Crypto Technical Analysis Cheat Sheet (2026)

This is not a tutorial. This is the crypto technical analysis cheat sheet you keep open on a second monitor while you trade.

Every table below is designed for instant lookup — find the indicator, pattern, or rule you need, get the signal criteria, and move on. No theory, no backstory. If you want the full explanation behind any concept here, follow the linked deep-dive guides.

How to use this page:

• ⌘/Ctrl + F to search for any indicator or pattern name
• Tables are sorted by practical frequency of use
• Bookmark this page — it's updated quarterly with current market parameters
• All example prices reflect June 2026 levels (BTC ~$105K, ETH ~$2,800, SOL ~$170)

[!TIP] CoinXSight's Deep Alpha module calculates most of these signals automatically. Use this cheat sheet to understand what the platform is telling you and why.

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Indicator Quick Reference Table

One table. Every major indicator. Find it, read the signal, take the trade.

Indicator	What It Measures	Default Setting	Buy Signal	Sell Signal	Best Timeframe	Works Best In
RSI	Momentum (overbought/oversold)	14 periods	Below 30 + bullish divergence	Above 70 + bearish divergence	4H, Daily	All conditions
MACD	Momentum shift direction	12, 26, 9	MACD line crosses above signal line; histogram turns positive	MACD line crosses below signal line; histogram turns negative	4H, Daily	Trending markets
EMA 9	Short-term trend	9 periods	Price crosses above 9 EMA	Price crosses below 9 EMA	1H, 4H	Scalps, day trades
EMA 21	Medium-term momentum	21 periods	Price bounces off 21 EMA in uptrend	Price rejects at 21 EMA in downtrend	4H	Swing trades
EMA 50	Intermediate trend	50 periods	Price reclaims 50 EMA on volume	Price loses 50 EMA on volume	4H, Daily	Swing, position
EMA 200	Macro trend direction	200 periods	Price above 200 EMA (bull market)	Price below 200 EMA (bear market)	Daily, Weekly	Macro bias only
EMA Cross	Trend shift confirmation	50/200	Golden Cross (50 crosses above 200)	Death Cross (50 crosses below 200)	Daily	Trend confirmation
Bollinger Bands	Volatility + mean reversion	20, 2 SD	Squeeze breakout upward; touch lower band in uptrend	Squeeze breakout downward; touch upper band in downtrend	All	Range-bound → breakout
Ichimoku Cloud	Trend + S/R + momentum	9, 26, 52	Price above cloud; Tenkan crosses Kijun upward; green cloud	Price below cloud; Tenkan crosses Kijun downward; red cloud	4H, Daily	Trending markets
VWAP	Intraday fair value	Session-based	Price pulls back to VWAP and bounces; price above VWAP	Price rallies to VWAP and rejects; price below VWAP	5M, 15M, 1H	Day trading only
Stochastic RSI	Fast momentum oscillator	14, 14, 3, 3	%K crosses above %D below 20	%K crosses below %D above 80	1H, 4H	Range-bound
ADX	Trend strength (not direction)	14 periods	ADX > 25 = strong trend (use trend tools)	ADX < 20 = weak/no trend (use range tools)	4H, Daily	Meta-indicator
ATR	Volatility magnitude	14 periods	Not a signal — use for stop-loss: entry − 1.5× ATR	Not a signal — use for take-profit: entry + 2–3× ATR	All	Position sizing
Supertrend	Trend direction + trailing stop	10, 3	Line flips below price (turns green)	Line flips above price (turns red)	4H, Daily	Trending markets
OBV	Cumulative volume flow	N/A	OBV rising while price flat = accumulation	OBV falling while price flat = distribution	Daily	Breakout confirmation
MFI	Volume-weighted momentum	14 periods	Below 20 (oversold with volume)	Above 80 (overbought with volume)	4H, Daily	Reversal zones
Parabolic SAR	Trend + trailing stop	0.02, 0.2	Dots flip below price	Dots flip above price	1H, 4H	Strong trends only
CCI	Price deviation from mean	20 periods	CCI crosses above −100 from below	CCI crosses below +100 from above	4H, Daily	Cyclical moves
Keltner Channels	Volatility envelope (ATR-based)	20, 1.5 ATR	Breakout above upper channel with volume	Breakout below lower channel with volume	4H, Daily	Squeeze setups
Williams %R	Fast overbought/oversold	14 periods	Crosses above −80 from below	Crosses below −20 from above	1H, 4H	Quick reversals
Fibonacci	Key retracement/extension levels	23.6%, 38.2%, 50%, 61.8%, 78.6%	Price bounces at 61.8% or 78.6% retracement with confluence	Price rejects at 38.2% or 61.8% extension	All	Pullback entries, targets
Funding Rate	Derivatives leverage bias	Exchange-specific	Negative funding (shorts paying) = squeeze incoming	Extreme positive funding (longs paying) = correction risk	1H, 4H	Crypto perps only

