facebook banner
logotype
Back to list

How to Use Triangle Chart Patterns in Forex

2:53 PM Sep 24, 2020
6625
Forex trading

When the market situation becomes uncertain the charts often form different types of Triangle figures. This is one of the most common patterns in Forex. Therefore, you should understand the peculiarities of triangle trading in Forex, as this pattern is widespread and often found not only in the currency market but also in crypto and other markets. Once you learn how to spot triangles on charts you’ll get a whole variety of additional trading opportunities. Many traders have their own opinions on trading triangles, so let's find out what will suit your trading style based on a descending and ascending triangle.

The Definition of Triangle Pattern in Trading

A triangle pattern forms when bulls or bears have a slight advantage. These patterns are usually trend continuation or confirmation patterns, but they can sometimes be found as reversal triangles. A triangle can be easily identified by drawing two trend lines through the highs and lows.

Types of Triangles

When traders doubt the future development of the market situation, their confidence drops. This leads to a decrease in volatility. The swings that are formed in the process form the triangles. For example, this happens prior to major economic news releases.

Triangles form on any trend. There are three main types:

  1. Ascending triangle
  2. Descending triangle
  3. Symmetrical triangle

Ascending Triangle

This figure usually forms on a downtrend. The price fluctuates in a small channel. The amplitude of its movement gradually decreases. The highs form the upper horizontal or near-horizontal side of the triangle. The lows gradually rise and form the upward lower side of the triangle.

Ascending Triangle

  1. Downtrend
  2. Highs
  3. Lows
  4. Resistance level
  5. Breakout point - buy signal

An ascending triangle forms when bears lose and bulls gain strength. When buyers take control of the market, the price breaks the upper horizontal edge of the triangle which serves as a resistance level. This breakout is usually accompanied by a fairly strong bullish momentum.

Usually, an ascending triangle indicates a trend continuation, but sometimes there are exceptions. That's why you should keep a close eye on the chart, as a breakout can happen in any direction and at any time. I recommend using volumes or Bollinger Bands to help determine the breakout's direction.

Descending Triangle

This pattern is formed in a growing market and usually indicates an imminent trend change. The emergence of a descending triangle tells about a growing uncertainty among buyers. Their strength begins to decline and bears come into play. When the sellers' strength significantly exceeds the buyers’, the price breaks the lower side of the triangle and gives a sell signal.

Descending Triangle

  1. Uptrend
  2. The highs (minimum of 3) gradually decline and form the upper descending side of the triangle
  3. The lows (minimum of 3) remain roughly the same and form the lower horizontal (or almost horizontal) edge of the triangle which becomes the support level
  4. The breakout point of the support level is a signal to open a sell trade

Trading Strategy

It’s too dangerous to trade within both triangles. The optimal solution is to wait for the price level to be broken and open a required trade:

  • Buy position for an ascending triangle
  • Sell position for descending figure

Most traders don’t wait for the breakout moment to enter the trade and place a pending order:

  • Just over the horizontal resistance line for an ascending triangle
  • Below horizontal support on a descending pattern

There is a chance of false breakout. More cautious traders wait until the breakout candle is completed and only then enter into a trade. There is no perfect trading method here. You can either wait for a strong breakout impulse, which will allow you to make a good amount of money, or scalp on the volatility in the middle of the triangle, whether it is descending or ascending. Choose the one that suits your risk preferences and stick to it.

In the next article, we will discuss how to trade a symmetrical triangle.

