Trading
Charts 101CandlesticksIndicatorsRisk managementAll chart patternsHead and shouldersInverse head and shouldersDouble topDouble bottomAscending triangleDescending triangleBull flagBear flagCup and handleFalling wedgeRising wedgeSupport and resistanceTriple topTriple bottomSymmetrical triangleRounding bottomPennantRectangleAscending channelDescending channelBroadening formationGolden crossDeath crossBart patternWyckoff accumulationWyckoff distributionWhat moves marketsTradingViewMarket cap vs price
The short answer
A flat ceiling with rising lows underneath, showing buyers getting more aggressive.
What you are looking at
Draw a horizontal line across the highs and a rising line under the lows. They converge.
How traders act on it
Most traders act on a close above the flat resistance, with the target equal to the height of the triangle.
Closes, not touches
Wait for a close beyond the level, not a touch. Intraday spikes through a level that reverse before the close are extremely common, and they exist partly because so many stops sit just beyond.When it fails
Breaking down through the rising trendline instead is a genuine warning sign.
Failure is normal and it is not a problem, provided you decided your invalidation level before entering and sized the position so that being wrong is survivable. See risk management.
Context that changes the odds
| Factor | Improves the setup | Weakens it |
|---|---|---|
| Higher timeframe trend | Pattern agrees with the daily or weekly direction | Pattern fights the larger trend |
| Volume | Expands on the breakout | Breakout happens on thin volume |
| Duration | Formed over many candles | Formed over three or four candles, which is mostly noise |
| Level confluence | Trigger sits at a well tested level | Trigger sits in empty space with no history |
| Market conditions | Trending, orderly market | Choppy range, where nearly every pattern fails |
Other patterns
Head and shouldersInverse head and shouldersDouble topDouble bottomDescending triangleBull flagBear flagCup and handle
Common questions
Does an ascending triangle always break upward?
No, and treating it as a guarantee is how people get hurt. The rising lows show buyers getting more urgent, which is why it usually resolves up, and it fails often enough that the invalidation still has to be set.
What happens if it breaks down instead?
The rising trendline gives way and the move is often quick, because everyone positioned for the upside breakout is exiting at once. That is why the level below the last higher low matters.
Where to go next
All 26 patternsThe full set with diagrams.Risk managementSizing and stops.CandlesticksThe building blocks.
Practice spotting these
We go through live charts together and separate the real setups from the shapes your brain wants to see. That second skill is the harder one.