AJ Monte: Why Gap Fills Work 80% Of the Time, & How to Trade Them (2024)

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AJ Monte: Why Gap Fills Work 80% Of the Time, & How to Trade Them

optionsoptions tradingMarket Rebellionmarketsstockstradingtechnical analysisgap fill

by

Justin Nugent

  • November 22, 2022
  • at 4:07 PM
AJ Monte: Why Gap Fills Work 80% Of the Time, & How to Trade Them (1)

AJ’s Key Takeaways:

  • Chart gaps and gap fills are one of AJ Monte’s favorite technical analysis tricks.
  • Gaps in the chart fill 80% of the time —Gaps act as a magnet, drawing short-term traders to chase that area as a price target. To “fill” means that at least the wick or shadow of the candle fills in the missing area in the chart.
  • After filling, gaps typically reverse 80% of the time — After the target has been filled, the same short-term traders who drove that momentum typically exit their positions, reversing that momentum.

_

A $100 stock reports subpar earnings — almost immediately, shares fall 10% in after hours trading. The stock doesn’t recover by the open of the next day. Instead, they open at $90: they gapped down. This happens all the time, and a common theme in charting is the idea that stocks have a propensity for filling these gaps. In this case, filling the gap would be the stock trading back up from $90 through $100 during regular market hours.

So one more time: what is a gap? A gap is a difference in price between two periods of time, where trading did not occur between the two prices. If that sounds complicated, let Market Rebellion’s lead CMT AJ Monte explain it.

Let’s look at a few examples of what a 1D chart gap looks like in real-life.

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Real-Life Examples of Gaps in Apple’s Chart

Here are a few examples of some recent gap-ups and gap-downs in Apple AAPL.

AJ Monte: Why Gap Fills Work 80% Of the Time, & How to Trade Them (2)

Red arrows denote gap-downs, green arrows denote gap-ups.

This chart (which uses daily candles during regular hours) makes the gaps pretty obvious. If we were looking at a chart over the same time period that used a line rather than candlesticks, it wouldn’t be so obvious. Candlestick charts offer more data at a glance, and if you aren’t used to using them, it’s never a bad time to start. But that’s a topic for another day!

Notice that these gaps are annotated beginning at the wick or shadow of the candle, and not the close or open — because the shadow indicates a period where trading occurred, it’s important to include them in the calculation of both where the gap is, and where the gap is filled.

Real-Life Examples of Gap Fills in Apple’s Chart

Using the same Apple chart from above, let’s annotate where those gaps were filled.

AJ Monte: Why Gap Fills Work 80% Of the Time, & How to Trade Them (4)

Want more free market intel? Check out Market Rebellion’s Rebel Hub for the biggest stories on market-moving events, how-to trading guides, and the latest in Unusual Option Activity from Jon and Pete Najarian.

Can Gaps go Unfilled?

Yes. And furthermore, there’s nothing that says gaps in a chart must be filled immediately. Sometimes they can take years to fill. However, like AJ said above, it’s worth noting that roughly 8 out of 10 gaps get filled eventually. Rather than thinking of this trading method as a hard and fast rule, you should think of gaps in a chart like magnets. They can be resisted, but they provide an added “pull” to a stock’s price action. Not to mention, with the large number of traders watching for the completion of these patterns, it can become somewhat of a self-fulfilling prophecy (like many themes in technical analysis). Regardless of why these gaps often get filled, it’s worth adding this simple charting concept to your trading arsenal.

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AJ Monte: Why Gap Fills Work 80% Of the Time, & How to Trade Them (5)

If you’re interested in trading a gap fills with the help of a licensed Chartered Market Technician, check out AJ’s Options.

Real-Life Example of Unfilled Chart Gaps: Tesla

Curious about real-life gaps that exist unfilled in a name that’s been plummeting ever since the CEO made a controversial acquisition?

AJ Monte: Why Gap Fills Work 80% Of the Time, & How to Trade Them (6)

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AJ Monte: Why Gap Fills Work 80% Of the Time, & How to Trade Them (2024)

FAQs

Why do gaps fill trading? ›

Gaps in a stock chart occur when the price of a stock moves suddenly up or down, usually in response to news outside of market hours. In some cases, these gaps don't last – rather, they're “filled” as trading action brings the price back towards the previous close. These gap fills present opportunities for trading.

How do you trade gaps successfully? ›

For successful gap trading, traders can employ various strategies. These include monitoring share volume around gaps to assess the strength of the move, using price patterns to predict the direction of the gap, and understanding the role of buyers and sellers in influencing these gaps.

