What Is a Horizontal Channel?
Let me explain what a horizontal channel is in technical analysis. It's a pattern where trend lines connect variable pivot highs and lows, showing how the price is contained between an upper resistance line and a lower support line. You might also hear it called a price range or sideways trend.
Key Takeaways
Horizontal channels are those trend lines linking pivot highs and lows. Inside one, buying and selling pressures balance out, so the price moves sideways. This setup gives you, as a trader, exact spots to enter or exit trades.
How a Horizontal Channel Works
A horizontal channel looks like a rectangle on the chart. It needs at least four contact points—two lows and two highs connected by lines. Here, buying and selling are equal, keeping the price action sideways during consolidation periods.
The price stays within pivot highs for resistance and pivot lows for support. I draw trend lines on these pivots to visualize the action. If the price breaks above the channel, that's a buy signal. If it drops below, it's a sell signal.
Remember, there are three channel types: horizontal, ascending (angled up), and descending (angled down). The angled ones are trend channels with a dominant direction.
You'll find horizontal channels on any time frame. Forces are balanced until a breakout or breakdown happens. This pattern pulls in various technical analysis tools, giving you precise trade entry, exit, and risk control points.
To spot them, you can manually scan charts, use stock screeners like Finviz.com, or subscribe to services that flag patterns daily.
Trading a Horizontal Channel
Horizontal channels offer a straightforward trading method with clear buy and sell points. Follow these rules for long or short positions.
When price hits the channel's top, sell your long position or go short. If it's in the middle, hold if you're in a trade or stay out if not. At the bottom, cover shorts or buy long.
Horizontal Channel Example
Take Elevate Credit, Inc. (ELVT) shares, which traded in a horizontal channel after gapping lower on October 30, 2018. Traders could short at the upper resistance three times, marked by red arrows.
On the flip side, buying opportunities came at the lower support three times, shown by green arrows. You'd place stop-losses just above resistance for shorts or below support for longs, taking profits at the opposite side.
What Are Horizontal Levels in Technical Analysis?
Horizontal levels are price points where support or resistance has hit before. They help you pinpoint trade entries and exits.
How Do You Trade a Horizontal Channel?
When price reaches the top trend line, sell or short. At the bottom, buy. In the middle, stay neutral.
What Are the Basic Principles of Technical Analysis?
The basics include trends, entry/exit signals, indicators, and patterns.
The Bottom Line
Horizontal channels in technical analysis give you specific buy and sell points. They're systematic, appearing during price consolidation, and easy to apply.
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