Continuation patterns
Measured move
No built-in bias
Two roughly equal-length directional legs separated by a corrective phase.
What a measured move tells you
A framework rather than a shape: if the market has already travelled a certain distance in one leg, the second leg after a correction often covers similar ground. It gives a target, not an entry.
Why it forms
Trend participants re-enter after a pause with similar conviction and similar size to the first leg.
How traders enter it
Entry comes from whatever pattern forms during the correction; the measured distance supplies the objective.
How it fails
Second legs commonly fall short in weakening trends. Using the projection as a hard target rather than a reference is the usual mistake.
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 measured move bullish or bearish?
Neither. A measured move has no directional bias built into it — it describes a change in volatility, not direction. The break decides.
How do you trade a measured move?
Entry comes from whatever pattern forms during the correction; the measured distance supplies the objective.
When does a measured move fail?
Second legs commonly fall short in weakening trends. Using the projection as a hard target rather than a reference is the usual mistake.
Can ChartLens spot a measured move 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.
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