How to Measure Head & Shoulders TargetWhat Is a Head and Shoulders Pattern?
A head and shoulders pattern is a chart formation that appears as a baseline with three peaks, where the outside two are close in height and the middle is highest. In technical analysis, a head and shoulders pattern describes a specific chart formation that predicts a bullish-to-bearish trend reversal.
The head and shoulders pattern is believed to be one of the most reliable trend reversal patterns. It is one of several top patterns that signal, with varying degrees of accuracy, that an upward trend is nearing its end.
The first and third peaks are shoulders, and the second peak forms the head. The line connecting the first and second troughs is called the neckline.
An inverse or reverse head and shoulders pattern is also a reliable indicator that can signal that a downward trend is about to reverse into an upward trend. In this case, the stock's price reaches three consecutive lows, separated by temporary rallies. Of these, the second trough is the lowest (the head) and the first and third are slightly shallower (the shoulders). The final rally after the third dip signals that the bearish trend has reversed and prices are likely to keep rallying upward.
The opposite of a head and shoulders chart is the inverse head and shoulders, also called a head and shoulders bottom. It is inverted with the head and shoulders top used to predict reversals in downtrends. This pattern is identified when the price action of a security meets the following characteristics: The price falls to a trough and then rises; the price falls below the former trough and then rises again; finally, the price falls again but not as far as the second trough. Once the final trough is made, the price heads upward, toward the resistance found near the top of the previous troughs.
Measuring head and shoulders price target is simple.
You'd measure the peak of the head down to the neck line, and then drag it to the point where the stock breaks out from the pattern.
