Andrews' Pitchfork

The pitchfork was developed by Dr. Alan Andrews, building on Roger Babson's action/reaction principle (itself inspired by Newton's third law: every action has an equal and opposite reaction). Andrews taught that price, like a physical system, oscillates around a line of equilibrium — the median line — and returns to it a majority of the time before continuing.

In median-line nomenclature the central line is the ML; the parallels through the two reaction pivots are the upper and lower median-line halves (U-MLH / L-MLH).

1. 1
   Set P0 at a major pivot

   The significant swing high or low that begins the move.
2. 2
   Set P1 at the next reaction

   The opposing swing that follows P0.
3. 3
   Set P2 at the following reaction

   The next swing; the fork projects forward instantly.

The median direction vector is shared by every parallel line, so they never converge:

Inner level lines subdivide each half of the channel (e.g. 25% / 50% / 75%) to grade partial reversions. Use the Parallel Lines stepper to add or remove them; each carries its own color and the bands between them can be filled for a multicolor channel.

• Reversion toward the median is the base case — it acts as a magnet.
• The outer tines are dynamic S/R; reactions there are high-probability.
• A decisive close beyond a tine signals a momentum shift; watch for a retest from the other side.
• Persistent hugging of one tine indicates a strong trend (a sliding parallel).

1. Wait for price to reach an outer tine with a rejection candle.
2. Enter toward the median; the first target is the median line itself.
3. Place the stop just beyond the tine — a clean break invalidates the reversion.
4. If the median breaks with momentum, trail toward the opposite tine.

When price breaks and holds beyond a tine, Andrews added equally-spaced Warning Lines (WL) beyond the channel — each one channel-width apart — to project the next likely reaction zones.

Named after one of Andrews' students: when price fails to reach the median line and turns away, expect a stronger-than-normal move in the opposite direction. A failure to tag equilibrium is itself a signal of underlying strength or weakness.

When P0 is a climactic spike the standard median can slope too steeply. The Schiff family relocates the origin to flatten it. Compare the medians from identical pivots:

• Andrews — origin at P0. Best when P0 is a clean pivot.
• Schiff — origin shifted vertically toward P1.
• Modified Schiff — origin shifted in time and price; flattest slope.
• Inside — origin between P0 and P1 for a tighter channel.
• Pitchfan — Fibonacci rays fanning from P0 instead of parallels.

• 1.Andrews' Pitchfork — definition & calculation — Investopedia
• 2.Andrews' Pitchfork — StockCharts ChartSchool
• 3.Pitchfork drawing tool — TradingView Help
• 4.The Best Trendline Methods of Alan Andrews — Patrick Mikula
• 5.Median Line Analysis (action/reaction, warning & trigger lines) — Optuma / median-line literature