Equidistant Channels: Awesome Way to Find “Hidden” Targets

by Justin Bennett  · 

March 29, 2022

by Justin Bennett  · 

March 29, 2022

by Justin Bennett  · 

March 29, 2022


Man drawing arrows in different directions

Equidistant channels are arguably the most common technical structure found in the Forex market.

Not only that but they are, in my experience, one of the most lucrative to trade.

As a price action trader, the amount of profit you generate over the course of your career is dependent upon your ability to identify (and successfully trade) favorable technical patterns.

In other words, you need to know these various patterns like the back of your hand if you truly wish to succeed as a professional trader.

While the topic of equidistant channels is nothing new, there is a way of using them that is as advantageous as it is uncommon. Call it a “trick” if you will.

By the end of today’s lesson, you will know how to forecast a potential support or resistance area within a channel before the pattern has fully developed.

If that sounds too good to be true, it isn’t. I use the technique I’m about to show you every single week to assist in identifying levels of interest.

Let’s get going!

What Is an Equidistant Channel?

Simply put, it’s the visual representation of consolidation – a period where indecision between the bulls and the bears holds the market to a range.

The pattern typically forms following an extended move up or down when consolidation is most likely to occur.

More often than not, these structures eventually break in the direction of the prevailing trend, which is what gives them the reputation of being a continuation pattern.

The image below illustrates the characteristics of a typical equidistant channel.

Characteristics of an equidistant channel

Note that we have the extended move lower, what I often refer to as the “first leg” of the pattern. We also have support and resistance followed by the second leg lower in the direction of the prevailing trend.

The GBPNZD 4-hour chart below is an excellent real-world example of how these formations typically unfold.

GBPNZD 4-hour ascending channel

Pretty basic stuff, right?

Trend, consolidate, trend.

Okay, good. Now let’s discuss the most common way of trading the equidistant channel.

The Conventional Approach (Don’t Skip This)

I won’t spend too much time here as I have previously written about how to trade this type of price structure.

But a quick refresher never hurts.

On that note, if you are familiar with the content thus far, that’s great. However, regardless of your level of knowledge on the subject, I urge you to continue reading and not skip ahead.

The second half of this lesson does get more advanced, but it’s of vital importance that you fully understand the conventional way of trading channels before you can learn the more advanced technique I’m about to show you.

You have to learn to walk before you can run, right?

Okay, moving on.

We now know that channels serve as a way to identify consolidation, which is the visual representation of indecision. We also know that this indecision often occurs after a sharp, extended move up or down.

However, the real benefit of these patterns is not so much the consolidation itself, but rather the price action that follows.

The chart below illustrates this point.

GBPNZD break of ascending channel and retest

Notice how, following a break of support, GBPNZD retested the broken level before continuing in the direction of the primary trend.

That retest is a channel trader’s dream. It allows for a precise entry into the market where the potential reward is far greater than the risk.

For this reason, channels have become one of my favorite technical patterns to trade.

They also occur much more frequently than most Forex traders realize. In fact, the next time you look at your charts, pay close attention to periods of consolidation to see if you can identify any channels. I think you’ll be surprised at how many you can find.

And once you become proficient at spotting them, you will begin to see the next section of this lesson in a whole new light.

A Unique Way to Trade with Equidistant Channels

I would bet that the majority of you are familiar with channels in one form or another. Even if you aren’t quite sure how to trade them, you, at least, know they exist.

But what I’m about to show you may not be so familiar, even to those who have previously traded these patterns for their breakout potential. 

Aside from the effectiveness of trend lines, this unconventional approach to utilizing channels is what convinced me many years ago that ignoring diagonal levels would be a mistake.

But first things first, to use this technique, you need two critical elements:

  1. A currency pair that has formed a higher low or a lower high
  2. A swing high or swing low that compliments #1

It’s okay if that sounds a bit confusing. By the time you finish this section, you will know exactly how I use this technique to find profit targets as well as buying and selling opportunities.

The illustration below shows the two elements I just mentioned for both the ascending channel as well as the descending channel.

Unique way to use equidistant channels to trade Forex

Notice how, with the ascending channel above, we have a higher low which formed trend line support. We also have a complimentary swing high that we can use to anticipate where resistance might come into play.

The same goes for the descending pattern, only in this case we have a lower high along with a complimentary swing low which we can use to determine a future support area.

The basic premise here is that we are using what we already know about the pattern to anticipate a future (potential) area of support or resistance.

Again, pretty basic stuff, right?

Thought so!

This simple yet effective way of spotting potential support or resistance can be an excellent way to determine when to take profit. And as previously mentioned, it’s also a great way to find possible areas to enter long or short.

The EURUSD daily chart below is a perfect real-world example of how to anticipate a future resistance level before it fully materializes.

EURUSD ascending channel resistance on the daily chart

Notice how we are using what we already know about channels to draw a parallel line next to an already established trend line. Also, note that we have the two critical elements mentioned above, which gives us our three points needed to utilize this method successfully.

The EURUSD chart below shows what happened after a short period.

EURUSD resistance level

Based on the chart above, EURUSD did indeed find selling pressure in this area. So not only could we have used this level to take profit, but we now have a valid ascending channel from which to trade.

At this point you may be thinking, well sure, of course, you knew it would find selling pressure there. You are the one who put this lesson together.

But just like anything in life, don’t knock it until you try it. This type of price action occurs more often that you’d think.

