Most currencies are measured in four decimal places. However, any Japanese yen JPY currency pairings are measured in two decimal places. Nowadays, due to algorithmic trading, most platforms offer precision pricing for trading robots to execute transactions within nanoseconds. This is why there is often another number in the exchange rate. However, it can be ignored when calculating pip movements. Let's view an example:. In the screenshot above of part of a forex trading chart, the highest price level on the chart is 1.

The lowest price on this chart is 1. This means the market declined, over time by 49 pips, as 1. This is important, as it can determine your monetary profit or loss.

When you open a trading ticket to place a trade you must fill out the volume, or position size, of your trade. This could mean two things from a monetary perspective:.

This is a very simplified example and figures will vary according to the currency pairs you are trading and the position size you are using. However, risk management is an essential component of long term trading success.

To make it simpler for traders, Admirals offers a free trading calculator , which may prove to be very handy! When viewing the exchange rate in live forex charts, there are three different options available to traders using the MetaTrader platform: line charts, bar charts or candlestick charts. In the toolbar at the top of your screen, you will now be able to see the box below:.

The first option is to view your chart using OHLC bars, the second option offers candlestick charts and the third option offers line charts. Let's look at each of these in more detail. A line chart connects the closing prices of the timeframe you are viewing. So, when viewing a daily chart the line connects the closing price of each trading day.

This is the most basic type of chart used by traders. If you are using a Forex daily chart trading system with a line chart, you will mainly be able to identify bigger picture trends.

Line charts do not offer much else, unlike some of the other chart types. An OHLC bar chart shows a bar for each time period the trader is viewing. So, when looking at a daily chart, each vertical bar represents one day's worth of trading. The bar chart is unique as it offers much more than the line chart such as the open, high, low and close OHLC values of the bar.

The dash on the left represents the opening price and the dash on the right represents the closing price. The high of the bar is the highest price the market traded during the time period selected. The low of the bar is the lowest price the market traded during the time period selected.

In either case, the OHLC bar charts help traders identify who is in control of the market - buyers or sellers. These bars form the basis of the next chart type called candlestick charts which is the most popular type of forex charting. Candlestick charts were first used by Japanese rice traders in the 18th century. They are similar to OHLC bars in the fact they also give the open, high, low and close values of a specific time period.

However, candlestick charts have a box between the open and close price values. This is also known as the 'body' of the candlestick.

Many traders find candlestick charts the most visually appealing when viewing live forex charts. They are also very popular as they provide a variety of price action patterns used by traders all over the world which we discuss in more detail in the next section. When viewing live forex charts, there are multiple timeframes you can use.

Typically, there is no best time chart for Forex trading. The time frame chosen by a trader will depend on their overall style, for example:. When viewing OHLC bar charts or candlestick charts, a new bar, or candle, will form once the chosen time period ends. For example, when on a 5-minute chart M5 , a new bar, or candle, will form every five minutes. Within one hour's worth of trading, 12 M5 bars or candles will have formed. Now you understand some of the details involved in how to read forex charts, let's look at some of the ways traders use these charts to make trading decisions on when and what to trade.

Also, if you are interested in learning more about trading and different financial products, why not sign up for our free webinars? You can register by clicking the banner below:. I'll now discuss Forex trading chart analysis in detail. Below is an example of the two most basic types of candlestick formations: the buyer candle and the seller candle.

The usefulness of candlestick charts does not stop there. When learning how to read candlestick charts it is also worthwhile looking at some of the major types of unique patterns they make, as they help traders in their decision-making process.

This has the following implications when you read the prices in conjunction with the timeline:. You will notice there is a line element in the chart that constantly moves and draws the price action as time passes by. This line is called the price line and it illustrates the current Bid price of a currency pair.

Also, it is key to clarify that, in Forex, you always have two types of prices: the Bid and the Ask. If you would like to buy a currency pair, you will be quoted at the Ask price. On the contrary, if you want to sell a currency pair, you will need to use the Bid price. You can display both price lines in MetaTrader 4 b y right-clicking a chart and selecting properties or simply press F8.

Then select the Common tab and check the Show Ask Line option and click OK. The gap you will see between the Ask Line and the Bid Line is the spread, or the commission your broker makes for every trade you place.

This gap will vary depending on the currency pair and its liquidity. There are different time frames you can select in a Forex chart. You will find the following options in MetaTrader To select or change the time frame of a chart, click the button located in the MT4 standard toolbox:. Alternatively, you can right-click the chart and select the period you want to display:.

Using charts with different time frames can help you to build a more robust analysis of the market and gain a thorough perspective of the overall trend in a specific currency pair. This could be helpful before starting a trade. For instance, if your technical analysis in an H1 chart signals you should place a buy or long order and, when checking the daily chart you see the overall trend of the currency pair is sideways, it means the downside movement could be limited.

