What it means
Market structure is the way price movement is arranged on a chart. It can include trends, ranges, swing highs, swing lows, support and resistance, breakouts, retests, and failed moves.
Why it matters in live markets
Market structure helps traders describe what price is doing without treating every movement as random. It can help separate a trending environment from a range-bound one, or a clean breakout from a move that returns back inside the previous structure.
Key points
- Market structure describes the organisation of price movement.
- It can include trends, ranges, highs, lows, breakouts, and retests.
- Structure can look different across timeframes.
- Market structure helps with chart interpretation, not certainty.
- It should be considered alongside volatility, liquidity, and broader context.
Example
If price is making higher highs and higher lows, traders may describe the market structure as upward. If price moves sideways between two boundaries, they may describe it as range-bound.
Related glossary terms
Breakout, Retest, Support and resistance, Trend, Volatility
Where you will see it
You will usually see market structure discussed in chart education, trading mechanics guides, technical analysis explainers, and platform-based chart tutorials.