# Parabolic Phase Parabolic Phase is an indicator on [Vela](https://vela.luxalgo.com/chart), our next-generation charting platform, written in Pine Script®. Confirms when a trend has bent into terminal acceleration: three consecutive impulse legs must each steepen by a 1.2 slope factor with rising structure and shrinking pullbacks, while price stretches to a 95th-percentile extreme from a 200-period average. Draws the steepening trendlines, tints the active phase, and marks the end with a labeled reason plus a 50% retracement level. - Indicator in the LuxAlgo Library, by LuxAlgo, published Jul 25, 2026. - Access: free. - Concepts: [Parabolic Phase](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/concept/parabolic-phase/) (primary) - Open on Vela: https://vela.luxalgo.com/chart?pineScriptCodeId=o8hem9zg01i9jdr1no128yll - Page: https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/parabolic-phase/ **Parabolic Phase** is a rules-based detector for the [parabolic phase](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/concept/parabolic-phase/), the terminal stage where a trend's legs steepen, pullbacks shrink and the slope bends toward vertical. The first faithful implementation of the concept in the library, it demands accelerating impulses, rising structure, contracting retracements and steepening trendlines all at once, then filters candidates through a long-term stretch extreme. Confirmed phases tint the background, print a label and manage the steepest trendline in real time. ## How to Trade the Parabolic Phase? - **Parabolic Phase label**: the acceleration tests passed. The job shifts from judging trend health to managing the exit. - **Steepest trendline**: extends right and re-draws steeper as new anchors form; a close through it ends the phase. - **Phase End label**: prints with its reason: trendline break, or a pullback deeper than anything seen inside the phase. - **50% retracement**: after the end, a dotted level marks the midpoint of the accelerated move as a reference for the give-back that often follows. The dashboard tracks the symptom set live: impulse count, MA stretch, volume surge and runaway gaps inside the phase. ## Parabolic Phase Settings - **Swing Length** (default 5): pivot half-window behind every leg and trendline; larger values track bigger structures with more lag. - **Accelerating Impulses** (default 3): consecutive legs that must pass the acceleration tests. - **Acceleration Factor** (default 1.2): minimum slope ratio between successive impulses. - **Require MA Stretch Extreme** (default on), with **Long-Term MA** (default SMA, length 200), **Stretch Percentile** (default 95) and **Stretch History** (default 500). - **Require Volume Surge** (default off), with **Volume Average** (default 20) and **Mult** (default 1.5). - Style toggles: trendlines, retracement level, gradient fill, background, MA plot, all on by default. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Is this the same as the Parabolic SAR? No. The shared word is the only overlap. The [Parabolic SAR](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/parabolic-sar/) trails any trend with an accelerating stop-and-reverse dot; this build classifies whether the trend has entered its blow-off stage and tells you when that stage breaks. ### Why does confirmation arrive late? Each swing needs Swing Length bars to confirm, and a phase needs three qualifying legs plus a stretch extreme. That strictness is the point: genuine parabolic phases are rare, and loosening the tests mostly admits ordinary strong trends. ### What ends a phase? A close through the steepest trendline, or a retracement deeper than any pullback recorded during the phase. Both fire the end alerts and leave the 50% retracement level behind. ## Related indicators - [Retest & Break Setup](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/retest-break-setup/) (Breakout-pullback-continuation): markdown at https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/retest-break-setup.md - [Range Detector](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/range-detector/) (Trading Range): markdown at https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/range-detector.md - [False Breakout](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/false-breakout/) (Market Structure): markdown at https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/false-breakout.md - [Fibonacci Ranges (Real-Time)](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/fibonacci-ranges-real-time/) (Trading Range): markdown at https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/fibonacci-ranges-real-time.md - [Range Intelligence Suite](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/range-intelligence-suite/) (Trading Range): markdown at https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/range-intelligence-suite.md - [Bart Pattern](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/bart-pattern/) (Trading Range): markdown at https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/bart-pattern.md - [Range Average Retest Model](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/range-average-retest-model/) (Trading Range): markdown at https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/range-average-retest-model.md - [Accumulation vs Distribution Ranges](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/accumulation-vs-distribution-ranges/) (Market Structure): markdown at https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/accumulation-vs-distribution-ranges.md --- Source: https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/parabolic-phase/ (LuxAlgo Library). Free to use with attribution: https://www.luxalgo.com/library/license/