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Free stock charts
Open a candlestick chart with volume for any U.S. stock, ETF or index, from hourly to monthly views.
StockEducation Editorial Team · Updated · 13 min read · How we check our tools
The tool
Open a chart
Advanced Stock Charts, Free
Search any stock, index or ETF and analyze price action with professional-grade charting tools. Switch timeframes, overlay indicators and track price movements in one place.
Waiting for the chart. Check the chart’s candle dates, timezone and delay indicator before using a displayed figure.
Source: TradingView Advanced Chart. A candle displays open, high, low and close for its interval; volume is the provider’s displayed trading volume. Default timezone: UTC. Market coverage and delays vary by symbol and exchange; blank or unavailable data is not zero. Chart patterns do not establish future returns. Full method and limits.
Choose a symbol and starting interval above. Save, link and CSV keep only those settings.
Only the two starting settings above are saved, linked or exported. No holdings, quantities, documents, account details or guide fields are read. Internal chart changes, indicators and price data are not captured. For an image of the current chart, use TradingView’s camera button and Download image. If the embed stays blank, open the starting symbol directly on TradingView.
Charts are powered by TradingView. Prices may be delayed, depending on the exchange and your TradingView plan. This tool is for educational and research purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
Educational content only. Charts are powered by TradingView and are for research purposes. Market data may be delayed, unavailable, revised or incomplete. Past price action does not guarantee future results.
How to use it (three steps)
Type a symbol such as NASDAQ:AAPL or AMEX:SPY, choose a starting interval, then press Open chart. Inside the chart, click the symbol at the top left to search, and use the toolbar to change timeframe or add indicators. The chart loads once Statistics cookies are allowed. Not sure where to start? Load an example.
- 1Type a symbol such as NASDAQ:AAPL and choose an interval
- 2Press Open chart and switch to the weekly view
- 3Compare the stock against SPY to see if it beat the market
How to read a candle
Chart basicsEach candle covers one period, such as a day. Its body runs from the open to the close; its thin wicks show the high and the low.
- A green (or hollow) candle closed higher than it opened. A red (or filled) one closed lower.
- A long wick shows that price went far in one direction and was pushed back before the close.
- Volume bars at the bottom show how many shares traded. Big moves on high volume carry more weight.
- Switch to weekly or monthly to see the long trend without the daily noise.
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The link holds only the symbol and starting interval.
See the whole market
Open the market heatmapHow do I read a candlestick chart?
Each candle shows four prices for one period: the open, high, low and close. The thick body spans the open and the close; the thin lines above and below, called wicks, reach the high and the low. A green candle closed above its open; a red one closed below. Under the candles, volume bars show how many shares changed hands.1 On a daily chart each candle is one trading day; on a weekly chart, one week.
Checked against Investor.gov · FINRA · see sources
- Candle. Open, high, low, close for one period.
- Color. Green closed up, red closed down.
- Wicks. How far price went before the close.
- Volume. How many shares traded.
- Timeframe. Weekly and monthly show the long trend.
- Limits. Charts show the past, not value or the future.
One candle, step by stepChoosing a timeframeWhat a chart cannot tell youTest yourself
Part 1 of 3 · One candle
What does each part of a stock chart show?
A chart is price history. Candles summarize each period, and volume shows how much trading backed the move.
Reading a captured Apple daily candle
When checked on 20 October 2026, TradingView’s Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) daily chart displayed an open of $340.78, high of $346.00, low of $340.12 and close of $342.94 on its Cboe One feed. The green body spans $2.16; the full range is $5.88. The provider also displayed −$0.52 (−0.15%) versus the prior close: a green candle can still be a down day. These are captured provider display values, not a live quote or a claim of current official closing prices. Check the candle date, feed and delay flag in the live chart.7
What does volume add?
Volume is the number of shares traded in the period.1 A price jump on unusually high volume shows many buyers took part; the same jump on thin volume is less convincing. Volume often spikes around earnings and big news.
What are indicators?
Lines calculated from price or volume, such as a moving average, which smooths price over a set number of periods. They can make trends easier to see, but they describe the past; none of them predicts the future reliably.
Can a green candle appear on a day the stock fell?
Yes, and it trips up many beginners. A candle’s color compares the close with that same period’s open, not with yesterday’s close.3 If the open is far from the previous close, color and daily change can disagree.
