Course › Level 2 — How traders read a chart

Trend: up, down, or sideways

The first question for any chart: which way is this market moving? There are only three answers.

• Uptrend — price keeps making higher highs and higher lows. Stairs going up.
• Downtrend — lower highs and lower lows. Stairs going down.
• Range — price bounces between a ceiling and a floor, going nowhere.

How to check in 10 seconds

Open the H1 or D1 chart, lean back, and look at the last 50–100 candles. Don't squint at individual candles — look at the shape. If you can't tell within ten seconds, it's probably a range, and ranges are where beginners donate money. When in doubt, stay out.

Beginners trade with the trend. Counter-trend trading is real, but it's an advanced game — later.

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