P&F Charts

Point and Figure Charts visually appear like a collection of X's and O's on a grid of square boxes. Columns of X's alternate with columns of O's. The X's represent a period of rising prices and the O's represent a period of falling prices.

Here is an example of a Point and Figure chart:

point and figure chart of APPL

For details on P&F charts - how they are constructed and how they are interpreted - please see our ChartSchool article on the topic.

On Technicalanalysis.com, P&F charts can be created with our �Point and Figure Workbench� page. The rest of this article is about using the P&F Workbench.

Creating P&F Charts

Similar to SharpCharts, you can create a P&F chart for any ticker symbol in our database by using the �Create a Chart� bar at the top of any of our web pages. First, change the dropdown from �SharpChart� to �P&F Chart�, then enter the ticker symbol you wish to chart, then press the �Go� button.

You can also create a P&F Chart by clicking on the �P&F Chart� link at the bottom of the SharpCharts Workbench.

You can also create a P&F Chart by clicking on the �P&F� icon located on most of our report pages - i.e. Market Summary, Sector Summary, etc. - and on our Scan Results pages.

Using The P&F Workbench

Once the P&F Workbench appears, you can change the settings for the chart just like you do on the SharpCharts Workbench. While not identical, the two workbenches work in a very similar manner.

At the top of the P&F Workbench, you specify the Ticker Symbol that you want to chart and then press �Update� (or the Enter key) to see the new chart.

Chart Attributes

Below the chart, you can change several Chart Attributes - i.e., setting that effect the entire chart. These include:

Chart Scaling

The Chart Scale section allows you to change the conditions which cause reversals on the P&F chart.

Notes:

  1. Think of the �Average True Range� setting as the �Automatic� setting. It automatically shows you a chart with an �interesting� number of reversals on it.
  2. ATR-scaling will change the box-size it uses frequently. This means that P&F charts with ATR scaling can change significantly from day to day (sometimes from moment to moment).
  3. Price Objectives can be easily misused! Please read our ChartSchool article on Price Objectives carefully before evaluating them.

Duration

The End Date setting lets you create a P&F chart that ends prior to the current date.

The Wide Chart checkbox lets you create a P&F chart that includes more historical data than normal.

Chart Overlays

There are several technical overlays that you can add to a Point & Figure chart using the dropdowns and parameter boxes in this section.