Ascending Triangle
An Ascending Triangle is a bullish pattern with a flat horizontal resistance and a rising trendline of higher lows, converging until price breaks above the resistance.
What it measures
Requires at least two touches on a horizontal resistance and at least two higher lows converging into it. Confirmation is a close above the resistance; the projected target is the widest part of the triangle projected upward from the breakout point.
Parameters
| Name | Default | Range | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| min_touches | 2 | 2–5 | Minimum touches required on both the horizontal top and the rising bottom. |
| max_width_pct | 10 | 2–20 | Maximum width of the triangle at its widest point, as % of price. Overly wide triangles are ranges, not patterns. |
How it behaves
The pattern narrates accumulation: sellers keep meeting price at the same level, but buyers are willing to pay more each attempt. Volume typically dries up inside the triangle and expands on the breakout — that expansion is the quality filter.
When it misleads
Ascending triangles fail when the breakout has no volume behind it — a "quiet" break is a strong candidate to reverse within a few candles. They also fail in ranges when treated as reversal signals — an ascending triangle at the top of a range is often a bull trap, not a continuation. Require a directional context.
Backtest result
Sourced backtest in preparation — we're running the rule on our own historical candles before publishing numbers we can stand behind.
FAQ
- Is an ascending triangle always bullish?
- Statistically biased bullish, especially as a continuation in an uptrend. As a reversal at the top of a range or downtrend it is much less reliable — the horizontal resistance is often the level that eventually rejects.
- How is it different from a rising wedge?
- A rising wedge has two rising lines (both support and resistance sloping up). An ascending triangle has a flat top. Rising wedges are usually bearish; ascending triangles usually bullish.
- When should the entry be?
- On the close above resistance, not the intra-candle touch. Retests of the broken resistance from above are the highest-quality re-entries.
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