Descending Triangles - Long Trading Strategy
The Descending triangle is a very well known chart pattern that is usually traded short, but can also be traded if it breaks out to the upside. A descending triangle is formed when the price action is contained within two lines. The bottom line is close to horizontal while the top line slopes down towards the bottom line.
Descending Triangles, Ok To Trade
Descending triangles are one of the most predictable patterns that are available to trade short, but also can perform on the upside. Just 43% of the patterns break upwards and can deliver good returns when they do. The average gain is 0.87% in 8 days with half of the breakouts (41%) being profitable. There are better patterns to trade on the long side, but selecting the right conditions can make trading descending triangles attractive.
Refine Your Entries
When you look at the performance of a descending triangle in bearish market conditions you will see the results were not as strong as they were in more bullish years. Trading descending triangles when both the sector and the market, are in an up trend or consolidating improves your trading results. Because of the shape of the pattern the share will naturally be in a down trend so in effect you are entering a retracement in the share during a bullish market phase.
Descending triangles that breakout early in the pattern, produce inferior results. A breakout is better if it occurs after the pattern gets 30% of the way to the point of the pattern. Shallow patterns are also best avoided, where the pattern height is less than 2% when compared to the stock price.
Illiquid stock can sometimes be identified by two identical closes or highs and if this is the case you are better to avoid these trades. If volume supports a descending triangle breakout then the profitability of the trades improves. For volume to support the breakout, volume when the stock is going up should be greater than volume when the stock is going down.
Descending Triangles Can Deliver Good Profits
By following these simple rules profitability of trading descending triangles can be improved substantially. With an average return per trade almost doubling to 1.45% in 10 days and a hit rate of 51% descending triangles can be trade successfully when the market conditions are right.
Note: Statistics for this article have been provided by Patterns Trader after analyzing over 60,000 chart patterns on the Australian market from 2000 - 2008. - 23222
Descending Triangles, Ok To Trade
Descending triangles are one of the most predictable patterns that are available to trade short, but also can perform on the upside. Just 43% of the patterns break upwards and can deliver good returns when they do. The average gain is 0.87% in 8 days with half of the breakouts (41%) being profitable. There are better patterns to trade on the long side, but selecting the right conditions can make trading descending triangles attractive.
Refine Your Entries
When you look at the performance of a descending triangle in bearish market conditions you will see the results were not as strong as they were in more bullish years. Trading descending triangles when both the sector and the market, are in an up trend or consolidating improves your trading results. Because of the shape of the pattern the share will naturally be in a down trend so in effect you are entering a retracement in the share during a bullish market phase.
Descending triangles that breakout early in the pattern, produce inferior results. A breakout is better if it occurs after the pattern gets 30% of the way to the point of the pattern. Shallow patterns are also best avoided, where the pattern height is less than 2% when compared to the stock price.
Illiquid stock can sometimes be identified by two identical closes or highs and if this is the case you are better to avoid these trades. If volume supports a descending triangle breakout then the profitability of the trades improves. For volume to support the breakout, volume when the stock is going up should be greater than volume when the stock is going down.
Descending Triangles Can Deliver Good Profits
By following these simple rules profitability of trading descending triangles can be improved substantially. With an average return per trade almost doubling to 1.45% in 10 days and a hit rate of 51% descending triangles can be trade successfully when the market conditions are right.
Note: Statistics for this article have been provided by Patterns Trader after analyzing over 60,000 chart patterns on the Australian market from 2000 - 2008. - 23222
About the Author:
Jeff Cartridge has been trading chart patterns since 1998 and created the website LearnCFDs.com Trading Chart Patterns - All The Insider Tricks

