Enter the high, low and close of the last completed session and you get the pivot point with its support and resistance levels, sorted from the highest price down. Five published methods, each with a different derivation and different levels from the same data.
What support and resistance levels are and why they are precomputed
Support and resistance pivot levels are price levels derived arithmetically from a completed session before the next one begins. Their practical value is that they give a trader a ready map ahead of the open rather than improvisation during the move. The idea behind them is simple: when a large number of traders compute the same levels by the same method from the same data, those levels become zones many people watch at once. That is a description of observed behaviour, not a law of the market.
The four data points you need and where to get them
You need at most four numbers: the open, high, low and close of the last completed period. Three of them cover four of the five methods, and DeMark alone also needs the open. The decisive condition is that the period must be finished rather than running: data from a candle that is still open changes with every tick, and every level moves with it. In forex, a market that runs around the clock, most traders take the New York close as the reference end of day.
The five methods and how they actually differ
The five methods differ in their starting point, not in the idea. Classic and Fibonacci both derive their levels from the pivot point itself; the difference is that Fibonacci multiplies the session range by 0.382, 0.618 and 1.000 instead of deriving directly. Camarilla derives from the close rather than the pivot, so its levels come out much closer to price. Woodie gives double weight to one price when computing the pivot. DeMark is conditional: it picks its formula by comparing the close to the open, and publishes one level per side. You can also compare these ratios with Fibonacci levels on the same swing.
Worked example: EUR/USD, Classic method
Take EUR/USD with a high of 1.09200, a low of 1.08100 and a close of 1.08900, using the Classic method. The pivot point is the average of the three: (1.09200 + 1.08100 + 1.08900) ÷ 3 = 1.08733. The first resistance is twice the pivot minus the low: 1.09367. The first support is twice the pivot minus the high: 1.08267. The second resistance is the pivot plus the range: 1.09833, and the second support is the pivot minus the range: 1.07633. The session range itself is 0.01100.
Worked example: same pair, Camarilla method
Now take exactly the same data with the Camarilla method. The pivot point does not change because it is computed by the same formula: 1.08733. But the first resistance falls from 1.09367 to 1.09001, and the first support rises from 1.08267 to 1.08799. The reason is that Camarilla builds from the close of 1.08900 and adds the range multiplied by 1.1 and divided by 12, which is a very small fraction of the range. The result is a much tighter band of levels around the last price.
Worked example: a JPY pair at three decimals
Take a yen pair with a high of 158.450, a low of 156.800 and a close of 157.900 using the Classic method. The pivot point is 157.717, the first resistance 158.633, the first support 156.983 and the session range 1.650. Note the decimal places field: yen pairs display at three decimals rather than five, and gold at two. Leave the field at five on a yen pair and you get meaningless trailing zeros; drop it to two on an ordinary currency pair and you merge distinct levels into a single price.
Common mistakes when using the calculator
Four mistakes recur. The first is entering data from a period that is still open, so the levels shift with every tick. The second is confusing the previous period open that DeMark needs with the current period open that Woodie needs; the two fields appear for two different methods for a reason. The third is leaving five decimals on a yen pair. The fourth is changing the close reference from one session to the next, which makes the levels incomparable across days.
The limits of this tool
Two explicit limits. The first is that these levels are an arithmetic description rather than a forecast: they are the output of a formula applied to numbers you entered, and they do not say price will stop there or bounce from there. The second is that they answer no question about execution: they do not set an entry, a risk amount or a stop placement. Levels are an input to a written risk plan, not a substitute for one. Any calculator handing you an entry, a target and a stop has gone beyond what its formula permits.
Frequently asked questions
Why do the levels differ between methods when the input data is identical?
Each method applies a different formula to the same numbers. The Classic method derives its levels from the pivot point, while Camarilla derives them directly from the close using fractions of the session range. That is why Camarilla levels sit closer to current price than Classic levels. The divergence is expected, not an error.
What is the difference between the previous open and the current open in this calculator?
They are two separate fields used by two separate methods. DeMark needs the previous period’s open so it can compare it to the close and pick its formula branch. Woodie needs the current period’s open according to TradingView’s documentation. Published sources disagree on Woodie’s third term, so the default here equals the previous close, which reproduces the alternative published formula.
Which period’s data should I enter?
It depends on the timeframe you follow. StockCharts publishes a practical rule: 1 to 15-minute charts use the prior day’s data, 30-minute to 2-hour charts use the prior week’s, and daily charts use the prior month’s. The fixed rule is that the period must be complete — never a session that is still trading.
Why does DeMark return only one level in each direction?
Because that is what the reference sources publish. We checked TradingView’s documentation and the StockCharts reference, and both publish a single pivot, a single resistance and a single support for DeMark. No published formula exists for R2 or S2 under this method, and we did not invent one.
In forex, which close should I use given the market runs 24 hours?
The market does not truly close during the week, so a daily close is a convention rather than a fact. BabyPips notes that most forex traders use the New York close at 5:00 pm EST. What matters more is picking one reference and staying with it, because changing the time zone changes the previous day’s data and therefore every level.
Do these levels tell me when to buy or sell?
No. This calculator computes price levels from data you entered; it issues no entry or exit recommendation. The levels mark zones traders watch. They do not forecast direction and do not guarantee that price will react at them. The decision and the risk management remain entirely yours.