M & W Wave Patterns │ Arthur A. Merrill

In 1971, Robert A. Levy made the first attempt to systematically classify price patterns. He categorized five-point patterns, defined by price swings influenced by stock volatility, and tested their significance. Although he was unable to identify any substantial forecasting power, he introduced a valuable concept: the five-point categorization of time-price patterns.

» Pick any five consecutive turning points. If the first of the four swings is upward, 

the pattern forms an M. If the first swing is downward, the pattern is a W. «

Arthur A. Merrill, 1984.

 

This method remained dormant for a decade until Arthur A. Merrill revived it and published applicable results in the early 1980s: He employed the same five-point pattern approach, but instead of Levy's volatility filter, he used a rather large 8-percent swing filter in his research study. (Of course, since time and price are fractal, Merrill's patterns are too; they appear on every price swing scale across all timeframes.)

 

Merrill's 16 M and 16 W wave patterns, and their statistical occurrences: Are some of these patterns bullish? 

Are some bearish? When a certain pattern occurred in the past, what happened to prices after the pattern?

Merrill organized five-point patterns based on the sequential order of points from high to low, creating a structured taxonomy of "Ms" and "Ws". He identified 32 distinct patterns, grouping them into two categories: 16 resembling a capital M and 16 resembling a capital W. He then highlighted six subcategories, based on classical chart pattern names used by market technicians:

Uptrends                                            M15, M16, W14, W16
Downtrends                                      M1, M3, W1, W2
Triangle                                               M13, W4
Head and Shoulders                      W6, W7, W9, W11, W13, W15
Inverted Head and Shoulders    M2, M4, M6, M8, M10, M11
Broadening                                        M5, W12 

For example, an M1 is a strongly descending pattern, while the middle patterns, M8 and M9, are flat. An M16 is a strongly ascending pattern. Similarly, a W1 is a descending pattern, the middle Ws are flat, and a W16 is an ascending pattern.

 

So, what is the practical application and benefit of Merrill's weird-looking M & W Wave Patterns in trading? They can be used to identify support/resistance levels, determine areas of interest, anticipate market direction and reversals, project extensions, define entry and exit points, and manage risk. 

 

» There are only two ways a short-term high or low is broken. «

Larry Williams,  2000.

How? You may want to watch the following video, as well as review the references and recommendations provided below.

 

M & W Patterns: A Complete Guide to Market Structure, 

Change of Trend, Entries & Targets.

 

Reference:

Arthur A. Merrill (1984) - Behavior of Prices on Wall Street (2nd Ed.).

Arthur A. Merrill (1980) - M and W Wave Patterns.

Arthur A. Merrill (1977) - Filtered Waves - Basic Theory.

 

See also: 

Larry Williams (2000) - Swing Points as Trend Change Indication. 

Larry Williams (2022) - How Markets Move: The Natural Cycle of Range Change.  

Andrey Emelyanov (2014) - Evolution and Mutation of Dynamic Five-Point Wave Patterns. 

Michael J. Huddleston (2022) - Trading Market Reversals. (video) 

Aksel Kibar (2024) - The 8 Most Common Chart Patterns & How to Trade Them.

Price Action Patterns & Entries at High and Low of the Day | Cameron Benson

Our focus is on price action trading at key levels: daily high and low, and the previous day's extremes. We examine how price reaches these levels — through Stair-Stepping or Ramping — and its subsequent behavior. The price action patterns include M's, W's, Double Tops/Bottoms, and Pin Hammers at daily highs and lows. 

 

 Stair-Stepping and M Patterns: These indicate potential reversals at daily highs or lows, 

with detailed entries and exits often managed through lower time frames.

Ramping is characterized by parabolic price movements and often leads to swift reversals. Observing tight candle patterns with minimal overlap helps identify strong trends and potential breakouts. We also look for specific patterns like Stair-Stepping and Three Pushes, with Peak Formations signaling possible reversals.

 

 Ramping Behavior: Recognized by tight, parabolic moves followed by rapid reversals. 

