Core terms
Red-to-green move
Trader shorthand for a stock trading below the prior session's close that crosses back above it. The mirror case, green to red, is a cross from above the prior close to below it.
The prior close is shown on almost every quote screen, so a crossing is a moment many traders see at once; spreads, quote flicker and quick reversals cluster there. One countable definition: the first 1-minute close above the prior close after at least 10 consecutive regular-session 1-minute closes below it. Common outcomes after a crossing are a hold, a rejection back below within a couple of bars, and chop around the level.
Many of these situations arise on day two of a move. Of 665 sessions that opened at least 20% above the prior close, 208 (31.3%) opened day two above day one's close; the other 457 opened at or below it or did not trade (day ones 2026-07-01 to 2026-10-01; FennEdge archive; as of 2026-10-02).
Green to red
The mirror case: a stock trading above the prior close crosses below it. Of 671 gappers of 20% or more, 62 (9.2%) closed below the prior close (2026-07-01 to 2026-10-02; FennEdge archive; as of 2026-10-02). That counts closes, not intraday crossings, which are at least as common.
What traders should verify
Write the crossing rule (bars below the level, close or touch, first or repeat crossing) before counting, then log every crossing that meets it, traded or not, with its result after costs.
Do not conflate
Trader usage; there is no official definition. A crossing is one bar, not a confirmation, and repeat crossings on the same day are separate observations. At a crowded level, spread and slippage can be a large share of 1R. No FennEdge study has measured crossing outcomes yet.
Primary source
Trader usage: there is no official definition, and platforms and tools may calculate it differently.