The Bottom Line

The Bollinger Band Squeeze is a trading strategy designed to find consolidations with decreasing volatility. In its purest form, this strategy is neutral and the ensuing break can be up or down. Chartists, therefore, must employ other aspects of technical analysis to formulate a trading bias to act before the break or confirm the break….

The Head Fake

In his book, Bollinger on Bollinger Bands, John Bollinger advises chartists to beware of the “head fake.” This occurs when prices break a band, then suddenly reverse and move the other way, similar to a bull or bear trap. A bullish head fake starts when Bollinger Bands contract and prices break above the upper band. This…

Tweaking

Because the Bollinger Band Squeeze does not provide any directional clues, chartists must use other aspects of technical analysis to anticipate or confirm a directional break. In addition to basic chart analysis, chartists can also apply complimentary indicators to look for signs of buying or selling pressure within the consolidation. Momentum oscillators and moving averages…

Trading Signals

Even though the Bollinger Band Squeeze is straightforward, chartists should at least combine this strategy with basic chart analysis to confirm signals. For example, a break above resistance can be used to confirm a break above the upper band. Similarly, a break below support can be used to confirm a break below the lower band….

How the Strategy Works

The Bollinger Band Squeeze is a straightforward strategy that is relatively simple to implement. First, look for securities with narrowing Bollinger Bands and low BandWidth levels. Ideally, BandWidth should be near the low end of its six-month range. Second, wait for a band break to signal the start of a new move. An upside bank…

How Do You Set Up the Indicators?

Before looking at the details, let’s review some key indicators for this trading strategy. First, for illustration purposes, note that we are using daily prices and setting the Bollinger Bands at 20 periods and two standard deviations, the default settings. These can be changed to suit one’s trading preferences or the characteristics of the underlying…