Glossary · Chart and price

Higher high (HH)

A swing high above the previous swing high; together with higher lows, it defines an uptrend.

By Sky Trade editorial teamUpdated November 5, 2026

Market structure describes trends with swing points. A higher high (HH) is a peak above the previous peak; a higher low (HL) is a trough above the previous trough. A sequence of HH and HL is the textbook definition of an uptrend, the mirror image of lower lows and lower highs.

The idea is simple, but applying it requires one decision you must keep consistent: what counts as a swing? Many traders require a few candles on each side of a high before calling it a swing. Without a rule, every small bump becomes a “high” and the structure changes every minute.

Useful signals from structure:

A failure to make a new higher high, followed by a break of the last higher low, is an early sign the uptrend is in trouble.
A higher high with weakening momentum, such as an RSI divergence, warns of exhaustion, though it is not a sell signal on its own.

Structure is always tied to a timeframe: an M5 uptrend can sit inside an H1 downtrend. See market structure for practical rules on marking swings.

Example

GBP/USD swing highs on M15 run 1.2650, 1.2668, 1.2681, with lows at 1.2625 and 1.2641 in between: a clean series of higher highs and higher lows.

Learn more in the academy

Market structure: higher highs, lower lows and break of structure
How to read market structure from swing highs and lows, tell an uptrend from a downtrend or a range, spot a break of structure and avoid false signals.

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