K-Line Comparison Analysis: Multi-Stock Candlestick Charts, Adjusted Indices, and Technical Drawing
What Is K-Line Comparison?
A K-line, commonly called a candlestick chart, compresses each trading period into four core prices: open, high, low, and close. A single candle is useful, but the real analytical value appears when many candles are arranged over time and compared with other instruments.
The Tool3M K-Line Comparison tool is designed for that workflow. It lets you upload stock CSV files, show multiple instruments on one chart, switch between raw OHLC candles and adjusted index lines, and add technical drawing objects such as trend lines, horizontal lines, vertical lines, Fibonacci retracements, inclined Fibonacci channels, and price range measurements.
The tool is not a market data provider and it does not make trading decisions. Its job is narrower and more practical: turn the data you provide into a clean browser-based workspace for comparing price structure, relative performance, and long-term adjusted movement.
Why Multi-Stock Comparison Matters
Looking at one stock in isolation can hide context. A chart may look strong until it is compared with a benchmark, a peer, or another asset that moved faster over the same period.
Multi-stock comparison helps answer questions such as:
- Did one stock outperform another after a split or dividend event?
- Is the current move broad across a sector, or limited to one ticker?
- Does a breakout look stronger on raw candles or on an adjusted index line?
- Are two instruments moving together, diverging, or rotating leadership?
The K-Line Comparison tool supports this by maintaining separate visibility controls for each uploaded stock. For every stock, you can show or hide the OHLC candlestick series, the post-adjusted index, and the pre-adjusted index.
Raw OHLC vs Adjusted Indices
Raw OHLC data shows the actual traded prices for each period. This is essential when you care about the visible market price, intraperiod range, and candlestick structure.
Adjusted indices are different. They normalize price history around corporate actions such as splits, bonus shares, and dividends. The tool supports two adjusted views:
| View | Meaning | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|
| Raw OHLC | Open, high, low, close, and volume from the CSV | Candlestick reading, support/resistance, range analysis |
| Post-adjusted index | Base 1 at the start date, calculated as 1 / cumulative factor |
Comparing growth from the beginning of the sample |
| Pre-adjusted index | Base 1 at the latest date, calculated as cumulative factor / latest cumulative factor |
Aligning historical values to the latest reference point |
This distinction matters because a stock split can create a sharp visual discontinuity in raw price data. Adjusted index lines make long-term relative performance easier to compare, while raw candles preserve the price action that traders actually saw at the time.
CSV Format Required by the Tool
The parser expects a filename in this form:
{StockCode}-{StockName}.csv
For example:
AAPL-Apple Inc.csv
The CSV rows should follow this column order:
| Column | Field | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Date | YYYY-MM-DD |
| 2 | Open | Uses close if empty |
| 3 | High | Uses close if empty |
| 4 | Low | Uses close if empty |
| 5 | Close | Required for meaningful charting |
| 6 | Volume | Uses 0 if empty |
| 7 | Adjustment Ratio | Uses 1 if empty |
| 8 | Adjustment Type | Optional, such as split or dividend |
| 9 | Cumulative Factor | Uses 1 if empty |
| 10 | Post-Adjusted Index | Uses 1 if empty |
| 11 | Pre-Adjusted Index | Uses 1 if empty |
The implementation skips a header row when it detects one, then parses the remaining rows with Papa Parse. If open, high, or low are blank, the tool falls back to the close price for that row.
Daily and Weekly Views
The chart supports daily and weekly intervals. Daily mode uses the rows as provided. Weekly mode aggregates daily rows into weekly bars:
- The week label uses the first trading day of the week.
- Open is taken from the first trading day.
- Close is taken from the last trading day.
- High is the maximum high across the week.
- Low is the minimum low across the week.
- Volume is summed across the week.
- Cumulative factor and adjusted indices use the last row of that week.
This gives you a higher-level view without changing the underlying CSV file.
Drawing Tools for Technical Review
The K-Line Comparison workspace includes several drawing modes:
- Trend line for connecting directional pivots.
- Horizontal line for support, resistance, or reference levels.
- Vertical line for event dates.
- Price range measurement for move size.
- Fibonacci retracement for pullback zones.
- Inclined Fibonacci channel for sloped channel work.
Weak magnet mode helps place drawings near open, high, low, or close values. This is useful when you want a line to attach to an actual price point instead of an approximate screen position.
Logarithmic Scale and Full-Screen Review
For long time spans, a linear price scale can exaggerate later high-price moves and understate early percentage changes. Logarithmic scale addresses that by making equal percentage changes occupy similar vertical space.
The full-screen mode is meant for detailed review: it gives more room to compare multiple stocks, keep a sidebar visible, and inspect drawings without crowding the chart.
Practical Workflow
- Prepare one CSV file per stock using the expected filename and column order.
- Upload the files into the tool.
- Decide whether to inspect raw candles, post-adjusted indices, pre-adjusted indices, or a combination.
- Switch between daily and weekly intervals depending on the time horizon.
- Use log scale for long-term percentage comparisons.
- Add drawing tools only after choosing the series and interval you want to analyze.
- Treat the chart as an analysis aid, not as a prediction engine or trading recommendation.
FAQ
Does the tool download live market data?
No. The current tool analyzes CSV data that you upload or sample data provided by the tool.
Can I compare more than one stock?
Yes. The workspace is built for multiple uploaded stocks and provides per-stock visibility controls for OHLC, post-adjusted, and pre-adjusted series.
Why do adjusted indices start around 1?
The index views normalize values to a reference point. Post-adjusted index uses the start date as the base, while pre-adjusted index uses the latest date as the reference.
Is this financial advice?
No. The tool visualizes user-provided data and technical drawings. It does not provide investment advice, trading signals, or portfolio recommendations.