[!NOTE] Quick rule: If ADX is above 25, use trend indicators (EMA, MACD, Supertrend, Parabolic SAR). If ADX is below 20, switch to oscillators (RSI, StochRSI, Bollinger Bands, CCI). This single decision filter eliminates most false signals.

For the full breakdown of all 27 indicators with recommended stacks, see Cryptocurrency Technical Analysis Indicators: The Complete Guide.

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Candlestick Pattern Quick Reference

The 10 highest-reliability candlestick patterns. Skip the exotic ones — these are the patterns that consistently produce tradeable signals in 2026 crypto markets.

Pattern	Type	Bullish / Bearish	Reliability	Confirmation Needed
Hammer	Reversal	✅ Bullish	⭐⭐⭐⭐ High	Close above hammer high on next candle
Shooting Star	Reversal	🔴 Bearish	⭐⭐⭐⭐ High	Close below shooting star low on next candle
Bullish Engulfing	Reversal	✅ Bullish	⭐⭐⭐⭐ High	Higher close + rising volume on engulfing candle
Bearish Engulfing	Reversal	🔴 Bearish	⭐⭐⭐⭐ High	Lower close + rising volume on engulfing candle
Morning Star	Reversal	✅ Bullish	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very High	3-candle pattern; third candle closes above midpoint of first
Evening Star	Reversal	🔴 Bearish	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very High	3-candle pattern; third candle closes below midpoint of first
Three White Soldiers	Continuation	✅ Bullish	⭐⭐⭐ Moderate	Three consecutive bullish bodies with higher closes; check volume trend
Three Black Crows	Continuation	🔴 Bearish	⭐⭐⭐ Moderate	Three consecutive bearish bodies with lower closes; check volume trend
Doji (at S/R)	Reversal	⚪ Neutral	⭐⭐⭐ Moderate	Requires next-candle confirmation; direction depends on location
Pin Bar (Long Wick)	Reversal	✅/🔴 Both	⭐⭐⭐⭐ High	Wick ≥ 2× body size; close in opposite direction on next candle

Candlestick Reliability Multipliers

Not every candlestick is equal. These factors increase or decrease reliability:

Factor	Effect on Reliability
Pattern appears at key support/resistance	+50% more reliable
Pattern appears with 2×+ average volume	+40% more reliable
Higher timeframe (4H, Daily)	+30% more reliable
Pattern confirms RSI divergence	+25% more reliable
Pattern appears in no-man's land (mid-range)	−50% less reliable
Lower timeframe (5M, 15M)	−40% less reliable
Low volume on pattern candle	−30% less reliable

📖 Full guide: Candlestick Patterns Guide

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Chart Pattern Quick Reference

Classic chart patterns with target calculations and realistic success rates for crypto. Success rates assume you trade with the dominant trend and use volume confirmation.

