Glossary · Chart and price

Lower low (LL)

A swing low below the previous swing low; together with lower highs, it defines a downtrend.

By Sky Trade editorial teamUpdated November 5, 2026

A lower low (LL) is a trough that undercuts the previous trough. Combined with lower highs (LH), it forms the structure of a downtrend — the counterpart of higher highs and higher lows in an uptrend.

In a healthy downtrend each bounce stops below the previous bounce, and each new push down goes further than the last. When that rhythm breaks — price fails to make a new low and then rallies above the last lower high — the downtrend is in question. Some traders call that moment a break of structure.

Things to watch out for:

Marginal new lows of a pip or two are weak evidence; they can be noise or a brief poke through support.
After a long series of lower lows, many traders start hunting for the bottom. Structure doesn't call bottoms; it only tells you when the pattern of lower highs has stopped.
On Sky Trade's OTC instruments, which come from a random model, lower lows are simply part of random paths and carry no forecasting value.

For marking swings consistently, see market structure.

Example

USD/CAD makes lows at 1.3700, 1.3682 and 1.3665, with highs at 1.3720 and 1.3705. A rally to 1.3712, above the last lower high, would break the downtrend structure.

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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