Title: How to Spot Potential Price Reversals: Part 2A subject within technical analysis that many find difficult to apply to their day-to-day trading is the ability to spot reversals in price.
Yesterday we posted part 1 of this 2 part educational series, where we used GBPUSD as an example of how you could identify and trade a Head and Shoulders/Reversed Head and Shoulders pattern.
In today’s post we discuss a Double Top/Double Bottom, using a recent US 100 example.
Our intention is to help you understand why price activity is reversing and highlight how knowledge of this may be applied within your own individual trading strategies.
The Double Top Reversal:
The Double Top, is formed by 2 distinct price highs.
This pattern highlights the potential,
• reversal of a previous uptrend in price, into a phase of price weakness
• reversal of a previous downtrend in price into a more prolonged period of price strength.
In this example, we are going to talk about a bearish reversal in price called a Double Top.
Points to Note: A Double Top
• An uptrend in price must be in place for the pattern to form.
• A Double Top pattern is made up of 2 clear highs and one low, forming a letter ‘M’ shape on a price chart.
• This pattern reflects an inability of buyers to push price activity above a previous peak in price, potentially highlighting a negative shift in sentiment and sellers gaining the upper hand. This is regarded as a ‘weak test’ of a previous price failure high and leaves 2 price peaks at, or very close to each other.
• A horizontal trendline is drawn at the low between the 2 peaks, which highlights the neckline of the pattern. If this is broken on a closing basis, the pattern is completed, reflecting a negative sentiment shift and the potential of further price weakness.
Point to Note: To understand a bullish reversal, known as a ‘Double Bottom’ please simply follow the opposite analysis of what is highlighted above.
US 100 Example:
In the chart below, we look at the US 100 index and the formation of a Double Top pattern from earlier in 2025.
As with any bearish reversal in price, a clear uptrend and extended price advance must have been seen for the reversal pattern to be valid. On the chart above, this was reflected by the advance from the August 5th 2024 low up into the December 16th price high.
The Double Top pattern is made up of 2 price highs close or at the same level as each other, with a low trade in the middle, which forms a letter ‘M’ on the chart (see below).
In this example above, the highs are marked by 22142, the December 16th and 22226, the February 18th highs, with the 20477 level posted on January 13th represents the low traded in the middle, which helps to form the ‘M’.
The Neckline of the pattern is drawn using a horizontal line at the 20477 January 13th low, with the Double Top pattern completed on closes below this level. Potential then turns towards a more extended phase of price weakness to reverse the previous uptrend, even opening the possibility a new downtrend in price being formed.
Does the Double Top Pattern Suggest a Potential Price Objective?
Yes, it does. This can be done by measuring the height of the 2nd peak in price down to the Neckline level at that time, this distance is projected lower from the point the neckline was broken, suggesting a possible minimum objective for any future price decline.
In the example above, the 2nd high was at 22226, posted on February 18th 2025, with the Neckline at 20477, meaning the height of the pattern was 1749 (points). On February 27th the Neckline of the pattern was broken on a closing basis.
This means… 20477 – 1749 = 18728 as a minimum potential price objective for the Double Top pattern.
Of course, as with any technical pattern, completion is not a guarantee of a significant phase of price movement, with much still dependent on future sentiment and price trends.
Therefore, if initiating a trade based on a Double Top pattern, you must ALWAYS place a stop loss to protect against any unforeseen event or price movement.
This stop loss should initially be placed just above the level of the 2nd price high, as any break negates the pattern, meaning we were wrong to class the pattern as we did.
Hopefully, as prices fall after completion of the pattern, you can consider moving your stop loss lower, keeping it just above lower resistance levels to protect your position and lock in potential gains.
While both the Head and Shoulders and Double Top/Bottom patterns can take a prolonged period to form and we must be patient to wait for completion, they reflect important signals indicating potential changes in price sentiment and direction.
By understanding how and why these patterns form can offer an important insight to potential price activity that can help to support day to day decision making when deciding on trading strategies.
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