Analyzing Multiple Timeframes. When reading Forex charts, it can be handy to create your own chart templates that will allow you to save time in your analysis and fulfill your preferences. You can customize your charts in MetaTrader 4 by following these simple steps:. You will get the following window displayed, where you can adjust different chart elements:. You can save a chart template on MetaTrader 4 with your preferred settings by right-clicking the chart and selecting the save template option.

Then, give it a name and click save. Saving a Chart Template in MetaTrader 4. To load your chart template with your preferences in a new Forex chart, open a new chart in MT4, then right-click it and select the load template option. Then choose your template. Loading a Chart Template in MetaTrader 4.

We hope that this guide helped you to understand better how to read and customize Forex charts in MetaTrader 4. If you have any feedback or questions, please post them in the comments section.

Your email address will not be published. Forex Charts in MT4: How to Read and Master Them Muhammad Awais April 1, No comments. To read a Forex chart you should: Open a chart in your trading platform MetaTrader 4, for instance Choose a chart type: A line chart, a bar chart or a candlestick chart Understand the price points and levels that are displayed in the chart Identify the chart timeframe: This could go from a 1-minute chart to a monthly chart.

Opening a Chart in MetaTrader 4 The first step is to go to your trading platform and open a chart. Opening a New Chart in MetaTrader 4 using the MarketWatch Alternatively, you can click the button in the standard toolbar, which is usually located at the top right of the MetaTrader 4 window. Then, you can proceed to choose the currency pair: Opening a New Chart in MetaTrader 4 using the toolbox button After performing one of the two actions described above, you will get a new chart displayed that represents the price action of the chosen currency pair.

Choosing a Forex Chart Type Basic Elements of a Forex Chart A Forex chart illustrates the price changes on a specific currency pair. Prices and Timeline Axis in Forex This is how it looks in the MetaTrader 4 trading platform: Prices and Timeline in MT4 As you can see in the image above, price action develops from left to right, so the most recent price information will appear on the right side of the chart.

Types of Forex Charts In addition, there are three main types of Forex Charts: Bar Charts Candlestick Charts Line Charts To choose one of these options in MetaTrader 4, click one of the following displayed above, which are located in the standard toolbar: Standard Toolbar in Mt4 How to Read a Bar Chart A bar chart is formed of a vertical line and two horizontal lines.

In the example below, you will notice how a bar chart can illustrate the price action of a day D2 : Anatomy of a Forex Bar chart Then, multiple days take the following shape: Most of the time, bar charts have different colors depending on their nature: if they are bullish or bearish.

Green: represents bullish or buyer bars, meaning the close price is at a higher level in comparison to the opening price. Red: represents bearish or seller bars, meaning the close price is at a lower level in comparison to the opening price. Bar charts and color meaning How to Read a Candlestick Chart If we add a box shape to the OHLC bars, we get a candlestick bar as a result. As you can see, the above tutorial for customizing MT4 charts is very simple and easy.

It is flexible enough to allow you to customize charts for any instrument and also to save the customizations so you can use it for quick reference for the future. Maximizing chart space: Double click on the shaded area shown on your MT4, to minimize the terminal screen and maximize the chart area.

Quick navigation between charts: Access any open chart that you have by just clicking on the chart name. Your email address will not be published. Recommended by ProfitF :. Forex Broker Binary Broker ForexVPS FX-Signals BO-signals. PROFIT F About Us Write For Us Affiliate Program Advertising Contacts. Trading Forex, Binary Options - high level of risk. Please remember these are volatile instruments and there is a high risk of losing your initial investment on each individual transaction.

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Trader tutorial to guide you on how to set up and customize forex charts in the Metatrader 4 trading platform. How to Read Forex Charts MT4 Metatrader 4 is one of the most popular trading platforms for retail traders. New chart Default Charts on MT4 When you first open up your MT4 trading platform, you will see the MT4 default layout with various windows that are open.

Useful to leave this setting unchecked TimeFrame TF How to customize and switch between chart time frames There are two ways to customize the timeframes. Drawing Tools: MT4 Chart Drawing Tools: To use the chart drawing tools, you can access them either via the default drawing tools in the toolbar or by clicking on Insert and selecting lines to draw trend lines, vertical and horizontal lines, etc for example.

Save forex chart How to save charts and create templates Now that you added all your custom indicators, it would be a pity if you had to do this all over again, every time you started your MT4.

Last Updated: July 25, Approved. This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Jennifer Mueller, JD. Jennifer Mueller is a wikiHow Content Creator. She specializes in reviewing, fact-checking, and evaluating wikiHow's content to ensure thoroughness and accuracy. Jennifer holds a JD from Indiana University Maurer School of Law in wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article has been viewed , times.

