The reactive wave connecting actionary components (W, Y, Z) in compound corrections. Can be any corrective form. Often a zigzag. Considered analogous to the B wave of a flat — usually retraces back near the start of the preceding actionary wave.
Description
The X wave connects the actionary components (W, Y, Z) in compound corrective patterns (double/triple zigzags and double/triple threes). The X wave itself is a corrective wave and can take any corrective form. Because double/triple threes are considered substitutes for flats, the X wave is analogous to the B wave of a flat — it often retraces back near the start of the preceding actionary wave, without a strict minimum retracement rule.
Key Points
- Role: connects actionary components (W → Y, Y → Z) in compound corrections; moves against the actionary direction
- Most common form: zigzag (or double zigzag)
- Can be any corrective form: zigzag, flat, triangle, or compound correction
- In triple three: the first X wave is not a triangle
- Retracement: often retraces back near the start of the prior actionary wave (analogous to flat’s B wave), but no strict 90% minimum rule applies
- Author’s note: X waves in practice appear similar in degree to W, Y, Z waves — treating X as one degree smaller (as Prechter suggests) is debated
- Practical difficulty: because X can be any corrective form, identifying X wave completion is challenging — easy to mistake for a new impulse wave
