What Is a Broadening Formation? A broadening formation is a price chart pattern identified by technical analysts. It is characterized by increasing price volatility and diagrammed as two diverging trend lines, one rising and one falling. It usually occurs after a significant rise, or fall, in the action of security prices. It is identified on a chart by a series of higher pivot highs and lower pivot lows.
Understanding Broadening Formations Broadening formations occur when a market is experiencing heightened disagreement among investors over the appropriate price of a security over a short period of time. Buyers become increasingly willing to buy at higher prices, while sellers find ever more motivation to take profits. This creates a series of higher interim peaks in price and lower interim lows. When connecting these highs and lows, the trend lines form a widening pattern that looks like a megaphone or reverse symmetrical triangle.
The price may reflect the random disagreement between investors, or it may reflect a more fundamental factor. For example, many countries experience broadening formations due to heightened political risk ahead of an upcoming election. Different polling results or candidate policies may cause a market to become very bullish at some points and very bearish at other points.
Broadening Tops: Important Bull Market Results Overall performance rank for up/down breakouts (1 is best): 22 out of 39/28 out of 36 Break even failure rate for up/down breakouts: 18%/27% Average rise/decline for up/down breakouts: 42%/13% Throwback/pullback rate: 67%/67% Percentage meeting price target for up/down breakouts: 66%/42% The above numbers are based on 1,215 samples for upward breakouts and 804 for downward breakouts.