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An open high low close chart, also termed an OHLC chart, or bar chart, is a type of chart that is used to illustrate fluctuations in the price of a stock or commodity over a period of time. The vertical lines on the chart show the price range from the high to the low over one unit of time, whether that be one minute, one hour, one day, one week, or one month. Each side of the line has tick marks which indicate the opening price on the left and the closing price for that time period on the right. For example a daily bar chart’s left tick would be the starting price for that day. The bars are often shown in different colors depending on whether prices climbed or dropped in that period.
Another way of displaying stock market price information is the Japanese candlestick chart where the opening and closing prices define a rectangle within the range for each time unit. Each of the chart types show the exact same data, the opening, high, low, and closing prices during a given time frame. There are many who swear by candlestick charts, and others who prefer the OHLC bar chart style. It is mainly a matter of preference as each chart type displays the same financial information, but in a different visual representation.
Example of a Bar Chart with MACD signals highlighted.
