Chart Types

Most charts display price and/or volume information over time but each type of chart has a different emphasis:

  • Bar Charts plot price on the vertical (y-) axis against time (hours, days, weeks or months) on the horizontal (x-) axis;
  • Volume Charts plot volume against time in the same fashion;
  • Candlestick Charts plot price against time, the same as bar charts, but place greater emphasis on opening and closing prices;
  • Equivolume charts price on the y-axis against volume on the x-axis, supporting the view that the market runs on volume not on hours and minutes. A single day with very high volume activity can be more influential than several weeks of normal trading;
  • Point & Figure Charts focus on price movements, filtering out minor fluctuations which have no effect on longer-term trends. Each column of X's records an up-trend and each column of O's a down-trend. Time is ignored on the x- and y- axis, one column may take several months to complete or a few days, depending on how rapidly price is moving.