Which pivot point method is best?

None is best. Classic, Fibonacci, Camarilla and Woodie simply place levels differently from the same high, low and close. Pick the one you understand and use it consistently.

Which data is used for daily pivot points?

Intraday pivots normally use the previous trading day's high, low and close. Weekly and monthly pivots use the previous week or month.

Why are Camarilla levels so close to the price?

Camarilla levels are fractions of the range added to or subtracted from the previous close, so the inner levels sit within a few rupees of it.

Do pivot points work as support and resistance?

Pivots are reference levels many traders watch, so price sometimes reacts near them. Just as often price moves through them, and they cannot predict either outcome.

Pivot points explained

Updated 11 October 2026

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Pivot points are price levels calculated from the previous period's high, low and close. Floor traders on old exchanges used them to mark the day's reference levels before the open. Today most Indian platforms can plot them automatically, usually on intraday charts using the previous day's data.

There is a central pivot (P), resistance levels above it (R1, R2, R3) and support levels below it (S1, S2, S3). "Support" and "resistance" here are just names for the levels; nothing forces price to stop at them.

The numbers we will use

Every example below uses the same previous-day data for Stock ABC (made-up prices):

High (H) = ₹1,250
Low (L) = ₹1,200
Close (C) = ₹1,231
Range (H − L) = ₹50

Classic (floor) pivots

P = (H + L + C) ÷ 3 = (1,250 + 1,200 + 1,231) ÷ 3 = 3,681 ÷ 3 = ₹1,227
R1 = 2P − L = 2,454 − 1,200 = ₹1,254
S1 = 2P − H = 2,454 − 1,250 = ₹1,204
R2 = P + (H − L) = 1,227 + 50 = ₹1,277
S2 = P − (H − L) = 1,227 − 50 = ₹1,177
R3 = H + 2 × (P − L) = 1,250 + 2 × 27 = ₹1,304
S3 = L − 2 × (H − P) = 1,200 − 2 × 23 = ₹1,154

Fibonacci pivots

These use the same P but space the levels using Fibonacci ratios of the range (0.382, 0.618 and 1.000). See Fibonacci retracement for where these ratios come from.

P = ₹1,227
R1 = P + 0.382 × 50 = 1,227 + 19.10 = ₹1,246.10
R2 = P + 0.618 × 50 = 1,227 + 30.90 = ₹1,257.90
R3 = P + 1.000 × 50 = ₹1,277
S1 = 1,227 − 19.10 = ₹1,207.90
S2 = 1,227 − 30.90 = ₹1,196.10
S3 = 1,227 − 50 = ₹1,177

Camarilla pivots

Camarilla levels are built around the previous close, using the range × 1.1 divided by 12, 6, 4 and 2. Here range × 1.1 = 55.

Level	Formula	Value
R4	C + 55 ÷ 2	₹1,258.50
R3	C + 55 ÷ 4	₹1,244.75
R2	C + 55 ÷ 6	₹1,240.17
R1	C + 55 ÷ 12	₹1,235.58
S1	C − 55 ÷ 12	₹1,226.42
S2	C − 55 ÷ 6	₹1,221.83
S3	C − 55 ÷ 4	₹1,217.25
S4	C − 55 ÷ 2	₹1,203.50

For example, R3 = 1,231 + 13.75 = 1,244.75. Camarilla levels sit much closer to the close than classic levels, which is why they are mostly used on intraday charts.

Woodie pivots

Woodie's method gives the close extra weight in the pivot:

P = (H + L + 2C) ÷ 4 = (1,250 + 1,200 + 2,462) ÷ 4 = 4,912 ÷ 4 = ₹1,228
R1 = 2P − L = 2,456 − 1,200 = ₹1,256
S1 = 2P − H = 2,456 − 1,250 = ₹1,206
R2 = P + (H − L) = ₹1,278
S2 = P − (H − L) = ₹1,178

Some versions of Woodie use the current day's open instead of the previous close. Check which one your platform uses. You can try all four methods with your own numbers in the pivot point calculator.

How pivot points are commonly read

Price above or below P. Some traders describe the session as trading above or below the pivot. It is a reference, not a direction.
Levels to watch. Because many people see the same levels, price sometimes pauses near them. It also often passes straight through.
Planning exits. Some people use the distance between levels to think about where a stop-loss or target might go and to check the risk-reward ratio before entering.

Limits you should know

Built from one day of data. Pivots know nothing about trends, news or results.
Different methods, different levels. In our example, R1 is ₹1,254 (classic), ₹1,246.10 (Fibonacci), ₹1,235.58 (Camarilla) or ₹1,256 (Woodie). Price will be near some level almost all the time.
Data source matters. Whether the close is the last traded price or the official closing price changes the levels slightly.
Gaps can open beyond R3 or S3, making the levels irrelevant for that day.

The risk side

Pivot levels are mainly used for intraday trading, which is where losses are concentrated. SEBI's studies (SEBI study, 2023 and 2025) found about 9 in 10 individual F&O traders lost money in FY22 and FY25. Treat pivots as reference lines, and size each trade so a wrong read is a small, planned loss.

Questions people ask

Which pivot point method is best?: None is best. Classic, Fibonacci, Camarilla and Woodie simply place levels differently from the same high, low and close. Pick the one you understand and use it consistently.
Which data is used for daily pivot points?: Intraday pivots normally use the previous trading day's high, low and close. Weekly and monthly pivots use the previous week or month.
Why are Camarilla levels so close to the price?: Camarilla levels are fractions of the range added to or subtracted from the previous close, so the inner levels sit within a few rupees of it.
Do pivot points work as support and resistance?: Pivots are reference levels many traders watch, so price sometimes reacts near them. Just as often price moves through them, and they cannot predict either outcome.