The captured Apple example above shows this distinction: its close of $342.94 was above its $340.78 open, making the body green, while the provider displayed a daily change of −$0.52 (−0.15%) versus the prior close. These are the dated provider values captured on 20 October 2026, not a live quote.
The reverse happens too: a stock can gap up at the open, drift lower all day and print a red candle while still finishing higher than the day before. To know whether a day was up or down, compare each close with the close before it. The candle’s color tells you what happened during the period itself.
Open, high, low, close: four prices per candle, with volume underneath.
Part 2 of 3 · Choosing a timeframe
Which chart timeframe should I use?
The same stock can look like it is soaring or sinking depending on the timeframe. Match the chart to how long you plan to hold.
Timeframes and what they show
| Interval | One candle is | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| One hour | One hour of trading | Seeing how a single day unfolded |
| Daily | One trading day | The last few months |
| Weekly | One week | The trend over a year or two |
| Monthly | One month | The long term picture over many years |
You can change the timeframe inside the chart at any time.
Long term investors usually learn more from weekly and monthly charts. Daily swings that look dramatic often disappear when you zoom out.
Why do hourly charts have an odd candle at the end of each day?
Regular U.S. stock trading runs from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern, six and a half hours.4 Split into hourly candles, that makes six full hours plus a final candle covering only half an hour. Short candles and sudden jumps between days are normal, not data errors.
Time zones matter as well. This chart starts in UTC, so a session that begins at 9:30 a.m. Eastern shows as 13:30 during daylight saving time and 14:30 in winter. Change the time zone inside the chart if that is confusing.
One more timeframe tip: on long charts, look at percent changes rather than dollar distances. A move from $10 to $20 is a 100% gain. A move from $100 to $110 is 10%. On a standard price scale both look like the same $10 step, which makes early growth look tiny. A logarithmic scale, available in the chart settings, shows equal percent moves as equal heights.
Zoom out before you react. The longer timeframe usually tells the truer story.
Part 3 of 3 · What a chart cannot tell you
What can a stock chart not tell you?
A chart shows what price did. It does not show what the business is worth or what price will do next.
What are the limits?
- No forecasts. Patterns describe the past. Past price action does not guarantee future results.
- No fundamentals. Revenue, profit and debt are in the company’s filings, not the chart.
- Gaps. Prices can jump overnight, so a stop order may fill well past its level.2
- Delays and time zones. Data may be delayed and the default time zone is UTC.
Pair the chart with the business. The stock analysis guide explains how to research a company’s business, numbers and risks alongside its chart.
Open the AI stock analyzer Free, no signup.Where do I find what the chart leaves out?
In the company’s own filings. U.S. public companies file a 10-K once a year and a 10-Q for each of the other quarters. The 10-K describes the business, its main risks, management’s view of results and audited financial statements.5 You can find them for free by searching a company name or ticker on the SEC’s EDGAR system.6
Here is why both matter. Two stocks can draw almost identical charts over a year, each up 20%. One may have doubled its profit while the other borrowed heavily and lost money. The chart cannot tell them apart; the filings can.
A practical routine is to read the chart to see what price has done, then open the latest 10-Q to see whether the business supports it. Start with the risk factors and the management discussion, which are written for ordinary readers, not only analysts.
Read the chart, then read the company.
Mistakes to avoid
Three mistakes to avoid, and what to do instead
Zooming in too far
Minute charts show noise. For investing decisions start with the weekly chart and work in.
Confusing price with value
A chart shows what people paid. It cannot tell you whether the business is worth it.
Reading patterns as promises
Patterns describe the past. Use charts to see the trend and the volatility, not to predict next week.
Quick check
Three quick questions and one why
1. A daily candle opens at $50 and closes at $47. What color is it usually?
2. On a weekly chart, what does one candle represent?
3. A stock jumps 6% on three times its usual volume. What does the volume suggest?
Why: why can the same stock look great on one chart and terrible on another?
A stock can fall for a month while still rising over five years. Each timeframe answers a different question, so pick the one that matches how long you plan to own the stock.
Common questions
Free Stock Charts FAQ
How do you read a stock chart for beginners?
Start with the candles and the volume bars. Each candle shows four prices for one period: the open, high, low and close. The thick body spans the open and close, and the thin wicks reach the high and low. A green candle closed above its open; a red one closed below. Volume bars underneath show how many shares traded. Begin with a weekly chart to see the trend before looking at daily detail.
Are these stock charts free?
