Fibonacci Retracement Calculator

Fibonacci retracement is one of the most widely used tools in technical analysis. It identifies potential support and resistance levels by applying key Fibonacci ratios to any price swing.

How the levels are calculated

For an uptrend (price retracing down from a recent high):

Retracement Price = High − (High − Low) × Fibonacci Ratio

For a downtrend (price retracing up from a recent low):

Retracement Price = Low + (High − Low) × Fibonacci Ratio

The key retracement ratios are: 0%, 23.6%, 38.2%, 50%, 61.8%, 78.6%, and 100%.

Where do these numbers come from?

They come from the Fibonacci sequence (0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34 …). Divide any number by the one after it and you get approximately 0.618, the famous “Golden Ratio” (φ). Divide by two positions forward and you get 0.382. The 23.6% level comes from dividing three positions forward.

The 50% level is not a true Fibonacci number at all. It comes from Dow Theory. It is so widely watched that it has become self-fulfilling anyway, which is arguably true of the whole toolkit.

Two kinds of extension, and they point in opposite directions

This is where most Fibonacci calculators quietly mislead people, so the page gives you both and labels which is which.

Projection targets continue the trend. In an uptrend you buy the pullback and take profit above the old high:

Projection Target = High + (High − Low) × (Ratio − 1.0) (uptrend) Projection Target = Low − (High − Low) × (Ratio − 1.0) (downtrend)

• 127.2%: common first target after a breakout
• 161.8%: the most important extension (the Golden Ratio)
• 200%: double the original move
• 261.8%: strong trend continuation target

Failure levels continue the retracement. They answer a different question: if the pullback keeps going and takes out the swing low, where does it land?

Failure Level = Low − (High − Low) × (Ratio − 1.0) (uptrend) Failure Level = High + (High − Low) × (Ratio − 1.0) (downtrend)

Reading one as the other is an expensive mistake. In an uptrend from $25,000 to $40,000, the 161.8% projection sits at $49,270 and the 161.8% failure level sits at $15,730. Both are legitimate numbers on the same swing. Only one of them is a profit target for a long.

Prices, not dollars. The levels come out in whatever units you entered, so this page does not print a currency symbol. Feed it 1.0850 and 1.0920 for EUR/USD and you get five-decimal levels back; feed it 25000 and 40000 for Bitcoin and you get two.

Worked example: Bitcoin

Swing Low: 25,000 | Swing High: 40,000 | Range: 15,000

Projection targets on the same swing: 127.2% at 44,080, 161.8% at 49,270, 200% at 55,000, 261.8% at 64,270.

Traders in an uptrend typically look to buy at the 38.2% or 61.8% retracement levels, with stop losses placed just below the 61.8% or 78.6% level. Buy the 61.8% at 30,730 with a stop under the 78.6% at 28,210 and you are risking 2,520 to reach a 161.8% projection at 49,270, which is 18,540 of upside. That is a reward-to-risk ratio above 7:1, and the reason people keep coming back to this tool despite how arbitrary the numbers are.

Pro tips

• Confluence is key: a Fibonacci level that aligns with a round number, moving average, or previous support/resistance is a much stronger zone.
• The 61.8% retracement is called the “deep retracement”: a bounce here signals a very strong underlying trend.
• Use extensions to set realistic take-profit targets rather than guessing.
• Fibonacci tools work on any timeframe: from 5-minute charts to monthly charts.
• Always draw from a significant, clearly identifiable swing point: not from minor noise.