ArizetTHE DESKSYNDICATIONStart trading
Academy ·  Chart Pattern Library ·  Harmonic patterns
Pattern 15 of 18: all patterns
Classic reversals
  1. Double top and double bottom
  2. Triple top and triple bottom
  3. Head and shoulders
Consolidation breakouts
  1. Ascending triangle
  2. Descending triangle
  3. Symmetrical triangle
  4. Rising wedge and falling wedge
  5. Rectangle
  6. Bull flag and bear flag
  7. Bull pennant and bear pennant
Harmonic patterns
  1. AB=CD
  2. Gartley
  3. Bat
  4. Butterfly
  5. Crab
Smart money concepts
  1. Order block after a break of structure
  2. Liquidity sweep and fair value gap
Session patterns
  1. Opening range breakout
Harmonic patterns  ·  Pattern 15 of 18

Crab

Reversal at the PRZ

The most extended harmonic pattern: D reaches about 161.8% of XA, far beyond X.

What it shows

The Crab marks an extreme extension. Its PRZ is narrow and far from the start of the pattern, so it triggers rarely.

How the scanner finds it
  • Four confirmed swings X, A, B and C. AB retraces 38.2% to 61.8% of XA and BC retraces 38.2% to 88.6% of AB.
  • The PRZ (potential reversal zone) is where two projections overlap: AD at 158% to 166% of XA, and CD at 224% to 361.8% of BC. No overlap, no pattern.
PRZXABCDTargetEntryStop134
An idealized drawing. The numbers are the alert stages; the shaded boxes are the textbook stop and target.

How the alerts work for this pattern

  1. 1
    Forming

    C is confirmed. The PRZ is drawn on the chart before price gets there.

  2. 3
    Close to signaling

    Price comes within a third of an ATR of the PRZ.

  3. 4
    Time to act

    Price touches the near edge of the PRZ.

  4. x
    Cancelled

    Price closes beyond C first, or takes more than twice the B to C time.

The textbook trade

Trigger
A touch of the near edge of the PRZ.
Stop
Beyond the far edge of the PRZ, plus half an ATR.
Target
61.8% of the AD leg back.

Things to watch

  • Crabs are rare. In our scans only a small number reach their zone at all.
Where it comes from

Defined by Scott M. Carney in 2000 and described in Harmonic Trading, Volume One (2004).

On our charts

Real detections by the scanner on our own price data (2026-08-01 to 2026-10-19), with the alerts it sent. Times are New York time. Some worked and some did not.

ETHUSD15-minute chart2026-09-29Bearish CrabHit the stop
2643.82668.72693.52718.42743.209-28 17:3009-28 19:4509-28 22:0009-29 00:1509-29 02:3009-29 04:45XABCT 2678.2E 2720.4S 2725.01345
The alerts it sent
  1. 1Forming2026-09-29 02:00 NYX, A, B and C are in; D should end in 2720.4 to 2720.9
  2. 3Close to signaling2026-09-29 03:45 NYclose to the zone at 2720.4
  3. 4Time to act2026-09-29 04:30 NYtouched 2720.4: entry 2720.4, stop 2725.0, target 2678.2
  4. 5Result2026-09-29 04:30 NYstop (-1.00R)
USDJPY15-minute chart2026-08-12Bullish CrabHit the stop
158.49158.75159.02159.29159.5508-11 17:0008-11 19:3008-11 22:0008-12 00:3008-12 03:0008-12 05:30XABCT 159.30E 159.04S 159.00145
The alerts it sent
  1. 1Forming2026-08-12 04:15 NYX, A, B and C are in; D should end in 159.02 to 159.04
  2. 4Time to act2026-08-12 05:30 NYtouched 159.04: entry 159.04, stop 159.00, target 159.30
  3. 5Result2026-08-12 05:30 NYstop (-1.00R)

Education, not advice. A pattern describes what many traders watch for; it does not predict what price will do. The textbook stop and target are reference levels, not instructions. Trading involves risk.

Put it to work

Trade your way. The Desk backs the move.

You trade; the Desk allocates its own capital behind your trade, small at first and more as the move proves itself. You keep 90% of what that capital makes. $15 a contract, or try it first on a $1,500 demo.

Start tradingAll patterns
Trading involves risk. This page is education, not advice; examples come from past data.