Home
About
Blog
Books
Contact
Donate
FAQ
Glossary
Privacy/Disclaimer
Site Map
Visual Index
What’s New
Subscribe to RSS feeds Bulkowski Blog via RSS

Support this site! Clicking the links (below) takes you to Amazon.com. If you buy ANYTHING, they pay for the referral. My books...
Encyclopedia of Chart Patterns 2nd Edition book.
Chart Patterns: After the Buy
Getting Started in Chart Patterns, Second Edition book.
Trading Basics: Evolution of a Trader book.
Fundamental Analysis and Position Trading: Evolution of a Trader book.
Swing and Day Trading: Evolution of a Trader book.
Visual Guide to Chart Patterns book.
Picture of Bumper.
Kindle
Picture of the head's law.
Kindle

Bulkowski's Ugly Pattern Performance Study
Class Elliott Wave Fundamentals Psychology Quiz Studies Setups Software Tutorials More...
Busted
Patterns		 Candles Chart
Patterns		 Event
Patterns		 Small Patterns
As of 10/18/2019
  Indus: 26,770 -255.68 -0.9%  
  Trans: 10,509 +12.56 +0.1%  
  Utils: 866 +3.67 +0.4%  
  Nasdaq: 8,090 -67.31 -0.8%  
  S&P 500: 2,986 -11.75 -0.4%  
YTD
 +14.8%  
 +14.6%  
 +21.5%  
 +21.9%  
 +19.1%  
  Targets    Overview: 10/14/2019  
  Up arrow27,600 or 26,000 by 11/01/2019
  Up arrow10,880 or 9,700 by 11/01/2019
  Up arrow900 or 845 by 11/01/2019
  Up arrow8,225 or 7,700 by 11/01/2019
  Up arrow3,050 or 2,900 by 11/01/2019
As of 10/18/2019
  Indus: 26,770 -255.68 -0.9%  
  Trans: 10,509 +12.56 +0.1%  
  Utils: 866 +3.67 +0.4%  
  Nasdaq: 8,090 -67.31 -0.8%  
  S&P 500: 2,986 -11.75 -0.4%  
YTD
 +14.8%  
 +14.6%  
 +21.5%  
 +21.9%  
 +19.1%  
  Targets    Overview: 10/14/2019  
  Up arrow27,600 or 26,000 by 11/01/2019
  Up arrow10,880 or 9,700 by 11/01/2019
  Up arrow900 or 845 by 11/01/2019
  Up arrow8,225 or 7,700 by 11/01/2019
  Up arrow3,050 or 2,900 by 11/01/2019

Written by and copyright © 2005-2019 by Thomas N. Bulkowski. All rights reserved. Disclaimer: You alone are responsible for your investment decisions. See Privacy/Disclaimer for more information. Some pattern names are the registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Do perfectly shaped chart patterns perform better or worse than ugly ones? In a test of two chart pattern types, the uglier patterns outperformed the well-shaped ones.

Ugly Pattern Performance: Detailed Results

I looked at double bottoms and double tops to determine whether ugly (uneven) tops or bottoms performed better than those with even peaks or valleys. Here's what I found.

Peak to peak price difference =>0-1%1-2%2-3%3-4%4-5%
Double tops15.5% (276)17.3% (320)19.3% (57)21.5% (21)29.9% (17)
Double bottoms31.5% (304)32.0% (378)33.6% (277)33.3% (232)42.8% (73)

Numbers in parentheses are samples used in the test and the percentages are the average move post breakout. Double bottoms have the most samples. When the valleys are within 0 to 1% in price from each other, the rise averages 31.5%. When the valleys are 4 to 5% apart in price, the rise averages 42.8%. Thus, the uglier the chart pattern, the better the performance.

Ugly Pattern Performance: Definitions

I measured the rise or fall from the breakout price to the ultimate high or low. A breakout occurs when price climbs above the highest high between the double bottoms, or below the lowest low between the double tops. The ultimate high is the highest high before price tumbles at least 20%. The ultimate low is the lowest low before price rises at least 20%. In the test, I used 1,275 stocks covering 7/1991 to 3/2006. Not all stocks covered the entire period and only qualifying double tops and bottoms were used. I found 2,239 double top or bottom patterns, but not all of them had usable data (the ultimate high or low wasn't found yet because price hadn't reversed).

-- Thomas Bulkowski

Top 

See Also

Written by and copyright © 2005-2019 by Thomas N. Bulkowski. All rights reserved. Disclaimer: You alone are responsible for your investment decisions. See Privacy/Disclaimer for more information. Some pattern names are the registered trademarks of their respective owners. Never trim your moustache before applying Chapstick.