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Triple Top and Triple Bottom Patterns

A triple top is three attempts to push through the same high that fail; a triple bottom is three tests of the same low that hold. This guide explains how to identify each, how to choose the level that confirms the pattern, what a confirmed break does and doesn't tell you, and how confirmations fail. For the method that applies to every pattern, see how to read any chart pattern.

Educational content only. This page explains how triple tops and bottoms are commonly read; it is not investment advice, and no chart pattern predicts or guarantees trading results. Trading carries risk of loss.

Triple tops and bottoms in one minute

  • The shape: after a trend, three peaks (or lows) at about the same level, with two reactions between them.
  • Confirmation: a close below the lowest of the lows between the peaks for a top, or above the highest of the highs between the lows for a bottom.
  • Before that: the pattern is unfinished, and price can still break the other way.
  • The caveat: confirmation shows the exit, not the follow-through, and confirmations can fail.

Where this page's information comes from

  • StockCharts' ChartSchool, its guides to the triple top and triple bottom reversals, for the conventions on the prior trend, the three highs or lows, confirmation, volume, retests, targets and duration. Those points are attributed in the text.
  • Thomas Bulkowski's pages on triple tops and triple bottoms and his glossary on ThePatternSite, for his identification notes, his confirmation levels and his definitions of pullbacks, throwbacks and busted patterns.
  • TradingLoot's own explanations and diagrams. They describe how these patterns are commonly read, not rules that guarantee an outcome.

Bulkowski's pages also publish performance statistics and a target method built on them. This guide leaves both out, because the market, period and method behind the figures aren't set out on those pages. For how he measured patterns, see our summary of his encyclopedia.

How triple tops and bottoms form

ChartSchool describes both as reversal patterns: three roughly equal highs followed by a break below support for a top, and three roughly equal lows followed by a break above resistance for a bottom. It sums up the spirit of the top as three attempts at resistance, followed by a break below support, with volume confirmation, and adds that pattern reading is more art than science: a chart that doesn't match the description exactly can still capture its essence.

Both sources expect a trend to reverse. ChartSchool says an uptrend should come before a top and a clear downtrend before a bottom; Bulkowski describes price trending upward into a top and downward into a bottom.

The triple top

ChartSchool asks for three highs that are reasonably equal, well spaced and clear turning points; they don't have to match exactly. Bulkowski describes three peaks near the same price, and notes, for tops, that the middle peak is sometimes marginally lower than the other two.

Triple top: an advance, three peaks at about the same level, a confirmation level at the lower of the two lows between them, a close below it, and a possible upward exit insteadAn idealised schematic, not market data. Marker 1: price advances before the pattern. Marker 2: the middle of three peaks at about the same level, joined by an upper dotted line. Marker 3: the lower of the two lows between the peaks; the earlier low is visibly higher. The lower dotted line, the confirmation level, is drawn horizontally at this lower low. Marker 4: price closes below the confirmation level. Marker 5: a separate dashed blue branch shows price rising above the peaks instead, before the pattern was confirmed.12345

Idealised schematic, not real market data. It has no prices, dates or timeframe.

  1. Prior advance: The trend a top would reverse.
  2. Three peaks: Highs at about the same level, well spaced, joined by the upper dotted line.
  3. Confirmation level: The lower of the two lows between the peaks, drawn as a horizontal line. The earlier, higher low is not used.
  4. Downward break: Price closes below the confirmation level. That confirms the pattern; it doesn't guarantee follow-through.
  5. Possible alternative exit (dashed): Before confirmation, price could instead rise above the peaks.

Until price closes below the confirmation level, the three peaks are an unfinished pattern, and the dashed branch is just as possible.

The triple bottom

For bottoms, ChartSchool asks for three lows that are reasonably equal, well spaced and significant turning points. Bulkowski describes three distinct valleys that look similar and bottom near the same price, allowing for variations. His note about a slightly lower middle peak is made for tops only, so it isn't carried over here.

Triple bottom: a decline, three lows at about the same level, a confirmation level at the higher of the two highs between them, a close above it, and a possible downward exit insteadAn idealised schematic, not market data, drawn as a mirror image of the triple top. Marker 1: price declines before the pattern. Marker 2: the middle of three lows at about the same level, joined by a lower dotted line. Marker 3: the higher of the two highs between the lows; the earlier high is visibly lower. The upper dotted line, the confirmation level, is drawn horizontally at this higher high. Marker 4: price closes above the confirmation level. Marker 5: a separate dashed blue branch shows price falling below the lows instead, before the pattern was confirmed.12345

Idealised schematic, not real market data. It has no prices, dates or timeframe.

