Now, what you want is for the price to be above the 50-period moving average. Now, the first thing you need to do is to spot a downtrend and wait for the price to break its trend line resistance. There are many options for protecting this type of trade with a stop loss.
TRADING STOCKS IN THE BULLISH BEARS COMMUNITY
The idea is that like conventional support and resistance, price often gets rejected from FVGs. This can be a great additional trading signal because the bear flag is happening at a chart location from which a rejection downward may have a higher probability. It is not necessary that the moving average holds precisely and even if the price breaks the moving average to the downside, it can still be a valid bull flag. The moving average just provides an objective way of identifying pullbacks and helps to distinguish between impulsive and corrective trading phases.
A bearish flag formation
- The bull flag is retesting the previous resistance as support and even though the price is falling below the support level, it does not negate the quality of the bull flag pattern.
- The steeper the rise, the more significant the bullish trend may be.
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In the example below, the bull flag pattern is forming after breaking above a previous resistance level in a long-term uptrend. The bull flag is retesting the previous resistance as support and even though the price is falling below the support level, it does not negate the quality of the bull flag pattern. Price is a dynamic concept and you do not always expect the price to react to chart drawings precisely; the overall idea of the setup and the context matters more than the precision. Bull and bear flags are popular price patterns recognised in technical analysis, which traders often use to identify trend continuations. To avoid false signals, traders and investors should look for a clear and distinct flag component with a tight consolidation range and low trading volumes.
Trading bull flags with volume confirmations
We’ll explain what a bull flag is, many of the subtle nuances in this pattern, and how to best trade the bull flag. During the following bullish trend continuation, the short-term 10 EMA (red) stayed above the long-term moving averages, confirming the bullish trending phase. First, we can see that the price has reached a previous Fair Value Gap (FVG) which is a smart money concept.
Flag patterns have five main characteristics:
Here, the price consolidates in a narrow, upward-sloping range, again forming a flag on a pole, but this time it indicates the possibility of the downward trend continuation. When the price breaks below the flag, it’s often seen as a selling signal by traders, expecting further decline. It’s constituted after the price action trades in a continuous uptrend, making the higher highs and higher lows. The bull flag pattern occurs in a strong uptrend and is considered a continuation pattern.
In the image below, the 10 EMA, 30 EMA, and 50 EMA have been added to the chart. During a pullback, the price dips below all three moving averages, signaling a significant market drop. Entering a long position at this point would be too early as the price is showing a bearish momentum structure.
You can measure the pole’s height and add it to the breakout point to obtain an estimated price target. Traders can set multiple targets or use trailing stops to maximize profits as the price moves in their favor. Again, looking at real-world charts and spotting their patterns bull flag trading is important. Bull flags may form, and then again, they may break down typically because you missed a resistance level or something else that caused the pattern to fail. The reliability of the bull flag pattern depends on the success of the checklist mentioned above.
A bull flag breakout is the best way to trade the bull flag pattern. After a stock has an initial bull run, then consolidates on lower volume, you expect the initial demand to return and force a new breakout in the stock. Lastly, be sure to analyze volume to determine the reliability of your bull flags. If volume expansion returns well on a stock, it should lead to higher prices. This is somewhat discretionary, but you don’t want to see a weak breakout on low volume. Then, during the flag formation, we get the pullback on lower volume and tighter range red candles.