CLASSIC AND CONTINUATION CHARTS by DARYL GUPPY

In the newsletter we use several varieties of chart displays. This includes two colour candle stick charts produced with GTE charting. The standard candle display with Metastock and many other US derived programs is to give a four colour candle chart. This, along with our recent articles on candle stick trading methods, has prompted many questions from readers so we look at the differences again.

We also use two colour bar charts. These are different from the two colour bar charts in Metastock and some other US based charting programs and this has left some readers confused. What they see on their screen is not the same as they see on our chart extracts.
The reason is the same as the reason for the difference in the candle charts. Some bar chart displays show Gann continuation charts. This is not quite as important with bar charts because traders do not use a collection of specific bar relationship patterns for trading. However it does impact on the way you see the chart.

INDICATOR – CLASSIC AND CONTINUATION PRICE DISPLAYS

The price bar and the candlestick are the basic ways of displaying price action. They show the open, high, low and close prices. The classic, or original, display examines the relationships between the open and the close on a single price bar or candle stick.

A Gann continuation chart examines the relationships between the prices of today and the prices of yesterday. This type of chart display is also called a swing chart display. The difference in display is very important because it has significant impact on the way we use charts for analysis.

APPLICATION
The classic bar chart display uses today’s open and close to determine the colour of the bar. When today’s close is higher than today’s open, the bar is shown as an up day – usually blue. When today’s close is lower than today’s open, the bar is shown as a down day – usually red. A classic candlestick display only has two colours, usually green and red, or blue and red.



The continuation bar chart display is an adaptation of Gann analysis techniques. In this display the definition of an up or down day depends on the relationship between today and yesterday. An up day is when the close of today is higher than the close of yesterday – usually shown as a blue bar. A down day is when the close of today is lower than the close of yesterday. Other price relationship combinations are shown as filled or unfilled candle sticks.



This means that a day where price opens today at $1.00 and closes today at $1.50 can still be shown as a DOWN day using a Gann continuation chart display. It is very important to know what type of bar chart display you are using so you can decide if it is appropriate for your analysis.

The two chart displays shown above use exactly the same price information for each display. The classic charts are shown on the left. The continuation charts are shown on the right. The analysis messages delivered by the different displays are quite different, even though the price information is exactly the same.

Many default candle stick displays are also Gann continuation displays. This is very dangerous for analysis. Candlestick chart pattern analysis is based on the classic candle stick display that uses intraday-day price relationships. GTE Charting allows users to select Classic or continuation chart displays.



TACTICS
• Use classic bar chart display for pattern analysis and understanding trend behaviour
• Use classic candle stick display charts for the effective application of candlestick analysis.
• Use Gann continuation chart displays for swing trading analysis.

RULES
• Use the correct chart display for the trading analysis technique you are applying
• Select one style of display and stick with it. Do not frequently change display styles. This will create analysis confusion.
• Use classic candle stick charts for candle stick pattern analysis.
• Do not use candle stick continuation charts for candlestick pattern analysis
• Swing trading analysis uses continuation charts
• Classic candlestick display only uses two colours, traditionally black and white candles.
• Continuation candlestick display uses a mixture of two colours and filled and unfilled candles.

ADVANTAGES
• Using the correct display for the selected analysis method enhances success
• Treat with suspicion candle stick ‘experts’ who use candle stick continuation charts
• Treat with suspicion swing trading ‘experts’ who use classic chart displays
• Some people find it easier to understand price activity using a bar chart. Others prefer a candlestick chart. This is a matter of personal preference and has no indicant trading advantage

DISADVANTAGES
• Using Gann continuation candlestick display will lead to incorrect candlestick pattern analysis.
If you want to use 2 colour candle displays in Metastock please refer to our June 6 article in the newsletter that explains how to do this.

To read more articles and commentaries from Daryl Guppy, click HERE

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Article contributed by Private Trader, Market Expert, Trading Coach and Best-Selling Author Mr. Daryl Guppy. For more articles and commentaries from Daryl Guppy, click HERE.