Yes. The charts on this page are TradingView’s advanced charts, embedded for supported stocks, ETFs and indexes, with no signup. You can change the timeframe, add indicators such as moving averages and draw on the chart. Data coverage and delays vary by symbol and exchange, so some quotes may lag the live market. The chart shows price history only; it does not include the company’s financial results.
What do green and red candles mean?
A green, or hollow, candle closed higher than it opened during its period. A red, or filled, candle closed lower than it opened. A common misconception is that color shows whether the stock was up for the day. It does not: color compares the close with that period’s own open. A stock that gaps down at the open and recovers part of the loss can print a green candle while still finishing lower.
What chart timeframe is best for long term investors?
Weekly and monthly charts usually tell long term investors more than daily or hourly ones. Each weekly candle sums up that week’s trading sessions, so short swings fade and the trend becomes clear. Daily moves that look dramatic often vanish when you zoom out. Match the chart to how long you plan to hold: for a position you expect to keep for years, a monthly chart covering several years fits better.
What does volume mean on a stock chart?
Volume is the number of shares traded during each period, shown as bars under the price. It tells you how much participation stood behind a move. A price jump on two or three times the usual volume shows many traders took part, while the same jump on light volume is less convincing. Volume often spikes around earnings reports and major news. It describes the past and does not predict what comes next.
Can stock charts predict future prices?
No. Charts show what price and volume have done, and patterns describe the past. Some traders use them to judge momentum or timing, but no pattern or indicator predicts prices reliably, and past performance does not guarantee future results. Charts also leave out the business behind the stock: revenue, profit and debt are in the company’s 10-K and 10-Q filings, which you can search for free on the SEC’s EDGAR system.
Why is the stock chart not loading?
The chart loads only when Statistics cookies are allowed, because TradingView uses analytics cookies inside the widget. Turn on Statistics in the site’s cookie preferences, then press Open chart. Check the symbol format too: it works best with the exchange prefix, such as NASDAQ:AAPL or AMEX:SPY. The save and link buttons keep only the starting symbol and interval, never your indicators, drawings or prices.
How do I save a stock chart image?
Use the camera button in TradingView’s toolbar inside the chart and choose Download image to save a picture of the current view, including any indicators or drawings you added. The page’s own link button is different: it creates a link that opens the same starting symbol and interval, but not your drawings. For a record you can return to, take the image and write down the date, since prices keep moving.
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Stock charts on one card, and where to go next
- Step 1 · DoneHow to read a stock chart
See it on one card
- Candle. Open, high, low, close for one period.
- Color. Green closed up, red closed down.
- Wicks. How far price went before the close.
- Volume. How many shares traded.
- Timeframe. Weekly and monthly show the long trend.
- Limits. Charts show the past, not value or the future.
- 2Step 2 · NowSee the whole market
- 3Step 3Follow the learning pathThe learning pathFree
Learn the rest in the right order
Lessons, videos, tools and quizzes, ordered so each step builds on the last, from market basics to building a portfolio.
Start the learning path
Want the full sequence? See the course outline →
Sources and assumptions
- Investor.gov (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission): Volume. What trading volume measures.
- FINRA: Stock order types. How stop orders behave when prices gap.
- Nasdaq: Candlestick chart. How a candle’s body and lines show the open, close, high and low.
- NYSE: Holidays and trading hours. Core U.S. stock trading runs 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern.
- Investor.gov (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission): How to read a 10-K/10-Q. What a company’s annual and quarterly reports contain.
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission: Search filings (EDGAR). Where to find any public company’s official filings by name or ticker.
- TradingView: Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL). Dated Cboe One provider display captured on 20 October 2026; retained from the verified working page.
How the tool works: it embeds TradingView’s advanced chart for the symbol and starting interval you choose. A candle shows the open, high, low and close for its interval; volume is the provider’s displayed trading volume. The default time zone is UTC. Data coverage and delays vary by symbol and exchange. The chart loads only when Statistics cookies are allowed. The Apple candle example retains the provider display values captured on 20 October 2026; the capture date is not the candle date or a freshness claim.
Page history. October 23, 2026: V11 guide and layout integrated while preserving the working TradingView embed, consent behavior, starting-setting controls and captured Apple example.
StockEducation provides general education, not personal financial, tax or legal advice. Results are illustrations based on the assumptions you enter, not forecasts or promises of any return. Investing involves risk, including the loss of money you invest.
Sources and reference material
Primary sources and original reference material for the concepts discussed on this page.
References added 14 October 2026.
