52-week high and low
The highest and lowest prices over the past 52 weeks, with the current price shown inside that range.
What it shows
The 52-week high and low are the extremes of the last year. Many sites show them because they are easy to compare across stocks.
Where price sits between them, as a percent of the range, is a quick way to see whether it is near the top, near the bottom or in the middle.
How we find it
The same code that draws it on your chart follows these steps, with the same result every time.
- Take the highest high and the lowest low of the last 252 trading days.
- Draw a line at each.
- Compute the position of the last close: (close − low) ÷ (high − low).
- Show the date each extreme happened.
Starting values: Window 252 trading days; Price used high and low. These are proposed and will be tuned on real price data before launch.
How to read it
- The red line is the year's high and the teal line is the year's low.
- The gold dot is the latest price.
- A position near 100% means price is close to its yearly high. Near 0% means close to its yearly low.
Status labels you may see
| Label | What it means |
|---|---|
| Near the 52-week high | In the top 10% of the range. |
| Middle of the range | Between 40% and 60%. |
| Near the 52-week low | In the bottom 10% of the range. |
What cancels it
Nothing cancels it. The lines move as old extremes leave the window.
What traders check next
- How long ago each extreme happened.
- Whether the high or low was set on high volume.
- How wide the range is compared with the price.
Limits
- A wide range makes position less informative.
- A new high today just sets a new reference.
- Intraday highs can differ from closing highs.
Try it in forecastviz
- Open any ticker and choose Support and resistance → 52-week high and low in the left menu.
- Switch between 1Y, 3Y to see how the picture changes.
- Compare with All-time high and low and Prior swing highs and lows on the same chart.
Questions
Does a new 52-week high mean anything?
It is a fact about the past year. We make no claim about what follows.
Is the window 12 months or 252 days?
We use 252 trading days, about 12 months.
Related trends
Further reading
- Murphy, Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets
- Edwards and Magee, Technical Analysis of Stock Trends
Educational only. Not financial advice, and not a price forecast. Charts are drawn by code from past price data, which may be delayed.