What it shows
Point and figure charts plot columns of X's for rising prices and O's for falling prices on a fixed price grid, adding a mark only when price moves a full box size. A column flips from X to O (or back) only after price reverses by the reversal amount, usually three boxes. Time plays no role; the chart is purely a record of significant price movement.
How it's built
Choose a box size (fixed or ATR-based) and a reversal count: while rising, each full box gained adds an X to the current column; a new O column starts only when price falls by box size times reversal (commonly 3) from the column high, and vice versa. Columns advance on reversals, not on clock time, so horizontal distance measures the number of reversals rather than duration.
Switch to it
Open the chart-type menu in the header (next to the interval buttons) and pick Point & figure — or pin it as a favourite for one-click switching.
When to use it
- Clean support, resistance and trendline analysis on the fixed box grid, including 45-degree trendlines
- Classic breakout signals such as double top buys and double bottom sells
- Price objective estimation using horizontal and vertical counts
- Long-horizon views that ignore time-based noise entirely
Settings reference
Open Chart Settings (gear, or double-click the chart background) with this type active. Every setting, its possible values and what it changes:
| Setting | Control | Possible values | Default | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colors | two-colors | any color (up / down) | #089981 (X columns) / #F23645 (O columns) | Colors of the rising X columns and falling O columns. |
| [Inputs] Box mode | select | ATR, Traditional, Percentage (LTP) | ATR | How the box size is computed: ATR derives it from volatility, Traditional uses a fixed price amount (0 = classic Chartcraft auto-scale), Percentage (LTP) sizes boxes as a percent of the last price. The dialog shows the matching input for the chosen mode. |
| [Inputs] ATR Length | number | 1 to 100, step 1 (shown only in ATR mode) | 14 | ATR period used to auto-size boxes; longer lengths give a steadier box size, shorter ones adapt faster. |
| [Inputs] Box Size (0=auto) | number | 0 to 99999, stepped by the symbol's tick size (shown only in Traditional mode) | 0 (auto) | Fixed price value of one box; 0 lets the chart pick a Chartcraft-style size based on the price level. Bigger boxes compress the chart and filter noise; smaller boxes add detail. |
| [Inputs] % of price | number | 0.01 to 100, step 0.01 (shown only in Percentage (LTP) mode) | 1 | Box size as a percent of the last traded price, so boxes scale automatically with the instrument's price. |
| [Inputs] Reversal amount | number | 0.5 to 100, step 0.5 | 3 | Number of boxes price must retrace before a new column starts in the opposite direction (3 = classic 3-box reversal). Larger values filter more noise but flag reversals later. |
| [Inputs] Source | select | Close, High/Low | Close | Close builds columns from closing prices only; High/Low uses each bar's extremes so intrabar moves can add boxes or trigger reversals. |
| [Inputs] Symbol style | select | X and O, Letters | X and O | Switches how boxes are drawn: classic X (up) and O (down) marks, or letter glyphs. |
| [Precision] Precision | select | Default, 0 (1), 1 (1.1), 2 (1.01), 3 (1.001), 4 (1.0001), 5 (1.00001), 6 (1.000001), 7 (1.0000001), 8 (1.00000001) | Default | Number of decimal places used for prices on the scale and labels. Default follows the symbol's own tick precision. |
Watch out for
- Time, gaps and volume are absent, so P&F signals should be time-checked on a standard chart before execution
- Results are very sensitive to box size; ATR-based boxes can also redraw historical columns when recalculated