Pivot Point Calculator

How to use the pivot point calculator in 4 steps

1. Choose the period. For daily pivots use the previous trading day; for weekly pivots the previous week. Forex days are usually counted from 17:00 New York time, but brokers’ server times differ.
2. Enter the previous high, low and close. Read them from your platform’s daily or weekly candle. Type as many decimals as the market is quoted in, for example 1.0890 for EUR/USD or 4012.35 for gold.
3. Read the levels. The table shows the pivot and the resistance (R) and support (S) levels for the four methods. Camarilla adds R4 and S4.
4. Use them as reference points. Pivots are levels to watch, not signals. Combine them with your own analysis, stop placement and position sizing.

Pivot point formulas

All four methods start from the previous period’s high (H), low (L) and close (C). The range is H − L.

Standard (floor)  P  = (H + L + C) ÷ 3
                  R1 = 2P − L          S1 = 2P − H
                  R2 = P + (H − L)     S2 = P − (H − L)
                  R3 = H + 2(P − L)    S3 = L − 2(H − P)

Fibonacci         P  = (H + L + C) ÷ 3
                  R1, R2, R3 = P + 0.382, 0.618, 1.000 × (H − L)
                  S1, S2, S3 = P − 0.382, 0.618, 1.000 × (H − L)

Camarilla         R1..R4 = C + (H − L) × 1.1 ÷ 12, 6, 4, 2
                  S1..S4 = C − (H − L) × 1.1 ÷ 12, 6, 4, 2

Woodie            P  = (H + L + 2C) ÷ 4, then the standard R/S formulas

Charting packages differ in small details. Some Woodie versions use the current period’s open instead of the previous close, and some Camarilla versions add R5 and S5. The versions above are the most widely used.

Worked example: daily pivots on EUR/USD

Illustrative previous day: high 1.0890, low 1.0810, close 1.0865. The range is 0.0080 (80 pips).

Camarilla R4 and S4 are 1.09090 and 1.08210. The Camarilla levels sit close to the previous close, so they are mostly used by short-term traders. Standard and Woodie R3/S3 lie well outside the previous range and are reached mainly on larger moves. Camarilla rows show the standard pivot for reference.

Daily, weekly and monthly pivots

The same formulas work on any period. Daily pivots use the previous day, weekly pivots the previous week’s high, low and close, monthly pivots the previous month. Longer-period levels change less often and are spaced further apart.

When does the day end? In forex the usual convention is 17:00 New York time, which is when most brokers roll positions over. A broker whose server clock produces a short Sunday candle gives a different Monday high, low and close, and therefore different pivots. Whatever source you use, keep it consistent. The forex market hours clock shows the sessions in your time zone, and forex market hours and sessions explains the rollover.

How traders use pivot points, and the limits

• As reference levels. Many traders mark the pivot and the first two levels each side and watch how price behaves near them, alongside other support and resistance.
• For planning stops and targets. A level can be a place to review a trade, but a stop placed exactly on a widely watched level is easy to hit. See where to put a stop-loss, then size the trade with the position size calculator.
• As a sense of the day’s range. The distance between S1 and R1 reflects the previous day’s range, which says little about today if news is due. Payrolls, inflation data and central bank decisions regularly carry price through several levels; see how economic data moves forex.

Pivots are not predictive. They are popular because they are simple and objective, and any reaction near them is partly because many people watch the same numbers. Test any rule built on them before using real money; see how to backtest a strategy.

Frequently asked questions

Risk warning

CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Most retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

Pivot levels are calculated from the prices you enter and are not trading signals. The PIP Report is a publisher of financial information and education and is not authorised or regulated by CySEC or any other financial regulator. See the full risk warning and our editorial policy.

Learn more

• Support and resistance
• Where to put a stop-loss
• Forex market hours and sessions
• All forex tools