Trends/Continuation patterns

Ascending triangle

Price keeps stopping at the same ceiling, while each dip bottoms out higher than the one before. The two lines squeeze together like a wedge pointing right.

Continuation patternsBest on 6M, 1Y, 3YAlso called rising triangle

Illustration of the ascending triangle shape. It is a sketch, not real price data.

What it shows

An ascending triangle is a shape in the price history. The highs line up at about the same price, so a horizontal line can be drawn through them. The lows keep getting higher, so a rising line can be drawn under them. As the two lines draw closer, the range price trades in gets narrower.

That is all the pattern states. It does not say which way price goes when the range runs out. Many traders see buyers accepting a higher price on each dip while sellers hold the same ceiling. Others point out that a triangle can break down through the rising floor just as it can break up through the top. We do not claim a rate for either.

How we find it

The same code that draws it on your chart follows these steps, with the same result every time.

Find swing points: a swing high is the highest bar of N bars on each side, and a swing low is the lowest.
Flat top: at least 2 swing highs within 1.5% of each other. The resistance line sits at their average price.
Rising floor: at least 2 swing lows, each higher than the one before, with a straight line fitted through them that slopes upward.
Converging: the gap between the lines at the last bar is no more than 70% of the gap at the first touch.
Intact: between the first touch and the last bar, no close beyond either line by more than a small margin.
Long enough: at least 20 bars.

Starting values: Swing size 3 bars each side (daily), 2 (weekly); Top tolerance 1.5%; Convergence 70%; Minimum length 20 bars. These are proposed and will be tuned on real price data before launch.

How to read it

The ceiling is the flat red line. Each touch is price reaching that level and turning back.
The floor is the rising teal line. Each touch is price falling to that line and turning back up.
More touches mean the lines are better established. Two per line is the minimum we accept.
The apex is where the lines would meet. The closer price gets to it, the less room is left inside the shape.

Status labels you may see

Label	What it means
Forming	Price is between the two lines.
Testing the top	The last close is within 2% of the flat top.
Closed above the top	The last close is above the flat top. The pattern has played out.
Closed below the floor	The last close is below the rising floor. The pattern no longer holds.

What cancels it

A close below the rising floor. Also the end of the shape: once price closes above the top, it is a breakout, not a triangle in progress.

What traders check next

Whether volume shrank inside the shape and picked up at the move out.
Whether the move out was a close or only a wick beyond the line.
Whether a longer period shows the same shape.
Other nearby levels, like round numbers or an earlier high.

Limits

It describes the past. A neat shape is not a promise of what comes next.
Small changes in the margin or the swing size can change which highs and lows count.
Breakouts can reverse quickly, so a first move out may not hold.
On weekly charts a triangle can take years to form.

Try it in forecastviz

Open any ticker and choose Continuation patterns → Ascending triangle in the left menu.
Switch between 6M, 1Y, 3Y to see how the picture changes.
Compare with Descending triangle and Symmetrical triangle on the same chart.

Open on a ticker

Questions

How is it different from a symmetrical triangle?

A symmetrical triangle has both lines slanting toward each other: a falling top and a rising floor. An ascending triangle has a flat top.

Does it always break upward?

No. Both directions happen. We do not publish a break rate.

How many touches do I need?

At least two on each line. With more touches, the lines are better established.

Is this a buy or sell signal?

No. It describes the shape of past prices. It is not advice and not a prediction.