Stock FAQs

what is a cup and handle stock chart

by Lelia Goyette Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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A cup and handle is a technical chart pattern that resembles a cup and handle where the cup is in the shape of a "u" and the handle has a slight downward drift. A cup and handle is considered a bullish signal extending an uptrend, and it is used to spot opportunities to go long.

Is cup and handle bullish?

William O'Neil's Cup with Handle is a bullish continuation pattern that marks a consolidation period followed by a breakout. There are two parts to the pattern: the cup and the handle. The cup forms after an advance and looks like a bowl or rounding bottom.

What happens after a cup and handle stock?

If a cup and handle pattern is confirmed, it will be followed by a bullish price move upward. You can pick a price target based on the size of the cup, but it becomes much less clear what will happen after the initial breakout from the cup and handle pattern.

What causes a cup and handle pattern?

Cup and handle patterns form as the result of consolidation after an uptrending stock tests its previous highs. At that level, traders who bought the stock near the previous highs are likely to sell, causing a gentle pullback.

How successful is cup and handle pattern?

A cup-with-handle base usually corrects 20% to 30% from the base's left-side high, or 1-1/2 to two times the market average. Most are three to six months long, but can be as little as seven weeks or as long as a year or more. (IBD parameters)

How do you read a cup and handle pattern?

0:253:22How to Use Cup and Handle Price Patterns - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSimple because it looks like a tea cup with a handle. The cup portion of the pattern starts to formMoreSimple because it looks like a tea cup with a handle. The cup portion of the pattern starts to form when an uptrending stock reaches resistance.

Is cup and handle bearish?

A Cup and Handle is considered a bullish continuation pattern and is used to identify buying opportunities. Almost the exact opposite happens in the inverse Cup and Handle pattern, which occurs in a downtrend and is considered a bearish continuation pattern by those who like to go short on the market.

What is the advantage of the cup and handle pattern?

Advantages of the Cup and Handle Pattern. This pattern tends to have a great risk/reward ratio. The bottom of the cup is a stabilizing period where the price moves sideways. This means that the price found a good support level that it couldn’t drop below for some time.

Why are chart patterns important?

Chart patterns are important because they can help traders better predict price movements. By learning to recognize them in real time, traders can limit their risks by determining the best points for entry and exit. One of the most popular chart patterns is the cup and handle pattern.

What happens when you exit a stock?

After they exit, the stock can consolidate to form the base until it runs again. This happens when traders and investors stop selling shares and shift back into buying mode. That sends the stock higher. After the cup is completed, a trading range develops on the right side — which forms the handle.

What is a cup with handle?

The Cup with Handle is a bullish continuation pattern that marks a consolidation period followed by a breakout. It was developed by William O'Neil and introduced in his 1988 book, How to Make Money in Stocks .

What is the pattern of a cup?

As its name implies, there are two parts to the pattern: the cup and the handle. The cup forms after an advance and looks like a bowl or rounding bottom. As the cup is completed, a trading range develops on the right-hand side and the handle is formed. A subsequent breakout from the handle's trading range signals a continuation of the prior advance.

What shape should a cup be?

Cup: The cup should be “U” shaped and resemble a bowl or rounding bottom. A “V” shaped bottom would be considered too sharp of a reversal to qualify. The softer “U” shape ensures that the cup is a consolidation pattern with valid support at the bottom of the “U”. The perfect pattern would have equal highs on both sides of the cup, ...

What is the cup and handle pattern?

The cup and handle pattern occurs in both small time frames, like a one-minute chart, and in large time frames, like daily, weekly, and monthly charts. It occurs when there is a price wave down, followed by a stabilizing period, followed by a rally of approximately equal size to the prior decline. It creates a U-shape, or the "cup" in our "cup and handle." The price then moves sideways or drifts downward within a channel—that forms the handle. The handle may also take the form of a triangle.

What happens if the cup and handle forms after a downtrend?

If the cup and handle forms after a downtrend, it could signal a reversal of the trend. To improve the odds of the pattern resulting in a real reversal, look for the downside price waves to get smaller heading into the cup and handle.

What does a pause in a cup mean?

Traditionally, the cup has a pause, or stabilizing period, at the bottom of the cup, where the price moves sideways or forms a rounded bottom. It shows the price found a support level and couldn't drop below it. It helps improve the odds of the price moving higher after the breakout.

Where should stop loss be in a cup?

Ideally, the stop-loss should be in the upper third of the cup pattern. By having the handle and stop-loss in the upper third (or upper half) of the cup, the stop-loss stays closer to the entry point, which helps improve the risk-reward ratio of the trade.

What is stop loss order?

A stop-loss order gets a trader out of a trade if the price drops, instead of rallying, after buying a breakout from the cup and handle formation. The stop-loss serves to control risk on the trade by selling the position if the price declines enough to invalidate the pattern. 2 

What is a cup and handle?

A Cup and Handle can be used as an entry pattern for the continuation of an established bullish trend. It´s one of the easiest patterns to identify. The cup has a soft U-shape, retraces the prior move for about ⅓ and looks like a bowl. After forming the cup, price pulls back to about ⅓ of the cups advance, forming the handle.

Is Snap a growth stock?

Snap is an expensive growth stock. It’s the kind of name investors have mostly avoided this year, although recent weeks have seen a shift back to such companies. This chart highlights SNAP’s last four months of consolidation. It isn’t exactly a cup and handle, but there are important similarities: It’s a high basing pattern well above old highs. There’s no single...

What does it mean when a stock's volume decreases?

Bottom: Volume decreases as the stock goes through the bottoming phase, indicating the selling wave is dissipating. Volume climbs on days or weeks when the stock closes higher, suggesting that buyers outweigh sellers. A volume spike with no price increase is good as this shows buyers are in for support.

What happens if a stock breaks 40%?

If the stock zooms up and breaks out 30% to 40% from below its old high, it is considered an “overextended” stock, gone up to much to fast. It should move up slowly on the right side.

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