Break and retest

Old resistance becomes new support. After price breaks a level, wait for it to come back and hold that level before joining the move.

Breakout strategiesBeginnerConfirmed on candle close

Watch it play out

Replay plays a setup this strategy already finished and stops so you can call it. Live watches for the next one on Bitcoin (BTC-USD, 1-minute candles). Either way a setup is marked only when a candle closes, then it's locked and plays out to its target or its stop. Nothing to trade here.

How the live chart applies the rules
  • 1-minute candles. The chart runs every strategy on 1-minute Bitcoin candles from Coinbase, whatever timeframe the strategy page suggests. Times are New York time.
  • Closed candles only. Levels, triggers and stops are read when a candle closes. Entry is that candle's close.
  • One setup at a time. While a setup is playing out, the same strategy doesn't start another.
  • Sensible risk only. A setup counts only if its stop is between a quarter and 6 times the average candle range (ATR 14) from entry (wider for session-range strategies), and its target is at least 0.75R away.
  • How a setup ends. At its target or its stop. If one candle touches both, the stop counts. A setup also ends at any exit its page names, and after 120 candles (longer for trend and session strategies) if nothing is hit.
  • Replays. A replay plays the latest setup this strategy finished on the live chart's recent history, sped up. It's the same setup the live chart confirmed, with the same entry, stop and result. If the strategy hasn't finished one recently, the replay uses example candles and says so.
  • The trading day. A day runs 6:00 PM to 6:00 PM ET, like futures. VWAP restarts at 6:00 PM, and "yesterday" means the last full trading day.

How Break and retest works

TargetStopOld ceiling becomes the floorRetest holds
Example drawing, not live market data.
1Where's the level?
The high or low of the 30 candles before the last 3.
2What's the trigger?
A candle closes beyond the level. Within 12 candles price comes back to it and a candle closes back in the breakout direction while holding it.
3Where is it wrong?
Beyond the lowest low (highest high for shorts) since the break.
4Where does it end?
2R.
Markets
Futures, Stocks, Forex, Crypto
Timeframes
1m to 1h
Sessions
Any
Also called
breakout retest, role reversal

What it means

Old resistance becomes new support. After price breaks a level, wait for it to come back and hold that level before joining the move.

How it is confirmed without repainting

The level is set from earlier closed candles. The retest low is fixed when the trigger candle closes.

When it fails

The retest candle closes back through the level by more than a few ticks.

Education only. Prop Firm Duel does not provide trade signals or financial advice. This page explains how the strategy is commonly defined. Past results never guarantee future results.

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