Read the shape. Respect the context.

• Prior uptrend
• Peaks near the same resistance area
• Distinct trough creates a neckline

Confirms: A close below the intervening trough; stronger with expanding volume.

Invalidates: A sustained close above both peaks.

A rectangle until the neckline breaks.

Synthetic: highs 104 and 104.30 surround a 98 trough; a close at 97.40 confirms.

• Prior downtrend
• Lows near one support area
• Intervening peak defines neckline

Confirms: A close above the intervening peak.

Invalidates: A sustained close below both lows.

A range until resistance breaks.

Synthetic: lows 42.10 and 42.30 surround 47.00; 47.40 confirms.

• Three separate highs
• Two reaction lows
• Horizontal resistance zone

Confirms: A close below the lowest reaction-low support.

Invalidates: A decisive close above the three-peak zone.

Head and shoulders has a distinctly higher middle peak.

Synthetic: 71.8, 72.2 and 72.0 fail; 66.7 breaks support.

• Three separate lows
• Two reaction highs
• Horizontal support zone

Confirms: A close above the highest reaction-high resistance.

Invalidates: A decisive close below the three-low zone.

Inverse head and shoulders has a distinctly lower middle trough.

Synthetic: 30.1, 29.8 and 30.0 hold; 35.2 breaks resistance.

• Left shoulder
• Higher head
• Lower right shoulder
• Neckline through two troughs

Confirms: A close below the neckline; a retest may add evidence.

Invalidates: A new close above the head, or no neckline break.

Triple top when all three peaks are similar.

Synthetic: 58, 64 and 59 peaks; neckline 52 breaks at 51.40.

• Left shoulder
• Lower head
• Higher right shoulder
• Neckline through two peaks

Confirms: A close above the neckline.

Invalidates: A new close below the head.

Triple bottom when all three troughs are similar.

Synthetic: 44, 38 and 43 troughs; neckline 50 breaks at 50.80.

• Gentle convex arc
• Smaller gains near center
• Lower highs emerge on right

Confirms: A close below support at the base of the arc.

Invalidates: A renewed sequence of higher highs above the dome.

A choppy range lacks smooth curvature.

Synthetic closes arc from 80 to 88 and back to 79 before support gives way.

• Gentle concave arc
• Declines flatten
• Higher lows appear on right

Confirms: A close above resistance at the rim.

Invalidates: A break beneath the bowl's low.

A V reversal turns abruptly rather than gradually.

Synthetic closes curve from 30 to 24 and back to 31; 31.50 clears the rim.

• Rounded cup
• Rims near equal
• Handle drifts modestly down

Confirms: A close above the rim/handle resistance.

Invalidates: Handle falls deeply into the lower half of the cup.

A double bottom is sharper and lacks a handle.

Synthetic cup spans 48–56; handle holds 53.8 before 56.4 breakout.

• Inverted cup
• Rims near equal
• Handle drifts modestly up

Confirms: A close below the rim/support.

Invalidates: Handle rallies deeply above the cup midpoint.

A double top is sharper and lacks a handle.

Synthetic inverse cup spans 72–64; handle stalls at 67 before 63.6 breakdown.

• Nearly flat upper boundary
• Rising lower boundary
• Contracting range

Confirms: A close above resistance, ideally before the apex.

Invalidates: A close below rising support.

A rising wedge has both boundaries sloping upward.

Synthetic resistance 50; lows rise 44, 46, 48; close 50.6 confirms.

• Nearly flat lower boundary
• Falling upper boundary
• Contracting range

Confirms: A close below support.

Invalidates: A close above falling resistance.

A falling wedge has both boundaries sloping downward.

Synthetic support 28; highs fall 34, 32, 30; close 27.5 confirms.

• Falling upper trendline
• Rising lower trendline
• Converging swings

Confirms: A close outside either boundary with follow-through.

Invalidates: A quick close back inside, or drifting through the apex.

A pennant is shorter and follows a sharp pole.

