Chart patterns · Beginner

Bear Flag Pattern

A 1-minute lesson from the MarketPro academy, one of 22 in chart patterns.

Last reviewed 15 September 2026 by the MarketPro research desk · Editorial policy

Short answer

A bear flag mirrors the bull flag in a downtrend: a sharp decline (the flagpole) is followed by a brief, mild upward or sideways drift (the flag) before the prior downtrend potentially resumes. The corrective portion of a bear flag typically slopes gently against the prevailing downtrend and stays contained within two roughly parallel lines, reflecting a pause among sellers rather than a genuine reversal, with a break below the flag's lower boundary generally viewed as completing the pattern.

A bear flag mirrors the bull flag in a downtrend: a sharp decline (the flagpole) is followed by a brief, mild upward or sideways drift (the flag) before the prior downtrend potentially resumes.

The corrective portion of a bear flag typically slopes gently against the prevailing downtrend and stays contained within two roughly parallel lines, reflecting a pause among sellers rather than a genuine reversal, with a break below the flag's lower boundary generally viewed as completing the pattern.

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Volume pattern: Heavy volume typically accompanies the initial decline, tapering off during the flag, and often increasing again on the breakdown.
Short duration: Like its bullish counterpart, a bear flag is generally a short-lived consolidation relative to the size of the preceding move.
Measured move: The length of the flagpole is sometimes projected downward from the breakdown point as a rough continuation guide.

As with any continuation pattern, a bear flag can fail if buyers step in more forcefully than expected, turning the brief pause into a genuine reversal instead, which is why confirmation of the breakdown is generally preferred over anticipating it.

Lesson 10 of 22 in Chart patterns

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MarketPro is a trading-signal and trading-education app operated by Harajuku Holdings LTD (Cyprus). Our signal desk publishes and tracks every trade idea in-app, and every page here is checked against the app's live behaviour before publishing. Last reviewed 15 September 2026. How we produce signals and content · About MarketPro

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