Pattern	Type	Direction	Target Calculation	Confirmation	Success Rate
Double Bottom	Reversal	Bullish	Neckline + (Neckline − Bottom)	Break above neckline on 2×+ volume	65–70%
Double Top	Reversal	Bearish	Neckline − (Top − Neckline)	Break below neckline on 2×+ volume	65–70%
Head & Shoulders	Reversal	Bearish	Neckline − (Head − Neckline)	Break below neckline + RSI < 50	60–65%
Inv. Head & Shoulders	Reversal	Bullish	Neckline + (Neckline − Head)	Break above neckline + RSI > 50	60–65%
Bull Flag	Continuation	Bullish	Flagpole height added to breakout	Breakout above flag + 2× volume	70–75%
Bear Flag	Continuation	Bearish	Flagpole height subtracted from breakdown	Breakdown below flag + 2× volume	70–75%
Ascending Triangle	Continuation	Bullish	Flat top − triangle base, added to breakout	Break above flat resistance	65–70%
Descending Triangle	Continuation	Bearish	Triangle base − flat bottom, subtracted from breakdown	Break below flat support	65–70%
Symmetrical Triangle	Continuation	Either	Height of triangle added/subtracted from breakout	Break in trend direction + volume spike	55–60%
Cup & Handle	Continuation	Bullish	Cup depth added to handle breakout	Handle breakout on rising volume	60–65%

Quick Target Calculation Formula

For any chart pattern, the universal formula is:

Target = Breakout Price ± Pattern Height

Example with BTC at $105,000:

• Double bottom at $100,000, neckline at $105,000
• Pattern height = $105,000 − $100,000 = $5,000
• Target = $105,000 + $5,000 = $110,000
• Stop-loss = below $100,000 (the bottom) = $99,500
• Risk = $5,500 | Reward = $5,000 | R:R = 1:0.9 — not ideal, wait for a better entry

[!IMPORTANT] Always calculate R:R before entering. If the pattern target doesn't give you at least 1:2 risk-reward, skip it — no matter how clean the pattern looks.

📖 Full guides: Price Action Trading Foundations | Fair Value Gaps Explained

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Entry and Exit Signal Matrix

Use this matrix to score your trade setup. Count how many signals align, then follow the recommended action.

Long (Buy) Signals

Signal Category	Bullish Condition	Check
Trend	Price above 50 EMA and 200 EMA	☐
Momentum	RSI between 30–50 and rising (or bullish divergence)	☐
MACD	MACD line above signal line; histogram positive/expanding	☐
Volume	OBV rising; breakout candle has ≥ 2× avg volume	☐
Pattern	Bullish candlestick or chart pattern at support	☐
Volatility	ATR-based stop fits within 2% account risk	☐
On-chain	Exchange outflows increasing; stablecoin inflows rising	☐
Derivatives	Funding rate neutral or slightly negative	☐

Short (Sell) Signals

Signal Category	Bearish Condition	Check
Trend	Price below 50 EMA and 200 EMA	☐
Momentum	RSI between 50–70 and falling (or bearish divergence)	☐
MACD	MACD line below signal line; histogram negative/expanding	☐
Volume	OBV falling; breakdown candle has ≥ 2× avg volume	☐
Pattern	Bearish candlestick or chart pattern at resistance	☐
Volatility	ATR-based stop fits within 2% account risk	☐
On-chain	Exchange inflows increasing; stablecoin outflows rising	☐
Derivatives	Funding rate extremely positive; open interest spiking	☐

Signal Count → Action

Signals Aligned	Action	Confidence
7–8 of 8	✅ STRONG BUY / STRONG SELL — Full position (1× risk)	Very high
5–6 of 8	✅ BUY / SELL — Half position (0.5× risk)	High
3–4 of 8	⏸️ WATCHLIST — Add to watchlist, wait for more confirmation	Moderate
1–2 of 8	❌ NO TRADE — Insufficient confluence, stay flat	Low
Mixed (4 bull + 4 bear)	❌ NO TRADE — Conflicting signals, market is indecisive	None

[!TIP] CoinXSight's Alpha Hunter automates this confluence scoring through its 4-stage pipeline. Signals that reach Stage 3 (The Confirmation) typically have 5+ factors aligned — saving you the manual checklist work.

