As of 11/20/2024   Indus: 43,408 +139.53 +0.3%     Trans: 17,002 -26.31 -0.2%     Utils: 1,055 +1.25 +0.1%     Nasdaq: 18,966 -21.33 -0.1%     S&P 500: 5,917 +0.13 +0.0%	YTD  +15.2%    +6.9%    +19.7%    +26.3%    +24.1%	Targets    Overview: 11/12/2024     46,000 or 43,000 by 12/01/2024   18,000 or 16,600 by 12/01/2024   1,075 or 1,000 by 12/01/2024   20,000 or 18,400 by 12/01/2024   6,100 or 5,800 by 12/01/2024
Chart Pattern Indicator: on 11/18/24

As of 11/20/2024   Indus: 43,408 +139.53 +0.3%     Trans: 17,002 -26.31 -0.2%     Utils: 1,055 +1.25 +0.1%     Nasdaq: 18,966 -21.33 -0.1%     S&P 500: 5,917 +0.13 +0.0%	YTD  +15.2%    +6.9%    +19.7%    +26.3%    +24.1%
Targets    Overview: 11/12/2024     46,000 or 43,000 by 12/01/2024   18,000 or 16,600 by 12/01/2024   1,075 or 1,000 by 12/01/2024   20,000 or 18,400 by 12/01/2024   6,100 or 5,800 by 12/01/2024
Chart Pattern Indicator: on 11/18/24

Bulkowski On Fibonacci Extensions

My book, Trading Basics, discusses Fibonacci extensions beginning on page 84 in the section titled, "4. Myth: Fibonacci Extensions Work!".

If you click on the above link and then buy the book (or anything) while at Amazon.com, the referral will help support this site. Thanks.

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What is a Fibonacci Extension?

I show a picture of DuPont (DD) on the daily scale to illustrate what a Fibonacci extension is.

An extension is just as it sounds, a lengthening of the AB move. If the AB move represents a 100% gain, then point D would be some multiple of that (even if the multiple is a fraction). Many will claim that the multiple will be a Fibonacci number, such as 38%, 50%, 62% or higher, such as 138%, 162% and so on. The retrace to C does not affect the extension computation. The extension measures from B to D.

In this example, the move from A to B is 3 points. The move from B to D is 6 points (all values are approximate for simplicity). Thus, the BD move is 200% of the AB move. It's a 200% extension.

How often is the extension a Fibonacci number? Another way of asking that is, can we say that if price approaches a Fibonacci multiple that it will be more likely to hit overhead resistance than any other multiple? The short answer is "no."

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Fibonacci Extensions: Method

I programmed my computer to find the ABCD move in every stock I follow and some that I used to follow, or almost 1,500 securities. I only included data from stocks priced over $5 per share from the start of the bear market in March 2000 to April 27, 2011.

Using 21,626 samples from a bull market, I did a frequency distribution of the BD gain as a percentage of the AB move in 5% increments up to 180%. If the Fibonacci extension believers are correct, then I should see spikes at 35% to 40%, around 50%, 60% to 65%, and so on.

There were no spikes. Only at 100% do we see a marginal increase in the number of hits from 264 at 95% to 277 at 100% and 223 at 105%. Based on this test, using a Fibonacci extension will not see price hit overhead resistance there. I also extended the frequency distribution up to 350%, but the percentage trend didn't change. There is no overhead resistance prevalent at any Fibonacci extension number.

Fibonacci extensions work no better at predicting where price is going to turn than any other percentage.

-- Thomas Bulkowski

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See Also

• Fibonacci retrace. Place a stop 67% of the prior rise.
• Fibonacci retraces and extensions, in price and time.
• Setting price targets using Fibonacci.
• This example uses a Fibonacci retrace on a day trade.
• Select the proper stop location using Fibonacci.
• Any retracement will do for a swing trade. Here are some tips.
• Retrace setup. This page will be updated each Friday with candidates for the retrace setup.
• Retraces, measured moved. Do large or small retraces result in better performance of measured moves?

If it's worth doing, then it's worth overdoing.