Like all chart patterns, the bull flag has its pros and cons. The first characteristic is that the controlling uptrend should have experienced a sharp, rapid increase in price before forming the flag pattern. We’ve mentioned the Volume indicator that can confirm the upward trend continuation and the bull flag’s effectiveness. Here are some steps to help you determine the what is polyswarm. The price corrected for three weeks during the strong uptrend but continued its upward movement later. Open the daily timeframe chart and highlight the highs and lows of the daily candlestick.

One advantage of the bull flag pattern is that it’s a price correction chart pattern that’s relatively easy to identify visually when it appears. If the trading volumes rise after the correction and the price breaks above the bull flag’s upper boundary, it’s a sign of the trend’s continuation. When the price consolidates, the Volume indicator is expected to decrease as bulls aren’t strong anymore.

Bull flags closely resemble another chart pattern – the bullish pennant. Both the flag and pennant patterns are continuation patterns that generate a buy signal following an upside breakout from a downside corrective retracement. On Phemex, you can combine the bull and bear flag patterns with other indicators to help plan out your trades. It’s not uncommon to see the term “pennant” whenever there’s mention of flag patterns. The only difference is that the consolidation of a pennant pattern features converging rather than parallel trend lines.

If the flagpole was formed by a move upwards, it forms a bullish flag. If the resistance of a bull flag is broken, traders can be more confident that the price will continue to move upwards by the length of the pole. On the other hand, if the support of a bull flag is breached, traders can deem that the pattern was invalid. Traders can profit from identifying bearish flag patterns by going short on bearish trends.

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This Bullish log chart for BTC shows a clear cup and handle Yet these could be acting as a quasi-bullflag, flagpole at the same time. Both experience an upward move initially (cup, flag-pole) and further consolidation period Both are bullish but experience a similar development as bullish tools. To put it simply, a bull flag pattern signals that although there may be a temporary setback, a positive price trend is likely to continue.

• Volume has also started to pick up over the past two sessions.
• Without higher timeframe analysis, you may go against the trend even with a bull flag pattern.
• In this technical analysis we are reviewing the price action on Ethereum.

After the breakout of the channel, the impulsive phase starts. When you see that pattern, you know another strong move up is coming. No chart pattern is going to look perfect and that’s ok. Hence, the price can go up the same distance as the length of the flag pole.

While both patterns can signal bullish continuation, the key difference between them is that the bull flag has lower highs, while the flat top breakout has equal highs. After the uptrend, the price will typically enter a period of consolidation or sideways price action. This is often characterized by a narrow range and lower volume and is referred to as the “flag” portion of the pattern. If you are using platforms such as TradingView, zoom out of the chart and mark the consolidation zone.

If you’re relying on one pattern to tell the story, you’ll find trading to be difficult. That’s why it’s so important to be able to see patterns within patterns. Hence the shape of the flag isn’t as important as what it’s telling you. A stock that has a strong move up and consolidates but refuses to drop is telling a story.

How to Trade a Bull Flag Chart Pattern

Like any other technical indicator, the bull flag pattern has a collection of unique advantages and disadvantages. After the breakout of the trendline, the price will retrace a little bit. If you will wait for the price to retrace and then open a buy trade after the formation of a bullish candlestick pattern, then it will increase the risk-reward ratio. No matter what bull flags look like, they’re always a sign of a potential strong move up coming. Look at what patterns they’re apart of just to confirm that. A bull flag pattern is very similar to a bullish pennant.

I will make it easy for you by explaining a simple technique to identify the higher timeframe trend. But keep in mind that this is for intraday traders only. Without that the formation becomes questionable and trading it as a bull flag is risky.

A flag or pennant pattern forms when the price rallies sharply, then moves sideways or slightly to the downside. This sideways movement typically takes the form or a rectangle or… Bull Flags are one of the most well known & easily recognized chart patterns.

The Difference Between a Flag and a Pennant

There are a few key points to look for when identifying a bull flag formation. First, the pole should be formed by a strong uptrend with consistent price movements higher. Next, the flag should form after this uptrend as the price consolidates sideways in a tight range. Finally, once the consolidation forms the flag, traders will watch for a breakout higher which signals the continuation of the original uptrend.

The first and the most important factor you should consider in every trade setup is the higher timeframe trend. Higher timeframe analysis increases the probability of winning in a trade setup. Without higher timeframe analysis, you may go against the trend even with a bull flag pattern. The bull flag is a continuation chart pattern that consists of two waves and resembles the shape of the flag in technical analysis trading.

What Does a Bull Flags Look Like? Study Them!

The pattern is short-term because it’s just a consolidation within the overall trend. The correction or the pattern term depends on the timeframe. There are a couple of different ways to manage this trade. The most common is to place a stop below the consolidation area.

Bull flag candlesticks often look like they can be apart of a larger pattern. For example you may find them within bullish patterns like the cup and handle pattern or inverse head and shoulders pattern. Not every pattern will look exactly like the text books. That’s why it’s important to spend time with experienced traders so they can point out these imperfect patterns for you in the wild.

A https://cryptolisting.org/ is a sharp, strong volume rally of an asset or stock that portrays a positive development. It forms when the price retraces by going sideways to lower price action on weaker volume followed by a sharp rally to new highs on strong volume. Traders favor this pattern because they are almost always predictable and true.

Bear flags have the same structure as bull flags — the flagpole and the flag itself — but are inverted. A bull flag is a widely used chart pattern that provides traders with a buy signal indicating the probable resumption of an existing uptrend. The key to successfully trading a bullish flag pattern is to wait for all of the pattern’s necessary elements to appear. A bear flag pattern is characterized by an initial sharp decline and then a period of consolidation. With most bear flag patterns, the volume increases when the pole is being formed, then remains at its new level. Volume typically does not decline during the consolidation period as downward trends are often a vicious cycle driven by investor fear over falling prices.