Articles · 4 November 2026 · 4 min read

Support and Resistance: The Floors and Ceilings of a Chart

Learn it once. Understand it forever.

Look at almost any chart and you will see price stopping and turning at the same areas again and again. Those areas are support and resistance, and they are the first thing most traders mark on a chart.

Support: the floor

Support is an area below price where buyers stepped in before. Price fell there, buyers saw value, and price bounced. When price returns, many traders remember that bounce and expect buyers again.

Resistance: the ceiling

Resistance is an area above price where sellers stepped in before. Price rose there, ran out of buyers, and turned down.

Draw zones, not thin lines

Price rarely turns at exactly the same number. Draw support and resistance as a zone that covers the wicks and bodies around the turning points. A zone that was touched three or more times, with clear moves away from it, is stronger than one touched once.

When a ceiling becomes a floor

When price breaks clearly through resistance and closes above it, that old ceiling often becomes the new floor. Traders who missed the breakout wait for price to come back to it. This idea, called a role reversal, works the same way when support breaks down.

Educational content only — not financial advice. Support and resistance are areas where reactions are more likely, never guarantees. Always plan where you would be wrong before you act.

Watch the full lesson on our YouTube channel.