This line is called the price line and it illustrates the current Bid price of a currency pair. Also, it is key to clarify that, in Forex, you always have two types of prices: the Bid and the Ask. If you would like to buy a currency pair, you will be quoted at the Ask price.

On the contrary, if you want to sell a currency pair, you will need to use the Bid price. You can display both price lines in MetaTrader 4 b y right-clicking a chart and selecting properties or simply press F8. Then select the Common tab and check the Show Ask Line option and click OK. The gap you will see between the Ask Line and the Bid Line is the spread, or the commission your broker makes for every trade you place.

This gap will vary depending on the currency pair and its liquidity. There are different time frames you can select in a Forex chart. You will find the following options in MetaTrader To select or change the time frame of a chart, click the button located in the MT4 standard toolbox:. Alternatively, you can right-click the chart and select the period you want to display:. Using charts with different time frames can help you to build a more robust analysis of the market and gain a thorough perspective of the overall trend in a specific currency pair.

This could be helpful before starting a trade. For instance, if your technical analysis in an H1 chart signals you should place a buy or long order and, when checking the daily chart you see the overall trend of the currency pair is sideways, it means the downside movement could be limited. Analyzing Multiple Timeframes. When reading Forex charts, it can be handy to create your own chart templates that will allow you to save time in your analysis and fulfill your preferences.

You can customize your charts in MetaTrader 4 by following these simple steps:. You will get the following window displayed, where you can adjust different chart elements:. You can save a chart template on MetaTrader 4 with your preferred settings by right-clicking the chart and selecting the save template option.

Then, give it a name and click save. Saving a Chart Template in MetaTrader 4. To load your chart template with your preferences in a new Forex chart, open a new chart in MT4, then right-click it and select the load template option. Then choose your template. Loading a Chart Template in MetaTrader 4. We hope that this guide helped you to understand better how to read and customize Forex charts in MetaTrader 4.

If you have any feedback or questions, please post them in the comments section. Your email address will not be published. Forex Charts in MT4: How to Read and Master Them Muhammad Awais April 1, No comments.

To read a Forex chart you should: Open a chart in your trading platform MetaTrader 4, for instance Choose a chart type: A line chart, a bar chart or a candlestick chart Understand the price points and levels that are displayed in the chart Identify the chart timeframe: This could go from a 1-minute chart to a monthly chart.

Opening a Chart in MetaTrader 4 The first step is to go to your trading platform and open a chart. Opening a New Chart in MetaTrader 4 using the MarketWatch Alternatively, you can click the button in the standard toolbar, which is usually located at the top right of the MetaTrader 4 window. Then, you can proceed to choose the currency pair: Opening a New Chart in MetaTrader 4 using the toolbox button After performing one of the two actions described above, you will get a new chart displayed that represents the price action of the chosen currency pair.

Choosing a Forex Chart Type Basic Elements of a Forex Chart A Forex chart illustrates the price changes on a specific currency pair. Prices and Timeline Axis in Forex This is how it looks in the MetaTrader 4 trading platform: Prices and Timeline in MT4 As you can see in the image above, price action develops from left to right, so the most recent price information will appear on the right side of the chart.

Types of Forex Charts In addition, there are three main types of Forex Charts: Bar Charts Candlestick Charts Line Charts To choose one of these options in MetaTrader 4, click one of the following displayed above, which are located in the standard toolbar: Standard Toolbar in Mt4 How to Read a Bar Chart A bar chart is formed of a vertical line and two horizontal lines.

In the example below, you will notice how a bar chart can illustrate the price action of a day D2 : Anatomy of a Forex Bar chart Then, multiple days take the following shape: Most of the time, bar charts have different colors depending on their nature: if they are bullish or bearish. Green: represents bullish or buyer bars, meaning the close price is at a higher level in comparison to the opening price.