Popular articles

Stay tuned for the latest FXCL stories

trading mindset beginners novice traders trading strategy losses forex mistakes trading habits trading plan forex trading women in Forex female traders risk management broker profit trading instruments pairs price advantages of forex leverage FXCL investments copy trading advantages of Forex social trading professional traders trading psychology demo trading buy/sell bid/ask spread Metatrader 4 market analysis technical analysis fundamental analysis trade trading platform Forex trading novice trading dealing with losses charts timeframe indicators MetaTrader 4 trading routine support level resistance level trend low-hanging fruit stop loss loss trading history long-term goals open trade close trade daily charts swing trading intraday trading scalping trading setup Forex traders bullish bearish resistance support MA 200 trend trading professional trading EMA EA daily chart weekly chart Forex news highs lows account type cent trading Mini Micro Cent Partnership commission fees trading terms Stop Loss news trading economical calendar major news release currency pair currency rate national currency trading journal trades profit/loss emotions news release positions size Expert Advisors platform trading robot cryptocurrency volatility day trading position size lot account types cent accounts Mini account ECN Copytrade ECN accounts swap-free minimum deposit order execution liquidity providers demo accounts real account low-risk trading EUR/USD economic calendar majors cross-currencies exotic currencies base currency quote currency quotes bid ask Brexit United Kingdom European Union GBP Euro GDP WTO price levels moving average 4-hour chart 1-hour chart bulls bears false breakout cross-currency USD price action pin bar trading inside bar trading hands off breakeven stop loss 50% stop loss pin bar high-frequency trading position trading swings breakout strategy trading style Entry order Take Profit hammer shooting star inside bar pinocchio bar head and shoulders harami risk to reward ratio trading calculator trader’s age emotion control stop-hunting false signal trading session New York session Asian session non-farm payrolls fed rates decision central banks mentor teacher Forex education Forex books candlesticks bonuses tradable bonus no deposit bonus deposit bonus cashback pending orders counter-trend trading risk-to-reward ratio 1-2% rule uptrend downtrend news releases slippage emotional trading stop orders limits orders trailing Stop correlation Correlation Matrix EURUSD EURJPY RSI Overbought/Oversold indicator doji morning start candlestick pattern liquidity London session gap requote US dollar greed excessive trading Expert Advisor trading instrument Twitter Trump euro Canadian dollar Japanese yen Mexican peso currency pairs Fed China economic news currency wars USA interest rates trade agreement H1 H4 D1 sell trade buy trade price level trading system COVID-19 coronavirus lockdown checklist Default mode network Nonfarm Payrolls intraday traders lot size Stop Out margin breakeven pip point entry price chart candles weekly candle daily candle engulfing candle Doji W1 fears money management trading signals Charles Dow Dow theory primary trend Relative Strength Index signals market noise trading volume oversold/overbought corrections candle M30 GBPUSD GBPJPY pending order fundamentals Interbank order Stop order Limit order Standard account Interbank account liquidity provider M5 chart gold XAUUSD Chinese yuan flat US Dollar Fed Interest Rates inflation level XPTUSD platinum XAGUSD silver USDCNY Chinese Yuan instruments swap trading hours Buy Stop Sell Stop Average True Range ATR range sideways range price level trading scripts Excel tables entry point equity balance applications highs and lows RSI Fibonacci terminal server proxy OS Windows XP self-trading Forex advantages gap trading Fibonacci levels USDJPY Buy Limit Cherry Blossom market cycle mark-up mark-down consolidation distribution long positions short positions double bottom triple bottom double top triple top pattern signal presidential cycle Elliott wave Kondratiev wave Forex terminology quote standard lot mini-lot micro-lot cross pairs exotic pairs counter-currency terminology Margin Call long position short position buy sell candlestick chart bar chart line chart range market channel high low ADX OHLC patterns profit level martingale aggressive EAs VPS demo account EA tester trading signal chasing the market clicking the button oil trading lot EUR cent account Forex mentor novice trader emotions control fear psychological level round numbers Key Levels indicator MetaQuotes iOS Android mobile trading mobile terminal VPS server financial portals day trader position closing short timeframe fast trading news site news portal FXStreet Investing.com Forex Factory ForexLive DailyFX CPI PPI economic indicators Non-Farm Payrolls monetary policy FOMC retail sales inflation rates program installation intuition apps ECN brokers market makers financial markets indices commodities stock metals trading robots Forex mentors confidence bias low-frequency trading set and forget end-of-day trading exit trade auto-trading OCO trailing stop auto-management competitive advantage partnership IB referral Introducing Broker Sub-IB EURGBP EURCHF Donald Trump Twitter exotics minors trading patterns wedges pennants triangles breakout trading range trading confident trading trading goals japanese candles stars morning star evening star Japanese candles inverted hammer hanging man abandoned baby spinning top spinning bottom inverted head and shoulders trading figure trading pattern beginner