The ramp into extremes usually signals significant price shifts.

The following 5 minute charts of the NASDAQ are from last week (September  9-13, 2024). They show Entry and Exit Strategies, using Pin Hammers and Engulfments for Entries, and managing stops based on price action, with adjustments for larger, more volatile bars.

Monday, September  9 (Day 1 of 3 Day Cycle):

 

 Identified an M pattern at the high of the day with a pin hammer and engulfment, suggesting a strong short entry.

Tuesday, September  10 (Day 2):

 

Despite a promising setup, a large entry bar resulted in a stop-out. 

Emphasis on avoiding large entry bars and managing risk.

 

Wednesday, September 11 (Day 3/1): 

 

 Similar to previous days with M patterns and engulfments, also highlighting entry points and risk management.

Thursday (Day 2) and Friday (Day 3), September 12-13:

 

 Charts show patterns like descending triangles and W formations, 

with a focus on understanding price behavior relative to session timings.

 

Successful short-term trading relies on recognizing and acting upon the above presented price action patterns, managing entries and exits based on contextual behavior, and adapting strategies according to the specific market conditions within the 3 Day Cycle.

 

Reference:
Cameron Benson (September 14, 2024) - Price Action High And Low Of The Day (Day Trading Entries)(video) 
Cameron Benson (September 14, 2024) - Price Action High And Low Of The Day (Day Trading Entries)(pdf)
Cameron Benson (June 16, 2024) - The Complete 3 Day Cycle Short-Term Trading System.

Stacey Burke (December 5, 2023) - The Three Day Cycle & Parabolic Trade Setups.
Cameron Benson (August 20, 2023) - Three-Push Reversal Patterns.

 Richard D. Wyckoff (August 30, 2024) - Re-Accumulation & Re-Distribution Range Patterns.

Richard D. Wyckoff (December 21, 2022) - Accumulation & Distribution Schematics.  

Toby Crabel’s Bull Hook Trading Strategy Tested | Ali Casey

As an algo trader, I value patterns for their ease of programming and testing, which allows for the development of robust trading strategies. Today, we'll explore bull and bear hooks, patterns that can vary in details but generally serve to catch traders on the wrong side. Toby Crabel, Joe Ross, and Thomas Bulkowski, among others, have variations of these patterns.

Toby Crabel's original definition of the Bull Hook pattern:

» A Bull Hook occurs on Day 2. A Bull Hook is defined as a day with a higher open than the 

previous day's high followed by a lower close with a narrowing daily range. The next day (Day 1), 

a trade is taken on the initial move off the open, preferably to the upside. «

 

Toby Crabel's original definition of the Bear Hook pattern:

  » Bear Hook is a day in which the open is below the previous day's low and the close 

is above the previous day's close with a narrow range relative to the previous day. As implied by 

the name there is a tendency for the price action following a Bear Hook to move to the downside. «

The Bull Hook pattern has two main forms:

Bull Hook 1: In a downtrend, the pattern is identified when today's bar is an up bar with a smaller range than the previous day and is an inside day (high lower, low higher than the previous bar). We buy with a stop order above the high of this bar.
Bull Hook 2: Here, today's bar is a down bar with a smaller range than the previous day, opening above the previous high and closing below the previous close. This pattern involves just two bars.

For testing, I used TradeStation with S&P 500 e-mini futures data. The backtest for Bull Hook 1 was disappointing, showing a loss with only 15 trades, which seemed unusual given its pullback nature. A deeper analysis suggested that the specific conditions, particularly the inside day and green bar requirements, were limiting trades. By removing some conditions, like the inside day and green bar, and focusing on a simpler pullback strategy, the results improved significantly with about 200 trades and positive performance metrics. For Bull Hook 2, the test also yielded fewer trades than expected, which might be attributed to its breakout nature, not performing well on the S&P 500. Simplifying the conditions here also improved the results somewhat, though it remained less effective. The Bear Hook pattern, when flipped for long trades, performed better but still had a low trade count. Removing some conditions and simplifying it increased the trade count and improved performance. While both Bull Hook patterns had potential, their effectiveness was highly dependent on specific conditions and the number of trades generated. Simplifying the patterns often led to better results.