Red: represents bearish or seller bars, meaning the close price is at a lower level in comparison to the opening price. Bar charts and color meaning How to Read a Candlestick Chart If we add a box shape to the OHLC bars, we get a candlestick bar as a result. Anatomy of a Candlestick Chart If the candlestick body is green or hollow with the same color as the chart background , then it is bullish.

How to Read a Line Chart Last but not least, we have the line chart, which is a simplified depiction of the price action in comparison to the bar and candlestick charts.

It might be difficult to perform technical analysis and identify patterns that materialize into a trading strategy.

Candlestick Chart It is the most robust representation of the price action, as it not only shows all the key levels for a specific period, but it also allows us to identify patterns and deploy technical analysis tools in a more effective way. It can fall short when you are trying to assess the overall market trend.

Different to bar charts, you depend on colors to identify if a bar is bullish or bearish. Line Chart Its simplicity allows the trader to identify or spot market trends easily.

You can miss important information about price action since the line chart is only based on closing prices. Chart Elements in MetaTrader 4 Chart Timeline: The first element you can identify is the chart timeline: it is the X or horizontal axis located at the bottom of any chart and connects time periods depending on the timeframe you select to perform your market analysis minutes, hours, weeks or months.

Price Levels: The price levels are depicted on a Y or vertical axis, on the right side of the chart. This has the following implications when you read the prices in conjunction with the timeline: If you notice prices in a chart any type increase from left to right, that illustrates an upward trend; but if there is a decrease, then you are probably watching a downward trend.

Also, the market can show a sideways behavior or horizontal trend if prices fluctuate within a range of prices. Current Price Line: You will notice there is a line element in the chart that constantly moves and draws the price action as time passes by.

Identifying and Selecting Timeframes There are different time frames you can select in a Forex chart. You will find the following options in MetaTrader 4: Minutes: 1 Minute M1 , 5 Minutes M5 and 15 Minutes M15 Hours: 1 hour H1 and 4 hours H4 Daily: D1 Weekly: W1 Monthly: Mn To select or change the time frame of a chart, click the button located in the MT4 standard toolbox: Alternatively, you can right-click the chart and select the period you want to display: Timeframes and Trading Analysis Using charts with different time frames can help you to build a more robust analysis of the market and gain a thorough perspective of the overall trend in a specific currency pair.

Analyzing Multiple Timeframes Customizing your Forex Charts When reading Forex charts, it can be handy to create your own chart templates that will allow you to save time in your analysis and fulfill your preferences. You can customize your charts in MetaTrader 4 by following these simple steps: Right-click your chart and click on properties. You will get the following window displayed, where you can adjust different chart elements: Saving Chart Templates You can save a chart template on MetaTrader 4 with your preferred settings by right-clicking the chart and selecting the save template option.

Saving a Chart Template in MetaTrader 4 Loading Chart Templates To load your chart template with your preferences in a new Forex chart, open a new chart in MT4, then right-click it and select the load template option. Loading a Chart Template in MetaTrader 4 Conclusion We hope that this guide helped you to understand better how to read and customize Forex charts in MetaTrader 4.

Happy trading! What are you waiting for? START LEARNING FOREX TODAY! Sign me up! The line chart is the most basic of all chart types. However, the simplicity of line charts is also their advantage.

A bar chart more resembles a candlestick chart, with the main difference being that a bar chart has no solid body like a candlestick. It shows the opening, high, low, and closing price of a period.

The vertical bar shows the trading range of the pair from low to high , the left dash shows the opening price and the right dash the closing price. The following chart is a bar chart. Notice both the similarities and differences compared to candlestick charts. It consists of a series of stacked Xs and Os that are placed into columns. If the price rises by a predetermined level called the box size , an X will be added to the columns, and if the price falls by the same level, an O will be added to the following column.

This chart type is rarely used in Forex trading. You need to fully understand all the concepts presented above before you go on with your learning, because this is the basis of all further Forex learning. A new exciting website with services that better suit your location has recently launched!

