The overall direction price is moving — up (higher highs and higher lows), down (lower highs and lower lows), or sideways.
An uptrend is a staircase of higher highs and higher lows; a downtrend is lower highs and lower lows; a range has no clear direction. Trend is defined by structure, not by a single candle.
'The trend is your friend' — trading in the direction of the prevailing trend puts probability on your side, while counter-trend trades need stronger evidence.
Connect the swing highs and lows, or use a moving average as a directional guide. Price above a rising average is a rough sign of an uptrend, and vice-versa.
Trends exist on every timeframe and can conflict — the hourly can be up while the daily is down. Always know which timeframe you are trading and where the higher one is pointing.
Reading a definition is step one. Chart Bound drills you on spotting Trend and dozens of other setups on live candles, and the Daily gives you one fresh chart to read every day. Free to start.