Resistance is one of the foundational elements of technical analysis (along with its corollary: support). Resistance is a price or price zone above the current market that contains the upside movement of an asset. Resistance is where selling interest appears over time, blocking further upside progress.

Resistance can be a single price point, such as the high of the day or the hourly high. Resistance can also be a zone, meaning an area several points wide, such as $0.50/$1.00. A resistance zone represents a test of the resistance level, which may be broken by a small amount, but ultimately turns back the price advance, leaving the resistance level essentially intact.