mistakes unrealized profit/loss Forex scammers money managers overtrading Trader’s Cabinet MT4 trading styles exit point Forex myths currency bitcoin ethereum tether litecoin tick chart education European session cross currency GBP/USD GBP/JPY M15 intraday strategy American session USD/CAD M5 Bollinger Bands MAM investing high water mark currency market stock market cryptocurrency market figures diamond divergent triangle symmetrical triangle reversal signal financial intelligence financial education long-term investing triangle ascending triangle descending triangle risk control stocks Forex mutual fund EUR/AUD AUD Australian Dollar Australia ECB RBA demo live live account spike bearish spike bullish spike breathing techniques meditation unusual trading tips useful habits nutrition intermittent fasting Three indians pamm mam expert advisors start-up capital business Forex business oversold overbought reverse signals 15-minute chart full-time trading discipline drawdown inflation devaluation IDR LAK export Russia regulations regulators Central Bank quantitative easing quantitative tightening Donald Trump Joe Biden coins indexes DXY ICO Mrs. Watanabe beginner trader carry trading young traders women traders productivity self-discipline rectangle sideways channel trend figure Alexander Elder John Murphy Jack Schwager limit order leaving Forex useful tips motivation on Forex expanding triangle 5 candlesticks signal confirmation loss control currencies Germany market execution instant execution taxes laws remote trading withdrawals time management British pound BoE unemployment rate interest rate breakout Sydney session Tokyo session disposition effect continuation pattern golden rule enter trade high volatility risk trading trading discipline trading strategies Forex risks trading risks systemic risks technical risks force majeure criminal risks self-education self-study professional education Forex forecasts partnership program Forex bonuses Forex contests self-employed trader bars harami cross engulfing belt hold sandwich piercing line dark cloud cover marubozu three black crows upside gap two crows multitasking wedge figure trading sessions major trend million financial literacy budget goal setting Forex resources Myfxbook useful tools account analysis account monitoring trading analysis economic sentiment consumer price losing streak perfectionism consistent profits starting capital initial investment market psychology japanese candlesticks PAMM trust management money manager holidays market sentiment CHF CAD Great Britain pound Swiss Frank reserve currency averaging morning routine initial capital potential profit reverse pattern rounded bottom rounded top saucer inverse saucer IB Program IB Commission Sharing reversal patterns deposits payment methods payment systems local transactions trader’s block market balance
trading mindset beginners novice traders trading strategy losses forex mistakes trading habits trading plan forex trading women in Forex female traders risk management broker profit trading instruments pairs price advantages of forex leverage FXCL investments copy trading advantages of Forex social trading professional traders trading psychology demo trading buy/sell bid/ask spread Metatrader 4 market analysis technical analysis fundamental analysis trade trading platform Forex trading novice trading dealing with losses charts timeframe indicators MetaTrader 4 trading routine support level resistance level trend low-hanging fruit stop loss loss trading history long-term goals open trade close trade daily charts swing trading intraday trading scalping trading setup Forex traders bullish bearish resistance support MA 200 trend trading professional trading EMA EA daily chart weekly chart Forex news highs lows account type cent trading Mini Micro Cent Partnership commission fees trading terms Stop Loss news trading economical calendar major news release currency pair currency rate national currency trading journal trades profit/loss emotions news release positions size Expert Advisors platform trading robot cryptocurrency volatility day trading position size lot account types cent accounts Mini account ECN Copytrade ECN accounts swap-free minimum deposit order execution liquidity providers demo accounts real account low-risk trading EUR/USD economic calendar majors cross-currencies exotic currencies base currency quote currency quotes bid ask Brexit United Kingdom European Union GBP Euro GDP WTO price levels moving average 4-hour chart 1-hour chart bulls bears false breakout cross-currency USD price action pin bar trading inside bar trading hands off breakeven stop loss 50% stop loss pin bar high-frequency trading position trading swings breakout strategy trading style Entry order Take Profit hammer shooting star inside bar pinocchio bar head and shoulders harami risk to reward ratio trading calculator trader’s age emotion control stop-hunting false signal trading session New York session Asian session non-farm payrolls fed rates decision central banks mentor teacher Forex education Forex books candlesticks bonuses tradable bonus no deposit bonus deposit bonus cashback pending orders counter-trend trading risk-to-reward ratio 1-2% rule uptrend downtrend news releases slippage emotional trading stop orders limits orders trailing Stop correlation Correlation Matrix EURUSD EURJPY RSI Overbought/Oversold indicator doji morning start candlestick pattern liquidity London session gap requote US dollar greed excessive trading Expert Advisor trading instrument Twitter Trump euro Canadian dollar Japanese yen Mexican peso currency pairs Fed China economic news currency wars