Synthetic swings compress 60/50 to 56/54; 56.7 closes above.

• Higher highs
• Higher lows rising faster
• Converging upward lines

Confirms: A close below lower support.

Invalidates: A decisive close above upper resistance.

Ascending triangle has flat resistance.

Synthetic highs 80, 83, 85 and lows 75, 79, 82; 81.4 breaks support.

• Lower lows
• Lower highs falling faster
• Converging downward lines

Confirms: A close above upper resistance.

Invalidates: A decisive close below lower support.

Descending triangle has flat support.

Synthetic lows 40, 37, 35 and highs 46, 42, 39; 40.2 breaks resistance.

• Strong upward pole
• Tight countertrend pullback
• Roughly parallel flag edges

Confirms: A close above the flag's upper edge.

Invalidates: A break below the flag and deep retracement of the pole.

A rising wedge lacks the sharp pole and slopes up.

Synthetic 40→50 pole; flag eases to 47.8; 50.3 breakout.

• Strong downward pole
• Tight countertrend bounce
• Parallel flag edges

Confirms: A close below the flag's lower edge.

Invalidates: A break above the flag and deep recovery of the pole.

A falling wedge converges and lacks the sharp pole.

Synthetic 70→59 pole; flag rebounds to 62; 58.5 breakdown.

• Upward pole
• Tiny lower highs and higher lows
• Contracting volume often appears

Confirms: A close above the pennant.

Invalidates: A close beneath the pennant low.

A symmetrical triangle is broader and need not have a pole.

Synthetic 20→27 pole; compression 27–25.8; close 27.3 confirms.

• Downward pole
• Tiny converging swings
• Compression after impulse

Confirms: A close below the pennant.

Invalidates: A close above the pennant high.

A symmetrical triangle is broader and may be direction-neutral.

Synthetic 45→36 pole; compression 36–37.4; close 35.7 confirms.

• Repeated flat highs
• Repeated flat lows
• Contained sideways trade

Confirms: A close above resistance.

Invalidates: A close below support.

Without a prior trend it is simply a neutral range.

Synthetic range 92–96 after an advance; 96.7 closes above.

• Repeated flat highs
• Repeated flat lows
• Contained sideways trade

Confirms: A close below support.

Invalidates: A close above resistance.

Without a prior trend it is a neutral range.

Synthetic range 52–56 after a decline; 51.4 closes below.

• At least two tests per edge
• Mostly horizontal bounds
• Frequent reversals inside

Confirms: A directional close beyond an edge; until then, no breakout exists.

Invalidates: A breakout that immediately returns inside is failed.

Rectangles get directional labels only from prior trend context.

Synthetic support 24 and resistance 29 contain six swings.

• Two or more touches per boundary
• Parallel rising lines
• Orderly higher swings

Confirms: Continuation is evidenced by holding lower support; upside breakout accelerates, not defines, the channel.

Invalidates: A close below channel support breaks the structure.

A rising wedge converges rather than remaining parallel.

Synthetic channel rises from 30–34 to 39–43.

• Two or more touches per boundary
• Parallel falling lines
• Orderly lower swings

Confirms: Holding upper resistance preserves it; an outside close ends the channel.

Invalidates: A close above channel resistance.

A falling wedge converges rather than staying parallel.

Synthetic channel falls from 80–75 to 67–62.

• Flat upper boundary
• Flat lower boundary
• Multiple rotations

Confirms: A close beyond a boundary establishes direction.

Invalidates: Immediate re-entry into the channel invalidates the break.

Equivalent to a range; channel wording emphasizes parallel boundaries.

Synthetic price rotates between 100 and 106 before an unresolved edge test.

• Diverging boundaries
• Expanding swings
• Upper pivots rise

Confirms: A close below the lower boundary.

Invalidates: A sustained close above the final high.

An ascending channel has parallel boundaries and stable volatility.

Synthetic swings widen from 70–66 to 77–63; 62.5 breaks lower edge.