Reference:
Ali Casey (July 28, 2024) - The Secrets of Toby Crabel’s Bull Hook Trading Strategy Exposed. (video)
 Toby Crabel (1990) - Day Trading With Short Term Price Patterns And Opening Range Breakout.
MyPivots.com (2024) - Scanner for Toby Crabel Price Patterns in the E-mini S&P 500 Futures. 

 

See also:

Thomas Bulkowski (2013) - Hook Reversal, Uptrend.

 Thomas Bulkowski (2013) - Hook Reversal, Downtrend.

Joe Ross (1991) - Trading the Ross Hook.

Slava Loza (2021) - How to Trade the 1-2-3 Reversal and the Ross Hook Patterns.

Thomas Bulkowski on Hook Reversals in an Uptrend and in a Downtrend.

The 8 Most Common Chart Patterns & How to Trade Them | Aksel Kibar

I've simplified classical chart patterns to the most basic/common 8 patterns. I think most new patterns are derived from those basic ones. Our brains' pattern recognition is not that advanced to focus on so many derivatives. In fact better success can be achieved by narrowing down the below to select few.

 

 

There are 3 Types of Triangles: The symmetrical triangle, the ascending triangle and the descending triangle. Between those three I favor ascending and descending triangles for couple of reasons. One of them is, both ascending and descending triangles have horizontal boundaries. Breakouts through the horizontal boundaries are the chart pattern signal. The other reason is that, both ascending and descending triangles have directional bias due to their upward and downward sloping lower and upper boundaries. I find symmetrical triangles difficult to trade as price usually finds resistance at the minor highs following the breakout. Pause around minor resistance usually hampers the momentum and can result in more frequent failures. A symmetrical triangle has both boundaries converging towards an apex. It is a neutral chart pattern and doesn’t have a directional bias.

 

 » The Head and Shoulder Continuation (H&S Continuation) is one of my favorite chart pattern. «

 

There are 4 Types of Breakouts:

Type 1 Breakout = Breakout without any Re-Test/Pullback.
Type 2 Breakout = Breakout with a Re-Test/Pullback.
Type 3 Breakout = Breakout followed by hard Re-Test of Pattern Boundary.
Type 4 Breakout = Failed Breakout  - Price fails to continue in the breakout's direction and instead reverses. 

 

 

 

 

 

Breakout Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3 Summary.

 

 

 Head & Shoulder Top Failure acting as Bullish Continuation.

 

Cup & Handle as a Continuation Pattern in an Uptrend.

 

Rectangle as a Continuation Pattern in an Uptrend.

Symmetrical Triangle as a Continuation Pattern in an Uptrend.

 

Several Bullish Chart Patterns in an Uptrend.

Rectangle Bullish Reversal.

 

Rectangle Bullish Continuation.
 

The latest stats on pattern reliability: Rectangle continues to lead. With good risk management Type 1 & Type 2 breakouts offered edge with pattern signals.

 

 

Reference:

Aksel Kibar @ X

Aksel Kibar - YouTube Channel.

Aksel Kibar - Tech Charts Blog.
Richard Schabacker (1934) - Technical Analysis and Stock Market Profits.
Robert D. Edwards & John Magee (1948) - Technical Analysis of Stock Trends.
Peter L. Brandt & Bruce Babcock Jr. (1990) - Trading Commodity Futures with Classical Chart Patterns.

Peter L. Brandt (2011) - Diary of a Professional Commodity Trader: Lessons from 21 Weeks of Real Trading.

Stacey Burke (2015-2024) - Best Chart Patterns & Trading Setups for End-of-Day, Short-Term-, and Day-Trading. (videos)

 

 

 From Peter Brandt's foreword to the 2021 Harriman House re-edition of 

Richard Schabacker's 'Technical Analysis and Stock Market Profits'.

