Trading
Lower highs and higher lows squeezing together, with the break usually going the way the trend was already going.
What you are looking at
Two converging trendlines, one falling across the highs and one rising across the lows. Volume typically dries up as the apex approaches.
How traders act on it
Wait for a close outside either line. The measured target is the widest part of the triangle projected from the breakout point.
When it fails
Breaks very close to the apex are the least reliable of any pattern here. A break that immediately reverses back inside the triangle is a common trap in both directions.
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
Common questions
Which way does a symmetrical triangle break?
Why are late breaks unreliable?
Where to go next
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.