What are Bollinger Bands®?

Flexible and visually intuitive to many traders, Bollinger Bands® can be a helpful technical analysis tool. Invented in 1983 by John Bollinger, they're designed to help traders evaluate price action and a stock's volatility. Before we get to how they can do that, let's talk about what they are and what they look like.

What are fidelity Bollinger Bands?

Fidelity Bollinger Bands are a type of price envelope developed by John Bollinger. (Price envelopes define upper and lower price range levels.) Bollinger Bands are envelopes plotted at a standard deviation level above and below a simple moving average of the price.

When do traders use Bollinger Bands?

The use of Bollinger Bands varies widely among traders. Some traders buy when price touches the lower Bollinger Band and exit when price touches the moving average in the center of the bands. Other traders buy when price breaks above the upper Bollinger Band or sell when price falls below the lower Bollinger Band.