What is a Forex chart? How do Forex Chart Timeframes Work? Line Chart The line chart is the most basic of all chart types.

Bar Chart A bar chart more resembles a candlestick chart, with the main difference being that a bar chart has no solid body like a candlestick. More useful articles How much money do you need to start trading Forex?

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Technical analysis is critical if you aim to become a trader, especially understanding trading graphs, and knowing how to read a chart can add significant value to your trading skills. Are you also looking for the same? Read on. To learn how to read trading charts, you need to have an eye to see the data plotting on the chart.

By looking at it, you can analyze the direction the financial instrument is about to move. What is a forex chart? A forex chart represents a graphical representation of how the price of a currency pair changes over time. The price values are plotted on the vertical y-axis, while the horizontal x-axis shows time. Below is a presented forex chart example:. To read forex charts, traders need to learn to identify low and high prices, trading patterns, and trends during various time frames.

However, there are three types of trading charts: line charts, bar charts, and candlestick charts. Usually, candlesticks charts represent the complete type of charts that contain the most information, such as open, close, high, and low price level for each candlestick. To find a trend on any trading chart, traders use technical indicators and trend lines to confirm the overall direction or a currency price. In the first step, traders determine breakout move on a forex chart where a new high or low is made, and resistance or support is broken.

Then, traders draw a trendline as diagonal support or resistance level on a price chart. Finally, traders can confirm trends using moving average indicators or seek logical confirmation of a movement based on macroeconomic parameters. Analyzing trading charts is crucial in this field; you will eventually become a good trader with time and practice.

The purpose of this article is to get you started on your path to knowing and using charts to improve your trade. If you use a trading chart, you can be called a technical trader. Also, traders tend to monitor news outlets that provide updates on economic activity, oil production, job data, interest rate shifts, and geopolitical drivers such as conflict and political uncertainty. We will start by knowing what the trading map is before we focus on trends and indicators. In short, the graph displays the market prices that exist between two financial products that are shown in a chart.

There is a third form of the movement that is sideways, horizontal, or flat. An extensive demand happens when the commodity price approaches the same highs resistance level and lows support level three times.

Three main types of charts come forward when we talk about technical charts. They are unique and give certain kinds of information about the market; it is on traders to comprehend it and make sense to earn profits. A line chart represents a simple chart type that displays trends over time. This graph usually reflects just the closing price for the span of time. The closing price is also considered to be the most significant factor in the data analysis. In fact, the line chart is formed by linking the closing rates over a defined timeline.

There is no graphic data or spectrum of trade, which means no peaks and falls and nothing about opening rates. A bar chart is a graphical representation of OHLC open, high, low, close price values consisting of an opening foot—facing left—a vertical line, and a closing foot—facing right. Extending the line chart in greater depth, the bar chart contains many more crucial snippets of details applied to every other data set on the graph. Made up of a vertical line series where each line is a depiction of trading knowledge.

They reflect the high and low levels of the trading day and also the open and close rates. A short horizontal line defines the free and the near price. Comprehending the trading chart is straightforward; if the left dash open price is lower than the right dash closing rate , the bar will be colored in orange, black or blue, indicating a price rise and a valued instrument.

The reverse is valid, and the diminished value of the stock is seen in red. Candlesticks represent a type of price chart that displays the high, low, open, and closing prices of a security for a specific trading period.

The Candlesticks Body represents the price range, open-to-close. The Wick or the shadow shows the highs and lows. After you have learned the line and bar charts, it is time to switch to the candlestick chart. It is quite similar to the bar chart.

Going back to the 17th century, the Japanese started to use a scientific method for the trade-in rice known as technical analysis. It is fascinating that Japanese candlesticks are widely used even today. The data reflected from the candlestick involves low, high, close, and open values. If the lines are positioned at the top of the body, this will show you the high and closing rates, whereas the lines at the bottom of the chart show the low and the closing price of low.

