Ascending Base

Ascending Base is the library's first mechanical detector for the ascending base, the three-pullback growth-stock consolidation: swings confirm with a 5-bar pivot, each pullback must retrace 10–20%, highs and lows must staircase upward, and the base must span 40 to 85 bars. Qualifying bases are outlined with depth labels plus buy and invalidation levels at the third-pullback high and low.

Optional filters complete the specification: a 50-period trend filter, 1.4× breakout volume, pullback volume contraction, and a weak-market benchmark check.

How to Trade the Ascending Base?

• Ascending Base label: structure confirmed; the buy point is the third-pullback high.
• Breakout: a close above the buy level on qualifying volume — the entry event, arming the fixed stop.
• Invalidated: a pre-breakout close below the third-pullback low voids the base.
• Stop Hit: a post-breakout close below the 7% stop ends the campaign.

Bar-count defaults assume daily charts (40–85 bars ≈ nine to sixteen weeks); retune on other timeframes.

Ascending Base Settings

• Swing Detection Length (default 5): pivot width; larger returns cleaner swings, later.
• Pullback Depth (%) (defaults 10 and 20): the required retracement band per pullback.
• Base Duration (bars) (defaults 40 and 85): allowed span of the base.
• Prior Uptrend Filter (default on, length 50): the first high must sit above this average.
• Breakout Volume Confirmation (default on), with Volume Average Length (default 50) and Breakout Volume Multiplier (default 1.4).
• Pullback Volume Contraction (default off): pullback legs must average below the baseline.
• Weak Market Filter (default off, SP:SPX): the benchmark must be lower at the third low than at the start.
• Fixed Stop After Breakout (default on, 7%): the stop tracked under the buy level.
• Style toggles cover the pattern outline, depth labels, and the buy and invalidation levels.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does an ascending base differ from a flat base?

A Flat Base is a tight sideways shelf that corrects through time; the ascending base steps upward, absorbing three 10–20% knockdowns with higher lows each time — a relative-strength pattern, not just a rest.

Can I run it on symbols without volume data?

Yes — turn off Breakout Volume Confirmation; the structure, depth, duration and trend logic run on price alone. You lose the volume half of the specification, so weigh breakouts accordingly.

What happens if a new base forms while one is active?

A newer valid structure replaces an unresolved one; a base that already resolved on the same third high is not resurrected. Resolved outlines stay as history.