Technical Analysis
Equal Highs & Equal Lows (EQH / EQL)
Double or triple tops/bottoms at the same price level that act as liquidity pools — often swept before the true move begins.
Key rules
- Two or more swing highs/lows at approximately the same level (within ~0.3%)
- Viewed as liquidity pools, not just S/R
- Often swept (false breakout) before the true move reverses
- Entry is on the reversal after the sweep, not the initial break
- Strongest when the sweep is followed by a CHOCH
Equal Highs (EQH) and Equal Lows (EQL) are price levels where two or more swing highs or swing lows have formed at approximately the same price. Rather than being areas of strength, they are viewed in smart money trading as liquidity pools — areas where stop losses of retail traders are clustered.
**Why They Matter** Retail traders view equal highs as resistance and place buy stops just above them. Retail traders view equal lows as support and place sell stops just below them. Institutional players know this and deliberately drive price into these zones to trigger those stops and fill their own orders at better prices.
**The Liquidity Sweep** Before a significant move, smart money often pushes price briefly above equal highs (or below equal lows) to grab the resting liquidity (stop orders), then reverses sharply. This is called a liquidity sweep or stop hunt. The wick left behind is often a pin bar.
**Trading Application** - Mark all equal highs and lows on your chart - When price approaches these levels, expect a false breakout / sweep first - The reversal after the sweep is often a high-probability trade entry - Combine with FVGs and CHOCH for confirmation