The body colors vary from broker to broker but are usually green, indicating a price rise, or red, reflecting a price decline. A hollow candlestick is a place where the near price is better than the market value, informing traders to buy. Filled or colored candlesticks in which the value is less than opening would show the selling spot. Long and short bodies would offer the BUY or SELL tension between traders.

Short-term bodies reflect very little market change and are mostly viewed as a convergence phenomenon known as Doji. Doji is an essential aspect of the candlestick graph as it offers details in a variety of candlestick trends.

These shape when instruments open and close to nearly identical rates, and there is not much price disparity. It leads to a balance between supply and demand. There are a lot of trends that you can recognize only by glancing at the graph. The concept of chart patterns is premised on the idea that human behavior does not alter quickly, and so history continues to replicate itself. Chart patterns illustrate the psychology of capital markets, assuming that they have succeeded in the past, so will they work next time.

They send you hints as to the possible path the pattern is likely to go. They are at the center of all important market fluctuations that form a correlation across trends. It would help if you used chart trends as a stand-alone strategy for your investing.

A few crucial patterns to know are the Triangles, a continuity pattern that indicates a war taking place amongst soaring and declining values. This means that the price is ultimately likely to proceed in the direction it headed until the trend was detected. Another prominent trend to recognize is the double top, showing the value reaching two highs and suggesting the price reversing to the bearish way from the bullish pattern.

Its opposite — the double bottom — describes a trend turnaround from bearish to bullish, implying an inevitable uptrend. From such instances, you can realize how essential it is to recognize trends for your trading performance. When you get more acclimatized with reading and analyzing graphs, you can add additional instruments, like technical measures, to calculate price movement and change in value. These statistical metrics can help you learn whether stocks are oversold or over-purchased.

If a stock is oversold or over-purchased, it fails to sustain its course, which sometimes indicates a turnaround is inevitable. Instances of the most widely used dynamic metrics are MACD, Stochastic or RSI. Other ways of analysis can allow you to determine when to take a trading position or leave a trade, including the Bollinger Bands. Trend line metrics such as the Moving Average clearly help you determine how the market moves by cutting off all the noise from small price fluctuations.

You may use a couple of these measures in unison to validate the signal. They all appear on most of the trading sites. Traders use several metrics to read the market graph, but at its heart, it holds two essential bits of information — value and quantity. Anything other than past prices and volume details is nothing other than speculation.

Yet, these halves of knowledge are crucial to anticipate possible price movements. Volume shifts are often ignored, but growing volumes indicate a much more substantial change, one that is likely to persist, whereas declining volumes display a lack of confidence among traders.

The first thing that most technical traders measure while considering a market graph is the trend line. Markets are not necessarily trending all the time, and you may not have a strong trend pattern. You would need to focus on a longer time span to see what the pattern is. Here, it might sound right to broaden the possibilities that you may find long-term support or resistance levels that can be incredibly significant.

The trend line and the level of support or resistance are critically important, and traders who depend on these factors would find trading very critical. As far as technical metrics are concerned, the moving average in all of its various time frames may be the most relevant predictor precisely since so many traders implement them as a base of their trades, particularly the 50 days and days moving averages.

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To learn how to read trading charts, you need to have an eye to see the data plotting on the chart. When the value under consideration is large, the length of the histogram or bars is longer and vice versa. Close and Accept. Then, you can proceed to choose the currency pair: Opening a New Chart in MetaTrader 4 using the toolbox button After performing one of the two actions described above, you will get a new chart displayed that represents the price action of the chosen currency pair. A Forex chart illustrates the price changes on a specific currency pair. It is very straight forward: based on the closing values of the selected currencies in the currency market , the line on the chart will represent the trends in the selected time periods. Cartesian graphs compare two sets of numbers coordinates and mathematicians mainly use them to solve mathematical problems.

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