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Swing High and Swing Low Explained

A swing high is a high that the highs on either side of it did not reach; a swing low is a low that the lows on either side did not go under. This paper shows you a real swing high drawn from nine days of the euro, the one-number rule that decides what counts, the swings of three months boxed on the daily chart, the legs that run between them, and the ZigZag setting that holds the number on your platform.

Difficulty
Advanced
Reading time
5 min
Pages
8
Reviewed by
Saman Rahbar

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A high the neighbours did not reach

A swing high is a high that the highs on either side of it did not reach. On 17 September 2025 the euro against the dollar reached 1.19189. The four days before it had lower highs, rising toward it, and the four days after it had lower highs, falling away from it. That makes 17 September a swing high. A swing low is the mirror: a low that the lows on either side did not go under. The two together are the turning points of a chart.

The one number in the rule

The rule has one number in it: how many bars on each side must be lower for a high to count. With one bar each side almost every small bump counts, and the chart is full of swings. With two, fewer. With five each side only the bigger turns count — the 17 September high qualifies with five, because the five days on each side of it, ten in all, were all lower. The number is a choice, and it sets how many swings a chart has and how big the smallest of them is.

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