Bull Flag Pattern What Is It? How To Use It?

Flag formations are all quite similar when they appear and tend to also show up in similar situations in an existing trend. This pattern starts with a strong almost vertical price spike that takes the short-sellers completely off-guard as they cover in frenzy as Bull Flag Pattern more buyers come in off the fence. Eventually, the price peaks and forms an orderly pullback where the highs and lows are literally parallel to each other, forming a tilted rectangle. Price reaches a level where profit-taking begins and starts to move lower.

The bull flag pattern is complete when the price breaks out of the consolidation range and begins to trend upwards again. This is typically seen as a signal to buy, as it suggests that the uptrend is likely to continue. Another pattern that resembles the bullish flag pattern is called a pennant. Instead of developing parallel lines to form the flag, the lines converge during the consolidation period. As you’d expect, the pennant looks like an elongated triangle with the 2 sides of the pennant equal and meeting at the tip.

Bull Flag Pattern Explained: How to Identify and Trade this Bullish Signal

Place a stop-loss order below the consolidation level or the lows of the pullback. Invert Pattern- Invert the pattern to search for a bearish flag. Plan your trading strategy according the identified flag trends. Find the flag pole that will represent an initial decline, which can either be steep or slowly sloping. Trade the breakout of the flag in the direction of the pole.

Flag patterns are used to forecast the continuation of the short-term trend from a point in which the price has consolidated. Depending on the trend right before the formation of a shape, flags can be both bullish and bearish. Let’s have a closer look at the bull and bear flag patterns. A bull flag resembles a flag that is flying in the wind. The bullish flag pattern forms when the market undergoes a significant price move-up, followed by a period of consolidation.

How to spot a bull flag pattern?

Such patterns tend to form deeper pullbacks than the ones we reviewed here. The simple https://www.bigshotrading.info/ bull flag guidelines here accommodate a wide range of continuation patterns.

I avoid ascending bull flags as they usually offer an inferior reward-to-risk ratio. The instances in Example #1 are traditional bull flags. The first instance in Example #3 is more akin to a pennant. The second bear flag contained a bullish outside bar too. For clarity and ease of understanding, this trading guide focuses on bull flags. This is why price patterns and entry points are not the only determinants of your trading performance. What is critical is how your entire trading plan comes together.

Combining Bull and Bear Flags With Other Indicators

A bull flag pattern forms when there is a steep rise in the price of the underlying asset, followed by a period of consolidation in a narrow trading range. The trading range appears rectangular and may establish parallel lines of support and resistance. 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.

• However, bull flags are not always followed by an uptrend; sometimes prices may fall after a bull flag formation.
• StocksToTrade has screeners built right into the platform to help you find my favorite chart patterns.
• There are special risks involved with trading on margin.
• The breakout was tested several times before it happened.
• Price patterns such as bull flags and bear flags provide insight into what traders think and feel at a specific price level.
• It’s constituted after the price action trades in a continuous uptrend, making the higher highs and higher lows.