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Risk Management Quick Reference

Print this section. Tape it to your monitor. These rules keep you in the game when the strategy hits a losing streak.

Position Sizing Table

Account Size	Risk Per Trade (2%)	Stop Width (ATR-based)	Position Size	Max Positions
$1,000	$20	BTC: ~$2,100 (1× ATR on 4H)	~0.0095 BTC ($1,000)	3
$5,000	$100	BTC: ~$2,100	~0.048 BTC ($5,000)	4
$10,000	$200	BTC: ~$2,100	~0.095 BTC ($10,000)	5
$25,000	$500	BTC: ~$2,100	~0.238 BTC ($25,000)	5
$50,000	$1,000	BTC: ~$2,100	~0.476 BTC ($50,000)	6

Position sizes shown are maximums assuming full account allocation to a single trade. In practice, each position should risk only 1–2% of total equity.

The 5 Non-Negotiable Rules

Rule	Number	Why
Max risk per trade	1–2% of account	One bad trade can't ruin you
Max daily loss	5% of account	Prevents tilt/revenge trading
Max open positions	3–6 (based on account size)	Prevents overexposure and correlation risk
Min risk-reward ratio	1:2	You can be wrong 60% of the time and still profit
Stop-loss on every trade	Always (1–1.5× ATR from entry)	No exceptions. Ever.

Position Size Formula

Position Size = (Account × Risk %) / Stop-Loss Distance

Example:
- Account: $10,000
- Risk: 2% = $200
- Entry: BTC at $105,000
- Stop-loss: $103,000 (1× ATR below entry)
- Stop distance: $2,000

Position Size = $200 / $2,000 = 0.1 BTC ($10,500)

Quick Stop-Loss Placement

Method	Formula	Best For
ATR-based	Entry ± 1.5× ATR(14)	All setups (recommended default)
Structure-based	Below last swing low (longs) / above last swing high (shorts)	Pattern breakouts
EMA-based	Below 21 EMA (short-term) or 50 EMA (swing trades)	Trend-following trades
Percentage-based	Entry ± 2–3%	Quick mental math for small caps

📖 Full guide: Crypto Risk Management | Position Sizing Deep Dive

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Timeframe Selection Guide

Your trading style determines your timeframe. Your timeframe determines which indicators work. Get this wrong and every signal becomes unreliable.

Trading Style	Primary Timeframe	Confirmation Timeframe	Entry Timeframe	Typical Holding Period	Best Indicators
Scalping	5M	15M or 1H	1M	Seconds to minutes	VWAP, StochRSI, Order Flow
Day Trading	1H	4H	15M	Hours (close before sleep)	VWAP, EMA 9/21, RSI, ATR
Swing Trading	4H	Daily	1H	2–14 days	EMA 50/200, MACD, OBV, Bollinger Bands
Position Trading	Daily	Weekly	4H	Weeks to months	EMA 200, Ichimoku, RSI (weekly), Funding Rate
Macro / Investing	Weekly	Monthly	Daily	Months to years	200 EMA, BTC Dominance, On-chain flows

Multi-Timeframe Rule

Always use at minimum two timeframes:

1. Higher timeframe → Determines your directional bias (trend direction)
2. Lower timeframe → Times your entry and exit

The conflict rule: If your higher timeframe is bearish and your lower timeframe shows a buy signal, skip the trade. Never trade against the higher timeframe trend.

📖 Full guide: Multi-Timeframe Analysis

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Confluence Scoring Template

Before entering any trade, score it on this 10-point scale. Minimum score to trade: 6/10. Below 6, it's a watchlist item, not a trade.