  1. Prior decline: The trend a bottom would reverse.
  2. Three lows: Lows at about the same level, well spaced, joined by the lower dotted line.
  3. Confirmation level: The higher of the two highs between the lows, drawn as a horizontal line. The earlier, lower high is not used.
  4. Upward break: Price closes above the confirmation level. That confirms the pattern; it doesn't guarantee follow-through.
  5. Possible alternative exit (dashed): Before confirmation, price could instead fall below the lows.

The drawing mirrors the top, but the sources' notes don't all mirror: some apply only to tops or only to bottoms, as the text explains.

Choosing the confirmation level

The two reactions between the peaks or lows rarely end at the same level, so it matters which one you use. Here the sources agree:

  • Triple top: ChartSchool places support at the lowest point of the formation, the lowest of the lows between the peaks, and Bulkowski treats the pattern as valid once price closes below the lowest valley.
  • Triple bottom: ChartSchool places resistance at the highest of the highs between the lows, and Bulkowski treats the pattern as confirmed once price closes above the highest peak between the valleys.

In both cases the level is horizontal, set by the more extreme of the two reactions. That differs from a head-and-shoulders neckline, which joins the two reactions and can slope up or down.

Until price closes through that level, the pattern is unfinished. ChartSchool treats both patterns as neutral until the break: for a top, failing to clear resistance is bearish, but the bears haven't won until support breaks, and the mirror holds for a bottom. Even after the break, confirmation shows the direction price took; it doesn't guarantee that the move will continue. Sources differ on what counts as convincing, and the hub explains the filter trade-off.

Volume

ChartSchool says overall volume usually declines as the pattern develops, sometimes rising near the highs or lows. After the third high, it treats expanding volume on the decline and at the support break as strong reinforcement for a top; after the third low, expanding volume on the advance and at the resistance break plays the same role for a bottom. It also suggests that a sharp increase in volume and momentum on the last move away from the highs or lows can be a clue, though not confirmation.

How much weight volume can carry depends on the data. In TradingLoot's view, the volume a platform shows may not represent the whole market, for example where trading is spread across many venues, and some feeds show tick counts rather than traded volume. Treat volume as one input to weigh, not a switch that confirms or cancels a pattern.

Retests, pullbacks and throwbacks

After a break, price may come back to the level it just crossed. ChartSchool describes broken support sometimes being tested as new resistance after a top, and broken resistance as new support after a bottom. Its own triple-bottom example shows how untidy that can be: after the breakout, price fell back below the breakout level twice, and the example marks new support levels from the lows that followed.

Bulkowski names these returns by direction: a pullback after a downward breakout and a throwback after an upward one, each a return to the breakout price within 30 days. In TradingLoot's view, a return is a possibility, not a step in the pattern.

The height convention

ChartSchool measures the distance from the break level to the highs (for a top) or the lows (for a bottom), and applies it from the break: down from support after a top, up from resistance after a bottom.

Treat the result as a reference point, not a forecast of distance or timing. ChartSchool itself adds a caveat: it considers patterns six months or more in the making to be major tops or bottoms, for which a price target is less likely to be effective. Bulkowski describes a different target method that depends on his own success-rate figures, which this guide doesn't reproduce. For why TradingLoot doesn't publish hit rates for targets, see probabilities and limits.

Duration

ChartSchool says these major reversal patterns usually form over three to six months. Bulkowski's pages don't set a duration. That convention is stated in months and illustrated on stock charts; in TradingLoot's view, it doesn't convert automatically to intraday charts. What carries over is the structure: three clear, separated turns at about the same level.

Double tops, head and shoulders, rectangles and P&F terms

  • Double top or bottom: ChartSchool notes that before the third high or low forms, the pattern can look like a double top or double bottom.
  • Head and shoulders: Bulkowski says that a triple top whose middle peak sits above the other two is a head-and-shoulders top, and that a triple bottom whose middle low sits below the other two could be a head-and-shoulders bottom. See the head and shoulders guide.
  • Rectangle and triangles: ChartSchool notes that three equal highs also appear in ascending triangles and rectangles, and three equal lows in descending triangles and rectangles. Bulkowski adds that a triple bottom could also be a rectangle bottom. The difference is in what happens next: a rectangle is read as a range with an open direction, while a triple top or bottom is read as a reversal once confirmed.
  • Point-and-figure terms: ChartSchool warns that a Triple Top Breakout on a point-and-figure chart is a different, bullish pattern, an upside resistance breakout, and that a Triple Bottom Breakdown is a bearish one. The names overlap; the patterns don't.

