Preserve the original values before formatting them
A chart may display fewer decimal places than its underlying observations. Copying those labels into a calculation can change both a body difference and the range. Keep the source precision and a separate display rule instead of treating a formatted label as an exact original value.
This guide uses invented USD-labelled numbers, not the tick rules of a US security or any venue. A display decimal count and an allowed trading increment are different concepts. No live price feed or instrument specification is used.
Compare one fictional full-precision and rounded view
Enter open 100.004, close 100.006, high 100.010 and low 100.000. The absolute body is 0.002 and the range is 0.010, so the body-to-range ratio is 20%. Under a declared half-up display to two decimals, open becomes 100.00 and close 100.01 while high and low display 100.01 and 100.00.
Recalculating from those displayed values gives body 0.01 over range 0.01, or 100%. The source observations did not change; the inputs were rounded before the ratio was calculated. This difference cannot establish a new market event.
| Teaching view | Body / range | Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Original decimal inputs | 0.002 / 0.010 | 20% |
| Two-decimal displayed inputs | 0.01 / 0.01 | 100% |
| Flat input with zero range | 0 / 0 | Undefined ratio |
Check OHLC consistency and a zero denominator
Before forming a ratio, confirm the declared high is at least the low and that the open and close lie inside the supplied range. An inconsistent row is an input problem, not a special candle pattern. Retain the original row when reporting why it cannot be evaluated.
If all four values are 100, the range and body are both zero. Their ratio is undefined. Do not invent a 100% confidence or zero-volatility trading signal from that division. A separate label such as flat entered bar should state its own definition.
Keep a classification threshold and rounding rule together
A numerical small-body threshold is an entered convention, not a universal predictor. Save the threshold, strict or inclusive comparison, price precision and rounding mode with the result. A threshold chosen after inspecting a desired label changes the classification procedure.
Decimal arithmetic documentation provides explicit rounding and quantization concepts. It does not establish a venue’s price increments or validate candle-based trading claims. These worked values can be reproduced by exact decimal arithmetic without assuming a particular chart provider.
Report the precision effect rather than a prediction
A useful audit can show 20% from original inputs and 100% from a particular rounded display. It should identify which view was used for the reported label, rather than forcing both to agree by modifying the saved observations.
This companion example does not authenticate OHLC data, forecast a reversal or identify a reliable doji strategy. It explains an input-precision difference with fictional values. The original market commentary page remains a separate optional destination.
The optional link below leads to this site's separate crypto signals and Telegram updates offer. The record method is usable without that offer. It does not independently verify the offer, establish country eligibility or turn the teaching example into an actual transaction.
Primary sources and scope
- Python documentation: decimal arithmetic
Decimal quantization and explicit rounding modes illustrate the distinction between source precision and a chosen display precision. Checked 2026-10-21.