Learn more Forex is the global foreign exchange market where foreign currencies are bought and sold. The market uses currency pairs to evaluate the relative strength of one currency against another. The pairings show how much of the second currency the quote you can buy for one unit of the first currency the base.

Forex traders use forex charts to evaluate movement in currency pairs and predict trends. If you correctly identify a trend, you can potentially Make Money in Forex turn a profit buying and selling in Forex. There are 3 types of Forex charts that are the most popular among traders: Candlestick charts, line charts, and bar charts.

Tip: The coloration of bullish candles and bearish candles depends on the service generating the chart. Some use different colors, for example, bullish candles may be green and bearish candles may be red. Check the key of your chart to make sure you understand what the colors mean. Tip: You can combine multiple candlesticks together to spot more complex candlestick patterns. Many of these have names as well. For example, 3 bullish candles together on an uptrend are known as "three white soldiers" and indicate that the exchange rate is steadily moving upward.

Tip: Looking at line charts for several major pairings can help you better understand the overall market and any general market trends. Tip: Some brokerages offer shades or colors for their bar charts, similar to candlestick charts, to make it easier for you to identify bearish and bullish intervals at a glance.

Look for a key so you can understand what the shades and colors represent. Support wikiHow by unlocking this staff-researched answer. A Forex chart is a visual way to read price movements over a certain period. When you're looking at a Forex chart, you'll see rectangular symbols that look like candles - these indicate opening price and closing price. For the black ones, the top is the open price and the bottom is the closing price. For the white ones, it's the opposite. The little "sticks" on the top and bottom of each candle indicate the highest and lowest price fluctuations during that time period.

For more advice, like how to understand the different candlestick formations, read on. Did this summary help you? Yes No. Log in Social login does not work in incognito and private browsers. Please log in with your username or email to continue. wikiHow Account. No account yet? Create an account. Courses Tech Help Pro About Us Random Article. Quizzes Contribute Train Your Brain Game Best of wikiHow.

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Learn why people trust wikiHow. Categories Finance and Business Investments and Trading Foreign Exchange Market How to Read Forex Charts. Download Article Explore this Article methods. Tips and Warnings. Related Articles. Article Summary. Co-authored by Jennifer Mueller, JD Last Updated: July 25, Approved. Method 1. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.

and international copyright laws. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc. Pick the currency pairing you want to evaluate. Currencies are always traded in pairs on Forex. The various pairs available depend on the Forex service you're using. Determine the time period you want to be displayed. Your chart shows how the exchange rate between the two currencies changed over time. In a candlestick chart, each candlestick accounts for a specific time period you set.

You also set the overall time period, which determines how many candlesticks you have. Each candlestick shows the opening price at the beginning of the hour and the closing price at the end of the hour, as well as the high and low price during that period. Since you chose a hour period, you would have 24 candlesticks total. The position of the candlesticks on the graph shows the fluctuations in the exchange rate between the two currencies over the period of time you've chosen.

The time period is expressed in intervals along the Y-axis and the exchange rate is charted along the X-axis. Distinguish bullish candles from bearish candles. Generally, there are two types of candles: a bullish candle and a bearish candle.

On most candlestick charts, the bullish candle is open while the bearish candle is colored in. The differences are as follows: [4] X Research source If the closing price is higher than the opening price, you have a bullish candle.

If the opening price is higher than the closing price, you have a bearish candle. Identify the parts of the candlestick. The top and bottom lines of the candle itself display the opening and closing exchange rate for the pairing you've chosen. You know which one is the opening and which is the closing by looking at the coloration of the candle body. Then you'll see lines extending from the top and bottom of the candle, giving rise to the name of the chart. The lowest point, at the tip of the shadow , is the lowest exchange rate for the pairing for the selected period.

On a bullish candle, the highest line of the candle will be the closing price, while the lowest line of the candle will be the opening price. For a bearish candle, the highest line would be the opening price and the lowest line would be the closing. Learn the names of candlestick patterns with predictive value. Part of what makes candlestick charts fun to read are the names given to different patterns.

Once you learn to identify these patterns, you can more accurately predict which way the market is going to move for the pairing you're evaluating. Some patterns with predictive value are: [6] X Research source Big candles : A big candle body indicates a trend that is continuing for a longer period of time.

is the copyright holder of this image under U. These are spots where the bar for the first period doesn't overlap any part of the bar for the second period. Due to the unpredictable nature of the world economy amidst COVID, forex trading opportunities are more plentiful than ever. How many patterns have you managed to find? Trader tutorial to guide you on how to set up and customize forex charts. Some patterns with predictive value are: [6] X Research source Big candles : A big candle body indicates a trend that is continuing for a longer period of time.

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