Pivot Chart
Pivot Chart Set UpI'm going to go through the process of how I update
the pivot charts each day. I'm doing this on Saturday, March 19, 2005, and I
want to calculate the updated pivot charts levels for when the market reopens
again on Monday. To calculate the daily pivot numbers on my pivot chart, I use
the following data to generate my high, low and close numbers in my pivot
charts:
- YM: Start Thursday at 8:15 p.m. ET, end 5:00 p.m. on Friday
- ES: Start Thursday at 4:30 p.m. ET, end 4:15 p.m. on Friday
- NQ: Start Thursday at 4:30 p.m. ET, end 4:15 p.m. on Friday
- ER: Start Thursday at 4:30 p.m. ET, end 4:15 p.m. on Friday
Pivot Chart DataThis range of data gives me all of the price action for
when these markets are trading, allowing for both pre and post market price
action to be factored into the next trading day's numbers. The times are
slightly different on the above contracts due to the times they are traded on
the exchange. The settlement price is the key. If a trader is ever unsure about
the settlement price, they can check it on the YM at www.cbot.com and go to
market data, then settlement prices. For the ES, NQ and ER, a trader can go to
www.cme.com and go to trade CME products, market data, historical data, view
more, settlement prices, equity index. It's kind of a maze to get there on the
CME. The direct link is here. The easiest way to get an accurate high/low/close is to just set up a daily
charts with the time frames listed for each contract. In TradeStation this is
very easy to do. Just type in the continuous symbol, such as @YM or @ES, and set
it on a daily chart. The data will default to the "regular session" which are
the times I listed above. With many other charting programs a trader has to go
in and set this up manually, as many of them default to the regular stock market
session from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern. Once the chart is setup, just wait
until after 4:15 p.m. Eastern on the ES, NQ and ER, and wait until after 5:00
p.m. Eastern on the YM. After these times, just take the high/low/close reading
on the daily chart to get the correct numbers. This closing price will almost
always match the settlement price, though I like to check to make sure. For
Monday, then, I want the high/low/close for Friday. Let's take a look:
Pivot Chart Numbers

Pivot Chart Numbers
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On Friday, March 18, we have a daily bar on the YM that started at 8:15 p.m.
ET on Thursday, March 17, and ended at 5:00 p.m. ET on Friday, March 18. This
range gives us the following numbers for the pivot chart:
- High: 10679
- Low: 10579
- Close: 10635
By changing the chart to a weekly timeframe, I can
also take the high/low/close of the entire week and the get the numbers I will
use for the weekly pivot chart.
- High: 10870
- Low: 10579
- Close: 10635
Pivot Chart DetailsOn Monday the Daily and Weekly close will be
identical, since they are both based on Friday's close. In this instance the
lows are also identical because the lows on Friday were also the lows of the
week. The process can be repeated with the monthly levels, but I won't need new
monthly inputs until the first trading day in April. These the pivot chart
details and I know have my pivot chart key levels.
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