Head And Shoulders Chart Pattern

Trading the head and shoulders chart pattern in the common way is to treat it as a reversal pattern.

It is probably ranked as close in popularity as the various triangle price patterns that can be found on a chart.

Let’s cover the standard method of trading a head and shoulders chart pattern and then look at a way to “front run” the potential break of the neckline.

What Is A Head And Shoulders Reversal Pattern

The pattern is named as such due to the shape the pattern takes that resembles the head and shoulders of a human.  There are three peaks with the middle one being the high point and the smaller peaks on each side of the middle peak.

Extending the comparison we have the fourth feature of the pattern, the neckline, formed by drawing a line between the two depressions between the shoulders and the head. Classical technical analysis defines an uptrend as a series of higher highs and higher lows.

The neckline is essentially a support level that confirms the reversal, usually with an increase in volume, and is often used as the entry point for a trade.

This is what we see in this image, a clear uptrend culminating in the head of the pattern.

The right shoulder suggests a weakening of this uptrend because it is the first lower high in the chart. This weakening is further indicated by a new low at the right neckline that is just barely higher, or the same, as the prior low.

Head And Shoulders Can Signal A Trend Reversal

The price pattern of higher highs and higher lows is breaking down and suggests that the uptrend is coming to an end and we could see a reversal in price. When a trend ends it will inevitably be followed by either a sideways price consolidation or by a trend reversal.

In the case of a head and shoulders pattern the reversal is signalled by price movement through the neckline.

The neckline of the pattern represents a level of support to a downward move in price. Think of it as a support level formed by the double bottom inside the head and shoulders formation. Once this support level is broken to the downside it becomes resistance for the downtrend and you will often see price retrace to the neckline before resuming the downtrend.

You want to watch price action at the neckline to see if there will be a failure with this pattern.

The neckline also helps us project the size of the move down which will give you a price you can shoot for a profit target.  Your profit target may not be met but you will have an idea of a potential risk reward for the trade.

You can also split the difference of the profit target and use that as a place to tighten your stop or scale out of the trade.

To find your price target, measure the distance from the top of the head to the neckline. This distance is then subtracted from the neckline where price breaks through it to give us a minimum target for the move down.

In our image, the distance between the head and neckline is denoted as A and this is projected down as B which you’ll see was easily reached in the reversing move.

Use Volume To Confirm The Pattern

The head and shoulders pattern is often further confirmed by volume. The left shoulder will typically have strong volume, while the volume at the head will be lower because the uptrend is weakening. The volume at the right shoulder will be weaker still signalling an end to the trend while the break through the neckline will come on strong volume.

This volume pattern is a secondary confirmation however and will not always be there. Rely on the formation of the pattern and the breaking of the neckline to indicate the reversal.

What Is The Inverse Head And Shoulders Pattern?

So far we have only discussed the head and shoulders pattern as indicating a trend reversal from an uptrend to a downtrend. There is also an opposing pattern, the inverse head and shoulders pattern that signals a trend direction reversal from a downtrend to an uptrend, and you could even see alternating patterns within a larger time frame consolidation.

Here we have a head and shoulders pattern that is broken to the downside and gives us a target A once the neckline is broken. Price actually retraces to retest the neckline before resuming its downtrend.

The downtrend doesn’t last long before an inverse head and shoulders is formed.

This is broken to the upside and measuring the distance from the head to the neckline gives us a price target of B, which again is reached after a few tests of the neckline.

Get A Jump On A Trend Reversal

The proper way to trade the head and shoulders pattern is to wait for a break of the neckline which will complete the chart pattern.  The problem with this becomes apparent when the size of the head and shoulders pattern is too large.

Much of a trade-able move could be long gone before the neckline breaks and even that may not signify a reversal.

What if there was a way to “front run” the entry point of a neckline break and take advantage of the potential increase in order flow?

There is.

I’ve added a horizontal line to our first chart that started at the left shoulder.  You can see that price comes close to the horizontal line as it forms the right shoulder.

The good thing about this setup is if the trade fails at the neckline, you will be able to get out of the trade with either a very small loss or a tiny profit.  Trading the neckline break has you in a losing trade the moment it crosses back over the neckline.

You’ve also a well defined risk point which is just over the right shoulder.

Keep in mind we are looking for a reversal of a trend which means, we have to have a prior trend in place before the pattern offers us any value.

What Time Frame To Use

Chart patterns can be found on any time frame.  The consensus is that any pattern found on a higher time frame such as daily and weekly charts, will have more impact than a lower time frame price pattern.

Because the H&S pattern is all about a trend direction change, we want to make sure that it occurs when many market participants are aware of a pending reversal in price.

Can you use price patterns on day trading charts?  Sure.  I would focus more on triangles and trading ranges and save the big trend reversals for the higher time frame charts.

Chart Patterns Fail

Like all technical analysis patterns the head and shoulders will not always precede a trend change.

• The pattern can also fail and we typically consider it failed if price breaks above the right shoulder. When that happens we will most likely have entered a consolidation or resumed the uptrend.
• The latter would be confirmed by a price break above the top of the head, similarly for the inverse head and shoulders.
• It can be difficult at times to spot head and shoulders patterns on a chart, usually because we look for them in the wrong places. You will only find these patterns at the end of a trend so don’t bother looking for them during a price consolidation or in very choppy markets.
• Make sure that there was a clear pattern of higher highs and higher lows before considering a change in trend.
• When the pattern is there it will be as clear as shown in our examples. Reversals can also be indicated by other technical patterns so don’t assume you’ll find a head and shoulders at every reversal.

As a chart pattern, identifying them can be subjective and that is why I prefer to use a higher timeframe such as the daily chart and above for reversal structures such as the head and shoulders.  I can then use other parts of a trading strategy to take trading opportunities in the new direction.

Exercise your eyes and mind and start looking for head and shoulder patterns on your charts. Once you spot them make your target projections and see how often they are hit. You may find that this pattern can be a profitable addition to your trading toolkit or at least provide a strong confirmation for reversals signalled by your current trading system.