USA interest rates trade agreement H1 H4 D1 sell trade buy trade price level trading system COVID-19 coronavirus lockdown checklist Default mode network Nonfarm Payrolls intraday traders lot size Stop Out margin breakeven pip point entry price chart candles weekly candle daily candle engulfing candle Doji W1 fears money management trading signals Charles Dow Dow theory primary trend Relative Strength Index signals market noise trading volume oversold/overbought corrections candle M30 GBPUSD GBPJPY pending order fundamentals Interbank order Stop order Limit order Standard account Interbank account liquidity provider M5 chart gold XAUUSD Chinese yuan flat US Dollar Fed Interest Rates inflation level XPTUSD platinum XAGUSD silver USDCNY Chinese Yuan instruments swap trading hours Buy Stop Sell Stop Average True Range ATR range sideways range price level trading scripts Excel tables entry point equity balance applications highs and lows RSI Fibonacci terminal server proxy OS Windows XP self-trading Forex advantages gap trading Fibonacci levels USDJPY Buy Limit Cherry Blossom market cycle mark-up mark-down consolidation distribution long positions short positions double bottom triple bottom double top triple top pattern signal presidential cycle Elliott wave Kondratiev wave Forex terminology quote standard lot mini-lot micro-lot cross pairs exotic pairs counter-currency terminology Margin Call long position short position buy sell candlestick chart bar chart line chart range market channel high low ADX OHLC patterns profit level martingale aggressive EAs VPS demo account EA tester trading signal chasing the market clicking the button oil trading lot EUR cent account Forex mentor novice trader emotions control fear psychological level round numbers Key Levels indicator MetaQuotes iOS Android mobile trading mobile terminal VPS server financial portals day trader position closing short timeframe fast trading news site news portal FXStreet Investing.com Forex Factory ForexLive DailyFX CPI PPI economic indicators Non-Farm Payrolls monetary policy FOMC retail sales inflation rates program installation intuition apps ECN brokers market makers financial markets indices commodities stock metals trading robots Forex mentors confidence bias low-frequency trading set and forget end-of-day trading exit trade auto-trading OCO trailing stop auto-management competitive advantage partnership IB referral Introducing Broker Sub-IB EURGBP EURCHF Donald Trump Twitter exotics minors trading patterns wedges pennants triangles breakout trading range trading confident trading trading goals japanese candles stars morning star evening star Japanese candles inverted hammer hanging man abandoned baby spinning top spinning bottom inverted head and shoulders trading figure trading pattern beginner mistakes unrealized profit/loss Forex scammers money managers overtrading Trader’s Cabinet MT4 trading styles exit point Forex myths currency bitcoin ethereum tether litecoin tick chart education European session cross currency GBP/USD GBP/JPY M15 intraday strategy American session USD/CAD M5 Bollinger Bands MAM investing high water mark currency market stock market cryptocurrency market figures diamond divergent triangle symmetrical triangle reversal signal financial intelligence financial education long-term investing triangle ascending triangle descending triangle risk control stocks Forex mutual fund EUR/AUD AUD Australian Dollar Australia ECB RBA demo live live account spike bearish spike bullish spike breathing techniques meditation unusual trading tips useful habits nutrition intermittent fasting Three indians pamm mam expert advisors start-up capital business Forex business oversold overbought reverse signals 15-minute chart full-time trading discipline drawdown inflation devaluation IDR LAK export Russia regulations regulators Central Bank quantitative easing quantitative tightening Donald Trump Joe Biden coins indexes DXY ICO Mrs. Watanabe beginner trader carry trading young traders women traders productivity self-discipline rectangle sideways channel trend figure Alexander Elder John Murphy Jack Schwager limit order leaving Forex useful tips motivation on Forex expanding triangle 5 candlesticks signal confirmation loss control currencies Germany market execution instant execution taxes laws remote trading withdrawals time management British pound BoE unemployment rate interest rate breakout Sydney session Tokyo session disposition effect continuation pattern golden rule enter trade high volatility risk trading trading discipline trading strategies Forex risks trading risks systemic risks technical risks force majeure criminal risks self-education self-study professional education Forex forecasts partnership program Forex bonuses Forex contests self-employed trader bars harami cross engulfing belt hold sandwich piercing line dark cloud cover marubozu three black crows upside gap two crows multitasking wedge figure trading sessions major trend million financial literacy budget goal setting Forex resources Myfxbook useful tools account analysis account monitoring trading analysis economic sentiment consumer price losing streak perfectionism consistent profits starting capital initial investment market psychology japanese candlesticks PAMM trust management money manager holidays market sentiment CHF CAD Great Britain pound Swiss Frank reserve currency averaging morning routine initial capital potential profit reverse pattern rounded bottom rounded top saucer inverse saucer IB Program IB Commission Sharing reversal patterns deposits payment methods payment systems local transactions trader’s block market balance