What is Resistance?
Qarshilik
In short
A price level where selling tends to increase and a rally is likely to stall.
Also known as: resistance level
Resistance is a price level where sellers tend to step in as price rises, making it likely that the rally stalls. On a chart it shows up as a place price has reached several times and then turned down from. It is the opposite of support.
Why it happens
People who bought at that price earlier and then sat on a loss sell to "at least get out at breakeven". Those who bought lower take profits there. Some traders open shorts at the level. The result is a cluster of sell orders overhead.
How to find it
- Prior highs where price turned down two or more times.
- A broken support level — it can now act as resistance.
- Round numbers ($100, $200) and all-time highs.
How it is used
For a trader holding a long position, resistance is a natural take-profit area, or at least a place to take partial profit. Knowing the nearest resistance before entering helps you estimate risk/reward realistically: if resistance is 3% away, expecting a 15% gain is rarely justified. If price breaks through resistance on volume, that is a breakout, and the level often turns into support.
A level is a zone, not a line. The more times price touched it and turned, the more it matters.
Example
Illustrative case: a stock has reached about $120 three times and turned back, with highs at $119.80, $120.30 and $120.10. The resistance zone is roughly $119.80–$120.30.
A trader plans to buy at $112 with a stop at $108. Risk per share: $112 − $108 = $4.
- With a $130 target: $18 gain, R:R = 1:4.5 — looks great, but price has to get through $120 resistance on the way.
- A more realistic target just under resistance, $119: $7 gain, R:R = 7 ÷ 4 = 1:1.75.
The second calculation is less attractive but fits the chart. You can compare targets with the risk/reward calculator.
Mistakes and tips
Set targets slightly below resistance, not right on it — price often turns before reaching the level.
Buying right under resistance gives a poor R:R: the risk is full size while the upside is small.
The more a level is tested, the more likely it may eventually break — each test absorbs sellers.
Frequently asked questions
- How do you identify a resistance level?
- Look for highs where price arrived several times and turned down. Two or three highs in the same zone make a resistance level worth watching.
- Should I buy when price breaks above resistance?
- That is a breakout strategy, but many breakouts fail. Most traders wait for a close and volume confirmation, or for a retest.
Learn it in the Academy
This term is covered with hands-on examples and a quiz in these lessons of the interactive course.
- Reading candlesticksOne candle shows a whole battle in four prices: body, wicks, timeframes, single-candle patterns and their context.Open lesson · 12 min
- Support and resistanceHow levels form, how to draw them as zones, how to tell breakouts from false breakouts, and how to plan entries, stops and targets from them.Open lesson · 11 min
- Chart patterns: head and shoulders and trianglesHead and shoulders and the three triangles: anatomy, psychology, neckline, measured-move targets, retests, volume and failed patterns.Open lesson · 12 min
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