Charting lets you see the daily price and volume of a selected security over a specified period of time. You can view time frames ranging from today to 30 years, and compare your securities to other securities or indices, such as the S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average, or NASDAQ Composite Index. You can also view extended-hours data, add a variety of standard indicators, patterns and technical events, change the chart style, add drawing tools such as trend lines or Fibonacci resistance lines, display corporate events, view trades, and save chart templates for future reference.
There are three distinct ways to view chart timeframes:
Once you have selected your timeframe, you can also select different frequencies, such as daily, weekly, and monthly, as well as different intraday intervals. Each timeframe selection has primary and secondary frequency options. For example, if you are viewing a one-year chart, the primary frequency selections are daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly.
Use the tabs along the top of the chart to create up to five different views within a single chart window for a symbol. A new chart will open with two tabs by default, but you can use the + button to add up to three more. Each view, or tab, can have different settings and indicators. For example, for a given symbol, you can create a tab with a time and frequency of one year/daily, a second tab with a time and frequency of six month/daily, and a third tab with an intraday/1-minute time and frequency—allowing quick access to multiple chart views within a single window.
You have the ability to move tabs in the chart window by selecting the tab and dragging it where you would like it to appear. You can save each tab, or export each tab singularly. Each chart is saved as a single file with all five tabs included in a workbook format.
To zoom in on a particular time range, click the Zoom In icon at the top of the chart window. Place your cursor on the start of the time range you would like to analyze, and simply click and drag your cursor to the end of the range you would like to see. When you release the mouse, the chart will zoom in to display a more detailed view of the specified range. To undo your zoom, click the Zoom Out icon.
To pan within your chart horizontally, use the normal cursor tool or the Pan tool (hand icon in the Draw menu) and then click and drag left or right across the chart.
Add blank projection space to your chart by hovering your mouse over the right edge of the price pane until your cursor turns into a double arrow. Now simply click and drag to add or remove blank horizontal space.
The Crosshair cursor allows you to view price and date information for specific data points. To enable the Crosshair cursor, choose the + icon from the Draw menu. The price and date at the intersection of the horizontal and vertical lines display on the axis. Click and drag to move the crosshairs around. To disable the Crosshair cursor, go back to the Draw menu and choose the cursor you would like instead.
From within Chart Settings, you can choose to display the security’s volume chart as an underlay to the price chart. Selecting this option will display a series of vertical bars which represent the amount of volume which has traded in the security during the specified time frame.
From within Chart Settings, you can also choose to display the security’s Price Volume Distribution. Selecting this option will display a series of horizontal bars laid over the price chart, with the length of each bar representing the percentage of total volume that has traded at the corresponding price level. The sum of all horizontal volume bars will equal 100% of the volume traded for the chart time period.
Use the Compare feature, accessed from the menu at the top of the chart, to display the relative price performance for multiple securities or indices. You can enter multiple symbols separated by a comma and/or compare to the Dow Jones Industrial Average, NASDAQ Composite Index or S&P 500. You may also view a comparison chart on a dual axis, where the price for all securities is displayed simultaneously on the chart.
Chart Type: Allows you to choose how the chart is drawn. Choose from Candlestick, Line, Mountain, OHLC (Open, High, Low and Close), or Point and Figure.
Pricing Axis: Choose a linear or logarithmic price scale for your Y axis.
Colors: By default, bars with upward price movement are colored green, and bars with downward price movement are colored red. These colors can be changed to suit your preference.
Show/Hide: Choose to display or hide chart data, including extended hours activity, volume chart, price volume distribution chart, or previous close line.
Grid Lines/Watermark Opacity: Using individual sliders, you can choose to adjust the opacity of the grid lines or the symbol watermark of your chart.
After you have selected the desired chart type, timeframe, indicators, and events, you may save these settings by selecting the Save option from the top of the chart window. Once you have named the chart view, it will appear in the Save menu so that you can easily return to this view in the future. You can also choose to save a specific chart view as your default, having it appear each time you launch a new chart from the main navigation menu. There is no limit to the number of chart templates that you can save.
Choose Export to export your chart data, including price, volume and indicators, into either Microsoft Excel (.xls) or Comma Separated Value (.csv) format. Using the Print function, you can print a visual image of your chart. You can also choose to save an image by selecting the 'Export chart as image' link available in the Export menu above the chart or on the right-click menu in PNG, JPEG, and BMP formats. The image will capture the data, events, indicators, and drawing tools displayed on the chart. The image will be saved to the default location you have selected for your browser or application.
The Draw menu contains Drawing tools to help you perform additional analysis on a chart, letting you draw trend, support, or resistance lines, as well as a number of other helpful tools such as Fibonacci Retracements and Regression Channels. You can also add notes to your charts.
Add a Trendline, Snap Trend Line, Resistance Line, Support Line or other Drawing tool to your chart by doing the following:
Remove or Edit a Trendline, Snap Trend Line, Resistance Line, Support Line, or other drawing tool by doing the following:
The complete list of Drawing tools includes support, resistance, trend and other lines, Fibonaccis, Gann Fans, Regression Tools, and other technical shapes meant to help you identify price actions such as breakouts or breakdowns. Drawing tools are automatically saved on the chart on a symbol specific basis. As such, when you next request a chart with this particular symbol in focus, the Drawing tool will remain as an element of the chart.
