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Pattern

Wedge

Wedge is the common chart-pattern name for what Elliott analysis calls a diagonal: a five-wave pattern squeezed between converging trendlines, with overlapping waves that would be illegal in a normal impulse. The distinction that matters is position. A wedge at the start of a trend, in Wave 1 or Wave A, is a leading diagonal and signals a young move that still has far to go. A wedge at the end of a trend, in Wave 5 or Wave C, is an ending diagonal and marks exhaustion, usually resolving with a fast reversal that retraces the entire pattern. Classical technical analysis trades wedges as standalone shapes; Elliott analysis reads them inside the wave count, which tells you whether the wedge means continuation or reversal. If you find yourself drawing converging lines around overlapping waves, identify which wave position you are in before you trade the break.

EXAMPLE

US100 grinds higher for two weeks inside converging trendlines, each push overlapping the last, while momentum fades. In the count this is Wave 5 from the October low, so the wedge is an ending diagonal: the eventual break of the lower line erases the entire two-week climb in three sessions.

RELATED TERMS

Diagonal
A diagonal is a motive pattern where the waves overlap and form a wedge shape be...
Ending Diagonal
An ending diagonal is a wedge-shaped motive pattern that appears specifically in...
Leading Diagonal
A leading diagonal is a wedge-shaped pattern that appears only in the Wave 1 or ...
Wave XAll TermsZigzag