Continuation patterns

Ascending triangle

Usually bullish

A flat resistance level with a rising sequence of lows beneath it.

What a ascending triangle tells you

Buyers are paying more each time while sellers hold one fixed price. The pattern resolves when either the sellers at the level are absorbed or the rising lows break.

Why it forms

A visible seller at the level absorbs demand until they are done; every failed test brings buyers in higher.

How traders enter it

Entry on a close above the flat resistance, stop below the most recent rising low, objective the triangle height added to the breakout level.

How it fails

In a downtrend the same shape frequently breaks down instead. The flat level can also be a genuine ceiling that the rising lows eventually give up against.

That last section is the one worth rereading. A pattern is only useful because it comes with a level that proves you wrong — without one you have a shape and a hope.

People also ask

Is a ascending triangle bullish or bearish?

A ascending triangle is usually read as bullish, but only once it confirms. Before the confirming break it is a shape, and shapes fail. Context decides more than the label does.

How do you trade a ascending triangle?

Entry on a close above the flat resistance, stop below the most recent rising low, objective the triangle height added to the breakout level.

When does a ascending triangle fail?

In a downtrend the same shape frequently breaks down instead. The flat level can also be a genuine ceiling that the rising lows eventually give up against.

Can ChartLens spot a ascending triangle for me?

Yes. Photograph or screenshot any chart and ChartLens names the pattern if it is clearly formed, with a confidence level and whether it is forming, confirmed or failed — and says nothing if it is not there.

Last updated .