There Are Only 8 Possible Range Patterns in Any Bar Chart | Larry Williams

At the November 2014 Las Vegas Traders Expo, Larry Williams discussed 8 possible Range Patterns. He demonstrated that for any given bar, there are only 4 possible outcomes to the next:

1. Down Range: Last Bar's high is lower than prior Bar's high; and last Bar's low is lower than prior Bar's low.
2. Up Range: Last Bar's high is higher than prior Bar's high; and last Bar's low is higher than prior Bar's low.
3. Inside Range: Last Bar's high is lower than prior Bar's high; and last Bar's low is higher than prior Bar's low. On a Daily S&P500 Chart this occurs approximately 12% of the time.
4. Outside Range: Last Bar's high is higher than the prior Bar's high; and Bar's low is lower than the prior Bar's low. On a Daily S&P500 Chart this occurs approximately 12% of the time.
   

Price action cannot occur in any other way. Within these 4 Range Patterns each last bar can either be an up bar or a down bar. So there are actually 8 possible Range Patterns: 

1. Down Range, Down Day
2. Down Range, Up Day
3. Up Range, Down Day
4. Up Range, Up Day
5. Inside Range, Down Day
6. Inside Range, Up Day
7. Outside Range, Down Day
8. Outside Range, Up Day

Using these 8 patterns some powerful strategies can be created. Larry Williams presented back-tested statistics associated with trading these patterns using a simple entry and exit technique. He stressed that they were not the best entry or exit techniques but shown because they were easy to understand and program. This strategy is intended only to show where we have a bias or advantage in the marketplace.

 

Entry: At market close.
Stop Loss: Based on $ Stop.
Exit: First Profitable Opening.

 

His message was that we could go home and verify using our own software. His results for testing this on the e-mini S&Ps from 2002 forward [to 2015] were as follows:

So, the Down Range, Down Close day [1.] offers the best potential short term 'long' setup based on net profit. This was the take-home message of the presentation.

 

Larry Williams further dug into the Down Range, Down Close setup to uncover which day of the week offered the best trade: The stats support the 'Turnaround Tuesday' concept.

And further investigating by Trading Day of Month revealed that 1, 17, 19, 22 and 23 were the best days, showing 92% winners and $47,500 net profits with 107 trades.

It was also found that a Down Range Larger Range day was better than a Down Range smaller Range day. $205 Avg 80% Win, vs $33 Avg 85% win,

Also naked close was better than a covered close (naked close meaning that the close was outside of the previous day’s range). $155 Avg 83% Win vs $30 Avg 83% Win. And combining these two concepts:

Down Range, larger range, Covered close: $60 Avg, 83% Winners
Down Range, larger range, Naked close: $215 Avg, 85% Winners

 

References:

Chris White (2015) - Range Type Scanning and Backtesting in EdgeRater.

Larry Williams (2015) - Presentation in Moscow.

 Robert F. Smith (2019) - What Do We Know to Be True About Price Action? 

TPR (2018) - Contraction > Breakout > Expansion | Toby Crabel's Price Patterns.  

Definition of Price Patterns | Toby Crabel

Toby Crabel wrote a book called 'Day Trading With Short Term Price Patterns and Opening Range Breakout' which is no longer in print and sometimes sold on eBay for more than $1,000. In this book he defines a number of trading patterns which have become popular numbers to calculate and watch among day traders and swing traders. He is a United States self-made billionaire commodities trader. The Financial Times called him "the most well-known trader on the counter-trend side." He is the fund manager of 'Crabel Capital Management', ranking number 101 out of 196 funds on Absolute Return magazine list Absolute Return survey of U.S. groups with more than $1 billion AUM, July 2005. This is the latest current ranking of the top 196 money managers in the US. Toby Crabel manages 3.2 billion dollars and had a growth of 16.7% in 2005. A producer of consistent returns whatever the weather, Crabel had avoided having a losing year from 1991 to 2002. The following are definitions of some of Crabel's concepts, patterns and setups.

