Alternation
Elliott Wave Theory glossary · Rule Of Alternation & Channeling Guidelines
Definition
Guideline stating that corrective waves 2 and 4 within an impulse tend to differ in pattern type, duration, and retracement depth.
Alternation in plain English
In a five-wave move, the two pullbacks (Waves 2 and 4) tend NOT to look alike — this habit is called alternation. If Wave 2 was a quick, deep drop, Wave 4 is more likely to be a slow, shallow, drawn-out wiggle, and vice versa. It's like a coach who benches you hard one week, so you can bet the next rest will come in a different form — the market rarely repeats the same type of pause back-to-back. Traders use this as a hint: once they see how Wave 2 behaved, they expect Wave 4 to be its opposite in style.
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