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When prices move out of a price range, then back into the price range and then breaks out of the level again, stopping both breakout traders and faders at least once, whipsaw takes place. When there is a lack of momentum or the breakout is small and weak, a whipsaw breakout usually occurs.

Breakouts all carry some risk of failure. Reasonably placed stops can help preserve your capital when the price breakout does not go your way. Some times the price action is so choppy that it is better to stay out of the market.

Successful trading of a reversal breakout obviously means massive profits in the shortest possible time. However, things are not that simple as they seem on the surface. How do you know if a breakout is going to reverse the current trend?

You should look out for certain reversal chart patterns that tend to serve as harbingers of a trend change. Examples of such patterns include head and shoulder, double top/bottom, triple top/bottom etc. If you spot these chart formations in daily or weekly charts, there is a high chance that a reversal may be in the works.

In addition to looking for these chart patterns, you can also make use of the momentum indicators to tell you if a trend is nearing its end. Momentum indicators also known as oscillators are leading indicators. They help in identifying a trend reversal before time.

MACD comprises of 3 Exponential Moving Averages (EMA). The MACD line is the difference between the 12 period Exponential Moving Average and 26 periods Exponential Moving Average. Usually a signal line consisting of 9 periods Exponential Moving Average is plotted together with the MACD line. Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) is one of the simplest, yet most dependable indicators for a trader.

A better visualization of the MACD is in the form of a histogram. A bullish signal is given when MACD line crosses above its signal line. A bearish signal occurs when the MACD line crosses below its signal line.

For example, the histogram should become bigger if the price move accelerates with an upside breakout as more and more buyers enter the rally to a higher level. The MACD histogram tracks the speed of the price action.

Each line becoming longer than the previous line as the speed of the price movement accelerates in a quick rally. Each line will become shorter than the previous line. When the price movement decelerates, the histogram will contract on the other hand.

You can detect trend reversal breakout with the help of a MACD divergence signals. When the currency pair rallies to a new high but the MACD histogram declines then a bearish divergence is formed. Read the next part of this article for more.