When it comes to trading, there is no chart pattern that is more popular than the double bottom or double top. In practical terms, this pattern forms so frequently that it could be strong evidence to support, on its own, that market sentiment is not as totally unpredictable as many experts believe it to be. The double-top and double-bottom patterns have the same pips between the profit target and the stop-loss point.

Whatever direction the market takes next, it will be bullish or bearish. The double top pattern is a twin-peak chart pattern representing a bearish reversal in which the price reaches the same levels twice with a small decline in between the two peaks. A double top pattern usually signals an intermediate or long-term change in trend.

Identify and Trade The Double Top Pattern

A second attempt follows with price making almost the same top, this time 99.88, and a sharp reversal follows. These chart patterns form during the brief period of uncertainty as a trend turns course. For example when a currency is in a bull trend that’s “topping https://g-markets.net/ out”, the first downward correction pulls in more buyers. If more buyers don’t come in, the market falls back and a reversal gathers momentum. The most important aspect of the double top pattern is to avoid pulling the trigger on a trade too early.

It is required to wait for the neckline break as it validates the pattern itself. During an uptrend, higher highs and lower highs are made consecutively. As seen in the image above, the double top consists of two peaks with a low between them. After 5 years of trading, i can say there is not a lot of profitable stuff out there. Contrarian traders look for these as opportunities to bet against the crowd.

If there is a gap between the trend line and price, it means the price is heading more in the direction of the trend and away from the trend line. The following illustration demonstrates how the Relative Strength Index (RSI) aids in determining entry into a sell position. To calculate your take profit, the pip count between the second high and the neckline is calculated. Doing this gives room for a deep retrace and reduces the chance of getting stopped from a really good trade, as shown below. Stop-loss is the most crucial variable in any trading strategy; capital should always be protected. Alternatively, a retrace/ retest of the neckline of the double top can be waited for.

Chart Patterns

A very good signals product that makes consistent money knowing how to use it correctly of course. Recently, on the currency markets, we had such a situation, and if a trader knew the things described on the previous paragraph most likely the outcome of treating that pattern would be different. To avoid trading these cases it helps to look for other signs that the trend is exhausting. Before placing the trade we ensure the pattern is forming at a noticeable peak and there haven’t been any recent pullbacks in the trend. But it descends back without reaching the higher resistance line. In Figure 2, we sell at point (1) after the support line is broken.

Stock market volatility (movement) is much less frenetic as displayed by the ‘smoother’ chart construction. The use of an oscillator has been implemented in this stock example to show the diversity of supporting functions that can be used with the double top pattern. If formed at the end of an uptrend, it could signal a bearish reversal. Conversely, if it is formed at the end of a downtrend, it could signal a bullish reversal.

Stop loss/take profit advisor

Therefore, this pattern cannot be used to support tactics by traders seeking reward-to-risk ratios greater than one-to-one. The double-top pattern is one of the various candlestick chart patterns that signal a market reversal. The signals of reversals are not happened every day at specified TF i.e. To be valid the double top pattern should stand on its own as the two highest peaks in the nearby trend. The pattern usually forms as the last group of buyers comes into the market.

Alternatively, some traders place a buy position when the RSI is in the oversold zone (below 30) and a sell position when the RSI is in the overbought zone (above 70). The Relative Strength Index is one of the most popular trend indicators that has been used for decades to measure market strength. When the value-line for the RSI is over 70, it means that the price is in an “overbought” zone, which suggests a likely end to the uptrend.

Double tops and double bottoms are falling into the reversal patterns category and they are extremely common, especially on the lower time frames. However, I would not look lower than the hourly chart for treating a double top/bottom because sometimes high volatility levels especially on the currency markets make such patterns shaky. While you could still use weekly and daily time frames to identify double top patterns, it does become more challenging. This is because you’re often not sure if the pattern is real or if it is a fake breakout.

They know that a double top pattern in forex or any other liquid market can produce more dramatic price moves than a double bottom pattern. As is the case with the majority of chart patterns, a double bottom pattern is most useful when used for an analysis of an intermediate to a longer-term view of a market. In general, the likelihood that a chart pattern will be profitable increases in proportion to the length of time that elapses between the pattern’s two lowest points in the price range. The initial bottom comes following a strong drop, and the price then retraces back to the neckline.

Understanding the Double Top Pattern

In the event that there is a double top, the second rounded top will often be much lower than the top of the first rounded top, which indicates resistance and tiredness. In this article, you will learn its formation, confirmation, how to trade it, types of double top patterns, examples, and much more. I would not rent it again because it seems to point out ANYTHING that looks like a DT or DB. It says it points out “high probability reversal patterns” but that was not my experience.

• When the two tops are so close, to the point of being nearly identical, this is a sign of a fake double top and that the highs will then be broken, as happened in this case.
• Then, a strong downward movement below the low formed (neckline) switches the trend.
• A double top is a reversal pattern that forms after a market markup (uptrend).
• Double tops can enhance technical analysis when trading both forex or stocks, making the pattern highly versatile in nature.

When the price breaks the neckline, an order can be placed instantly. Scanner just help you in terms of “not switching charts” every second. In scanner you can use the custom pairs and choose which timeframes you want to check. Search for “Ultimate Double Top Bottom Reversal Scanner” in the indicator-market to get the scanner tool. Price action trading with candlesticks gives a straightforward explanation of the subject by example.

The Pros of Trading Double-Top and Double-Bottom Patterns

The price will often accelerate towards the peak but on rising volatility (see the ATR to confirm) and decreasing volume. For this purpose, the trend should break the lowest point between the two peaks accompanied by acceleration and an increase in volume. To set a price target, traders should subtract the distance from the break to top from the breakpoint. If the gap between the peaks is too small, then the pattern may not indicate a longer-term change in asset price. This indicator detects a special form of Double Tops and Bottoms, so called Double Tops/Bottoms with fake breakouts.

A slight and temporary break above the first peak is preferred as it may excite the bulls only to reverse and trend lower. Signs of a bullish shift in IG client sentiment may indicate a secondary top is looming. The neckline is formed between the price low of the valley between the two peaks. A break below this neckline will confirm the double top pattern.

Double Bottom Pattern

This increases the probability that the market is reversing and not simply trending sideways. If the price rises again and starts to trend sideways it could be forming into a flag pattern. That could be a strong sign of a continuation rather than reversal. Double top and bottom patterns are chart patterns that occur when the trading instrument moves in a similar pattern to the letter “W” (double bottom) or “M” (double top). The patterns usually occur at the end of a trend and are used to signal trend reversals very early. In summary the double top pattern is commanding if correctly utilized and understood.

There are a couple of other things that you should also look out for when searching for double-top patterns. When a pattern is being formed, there is often a significant increase in the fake double top pattern volume of that currency pair. This is because other traders would have also identified the pattern and have also placed positions while waiting for the market to shift in their favor.