Beginner guide

How to read a crypto price chart

A price chart shows price over time: time runs left to right, price goes up the vertical axis.

Pick the timeframe first

The same coin can look like it's crashing on a 1-day chart and booming on a 1-year chart. Always check the timeframe (1D, 7D, 1M, 1Y, All) before drawing any conclusion.

Line vs. candlestick

A line chart connects closing prices and is the easiest to read. A candlestick chart shows four prices for each period: open, high, low and close. The thick "body" runs from open to close; it's usually green if the price closed higher than it opened and red if lower. The thin "wicks" show the highest and lowest prices reached.

Volume

The bars along the bottom usually show trading volume, how much was traded in each period. A big price move on high volume generally reflects more market participation than the same move on thin volume.

Percent, not dollars

Compare moves in percentages. A $1,000 move is small for Bitcoin but would be enormous for a $10 coin.

Linear vs. log scale

On long timeframes, a logarithmic scale makes equal percentage moves look the same size, which is often more honest for assets that have grown many times over.

A chart shows what already happened. It can't tell you what happens next.

Not financial advice.