A diagonal is a motive wave with a wedge shape (converging or diverging). Unlike a standard impulse, diagonals allow overlap between waves 1 and 4. They appear as wave 1 (leading) or wave 5/C (ending).
Description
A diagonal is a motive wave pattern that takes a wedge form — either contracting (converging lines) or expanding (diverging lines). The key distinction from a standard impulse is that waves 1 and 4 overlap in price. Diagonals appear at specific positions: as wave 1 (leading diagonal) or as wave 5 or wave C (ending diagonal).
Checklist
- ✅ Wedge shape: trendlines connecting waves 1-3-5 and waves 2-4 converge (contracting) or diverge (expanding)
- ✅ Wave 1 and wave 4 overlap in price (the main distinction from a standard impulse)
- ✅ Each sub-wave is a 3-wave corrective structure (in the 3-3-3-3-3 type diagonal)
- ✅ Or each sub-wave is a 5-3-5-3-5 structure (in the 5-3-5-3-5 type — also called an ending diagonal in some texts)
- ❌ A diagonal’s sub-waves use numerical labels (1-2-3-4-5), not alphabetical — sub-waves are not A-B-C
- ❌ An expanding diagonal’s wave 3 is never the shortest actionary wave (same rule as impulse)
Key Points
- Two types by position: leading diagonal (wave 1 or wave A) and ending diagonal (wave 5 or wave C)
- Two types by shape: contracting (most common) and expanding (rare)
- 3-3-3-3-3 type: each sub-wave is a 3-wave corrective structure — the most common diagonal type
- 5-3-5-3-5 type: each sub-wave is a 5-wave structure — very rare, mostly ending diagonals
- After an ending diagonal completes, expect a sharp and deep reversal
