Role reversal

1. 1 A level can swap jobs

   When price finally breaks through a level, the level does not disappear. It often swaps roles:

   • Broken resistance becomes support. After price closes above it, a fall back to that area often meets buyers.
   • Broken support becomes resistance. After price closes below it, a rise back to that area often meets sellers.

   Why? Think about who is there. Traders who sold at resistance and watched price break higher are losing. Many will buy back if price returns to where they sold, just to get out at break-even. Traders who missed the breakout wait for a second chance at the old level. Both groups put buying pressure in the same place. The same logic runs in reverse when support breaks.

   The return to the broken level is called a retest.

   Quick check

   1. Question 1 · Multiple choice

      Price breaks below a support zone, then rises back to it. What role is the old support most likely to play now?

      A.Support again, pushing price higher.B.Resistance, where sellers may step in.C.None. Levels only work once.D.It becomes the new all-time low.

      Check

2. 2 Real example: resistance becomes support

   EURUSD D1, spring 2026.

   • The resistance. From 4 March to 7 April 2026, rallies kept stopping between about 1.1620 and 1.1670. Highs included 1.16545 (4 March), 1.16670 (10 March), 1.16396 (23 March) and 1.16270 (1 April).
   • The break. On 9 April price closed above the zone at 1.16974, and on 10 April at 1.17216.
   • The retest. On Monday 13 April price dipped back to 1.16639, inside the old resistance zone, and closed the day at 1.17586. The next day it reached 1.18110.

   The old ceiling had become a floor.

   

   Open this in the terminal ↗ (opens in a new tab)

   Quick check

   1. Question 2 · Multiple choice

      EURUSD rallies kept stopping near 1.1620 to 1.1670 in March 2026. On 9 and 10 April price closed above that zone. Where is the likely retest if price falls back?

      A.Around 1.1620 to 1.1670, the old resistance, which may now act as support.B.Exactly at 1.18110, the next day's high.C.Nowhere. A broken level has no meaning any more.D.Only at a round number such as 1.2000.

      Check

3. 3 Real example: support becomes resistance

   EURUSD D1, May and June 2026. This is the same support zone you drew in lesson 2.2.

   • The support. From 23 April to 14 May 2026 the zone between about 1.1655 and 1.1680 stopped every fall.
   • The break. On 15 May price fell through it and closed at 1.16234.
   • The retest. For the next two weeks rallies kept stalling just under the old support. The highs on 18, 19, 27 and 28 May were 1.16605, 1.16614, 1.16614 and 1.16611. On 29 May price poked up to 1.16855, inside the old zone, and on 1 June it stopped at 1.16645.
   • What came next. Price fell away from the zone. By 24 June it had reached 1.13243.

   The old floor had become a ceiling.

   

   Open this in the terminal ↗ (opens in a new tab)

   Quick check

   1. Question 3 · Click the chart

      On EURUSD D1, the support zone that held from 23 April to 14 May 2026 broke on 15 May. Click where a retest from below was most likely in the following weeks.

      EURUSD, D1, up to 2026-06-01 (UTC).

      Tap or click the chart to pick a spot, then press Check. Keyboard: focus the chart, then arrow keys move the crosshair (Shift for bigger price steps), Enter picks.

      Loading chart…

4. 4 Replay a break and a retest

   In the terminal: the link opens EURUSD on D1 in replay mode, stopped at 8 April 2026 with everything after it hidden. First draw the old resistance zone (about 1.1620 to 1.1670) with the Horizontal line or Rectangle tool. Then press Next bar to reveal one candle at a time up to 14 April, and watch what price does when it comes back to the zone. Replay works signed out, and any trade you place in it is simulated, never on your practice account.

   Replay is useful because you cannot see the right side of the chart. You have to decide where the retest might come before it happens, which is exactly the situation you face in live trading.

   

   Open this in the terminal ↗ (opens in a new tab)

5. 5 A retest is a place to watch, not a promise

   Role reversal tells you where to pay attention. It does not tell you what will happen.

   • Sometimes price never comes back to the level at all.
   • Sometimes it comes back and goes straight through. Then the break was false, which is one of the failures in lesson 2.6.
   • The retest is a zone, like every level. Most retest highs in May 2026 stopped near 1.1661, but on 29 May price reached 1.16855, well inside the old zone, before turning.

   Treat the retest area as a place where a trade might make sense, then use the rules in lesson 2.5 to decide.