Chart analysis
Pivot Point Calculator: Classic, Fibonacci, Camarilla, Woodie
Enter the previous period’s high, low and close, pick a pivot type and get every support and resistance level, with a ladder chart and, if you add the current price, the two levels it sits between.
Pivot point calculator
| Level | Price |
|---|---|
| R3 | 122.00 |
| R2 | 116.00 |
| R1 | 112.00 |
| P · pivot | 106.00 |
| S1 | 102.00 |
| S2 | 96.00 |
| S3 | 92.00 |
Use the previous day’s high, low and close for intraday charts, or the previous week or month for swing trades. Camarilla levels are built around the close, so they sit closer together. Levels are areas to watch, not signals.
The calculator runs in your browser. Nothing you type is saved or sent anywhere.
Educational tool, not financial advice. The results only reflect the numbers you enter and say nothing about future returns. Trading involves a substantial risk of loss.
How to use the pivot point calculator
- Take the previous period’s high, low and close: yesterday’s for intraday charts, last week’s or last month’s for swing trades.
- Enter the three prices and choose a pivot type. Classic is the default most traders and platforms show; Woodie also needs today’s open.
- Add the current price if you want: the calculator shows the two levels it sits between and how far each one is.
- Plot P, R1, S1, R2 and S2 on your chart before the open and mark the previous high and low next to them.
- Treat each line as a place to watch for a reaction, and decide the entry, stop and target from price action there, with a position size that fits the stop.
The pivot point formulas in plain words
Classic pivots average the previous high, low and close into a central pivot, P. R1 and S1 reflect the previous low and high around P; R2 and S2 sit one full previous range above and below P, and R3 and S3 further out.
Fibonacci pivots keep the same P and place the levels at 0.382, 0.618 and 1.0 of the previous range from it. Camarilla levels are built around the previous close at fractions of 1.1 × the range, so the inner ones sit much closer together. Woodie pivots weight today’s open twice.
Range = previous high − previous low
Classic: P = (H + L + C) ÷ 3; R1 = 2P − L; S1 = 2P − H; R2 = P + range; S2 = P − range; R3 = H + 2 × (P − L); S3 = L − 2 × (H − P)
Fibonacci: R1, R2, R3 = P + range × 0.382, 0.618, 1.0; S1, S2, S3 = P − the same
Camarilla: R1 to R4 = C + range × 1.1 ÷ 12, 6, 4, 2; S1 to S4 = C − the same
Woodie: P = (H + L + 2 × today’s open) ÷ 4; R1 = 2P − L; S1 = 2P − H; R2 = P + range; S2 = P − range
Worked example
Yesterday a stock traded between a low of $100.00 and a high of $110.00 and closed at $108.00, a range of $10.00.
- Classic: P = ($110.00 + $100.00 + $108.00) ÷ 3 = $106.00. R1 = 2 × $106.00 − $100.00 = $112.00 and S1 = 2 × $106.00 − $110.00 = $102.00.
- R2 = $106.00 + $10.00 = $116.00 and S2 = $96.00; R3 = $122.00 and S3 = $92.00.
- Fibonacci: R1 = $106.00 + $10.00 × 0.382 = $109.82 and S1 = $102.18; R2 = $112.18 and S2 = $99.82.
- Camarilla, around the $108.00 close: R3 = $108.00 + $11.00 ÷ 4 = $110.75 and S3 = $105.25; R4 = $113.50 and S4 = $102.50.
- Woodie, with today’s open at $108.50: P = ($110.00 + $100.00 + $217.00) ÷ 4 = $106.75.
- With the stock at $104.00 this morning, the classic levels place it between S1 at $102.00 and P at $106.00: the next tests are a dip to S1 or a rally back to P.
Questions
Which pivot point type is best?
None of them is right; they are conventions. Classic pivots are the most widely watched, which is their main argument. Camarilla suits range days because its inner levels sit close to the close. Pick one, learn how your symbol behaves around it and do not switch types to find a line that fits a move you already saw.
Should I use daily, weekly or monthly pivots?
Match the period to your holding time. Day traders plot yesterday’s pivots on 1- to 15-minute charts; swing traders use the previous week’s or month’s numbers on hourly and daily charts. The pivot points lesson shows both.
Which high, low and close should I use for stocks?
Most traders use the regular session, 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. New York time, and ignore pre-market and after-hours prices. Some platforms include extended hours, which changes the levels, so check what your chart uses before you compare numbers.
Do pivot points work?
They are levels many traders watch, which can make price react near them, but they fail often: on a trend day price walks through P, R1 and R2 one after another. Use them with VWAP and the previous high and low, and wait for a candle to confirm before acting.
UpTickFlow is our product. These guides are education, not financial advice. Trading involves a substantial risk of loss.