Failed confirmations

A confirmed triple top or bottom can still fail. Price can close through the confirmation level, make little progress, and come back. Returning above broken support after a top (or below broken resistance after a bottom) is the first warning that the break hasn't held.

The diagram below goes one step further and uses the level of the peaks as the point where the top reading has clearly failed. That boundary is a choice made for this example. Neither source sets a single invalidation level, and ChartSchool's own bottom example re-marked support after the breakout came back through. Where a reading counts as wrong depends on the chart and on the reader's method. A failed bottom is the mirror image.

A failed triple-top confirmation: a close below the confirmation level, a stall, a return above it, a rise above the peaks, and a possible further advanceAn idealised schematic, not market data. The left side repeats the triple top. Marker 1: price closes below the lower dotted line, the confirmation level. Marker 2: price moves only a little lower and stalls. Marker 3: price comes back above the confirmation level, the first sign that the break has not held. Marker 4: price rises above the upper dotted line at the level of the peaks, the boundary this example uses to show the top reading has clearly failed. Marker 5: a dashed blue path, starting after that rise, shows one possible further advance.12345

Idealised schematic, not real market data. It has no prices, dates or timeframe.

  1. Confirmation: Price closes below the confirmation level; the observed exit is downward.
  2. Little follow-through: Price stalls not far below it.
  3. Back above the confirmation level: The earlier warning: the break has not held.
  4. Above the peaks: The boundary chosen for this example to show the top reading has clearly failed.
  5. Possible further advance (dashed): One possible path after the failure, not a prediction.

The peak level is an illustrative choice for this drawing, not a universal rule. This shows one way a confirmation can fail; it isn't a probability, and it doesn't classify the move under any source's numerical definition.

Bulkowski uses a narrower, technical term for one kind of failure. His busted pattern is one where price moves no more than 10% after the breakout, then reverses and crosses the other side of the pattern, starting a trend in the new direction. Not every failed confirmation meets that definition, and the diagram doesn't measure it. For why failures still carry information, see our summary of Bulkowski's research on failure.

Textbook vs live charts

Live triple tops and bottoms are rarely as neat as the diagrams. The three turns seldom match, the reactions between them differ, and the shape can drift toward a double top, a head and shoulders or a range as it develops. The tidier the drawing has to be forced, the less the label is telling you.

In TradingLoot's view, practising on historical data with replay is a good way to check whether you would have chosen the confirmation level in real time, rather than after the break.

Common misreadings

These are ways triple tops and bottoms are often misread, as TradingLoot sees it.

"Three highs at the same level make a triple top."
Not until price closes below the confirmation level. Before that, the pattern is unfinished.
"Confirmation can use either low between the peaks."
Both sources use the lowest one for a top, and the highest high for a bottom.
"It's just a head and shoulders with a flat head."
The confirmation levels differ: a horizontal level here, a neckline that can slope there.
"A Triple Top Breakout is a triple top."
On a point-and-figure chart, ChartSchool says that name describes a bullish breakout.
"The height of the pattern is the target."
It's a convention for a rough reference point, not a forecast, and ChartSchool doubts it for long patterns.

Key takeaways

  • Triple tops and bottoms are three comparable turns after a trend, read as possible reversals.
  • Confirmation uses the most extreme reaction between the turns, as a horizontal level.
  • Before confirmation, the pattern is unfinished; after it, follow-through isn't guaranteed.
  • Spacing, duration and the height convention are a source's conventions, not certainties.
  • Where a failed reading counts as wrong is a choice, not a universal rule.
  • A busted pattern is Bulkowski's narrower definition of one kind of failure.

Further reading

How this page was sourced

Sources were checked in October 2026. Conventions on the prior trend, the three highs or lows, confirmation, volume, retests, targets and duration come from StockCharts' ChartSchool guides to the triple top reversal and the triple bottom reversal. Bulkowski's identification notes and confirmation levels come from his pages on triple tops and triple bottoms, and his definitions from his glossary. His performance statistics and the target method built on them are not reproduced. The diagrams, the misreadings and the practical advice are TradingLoot's own. See our Methodology for how we research and verify.