• Diverging boundaries
• Expanding swings
• Lower pivots fall

Confirms: A close above the upper boundary.

Invalidates: A sustained close below the final low.

A descending channel has parallel boundaries.

Synthetic swings widen from 42–46 to 35–49; 49.6 breaks upper edge.

• Broadening left half
• Contracting right half
• Central volatility peak

Confirms: A close below the lower-right boundary.

Invalidates: A close above the diamond high.

Head and shoulders may resemble its final half but lacks initial broadening.

Synthetic swings widen 90–101 then narrow 94–98; 93.4 breaks down.

• Broadening left half
• Contracting right half
• Central volatility peak

Confirms: A close above the upper-right boundary.

Invalidates: A close below the diamond low.

Inverse head and shoulders lacks the initial broadening phase.

Synthetic swings widen 44–32 then narrow 35–41; 41.6 breaks up.

• Gap up
• Isolated trading cluster
• Gap down with no overlap

Confirms: The down-gap and follow-through complete the reversal shape.

Invalidates: Either gap fills, reconnecting the island.

An exhaustion gap has only the first gap until reversal confirms.

Synthetic: 50–52, gap to 56–58 cluster, then gap down to 51.

• Gap down
• Isolated low cluster
• Gap up with no overlap

Confirms: The up-gap and follow-through complete the shape.

Invalidates: Either gap fills.

A single breakaway gap does not isolate a cluster.

Synthetic: 40–42, gap to 35–37 cluster, then gap up to 41.

• Prior consolidation
• Gap clears resistance
• Little immediate overlap

Confirms: A close above the gap with follow-through and preferably higher volume.

Invalidates: Quick filling of the gap and close back in the range.

A common gap occurs inside a range and often fills quickly.

Synthetic range caps 25; next session low is 26.2 and closes 27.0.

• Prior consolidation
• Gap clears support
• Little immediate overlap

Confirms: A close below the gap with follow-through.

Invalidates: Quick gap fill and close back in the range.

An exhaustion gap occurs late in an already extended move.

Synthetic range floors 60; next session high is 58.8 and closes 57.9.

• Mid-trend location
• Gap in trend direction
• Continued follow-through

Confirms: Several bars hold beyond the gap.

Invalidates: Immediate reversal and full fill.

Exhaustion gaps occur late and reverse; direction depends on trend.

Synthetic uptrend gaps from 74 high to 76 low and advances to 81.

• Late trend
• Large gap
• Climactic range or volume
• Fast reversal

Confirms: A reversal closes through the gap area.

Invalidates: Continued orderly movement makes runaway classification more plausible.

Runaway gap continues instead of reversing.

Synthetic extended rise gaps to 110, peaks 112, then closes at 106 through the gap.

• Advance AB
• Countertrend BC
• Second advance CD approximates AB

Confirms: A breakout above B begins the second leg; equal-leg target is only a heuristic.

Invalidates: A close below C invalidates the structure.

A bull flag describes the pause, while measured move emphasizes equal legs.

Synthetic 40→50, pullback to 46, then projected move toward 56.

• Decline AB
• Bounce BC
• Second decline CD approximates AB

Confirms: A break below B begins the second leg.

Invalidates: A close above C invalidates the projection.

A bear flag focuses on the pause rather than leg symmetry.

Synthetic 90→78, bounce to 83, then projected move toward 71.

• Sharp down leg
• One narrow turning area
• Sharp up leg

Confirms: Recovery above a prior swing high adds evidence.

Invalidates: A renewed low below the vertex.

Rounding bottoms turn gradually; dead-cat bounces fail below resistance.

Synthetic price falls 55→39 in six bars then rebounds to 54 in seven.

• Sharp up leg
• Narrow peak
• Sharp down leg

Confirms: A break below a prior swing low adds evidence.

Invalidates: A renewed high above the vertex.

Rounding tops roll slowly rather than snapping.

Synthetic price rises 65→82 in six bars then falls to 66 in seven.