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Market Basics & Instruments

52-Week High

The highest price at which a security has traded during the preceding fifty-two weeks.

Formula 52-Week High = maximum traded price over the trailing 52 weeks, adjusted for corporate actions
Unit

In depth

The 52-week high is a rolling number, so it changes as old data drops out of the window even when the price does nothing at all. It is widely used as a screening filter and as a psychological reference, and behavioural research has documented that investors anchor on it heavily — which is a fact about investors, not about the security. A price near the 52-week high is neither a signal to buy nor to sell; it is a description of where the price has been. Providers differ on whether they adjust the figure for splits and bonuses, and unadjusted series produce nonsense after any corporate action.

Worked example

A stock's 52-week high is ₹480, set eleven months ago, and it now trades at ₹456, which is 456 / 480 = 95% of that high. Next month the ₹480 print rolls out of the window and the 52-week high falls to the next-highest price, with no trade having occurred.

Illustrative figures, chosen so the arithmetic is easy to follow. Not a live price and not a valuation of any company.

Educational reference only

This entry explains what “52-Week High” means. It is not investment advice and not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Any numbers above are illustrative, not live prices, and nothing here predicts price direction or rates a stock. Consider your own circumstances and consult a SEBI-registered investment adviser before acting.