Floor-trader levels on modern charts: worth keeping?
Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2026 10:04 pm
Daily pivot points, derived from yesterday's range and settlement, were once widely used by floor traders. They remain popular on retail platforms, but it is fair to ask whether they still work as support and resistance.
A method to check: for a year of data, record how often price touches the daily pivot, R1 and S1, and what happens after the first touch. Compare with randomly chosen levels at similar distances. If pivots behave no differently from random levels, their value is questionable.
Different pivot formulas exist, such as classic, Fibonacci and Camarilla, and different day definitions affect the values. A test should fix one formula and one day definition.
Some traders find pivots useful as a quick map of the day's likely range rather than as precise levels. That use is harder to test but may still help planning.
If many traders watch them, they may have some self-fulfilling effect.
Are pivots part of your charts?
A method to check: for a year of data, record how often price touches the daily pivot, R1 and S1, and what happens after the first touch. Compare with randomly chosen levels at similar distances. If pivots behave no differently from random levels, their value is questionable.
Different pivot formulas exist, such as classic, Fibonacci and Camarilla, and different day definitions affect the values. A test should fix one formula and one day definition.
Some traders find pivots useful as a quick map of the day's likely range rather than as precise levels. That use is harder to test but may still help planning.
If many traders watch them, they may have some self-fulfilling effect.
Are pivots part of your charts?