17 May 2026
When parallels stop being honest
Not every trendline wants a twin. An advancing market may offer a clean rising support while the highs remain irregular. Students often drag a parallel anyway, because a channel looks complete. Completeness is not a reading goal.
In the construction studio we draw the primary line first, then we only add a parallel if at least two opposite swings sit close enough that a trader could have acted on them without hindsight. If the second rail needs a different slope, we keep two independent lines and say so in the notes.
Honesty on the chart is a professional courtesy to your future self, who will otherwise wonder why last month's pretty channel predicted nothing.