The key to finding success with this is to only use major swing highs and lows. In other words, the three points you use to draw your levels should stick out like a sore thumb.

If you find yourself struggling to come up with valid highs and lows from which to draw your levels, you’re doing something wrong. Take a step back, move to a higher time frame and focus only on those currency pairs that are trending.

Now let’s take a look at something a little different. It’s the same technique, but in this case, the pattern formed in an unusual order.

Potential resistance area on the AUDNZD 4-hour chart

In the AUDNZD 4-hour chart above, the pair formed a swing high followed by a swing low which was followed by a higher low. Although the sequence is different, we still have the necessary three points to draw our levels.

AUDNZD ascending channel on the 4-hour chart

Notice how, once again, the pair found selling pressure at the level we suspected would attract offers.

Last but not least, let’s look at a bearish market where this method would have suggested a potential support area.

CADJPY possible support area in descending channel

Once more, we have our three points, a swing high followed by a swing low as well as a second swing high which was lower than the first.

We now have a clear area which we can use to take profit (if short) or even watch for a buying opportunity once the level has a chance to influence price action.

CADJPY descending channel on the daily chart

As suspected, CADJPY found a bid at this area and rocketed higher shortly after.

To sum up, the main difference between the two approaches above is that one uses an established channel from which to trade a breakout while the other anticipates the formation of a channel which acts as an early warning sign that market sentiment is about to flip.

At the end of the day, the way in which you choose to incorporate this into your current style of trading, if at all, is entirely up to you.

Like anything in the world of trading, this is not a foolproof system. There will be times when the market doesn’t reach the second parallel level or just doesn’t respect it as support or resistance.

But that’s okay. As long as you are utilizing other means of identifying key levels and managing your risk, you will never be 100% reliant on this one technique.

The best defense against false positives with any method or technique is a well-rounded approach to technical analysis. 

Final Words

The equidistant channel is one of my favorite technical patterns due to its frequent occurrence, time frame neutrality, and reliable outcome.

While buying or selling a breakout from an established channel can be extremely profitable, using what we already know about how they form, we can also use them to identify future areas of support or resistance.

All you need to determine the area of value is three points, two that form a trend line (first level) and another that acts as the swing high or swing low (second level).

Just like anything else in the world of Forex, using channels in this manner is not a perfect science. While they have an uncanny ability to find “hidden” profit targets, there will always be times when the market doesn’t play nice.

For this reason, it’s best to treat this as yet another tool in your trading toolbox rather than the end-all-be-all indicator of a market’s future direction.

Now It’s Your Turn!

What do you think about this technique of identifying “hidden” targets?

Leave your comment, question or opinion below and I will be sure to respond.


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29  Comments

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  1. Thanks Justin… a great refresher… in addition to the channel, i would probably confirmed it with other factors or criteria like resistance/support, fibo retracement etc…

    the more criteria i can gather , the better it is…

  2. Great article which gives me something else to use in my arsenal to become more consistent in achieving profits.

    Thanks,

    AB

  3. Hi Justin,
    I knew a few about channel but sincerely after read this article I know even more, now I learned how to use properly.

    Man, you are a beast man !!!

    Ruben Fdez

    1. Thanks, Ruben. 🙂 Over the last few years, channels have become my preferred way of trading breakouts. They’re an excellent way to join an existing trend and can offer extremely favorable risk to reward ratios.

  4. Enjoyed this lesson, Justin…enlightening
    Now…how do I actually draw the channel on the chart
    I see the icon for the tool…do I click once on each of the 2 points (of the trendline) and then a 3rd click on the swing hi/low or ?!

  5. Hi Justin would you trade inside this channel before looking for the breakout? and would you buy and sell or just go with the prevailing trend,thanks

    1. That depends on the context. For instance, if it were a bull flag I may consider buying at channel support but only with the right price action signal such as a pin bar.

  6. Hi Justin Sir.

    I would like to know if the price Is at no.3 do we wait for candlestick information or place a trade any way ?

  7. I really like Justin’s way to look at things and this article was a mind-opener, i looked at a few explanations about channels but this beats them all + i have become aware of another way how to use moving averages by “mean reversion” – different from the usual way to use MA’s .. another great idea from Master Justin_
    Looking forward to finish reading and learning all material from the course i just joined_ This man defo knows what he’s doing__

  8. Good lesson. Studying always makes one better at anything. A good tool to add to one’s tool box and would really appreciate any lesson on the fib retracement tool you mentioned if I am not asking too much. Thank you Justin.

  9. Hi Justin,
    Thanks so for the lesson on channels, honestly i have read your lessons on this channel before but did not understood it so clear like this , i can now add it to my trading tool to finding support and resistance levels, likewise TP and SL.
    I can now identify the areas to draw my channels in the trading chart.
    Your are the BEST coach i have ever came across online.
    You teach us how to fish rather than giving us fish, which i consider as the best way to help us.
    May the Lord God increase you on every side.

  10. It’s amazing how you simplify the very complex realities of trading. This is as yet one of the best materials I’ve read to better my trading techniques. You’re the best man. Thank you so much for the priceless nuggets.

  11. Thank you so much Justin for this wonderful and amazing teaching. I have indeed learned a lot after reading this powerful teaching that speaks volumes. Once again I am grateful!

  12. Great way to anticipate price action movement but should also consider other factors such as high impact news and other economic and political events coming up that would change the direction of the trend.

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