What is the gap theory in trading? ›

A stock gap is an area discontinuity in a security's chart where its price either rises or falls from the previous day's close with no trading occurring in between. Gaps are common when news causes market fundamentals to change during hours when markets are typically closed, for instance, an earnings call after-hours.

What are gap rules in trading? ›

Gap trading is a trading strategy that revolves around exploiting price gaps in the financial markets. These gaps occur when the opening price of an asset significantly differs from the previous day's closing price. Gap traders aim to capitalize on these gaps.

What is gap filling strategy? ›

The gap fill trading strategy involves trading price gaps with the expectation that the market will fill the gap shortly after it occurs. Traders look for gap fill setups to enter trades in the direction opposite to the opening gap, anticipating a retracement or reversal in price.

What is the gap up strategy? ›

Gap trading strategies

A gap up stock in an uptrend provides a good opportunity to buy and hold a long position. A gap down stock experiencing a decline in price in an uptrend provides a good opportunity to buy. A gap down stock in a downtrend provides a good opportunity to short sell.

What is the 10 am rule in stock trading? ›

Some traders follow something called the "10 a.m. rule." The stock market opens for trading at 9:30 a.m., and the time between 9:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. often has significant trading volume. Traders that follow the 10 a.m. rule think a stock's price trajectory is relatively set for the day by the end of that half-hour.

What is the 15 minute rule in stocks? ›

Avoiding the first 15 minutes is a common practice based on experience and strategic decision-making rather than any mandated rule. It is a discipline adopted by many traders to avoid unnecessary risk and to wait for the market to establish a clearer direction.

What is the best day trading strategy? ›

Best Strategies for Day Trading
  • Momentum Trading. This type of strategy often focuses on high-performing stocks. ...
  • Scalping. ...
  • Trend Following. ...
  • Gap Trading. ...
  • Ichimoku Kinko Hyo Indicator Trading. ...
  • Breakout Trading. ...
  • Range Trading. ...
  • News Trading.
Apr 15, 2024

What is the gap filling theory? ›

1. Gap filling by corporate issuers: First and foremost, our theory predicts that corporate issuance will fill in the supply gaps created by changes in government financing patterns. When the government issues more long-term debt, firms should respond by issuing more short-term debt, and vice-versa.

What are the 4 types of gaps? ›

Here are the four types of gaps that occur in a price line.
  • Common gaps. Common gaps are also called trading gaps or area gaps. ...
  • Breakaway gaps: It occurs when the price tries to break away from the congestion area. ...
  • Runaway gaps. ...
  • Exhaustion gap.

What is the gap selling strategy? ›

Gap Selling involves identifying and addressing the gap between a prospect's current situation and their desired future state. With gap selling, you would deeply understand their pain points and gaps and position your offering as the ideal solution to a prospect's specific challenges.

What is the gap filling rule? ›

Gap filling refers to the process of inferring and inserting contractual terms into a contract when the contract fails to specify all necessary terms for the contract to be performed. Courts rely on a series of gap filling rules to carry out this process.

What is toxic trading flow? ›

Flow toxicity is the case where market makers are providing liquidity at a loss to informed traders. Clearly flow toxicity is related to new information entering into the market through an increase of informed trading. Therefore VPIN, a measure of this toxicity, is a factor of the price discovery mechanism.

What is the three gap rule? ›

What Is the Three Gap Rule? The Three Gap Rule happens when three gaps appear during an uptrend. Traders should watch for these gaps because they might mean the trend is about to change, and the gaps could be filled on the downside.

Why is it important to fill a gap in the market? ›

In any given market, there are areas that lack adequate supply and, therefore, experience increased demand for a good or service. As a marketing professional, identifying these market gaps and capitalising on them can accelerate a business' growth and make its services more satisfying to customers.

Do fair value gaps always get filled? ›

Fair value gaps provide specific levels where traders can enter trades, making it easier to plan and execute trades. Gaps might not always be filled, leading to potential losses if the price does not behave as expected.

Why do stocks open gaps up? ›

A gap up occurs when a stock's opening price exceeds its previous day's high. This situation typically arises due to positive news or events that trigger increased buying interest in the stock. A gap up is generally considered bullish, suggesting a strong upward stock price momentum.

Do Cme gaps always fill? ›

CME gap closes are likely, but they can take weeks to happen. CME gap closes are never certain and may become less likely over time. For example, if Bitcoin continues its bullish trend, the CME gap strategies mentioned earlier will likely turn out less successful than they have been in the last months.

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