What is a 52-week high?
In one line: A 52-week high is the highest price a stock or other market has traded at over the past year. The 52-week low is the lowest.
The short answer
A year has 52 weeks. The 52-week high is simply the highest price of that year. The 52-week low is the lowest.
Most stock quote pages show both, often as a "52-week range." It's a quick way to see where today's price sits.
A simple example
Over the last year, a stock traded as low as $40 and as high as $70. It's at $64 today.
Where is it in the range?
- Range: $70 − $40 = $30
- Distance from the low: $64 − $40 = $24
- $24 ÷ $30 = 80%
So it's in the top fifth of its yearly range. A move above $70 would be a new 52-week high.
The window rolls forward every day. As old prices drop out, the 52-week high can change even if price doesn't move.
Why it matters
The 52-week high is a level that many people see at once. That makes it a natural area of Resistance.
When a stock breaks above it, many screeners flag it. That attention can bring in more buyers. When it fails there, people who bought near the old high often sell to get out even. You can find these stocks yourself with the TradingView screener.
A common mistake
Thinking a new 52-week high means "too late." Plenty of stocks keep setting new highs in a strong uptrend. A high price isn't a reason to sell.
The other mistake is using the 52-week low as a bargain sign. A stock at its yearly low might be cheap, or it might keep falling. The low tells you where price is, not where it's going. That's why we check the trend first. See how to identify a trend.
A 52-week high is a level, not a signal. Wait for a candle body to close above it, then judge the trade on its own plan.
Questions
What does it mean when a stock hits a 52-week high?
It's trading at its highest price of the past year. That can show strength, but it doesn't predict what comes next.
Is a 52-week high the same as an all-time high?
Not always. An All-time high covers the whole history. A 52-week high covers only the past year. If the stock is at a record, both are true.
Is the 52-week high based on closing prices?
Most sites use the highest price traded during the day, not the close. A few use closes, so check your source.
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