Historical analogs: past moments that looked like now

Historical analogs searches a symbol's own history for the stretches that looked most like the last bars and shows what price did after each of them. It is a comparison with the past, not a forecast. It is a Pro Lab tool, part of the Pro and Elite plans.

Using it

1. On a computer, press Pro Lab on the right-hand toolbar; on a phone, open the analysis centre from the chart's bottom bar and choose Pro Lab. Then choose Historical analogs.
2. Enter a symbol, or keep the one on your chart, and choose 1-hour, 4-hour or daily bars.
3. Set the pattern length (20 to 120 bars), how far to look ahead (10 to 60 bars) and how many analogs to find (5 to 15).
4. Turn on Match volatility if stretches that moved much more or much less per bar than now should rank lower.

Reading the results

• Each thin line is a past stretch, drawn in percent from its own last close. Right of the divider is what came next; the thick line is their median and the band the middle half.
• The cards give how many analogs rose, the median move at the end of the look-ahead and its range, and the average run-up and drawdown.
• The table lists each analog's dates, similarity, volatility, result, largest run-up and deepest drawdown.
• Hover over or touch a line to read its dates; click or tap it to keep it highlighted.

Good to know

• A handful of analogs is a small sample, so look at the spread and not only the median.
• Stretches that cross a gap in the data are not compared.
• When the last bars are almost flat there is no shape to match; try a longer pattern.