Stretch

The Stretch is calculated by taking the 10 day Simple Moving Average (SMA) of the absolute difference between the Open and either the High or Low, whichever difference is smaller.
 

For example, if the Open is 1250, the High is 1258, and the Low is 1240, then we would take the value of 8 for that day because 1258-1250 is 8 which is smaller than 1250-1240 which is 10. We then add together all of these values for the last 10 trading days and divide this by 10 to get the 10 day SMA. This value will then become the Stretch. Stretch Calculation:

1.  Take the Open, High and Low of each day.
2.  Find delta of High - Open.
3.  Find delta of Open - Low.
4.  Which ever is lower between step 1 and step 2 take that value for each day.
5.  Stretch = average of the values of past 10 days.

The Stretch is used in calculating where to enter the trade and where to place a stop using the ORB and ORBP trading strategies. Before buying and selling the Stretch, also consider support and resistance-levels derived from the Daily Classic Pivot Point.

Opening Range Breakout = ORB

Using this strategy, the trader places a buy stop just above the Open price plus the Stretch and a sell stop just below the Open price minus the Stretch. The first stop triggered enters the trader into the trade and the other stop becomes the protective stop.

 

Crabel's research shows that the earlier in the trading session the entry stop is hit the more likely the trade will be profitable at the close. A market movement that kicks off a trend quickly in the current trading session could add significant profit to a trader's position by the close and should be considered for a multi-day trade.

 

The ORB can be utilized as a general indicator of bias every day. Whichever side of the stretch is traded first will indicate bias in that direction for the next two to three hours of the session. This information alone will keep you out of trouble, if nothing else.

 

Multiple contracts can be used when entering on an ORB or ORBP. This allows for some profit taking as the move continues to guarantee at least some profit in the case of a pullback to the break-even stop. A trailing stop is also very effective.
 

If you miss the ORB and early entry occurred, any 3/8 to 1/2 retracement of the established range can be used as an entry point with stops beyond the 5/8 level. This technique can be utilized twice, but becomes treacherous on the third retracement.

Extending Crabel's research results it is obvious that as time passes and we are not filled early on then the risk increases and it becomes prudent to reduce the size of the position during the day. Trades filled towards the end of the day carry the most risk and the later in the day the trade is filled the less likely the trader will want to carry that trade overnight. Variations of this strategy include the Opening Range Breakout Preference (ORBP - HERE).

Opening Range Breakout Preference = ORBP

An ORBP trade is a one sided Opening Range Breakout (ORB) trade. If other technical indicators show a strong trend in one direction then the trader will exercise a "Preference" for the direction in which to trade the ORB trade. A stop to open a position would be placed on the side of the trend only and if filled a protective stop would then be placed. The calculation of where to place the "stop to open" would be the same as that for the ORB trade: For longs, the Open price plus the Stretch and for shorts the Open price minus the Stretch. The ORBP trade is a specialized form of the ORB trade (HERE).  

Narrow Range = NR

If a price bar's Range is less than the previous bar's range it is said to have an NR. The opposite of NR is Wide Spread (WS). NR is technically NR2 when compared to NR4, NR5, and NR7.

Type: Trend-Continuation or Short-Term Breakout Set-up.
Conditions: The current bar has the narrowest range (high - low) of the last X bars. The bar may or may not be an inside bar. Buy and Sell reference are the high and low of the NR bar.

 

Narrow Range 4 = NR4

If a price bar's Range is less than the previous 3 bars' ranges (measured independently) it is said to have the narrowest range in 4 days or NR4. The opposite of NR4 is WS4. NR, NR5, and NR7 are also closely watched price patterns. 

Type: Trend-Continuation or Short-Term Breakout Set-up.

Narrow Range 5 = NR5

If a price bar's Range is less than the previous 4 bars' ranges (measured independently) it is said to have the narrowest range in 5 days or NR5. The opposite of NR5 is WS5. NR, NR4, and NR7 are also closely watched price patterns. 

