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Technical Analysis & Chart Patterns

Support

A price level at which buying has previously been sufficient to halt a decline.

Formula Test: price has reversed upward from approximately this level on at least two prior occasions
Unit

In depth

Support is a description of past behaviour, not a floor — it is a level where buyers appeared before, and there is no mechanism guaranteeing they will appear again. It is better thought of as a zone than a line, since exact prices rarely repeat and defining it too precisely creates false confidence. Part of its apparent effectiveness is self-fulfilling: enough participants watch the same round numbers and prior lows that orders cluster there, which is a fact about behaviour rather than about value. Nothing here suggests a price will hold at any level, and support levels break routinely.

Worked example

A stock has turned up from ₹480, ₹478 and ₹483 over six months, so ₹478 to ₹483 is described as a support zone. A trader placing a stop at ₹470 is allowing for the zone failing, which it may.

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 “Support” 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.