mint Global is not responsible for the products, services and policies of any third party. No amount of analysis can make up for years of experience combined with advanced training. The rally indicated by the cup shape shows re-investment in an asset that had become undervalued. You could also place an order above or below the handle to buy or sell when the asset reaches a more favourable price. An order allows you to open a position at a price you choose, rather than the one currently being quoted.

Cup And Handle Pattern Detection Algorithm

For traders who have the time and are seeking an active trading environment, our live trading room is the place to be. The first bullish move took price to the resistance price of $63. An example of cup and handle chart pattern a cup and handle is seen on the chart of Microsoft. Cup depth should retrace about one-third of the previous advance, at the most. This is seen with a second price signal, such as a candlestick.

As the handle declines and concludes, price reverses, moving again to the upside and setting up as a breakout from previous resistance. Generally, cups with longer and more “U” shaped bottoms, the stronger the signal. Also, avoid handles which are too deep since Swing trading the handles should form in the top half of the cup pattern. Volume – Volume should dry up on the decline and remain lower than average in the base of the bowl. It should then increase when the stock finally starts to make its move back up to test the old high.

Precious Metal Charts

A stop-loss can be placed below the low price point in the handle. Below is an example of an inverted cup and handle on the FTSE 100 weekly chart. Although the pattern formed and the price did decline, ultimately, the price did not follow through to the downside.

A cup and handle is typically considered a bullish continuation pattern. Once a cup and handle pattern forms, in order to generate a bullish trade signal, the price must break above the top of the handle that has formed. A cup and handle is considered a bullish continuation pattern and is used to identify buying opportunities. The Cup and Handle pattern resembles a cup with a handle. They are continuation patterns and usually form in bullish trends. Most of these patterns are very reliable and offer great trading opportunities.

A Detailed Explanation Of A Cup And Handle Formation

Commentary and opinions expressed are those of the author/speaker and not necessarily those of Mint Global. Mint Global does not guarantee the accuracy of, or endorse, the statements of any third party, including guest speakers or authors of commentary or news articles. All information regarding the likelihood of potential future investment outcomes are hypothetical. When you are looking at this type of formation, the bottom of the cup could form as quickly as seven weeks and can take as long as 65 weeks.

• If the pattern is bearish, sell when the price breaks the handle downwards.
• If the handle breakout fails, there was probably candlestick warnings along the way .
• The Cup and Handle pattern is aptly named because this technical pattern actually resembles a cup with a handle on the chart.
• An order allows you to open a position at a price you choose, rather than the one currently being quoted.

The highest volume bar on the chart appears on June 5 , the day after the price closed above the high set on January 18. On this day, 345,500 shares of Winnebago were traded—almost 475% above the 50-day average trading volume of 60,100 shares. This provides an indication that the upward price trend could continue—which in fact it does.

Anatomy Of A Cup

This would be an advantageous time to sell the USD/CAD Forex pair. The price will likely continue in that direction though conservative traders may look for additional confirmation. The target can be estimated using the technique of measuring the distance from the right peak of the cup to the bottom of the cup and extending it in the direction of the breakout. A common stop level is just outside the handle on the opposite side of the breakout.

Chart Example Of Cup And Handle

This second pullback is very healthy and normal for a strong stock or a stock that is gaining strength. Since stock movements have such a large psychological component to them, it is unlikely the stock will enjoy any type of rally as long as there exists many disgruntled stockholders. Once enough time has passed , the stock is free to move higher for there is now an absence of stockholders who will sell at the first good opportunity. The trendline should be flat or slightly downward sloping. Inverted Cup & Handle patterns usually take several months and sometimes over a year to form. The best patterns possess a decent amount of symmetry with the right half of the cup mirroring the left half and the right half of the handle mirroring the left half.

It creates a U-shape, or the “cup” in our “cup and handle.” The price then moves sideways or drifts downward within a channel—that forms the handle. A profit target is determined by measuring the distance between the bottom of the cup and the pattern’s breakout level, and extending that distance upward from the breakout. For example, if the distance between the bottom of the cup and handle breakout level is 20 points, a profit target is placed 20 points above the pattern’s handle. Stop loss orders may be placed either below the handle or below the cup depending on the trader’s risk tolerance and market volatility. The cup and handle pattern is a bullish continuation pattern. Now, this pattern typically has a run-up on the left side.

The bottom of the pullback pattern would be a good place to put your stoploss. The first opportunity would be to enter during the handle phase before the breakout, but if you miss that, they next best chance is to enter on the first pullback after the breakout. Hence, it makes more sense to make good use of your trading capital, and only enter the trade as the action is about to start. Looking at the diagram above, you might think that the best place to enter a trade is during the cup phase, because you can get the best entry price. By this time, the bulls have the upper hand as they have been accumulating positions during the cup formation, which in turn attracts more buyers. The best chance to buy those stocks at a low price could be over the weeks ahead.

What Is An inverted Cup And Handle?

You should also be careful is the handle shoots down too rapidly. We mentioned above the need for constructive price/volume action while the stock is building the right side of its cup. This is measured by our Right Cup Quality indicator and is a component of our overall Chart Quality metric . Notice the volume starting to pick up on the right side of the head and then falloff on the left side of the handle.

If the cup and handle forms after a downtrend, it could signal a reversal of the trend. To improve the odds of the pattern resulting in a real reversal, look for the downside price waves to get smaller heading into the cup and handle. The smaller down foreign exchange market waves heading into the cup and handle provide evidence that selling is tapering off, which improves the odds of an upside move if the price breaks above the handle. A V-bottom, where the price drops and then sharply rallies may also form a cup.

Concept is the softer inverted ‘U’ shape is a consolidation with valid or true ‘resistance’.  Inverted ‘V’ shaped – considered ‘too sharp’ by many to qualify Bear trend – ideally depth of the cup should retrace 1/3 or less of the previous trend decline but it often will hit 50%. Cup and handle patterns are a bullish pattern that look like the name that they are called. Price moves up to a peak level and then starts to pull back or fall rapidly.

To simply apply the same price target logic to every stock formation in the market sounds a bit off, when you think about it. Now that we have covered a short introduction to the cup and handle pattern, let’s walk through a few day trading strategies that can separate you from the crowd. As you can see from the above example, the cup is really a rounding of price action near a series of lows. One of the key characteristics is volume will be heavy on the left, light in the middle and pick up again on the right side of the cup. When you layer the volume on top of the price action, they both can look like two Us on the chart.

Author: Mary Hall