What is the bull flag pattern?
The bull flag is a bullish continuation pattern. A sharp advance (the pole) followed by a shallow drift against it. Volume dries up through the drift.
How to spot a bull flag
- 1Find a sharp, fast rise: the flagpole.
- 2Then a small pullback that drifts slightly downward in a narrow channel.
- 3Watch for a close above the top of that channel.
How does the bull flag form?
A sharp advance forms the pole. Price then drifts gently against it inside a narrow channel.
How do you confirm a bull flag?
How little ground price gives back is the giveaway. A flag that retraces most of its pole was never a pause; it was a reversal.
When does the bull flag fail?
It fails when the drift lasts too long. A flag that goes sideways for many bars has become a range, and the pole's momentum is gone.
No chart pattern works every time. The examples on this page were chosen because they show the pattern clearly, and in real markets patterns fail often.
Practice on real charts
3 real examples of the bull flag, cut off where the pattern completed. Make your call, then see what happened.
The shaded area is a bull flag. Where did price go next?
Bull Flag: common questions
Is the bull flag bullish or bearish?
The bull flag is bullish. A flag is a pause, not a reversal. The giveaway is how little ground price gives back.
How do you spot a bull flag?
Find a sharp, fast rise: the flagpole. Then a small pullback that drifts slightly downward in a narrow channel. Watch for a close above the top of that channel.
What is the difference between the bull flag and the bear flag?
The bull flag: A sharp advance (the pole) followed by a shallow drift against it. Volume dries up through the drift. The bear flag: A sharp decline followed by a weak, drifting bounce inside a narrow channel.
How reliable is the bull flag?
No chart pattern works every time. It fails when the drift lasts too long. A flag that goes sideways for many bars has become a range, and the pole's momentum is gone. That is why it helps to wait for confirmation and to practice on many real examples before relying on it.
How can I practice spotting the bull flag?
Use the real charts on this page: each one stops where the bull flag completed, so you can make a call and then see what happened. The free Chartle app mixes the bull flag in with 48 other patterns in short daily sessions.
Keep learning
- Chart pattern gameGuess where price goes next on real charts, all 49 patterns mixed.
- All 49 chart patternsEvery bullish and bearish pattern, with a printable cheat sheet.
- How to read candlestick chartsBodies, wicks and colors explained from the start.
- Cheat sheet PDFAll patterns on two printable pages.