#	Factor	Points	Your Score
1	Trend alignment — Trade direction matches higher-timeframe trend (EMA 50/200)	0 or 2	___
2	Key level — Entry is at clear support (longs) or resistance (shorts)	0 or 1.5	___
3	Momentum — RSI or MACD confirms direction (not overbought for longs, not oversold for shorts)	0 or 1.5	___
4	Volume — OBV supports the move; breakout has ≥ 2× average volume	0 or 1	___
5	Candlestick / chart pattern — Recognizable pattern at entry zone	0 or 1	___
6	Risk-reward — Setup offers minimum 1:2 R:R	0 or 1	___
7	On-chain — Exchange flows, whale activity, or stablecoin flows support the trade	0 or 1	___
8	No conflicting signals — No major indicator screaming the opposite direction	0 or 1	___
	Total	/ 10	___

Score Interpretation

Score	Action	Position Size
9–10	🟢 A+ setup — take full position	1× normal risk (2% of account)
7–8	🟢 Solid setup — take standard position	1× normal risk
6	🟡 Acceptable — take reduced position	0.5× normal risk (1% of account)
4–5	🟠 Watchlist only — do NOT trade	0
0–3	🔴 No setup — walk away	0

[!NOTE] CoinXSight's Confluence Scoring System automates a version of this template across 2,000+ coins. The platform's Alpha Hunter pipeline only surfaces trades that score high on multi-layer confluence — effectively running this checklist at scale.

📖 Full guide: Price Action Confluence Setups | Complete Trading System

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I use this crypto technical analysis cheat sheet during live trading?

Keep this page open on a second monitor or bookmarked on your phone. When you spot a potential setup, scroll to the relevant table: check indicator signals, verify pattern confirmation rules, run through the entry/exit checklist, score the trade using the confluence template, and size your position using the risk table. The entire process should take under 2 minutes per trade once you're familiar with the layout.

Which indicators should a beginner start with from this cheat sheet?

Start with three indicators from different categories: EMA 50/200 (trend direction), RSI 14 (momentum and overbought/oversold), and ATR 14 (volatility for position sizing). These three cover the minimum you need without creating redundancy. Add one volume indicator (OBV or VWAP) after you're comfortable with these. For the full reasoning behind this stack, see our indicators guide.

How accurate are the chart pattern success rates listed here?

The success rates (55–75%) reflect historical data for patterns traded with the dominant trend and confirmed by volume. Without trend alignment or volume confirmation, success rates drop by 15–25%. These numbers also assume proper risk management — even a 70% success rate loses money if your losing trades are 3× larger than your winners.

Can I use this cheat sheet for altcoins or just Bitcoin?

Every indicator and pattern in this cheat sheet works across all crypto assets. However, altcoins are more volatile than BTC, so you may need to widen ATR-based stops by 25–50% and expect lower pattern success rates due to thinner liquidity. For altcoins under $100M market cap, reduce your position size and increase your required confluence score to 7/10 minimum.

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Summary

This crypto trading cheat sheet covers the signal criteria for 17 indicators, the confirmation rules for 10 candlestick patterns and 10 chart patterns, a complete entry/exit signal matrix with confluence scoring, position sizing tables for five account sizes, timeframe selection for five trading styles, and a 10-point trade scoring template.

The single most important takeaway: no single indicator or pattern is enough. Every profitable trade requires confluence — multiple independent signals pointing in the same direction. Use the scoring template above, and never enter a trade that scores below 6/10.

Next steps:

• Crypto Technical Analysis: The Complete 2026 Guide — Full framework with live market examples
• How to Do Technical Analysis on Crypto — Step by Step — Hands-on walkthrough with a real chart
• Cryptocurrency Technical Analysis Indicators Guide — Deep dive into all 27 indicators
• Crypto Risk Management Guide — Complete risk management framework
• Price Action Confluence Setups — Advanced confluence trading strategies

[!WARNING] Financial Disclaimer: Trading cryptocurrencies involves substantial risk and may not be suitable for every investor. The high volatility of crypto assets can result in significant financial losses. The information provided in this cheat sheet is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or trading advice. Always conduct your own research, practice proper risk management, and consult with a licensed financial advisor before making any investment decisions.