What it draws
The simplest harmonic structure: two price legs (AB and CD) separated by a corrective BC leg, with CD ideally mirroring AB in length and duration. It is the symmetry building block found inside most larger harmonic patterns.
How to draw it
- Pick ABCD Pattern from the left toolbar (Patterns group).
- Four anchor points placed in order: click A at the start of the first leg, B at its end, C at the end of the correction, and D at the projected completion. The chart connects the legs and shows the BC retracement and CD/AB relationship.
How traders use it
- Look for the classic proportions: BC retraces 0.618-0.786 of AB, and CD equals AB (or extends to 1.27-1.618 of it).
- Use the projected D point as an entry zone against the move, with a stop beyond the 1.618 extension.
- Compare the time taken by AB and CD — completions with matching bar counts tend to be cleaner.
- Use AB=CD projections inside channels or at Fibonacci clusters to sharpen reversal zones.
Settings reference
Double-click the drawing (or use its floating toolbar → gear) to open settings:
| Setting | Control | Possible values | Default | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Show Ratios | checkbox | on/off | on | Shows the leg retracement ratios next to each pattern leg. |
| Point 1 Label | text | any short text | A | Label drawn at pattern point 1. |
| Point 2 Label | text | any short text | B | Label drawn at pattern point 2. |
| Point 3 Label | text | any short text | C | Label drawn at pattern point 3. |
| Point 4 Label | text | any short text | D | Label drawn at pattern point 4. |
| Color | color | any color (theme color picker) | #05B878 | Color of the pattern legs and labels (per-leg colors below override individual legs). |
| Line Width | select | 1px | 2px | 3px | 4px | 2px | Stroke thickness of the drawing’s lines and outlines. |
| Line Style | select | Solid | Dashed | Dotted | Solid | Dash pattern used for the drawing’s lines. |
| Leg 1 Color | color | any color | same as the pattern color | Overrides the color of pattern leg 1 (A→B). |
| Leg 2 Color | color | any color | same as the pattern color | Overrides the color of pattern leg 2 (B→C). |
| Leg 3 Color | color | any color | same as the pattern color | Overrides the color of pattern leg 3 (C→D). |
| [Tab] Text — Text | checkbox + textarea | on/off, with a multiline text box for the label content | off (on when the drawing already carries text) | Enables an attached text label on the drawing; typing in the box auto-enables it and updates the label live. |
| [Tab] Text — Text Color | color | any color | same as the drawing’s line color | Color of the attached text label. |
| [Tab] Text — Font Size | select | 8, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 48, 64, 72 | 14 | Point size of the attached label text. |
| [Tab] Text — Bold | checkbox | on/off (B toggle button) | off | Renders the label in bold. |
| [Tab] Text — Italic | checkbox | on/off (I toggle button) | off | Renders the label in italics. |
| [Tab] Text — Word Wrap | checkbox | on/off | off | Wraps long label text onto multiple lines instead of one long line. |
| [Tab] Text — Text alignment (vertical) | select | Top | Middle | Bottom | Top | Vertical placement of the label relative to the drawing. |
| [Tab] Text — Text alignment (horizontal) | select | Left | Center | Right | Center | Horizontal placement of the label relative to the drawing. |
| [Tab] Coordinates | number + datetime | one row per anchor point: price (number, step 0.05) and local date/time | the drawing’s current anchor values | Edits anchor geometry numerically — changing a point’s price or time moves the drawing live on the chart. |
| [Tab] Visibility | checkbox + number range | interval buckets: Ticks; Seconds 1–59; Minutes 1–59; Hours 1–24; Days 1–366; Weeks 1–52; Months 1–12; Ranges (each bucket has an on/off checkbox, most also a from–to range) | visible on all intervals | Per-timeframe visibility rules — untick a bucket to hide the drawing on those chart resolutions, or narrow the from–to range within a bucket. |
Editing & managing
- Move / adjust: drag the drawing or any anchor handle; magnet mode snaps points to OHLC values.
- Clone / lock / hide / delete from the floating toolbar or right-click menu.
- Templates: save the current style from the settings dialog and reapply it to new drawings.
- Every action is undoable (⌘Z / Ctrl+Z).
Watch out for
- Symmetry alone is weak evidence; an AB=CD completion in the middle of a strong trend is frequently just a continuation pause, not a reversal.