Just noticed something about chart patterns that a lot of traders seem to miss. Not everything on the chart gives you a clear directional signal right away. Some of the most interesting setups are actually bilateral chart patterns - they can break either way, and that's exactly what makes them so powerful once they finally move.

Think about it this way. When price is consolidating, you're watching a battle between buyers and sellers. The direction isn't predetermined. What you're really looking at is tension building up, and eventually something has to give.

Let me walk through the main ones. Ascending triangles are where price keeps making higher lows but keeps hitting the same resistance at the top. The bulls are clearly getting stronger with each bounce, but there's this one level the bears won't let through. When that resistance finally cracks on volume, it usually rips. But if it gets rejected, you can get a nasty reversal down to support.

Descending triangles are kind of the opposite. Lower highs forming while support sits solid at the bottom. Sellers pushing harder, but buyers keep defending that line. Break the support and you get real selling pressure. But if buyers actually hold and push back up, that's when you get the surprise move the other way.

Then there's the symmetrical triangle - this one's pure indecision. Price just keeps getting squeezed tighter with lower highs and higher lows. Neither side has control. Could go anywhere. The key is whoever wins the momentum battle when volume finally shows up on a breakout.

Here's what I've learned about these bilateral patterns: the direction itself isn't what matters. What matters is the confirmation. Smart traders don't try to guess which way it'll break. They set up entries on both sides and let the market tell them. Watch for volume on the breakout, then see if it retests the broken level. That's when you know it's real.

If you're trading these setups, measure the height of the triangle and project it from the breakout point - that gives you your target. But honestly, the biggest edge is just patience. These bilateral structures are screaming that something's about to move. You just have to wait for the market to show its hand first.