Continuation patterns
Flags, pennants, rectangles, and some triangles can represent consolidation within an established trend. Confirm the prior impulse, mark both consolidation boundaries, and check whether the breakout has room before the next higher-timeframe level.
- Flag: controlled channel after an impulse
- Pennant: compact converging consolidation
- Rectangle: horizontal support and resistance
- Triangle: contracting price range
Reversal patterns
Double tops, double bottoms, head-and-shoulders, and rounded turns suggest a potential change only after a protected swing or neckline breaks. Before confirmation they may simply be pauses in the existing trend.
- Wait for a meaningful structure break
- Distinguish a wick from an accepted close
- Use the neckline as an area, not perfect precision
- Reject patterns with no logical invalidation
Wedges and channels
Rising and falling wedges compress unevenly, while channels contain price between roughly parallel boundaries. Direction should be inferred from the breakout and larger context rather than the pattern name alone.
How to use the cheat sheet
Start with trend and market regime, identify the simplest visible structure, define confirmation, and mark the price that disproves the interpretation. Only then compare possible reward with stop distance and execution costs.
Questions about Forex chart pattern cheat sheet
What is the most reliable Forex chart pattern?
No pattern is universally reliable. Clear structure, a suitable market regime, confirmation, and controlled risk matter more than the pattern label.
Are chart patterns better on higher timeframes?
Higher timeframes often contain less noise, but the useful timeframe depends on the planned holding period and entry method.
Do I need indicators to trade chart patterns?
No. Patterns can be read from price structure alone, although indicators may provide secondary context.
Where should invalidation be placed?
Invalidation belongs beyond the structure whose failure disproves the setup, not at an arbitrary fixed distance.