To add a text annotation to your chart, click the Text Note icon from the draw menu to enter your annotation, and click OK.
To edit a text annotation, select it, make your edit in the chart annotation box, and click OK. If the text annotation appears along an edge of the chart, before editing it, use the Zoom feature to center it on the chart. This makes the annotation easier to access and edit.
Technical indicators are typically displayed within or below the main price panel. Examples of technical indicators include Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) and Relative Strength Index (RSI). To add an indicator to your chart, select it from the Indicators menu, where you will find a list of all indicators supported within the Active Trader Pro Platforms.
Many indicators allow you to modify one or more parameters of the information displayed, so you can customize your results. When an indicator is selected, default parameters will appear in the corresponding parameters box. If an indicator uses more than one parameter, each parameter is separated by a comma.
To modify or delete an indicator from a chart, click the parameter box and simply select Modify or Delete. You may also add an indicator by clicking the parameter box and selecting Add Indicator.
See our Active Trader Pro Charting Indicator Definitions, Interpretations, and Calculations to learn more about indicators and for detailed descriptions.
An Event is an action, announcement, or transaction that might affect the price of a security. Examples include: earnings reports, stock splits, or declarations of dividends. You may choose the types of events you would like to see represented on the charts by using the Events menu. Clicking on the Events menu will display a number of icons, each of which represents a different type of event, and each of which can be turned on and off individually. A brief description of each is provided below.
Splits are represented by a circle with an S. Move your cursor over a split circle to see the date and type (e.g., 2 for 1, 3 for 1, 1 for 2, etc.) of the split.
Dividends are represented by a square with a D. Move your cursor over a dividend square to see the date of the dividend payment and the dollar amount per share.
Historical quarterly earnings are displayed on your chart. Green triangles with an E indicate a higher quarterly Earnings Per Share (EPS) as compared to the same quarter one year ago. Red triangles indicate a lower quarterly EPS as compared to the same quarter one year ago. Move your cursor over a triangle to see the EPS amount and the date on which the data was released. When possible, the EPS data appears on the date it was reported by the news media. Otherwise, the EPS data appears on the date the report was filed with the SEC. If neither is available, the EPS data appears on the last day of the quarter.
You can also display your personal lot information in the chart window. A diamond will appear in white for every lot position that is opened at the appropriate date and price. When a position is closed for a gain, a similar diamond will appear, but will be colored green. When a position is closed for a loss, the diamond will again appear, but will be colored red. All lot icons on the chart will feature a subscript of
Note: Lots will not display on charts with intraday frequencies; they will only display on charts with a frequency of daily or greater.
With one click, you can view a variety of technical analysis provided by Recognia in the Technical Analysis menu. This analysis includes: Patterns and Events, Support & Resistance, and Stops.
Hover your cursor over an analysis icon and click the View Details link. A pop-up window will appear with more information. Should you wish to learn more about this pattern or event, click the Learn More link.
To learn more about Advanced Charting, please watch this video:
Patterns and Events are typically displayed within or below the main price panel. Examples of Patterns and Events include MACD (Moving Average Convergence/Divergence) and RSI (Relative Strength Indicator). To add a Patterns or Event to your chart, select the Technical Analysis menu from the top of the chart window. Clicking on the + icon to open the Patterns and Events main menu. In this menu, you will find a list of all available Patterns and Events that can be added to your chart, and you can narrow your search by multiple criteria.
Choose a trading horizon of Short, Medium, or Long term.
Many Patterns and Events allow you to modify one or more of the relevant inputs, allowing you to customize the results. When a Pattern or Event is selected, default parameters will appear in the corresponding parameters box.
To delete a Pattern or Event from a chart, simply uncheck the appropriate checkbox from the Patterns and Events main menu. You can also delete Patterns and Events from your legend.
Support and Resistance lines are displayed within the main price panel. These lines are calculated on a daily basis by Recognia, using their proprietary methods based on the security's prior close. To add Support and Resistance lines to your chart, select the Technical Analysis menu from the top of the chart window. Clicking on the = icon will open the Support and Resistance menu. When you activate this functionality, the appropriate lines will be added to your chart, providing you with important technical information with respect to key levels in the security you are charting. To modify the trading horizon parameters used to calculate the Support and Resistance lines, or to delete the Support and Resistance lines, hover your cursor over a line until your cursor turns into a hand and then click to display the Modify/Delete menu.
Stops are also displayed within the main price panel. They are calculated on a daily basis by Recognia, using their proprietary methods based on the security's prior closing price. To add a Stop to your chart, select the Technical Analysis menu from the top of the chart window. Click on the Stop Sign icon to add a Stop line to your chart at the appropriate level using a calculation based on the prior day's closing price. To modify parameters used to calculate the suggested Stop level, the placement of the Stop, or to delete the Stop, hover your cursor over the line until your cursor turns into a hand and then click to display the Modify/Delete menu.
