Pivot Point Calculator

The formulas

Classic P = (H+L+C)/3 · R1 = 2P−L · S1 = 2P−H · R2 = P+(H−L) · S2 = P−(H−L) · R3 = H+2(P−L) · S3 = L−2(H−P)

Fibonacci P = (H+L+C)/3 · R1/S1 = P ± 0.382(H−L) · R2/S2 = P ± 0.618(H−L) · R3/S3 = P ± 1.000(H−L)

Camarilla R1/S1 = C ± (H−L)×1.1/12 · R2/S2 = C ± (H−L)×1.1/6 · R3/S3 = C ± (H−L)×1.1/4 · R4/S4 = C ± (H−L)×1.1/2

Woodie P = (H+L+2C)/4 · R1 = 2P−L · S1 = 2P−H · R2 = P+(H−L) · S2 = P−(H−L)

A worked example

Take a session that ranged between 1.0950 and 1.1050 and closed at 1.1020. The classic pivot is (1.1050 + 1.0950 + 1.1020) ÷ 3 = 1.10067. First resistance is 2 × 1.10067 − 1.0950 = 1.10633; first support is 2 × 1.10067 − 1.1050 = 1.09633. Notice the pivot sits below the close: the session finished in the upper half of its range, so price opening above the pivot the next day is the arithmetic default, not a bullish signal. That is the kind of thing worth understanding before reading meaning into a level.

Compare the methods on the same numbers and the difference in character is obvious. Camarilla's R1 and S1 sit far closer to the close than Classic's, because they are scaled fractions of the range rather than reflections of it, which is why Camarilla suits traders fading small moves while Classic suits those trading breaks of wider structure.

Using levels without fooling yourself

Pivots are pre-marked lines, and their honest value is that they are decided before the session starts, when you are calm, rather than mid-trade when you are not. Mark them, decide in advance what you will do if price reaches one, and let the plan run. What they cannot tell you is size: that comes from where your stop sits relative to the level, which theposition size calculatorturns into lots, and whether the resulting reward justifies the risk, which is what therisk/reward calculatoris for. Levels are structure; the edge is in the sizing and the discipline.