Pivot point and Fibonacci calculator

How it works

Pivot points are price levels computed from the previous period's high (H), low (L) and close (C). The classic version used by floor traders is:

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 retracement levels divide a move into fixed ratios. After a move up from L to H, the level for a ratio r is H − (H − L) × r. After a move down from H to L, it is L + (H − L) × r. The usual ratios are 23.6%, 38.2%, 50%, 61.8% and 78.6%.

Worked example

The page opens with a high of 66,000, a low of 60,000 and a close of 63,500. The pivot is (66,000 + 60,000 + 63,500) ÷ 3 = 63,166.67. R1 is 66,333.33 and S1 is 60,333.33; R2 is 69,166.67 and S2 is 57,166.67; R3 is 72,333.33 and S3 is 54,333.33. Measured down from the high of a move up, the 38.2% level is 63,708.00 and the 61.8% level is 62,292.00.

What these levels do and do not tell you

These levels are arithmetic, not evidence. Many traders watch them, which is the usual argument for why price might react near them, but we have not backtested pivot points or retracement levels, and nothing on this page shows that price respects them. Crypto also trades around the clock, so the choice of what counts as a period, such as the UTC day, is a convention. If you want evidence on what rules did after costs, our backtest explorer holds 31,407 indicator setups, and the win rate vs. expectancy study shows how easily a popular rule can look better than it pays.

Questions

Which high, low and close should I use?

The previous period's. For daily pivots that is yesterday's values. Because crypto trades around the clock and has no official close, pick a cut-off such as 00:00 UTC and use it consistently.

Do pivot points predict reversals?

There is no evidence on this page that they do. They are reference levels that some traders watch. Treat them as a way to draw lines on a chart, not as a signal.

What are the Fibonacci ratios based on?

They come from the Fibonacci sequence: far along it, a number divided by the next one is about 61.8%, divided by the one after that about 38.2%, and three places on about 23.6%. The 78.6% level is the square root of 61.8%. Their use in markets is a convention, not a measured property.

Why is there a choice between a move up and a move down?

Because the retracement is measured from the end of the move. After a rise it counts down from the high, after a fall it counts up from the low.