Auto PitchFan, Fibonacci Extension & Retracement
Where the Pitchfork ends, the PitchFan begins.
The Pitchfork defines a trend channel with parallel boundaries. The PitchFan takes a different approach - instead of parallel lines, it projects a set of rays that all originate from the same starting point but spread outward at angles defined by Fibonacci ratios. Where the Pitchfork maps a channel, the PitchFan maps a cone - a widening structural space that reflects the natural tendency of trends to expand as they mature.
The PitchFan is best applied after the first wave of a trend has completed and a correction has clearly begun. At that moment, the fan origin is set at the trend's starting point and the rays project forward through the corrective structure, identifying the angular boundaries where the next leg is likely to find support or resistance as the trend resumes.
Automatic Swing Detection
The PitchFan anchors to three automatically detected pivots - the trend origin, the first pivot high or low, and the corrective pivot - using the same ATR-based deviation and bar depth detection framework used across the dgtrd Fibonacci toolkit. When a new pivot confirms, the entire fan redraws automatically from the new structural anchor without any manual adjustment. Historical fan periods allow prior swing fans to be displayed for reference.
The PitchFan
The median ray runs from the fan origin through the midpoint of the second and third pivots — the same anchor logic as an Original Pitchfork median line. From this central axis, additional rays spread symmetrically above and below at Fibonacci distance multiples: 0.25, 0.382, 0.5, 0.618, 0.75, 1.0, 1.5, 1.75, and 2.0.
Each ray pair creates a zone - the upper ray acts as a potential resistance boundary, the lower as potential support. Because the rays diverge from a common origin rather than running in parallel, the zones widen progressively with time. This expansion reflects an important market reality: the further price moves from a structural origin, the wider the range of possible outcomes becomes.
Background fills between adjacent ray pairs are optionally displayed, creating an immediate visual map of which zone price is currently occupying and how much space remains before the next boundary. Labels at the right edge of each ray show the level name, current price at the ray's projected position, or both.
Why PitchFan vs Pitchfork
The choice between the two depends on what the market is doing. In a strongly trending market with clearly defined parallel boundaries, the Pitchfork is the better tool - its parallel lines define the channel precisely. In a corrective or consolidating market, or when entering a trend early after the first wave, the PitchFan is more appropriate - its diverging rays accommodate the structural uncertainty of a market that hasn't yet established its next channel boundaries. Many traders use both simultaneously at different structural scales.
Fibonacci Retracements and Extensions
An optional Fibonacci overlay uses the same swing pivots as the PitchFan anchor to draw standard horizontal retracement or extension levels. Retracement mode measures pullback levels within the most recent confirmed swing. Extension mode projects continuation targets beyond the current swing using the prior move as the reference range.
All Fibonacci levels from 0 to 4.618 and negative levels down to -0.618 are individually configurable. Label display, placement, reverse mode, and line extension are independently controlled.
ZigZag Structure Overlay
An optional ZigZag overlay connects the confirmed swing pivots with straight lines, making the three-point structural anchor visible and clarifying which swing the current PitchFan is derived from. Line colour, width, and style are configurable.
Alerts
Alerts fire when price crosses the median ray, any resistance ray, or any support ray of the PitchFan, and when price crosses any active Fibonacci level. All alerts include the ticker and the level crossed.
All PitchFan levels are individually toggleable with configurable colours, widths, and line styles. Background fill, label format, median line styling, and historical fan period are all independently configurable.