Rejection at resistance: does price fall?
A rejection is price rising to a level where it has turned down before, and turning down again. Sellers are still waiting at the same price.
When “Rejection at resistance” appeared, NIFTY 200 stocks were lower 12 trading days later 45.4% of the time, against 44.7% after any day: about the same as picking a random day.
| After | Higher | Average move | Median move | Higher after any day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 trading days | 52.7% | +0.3% | +0.2% | 53.9% |
| 12 trading days | 54.6% | +1.1% | +0.7% | 55.3% |
| 20 trading days | 55.3% | +1.8% | +1.1% | 56.8% |
Year by year
| Year | Signals | Higher after 12 days | Any day |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 398 | 57.3% | 54.4% |
| 2022 | 838 | 48.4% | 52.1% |
| 2023 | 1025 | 60.2% | 61.3% |
| 2024 | 862 | 53.6% | 53.7% |
| 2025 | 533 | 53.1% | 53.1% |
| Large cap only | 2042 | 56.1% | |
| Mid cap only | 1614 | 52.7% |
What it is
A rejection is price rising to a level where it has turned down before, and turning down again. Sellers are still waiting at the same price.
How we detected it
Support (or resistance) is a price where at least two swing lows (or highs) from the last 50 days, each the lowest (or highest) of the 3 days either side and at least 5 days old, sit within 1.2% of each other; we take their average, using the level with the most touches. One of the last three highs (including today) is within 1.5% below resistance or above it, the close is below resistance, and the close is lower than the day before. It does not count on a breakdown day. We count the first day this is true.
How traders read it
In an uptrend, resistance often breaks on a later attempt. Traders treat a rejection as a reason for caution and watch for a lower high, not as proof of a top.
A signal is a probability, not a promise
Even the most reliable signal in this study was followed by the opposite move 37% of the time. A signal tilts the odds; it doesn’t decide the outcome.
Signals work better when they agree with the trend and with each other. Whatever the signal, decide your stop-loss before you act.
Practise spotting it, free
The Support and resistance chapter teaches this signal in five minutes, then you call real NSE charts and get graded on your reasoning.
Common questions
Does the rejection at resistance signal work on Indian stocks?
When “Rejection at resistance” appeared, NIFTY 200 stocks were lower 12 trading days later 45.4% of the time, against 44.7% after any day: about the same as picking a random day. No single signal is reliable on its own; traders combine it with the trend and manage risk with a stop-loss.
How often did stocks rise after this signal?
Across 3,656 signals on 182 NIFTY 200 stocks (2021–2025), the price was higher after 5, 12 and 20 trading days 52.7%, 54.6%, 55.3% of the time. After any day it was 53.9%, 55.3%, 56.8%.
How is “Rejection at resistance” defined here?
Support (or resistance) is a price where at least two swing lows (or highs) from the last 50 days, each the lowest (or highest) of the 3 days either side and at least 5 days old, sit within 1.2% of each other; we take their average, using the level with the most touches. One of the last three highs (including today) is within 1.5% below resistance or above it, the close is below resistance, and the close is lower than the day before. It does not count on a breakdown day. We count the first day this is true.
How these numbers were made
We ran the same signal detector MarketSeekho uses to grade players over every trading day of 187 NIFTY 200 stocks, Jan 2021 to Oct 2025, using NSE end-of-day prices (1,54,833 stock-days). We counted the first day a signal appeared, then ignored the same signal on the same stock for 12 trading days so results don’t overlap. Windows with splits, bonuses or trading halts were left out.
“Any day” is the baseline: the same measure after every day in the data, signal or not. It matters because 2021–2025 was mostly a rising market, so stocks were higher after 12 days more often than not anyway. Past results don’t predict future ones, and this is not investment advice.