Descending Triangle
Flat support tested several times below falling swing highs; completes on a close below support.
A descending triangle mirrors the ascending triangle: a horizontal lower boundary and a falling upper boundary. Rallies fail at lower highs while buyers defend the same level, until support breaks. It is classified as a bearish pattern.
Failed breakdowns can turn the old support into a springboard (Kibar: "recovery above support = failed breakdown").
How we define it
- Support: a best-fit horizontal level through at least 3 swing lows (2 on 1W)
- Resistance: a falling line through at least 3 swing highs from the pattern high; no close above it
- The range narrows to at most 60% of its starting height; the breakdown comes before 3/4 of the way to the apex
- Minimum length: 2 months on 1D, 3 months on 1W, 10 days on 4H (from the first boundary test to the breakout or breakdown)
- Breakout (up) / breakdown (down): the first candle close above the upper boundary or below the lower boundary by at least 3% on 1D and 1W (1.5% on 4H), following Edwards & Magee
- Failed breaks: a breakout or breakdown that closes back inside the boundary within 6 candles on 4H, 5 on 1D or 3 on 1W is removed from the list
- Trend filter: breakouts only above the 200-period EMA (40-week EMA on 1W), breakdowns only below it
- Watchlist: the pattern meets the length and test rules, has not broken yet, and price is within 3% (or 1 ATR, at most 6%) of the boundary
No recent breakout or breakdown
No descending triangle has completed recently. See all patterns.
Nothing on the watchlist
No mature descending triangle is close to its breakout or breakdown level right now.