Bulkowski’s Height and Width

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In numerous studies I have conducted, one factor stands above all others when trying to gauge the best performance of a chart pattern. Height. Tall chart patterns perform better than short ones. What is meant by tall and what is meant by short? Compute the chart pattern’s height from the highest peak to the lowest valley. Divide the result by the breakout price and then compare it to the median height shown in the following table. If your number is greater than the median then you have a tall pattern. If your number is less than the median then your chart pattern is short.

A similar situation applies to width. Unfortunately, width is a poor indicator of performance because some wide chart patterns perform better and some don’t. Measure the length of the chart pattern from its start to its end and compare it to the median width listed in the following table. Wide chart patterns have widths greater than the median. Narrow chart patterns have widths less than the median.

Where does a chart pattern start and end? Use the first peak or valley and the last peak of valley in the chart pattern as the start and end points. A head-and-shoulders top, for example, begins with the highest peak in the left shoulder and ends with the highest peak in the right shoulder.

The “Works Best” column in the following table shows whether tall or short works best for height and narrow or wide works best for width.

For more information consult the book Encyclopedia of Chart Patterns, Second Edition.

Bull Markets

Bull Market Chart Pattern	Median Height (%)	Works Best	Median Width (days)	Works Best
Broadening Bottoms, down breakout	17.50	Tall	49	Tie
Broadening Bottoms, up breakout	15.13	Tall	45	Narrow
Broadening Formations, Right-Angled and Ascending, down breakout	14.70	Tall	64	Wide
Broadening Formations, Right-Angled and Ascending, up breakout	13.24	Tall	59	Wide
Broadening Formations, Right-Angled and Descending, down breakout	14.20	Tall	55	Wide
Broadening Formations, Right-Angled and Descending, up breakout	13.13	Tall	63	Tie
Broadening Tops, down breakout	15.95	Tall	49	Tie
Broadening Tops, up breakout	14.66	Tall	52	Wide
Broadening Wedges, Ascending, down breakout	23.31	Tall	83	Narrow
Broadening Wedges, Ascending, up breakout	18.60	Tall	66	Wide
Broadening Wedges, Descending, down breakout	22.40	Tall	55	Narrow
Broadening Wedges, Descending, up breakout	21.77	Tall	52	Narrow
Bump-and-Run Reversal Bottoms, up breakout	35.87	Tall	120	Wide
Bump-and-run Reversal Tops, down breakout	43.48	Tall	161	Narrow
Cup-with-Handle, up breakout	27.41	Tall	155	Narrow
Cup-with-Handle, Inverted, down breakout	31.93	Tall	107	Narrow
Diamond Bottoms, down breakout	13.42	Tall	27	Narrow
Diamond Bottoms, up breakout	13.19	Tall	27	Wide
Diamond Tops, down breakout	10.70	Tall	36	Narrow
Diamond Tops, up breakout	12.43	Tie	37	Narrow
Double Bottoms, Adam & Adam, up breakout	17.54	Tall	37	Tie
Double Bottoms, Adam & Eve, up breakout	17.28	Tall	50	Narrow
Double Bottoms, Eve & Adam, up breakout	18.03	Short	50	Narrow
Double Bottoms, Eve & Eve, up breakout	16.40	Short	50	Narrow
Double Tops, Adam & Adam, down breakout	17.12	Tall	35	Narrow
Double Tops, Adam & Eve, down breakout	17.02	Tall	39	Narrow
Double Tops, Eve & Adam, down breakout	15.82	Tall	40	Narrow
Double Tops, Eve & Eve, down breakout	17.13	Tall	43	Narrow
Flags, down breakout	5.38	Tall	9	Narrow
Flags, up breakout	6.68	Tall	8	Wide
Flags, High and Tight, up breakout	20.91	Short	65	Narrow
Gaps	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Head-and-Shoulders Bottoms, up breakout	18.81	Tall	55	Narrow
Head-and-Shoulders Bottoms, Complex, up breakout	17.70	Tie	90	Wide
Head-and-Shoulders Tops, down breakout	17.27	Tall	49	Narrow
Head-and-Shoulders Tops, Complex, down breakout	19.49	Tall	73	Narrow
Horn Bottoms, up breakout	11.33	Tall	N/A	N/A
Horn Tops, down breakout	10.87	Tall	N/A	N/A
Islands Reversals, down breakout	8.96	Tall	18	Wide
Islands Reversals, up breakout	8.82	Tall	15	Wide
Islands, Long, down breakout	27.33	Tall	43	Narrow
Islands, Long, up breakout	21.46	Tall	41	Narrow
Measured Move Down (second leg target)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Measured Move Up (second leg target)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Pennants, down breakout	6.72	Tall	9	Wide
Pennants, up breakout	6.86	Tall	8	Wide
Pipe Bottom, up breakout	11.64	Tall	N/A	N/A
Pipe Tops, down breakout	10.23	Tall	N/A	N/A
Rectangles Bottoms, down breakout	11.53	Tie	64	Wide
Rectangles Bottoms, up breakout	10.89	Tall	65	Wide
Rectangles Tops, down breakout	10.09	Tall	62	Wide
Rectangles Tops, up breakout	10.59	Tall	65	Wide
Rounding Bottoms, up breakout	31.58	Tall	196	Wide
Rounding Tops, down breakout	31.02	Tall	118	Tie
Rounding Tops, up breakout	23.90	Tall	123	Narrow
Scallops, Ascending, down breakout	21.47	Tall	34	Narrow
Scallops, Ascending, up breakout	19.77	Tall	39	Wide
Scallops, Ascending and Inverted, up breakout	22.51	Tall	34	Narrow
Scallops, Descending, down breakout	22.27	Tie	34	Narrow
Scallops, Descending, up breakout	24.00	Tall	42	Wide
Scallops, Inverted and Descending, down breakout	20.46	Tall	25	Tie
Three Falling Peaks, down breakout	23.50	Short	38	Narrow
Three Rising Valleys, up breakout	23.80	Tall	43	Narrow
Triangles, Ascending, down breakout	12.02	Tall	51	Narrow
Triangles, Ascending, up breakout	10.13	Tall	45	Wide
Triangles, Descending, down breakout	11.50	Tall	44	Wide
Triangles, Descending, up breakout	11.63	Tall	47	Wide
Triangles, Symmetrical, down breakout	14.50	Tall	39	Wide
Triangles, Symmetrical, up breakout	14.48	Tall	42	Wide
Triple Bottoms, up breakout	18.66	Short	78	Narrow
Triple Tops, down breakout	19.44	Tall	75	Narrow
Wedges, Falling, down breakout	16.87	Tall	42	Wide
Wedges, Falling, up breakout	17.75	Tall	36	Tie
Wedges, Rising, down breakout	15.00	Tall	37	Wide
Wedges, Rising, up breakout	15.12	Short	38	Wide