Type: Trend-Continuation or Short-Term Breakout Set-up

Narrow Range 7 = NR7

If a price bar's Range is less than the previous 6 bars' ranges (measured independently) it is said to have the narrowest range in 7 days or NR7. The opposite of NR7 is WS7. NR, NR4, and NR5 are also closely watched price patterns.

Type: Trend-Continuation or Short-Term Breakout Set-up.

Wide Spread = WS

If a price bar's Range is wider than the previous bar's range it is said to have a WS. The opposite of WS is NR. WS is technically WS2 when compared to WS4, WS5, and WS7.

Wide Spread 4 = WS4

If a price bar's Range is wider than the previous 3 bars' ranges (measured independently) it is said to have the widest range in 4 days or WS4. The opposite of WS4 is NR4. WS, WS5, and WS7 are also closely watched price patterns.

 

Wide Spread 5 = WS5

If a price bar's Range is wider than the previous 4 bars' ranges (measured independently) it is said to have the widest range in 5 days or WS5. The opposite of WS5 is NR5. WS, WS4, and WS7 are also closely watched price patterns.

Wide Spread 7 = WS7

If a price bar's Range is wider than the previous 6 bars' ranges (measured independently) it is said to have the widest range in 7 days or WS7. The opposite of WS7 is NR7. WS, WS4, and WS5 are also closely watched price patterns. 

Inside Day/Bar = ID

If the high of the current day is lower than the high of the previous day AND the low of the current day is higher than the low of the previous day then we have an ID or Inside Day. The opposite to an ID is an Outside Day (OD).  
Type: Trend-Continuation or Short-Term Breakout Set-up.

Outside Day/Bar = OD

If the high of the current day is higher than the high of the previous day AND the low of the current day is lower than the low of the previous day then we have an OD or Outside Day. The opposite to an OD is an Inside Day (ID).

Bear Hook

Bear Hook is a day in which the open is below the previous day's low and the close is above the previous day's close with a narrow range relative to the previous day. As implied by the name there is a tendency for the price action following a Bear Hook to move to the downside. In other words: A Bear Hook occurs when you have an NR with the Open less than the previous bar's Low AND the Close greater than the previous bar's Close.

 

 

Bull Hook

A Bull Hook occurs on Day 2. A Bull Hook is defined as a day with a higher open than the previous day's high followed by a lower close with a narrowing daily range. The next day (Day 1), a trade is taken on the initial move off the open, preferably to the upside.In other words: A Bull Hook occurs when you have an NR with the Open greater than the previous bar's High AND the Close less than the previous bar's Close.

Inside Day/Bar Narrow Range 4 = IDnr4

IDnr4 is an Inside Day (ID) with a Narrow Range 4 (NR4). This is a combination of an ID and an NR4. This happens when the current day's high is lower than the previous day's high AND the current day's low is higher than the previous day's low AND the range is the narrowest when compared to the previous 3 trading days. 

2-Bar Narrow Range = 2BNR

If the 2-day-range (the higher of the 2 highs less the lower of the 2 lows) is the narrowest 2-day-range in the last 20 trading sessions then we are currently sitting on a 2BNR.

 

3-Bar Narrow Range = 3BNR

If the 3-day-range (the higher of the 3 highs less the lower of the 3 lows) is the narrowest 3-day-range in the last 20 trading sessions then this is true.

4-Bar Narrow Range = 4BNR

If the 4-day-range (the higher of the 4 highs less the lower of the 4 lows) is the narrowest 4-day-range in the last 30 trading sessions then this is true.

8-Bar Narrow Range = 8BNR

If the 8-day-range (the higher of the 8 highs less the lower of the 8 lows) is the narrowest 8-day-range in the last 40 trading sessions then this is true.

 

Reference:

Toby Crabel (1990) - Day Trading With Short Term Price Patterns and Opening Range Breakout.

 

See also:

Toby Crabel (1990) - The Principle of Contraction/Expansion.