trading-visualization Checked
Installation
Copy the prompt below and send it to your AI assistant (e.g. Claude Code) — it will follow the instructions and install automatically.
Install the "trading-visualization" skill by following the instructions at https://skill123.me/install/trading-visualization.
Run in your terminal — downloads and installs to ~/.claude/skills/.
curl -fsSL https://skill123.me/install/trading-visualization.sh | bash
Download the zip and extract it into your skills directory (e.g. ~/.claude/skills/), then restart your session.
⬇ Download v1.0.0 · 482 KBNot live-tested yet — this skill is rated on static analysis only.
About this skill
Professional trading charts including candlesticks, equity curves, drawdowns, correlation heatmaps, and return distributions
Trading Visualization
Visualization is the primary interface between a trader and their data. Charts reveal patterns that tables and numbers cannot: breakdowns in strategy, regime transitions, clustering of losses, and the shape of risk. A well-designed chart communicates more in a glance than a page of statistics.
**Three uses of trading charts:**
1. **Pattern recognition** — Spot structural changes in price, volume, and momentum that quantitative filters miss.
2. **Strategy evaluation** — Equity curves, drawdown plots, and return distributions expose whether a strategy is robust or curve-fit.
3. **Reporting** — Communicate performance to stakeholders, journals, or your future self with publication-quality visuals.
---
Documentation
Professional trading charts including candlesticks, equity curves, drawdowns, correlation heatmaps, and return distributions
Trading Visualization
Visualization is the primary interface between a trader and their data. Charts reveal patterns that tables and numbers cannot: breakdowns in strategy, regime transitions, clustering of losses, and the shape of risk. A well-designed chart communicates more in a glance than a page of statistics.
**Three uses of trading charts:**
1. **Pattern recognition** — Spot structural changes in price, volume, and momentum that quantitative filters miss.
2. **Strategy evaluation** — Equity curves, drawdown plots, and return distributions expose whether a strategy is robust or curve-fit.
3. **Reporting** — Communicate performance to stakeholders, journals, or your future self with publication-quality visuals.
---
Chart Types Covered
| Chart Type | Purpose | Library |
|------------|---------|---------|
| Candlestick | OHLCV price action with overlays | mplfinance |
| Equity curve | Portfolio value over time | matplotlib |
| Drawdown | Underwater equity plot | matplotlib |
| Return distribution | Histogram + normal fit | matplotlib |
| Correlation heatmap | Cross-asset correlation matrix | matplotlib / seaborn |
| Trade markers | Entry/exit points on price chart | mplfinance / matplotlib |
| Indicator panels | RSI, MACD below price chart | mplfinance |
| Position timeline | When positions were held | matplotlib |
---
Libraries
### mplfinance
Best for candlestick charts. Built on matplotlib with finance-specific defaults.
uv pip install mplfinance
import mplfinance as mpf
# Basic candlestick from a DataFrame with DatetimeIndex
# Columns: Open, High, Low, Close, Volume
mpf.plot(df, type="candle", volume=True, style="charles")
Key features:
- Native OHLCV support — pass a DataFrame directly
- Built-in volume bars
addplotfor overlays (moving averages, Bollinger Bands)- Custom styles via
mpf.make_mpf_style()
### matplotlib
General purpose, most flexible. Use when you need full control over layout.
uv pip install matplotlib
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
fig, axes = plt.subplots(2, 1, figsize=(14, 8), height_ratios=[3, 1],
sharex=True)
axes[0].plot(dates, equity, color="#00ff88")
axes[1].fill_between(dates, drawdown, 0, color="#ff4444", alpha=0.5)
### plotly
Interactive charts rendered as HTML. Best for exploration and dashboards.
uv pip install plotly
import plotly.graph_objects as go
fig = go.Figure(data=[go.Candlestick(
x=df.index, open=df["Open"], high=df["High"],
low=df["Low"], close=df["Close"]
)])
fig.update_layout(template="plotly_dark")
fig.write_html("chart.html")
---
Styling: Dark Theme Default
Trading terminals use dark backgrounds by default. All charts in this skill follow that convention.
### Quick dark theme setup
View full documentation
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
plt.style.use("dark_background")
plt.rcParams.update({
"figure.facecolor": "#1a1a2e",
"axes.facecolor": "#1a1a2e",
"axes.edgecolor": "#333333",
"grid.color": "#333333",
"grid.alpha": 0.4,
"text.color": "#e0e0e0",
"xtick.color": "#aaaaaa",
"ytick.color": "#aaaaaa",
})
### Trading color scheme
| Element | Color | Hex |
|---------|-------|-----|
| Bullish / profit | Green | #00ff88 |
| Bearish / loss | Red | #ff4444 |
| Neutral / info | Blue | #4488ff |
| Warning | Amber | #ffaa00 |
| MA short | Orange | #ff6600 |
| MA long | Blue | #3399ff |
| MA signal | Yellow | #ffcc00 |
See references/styling_guide.md for complete typography, layout ratios, and export settings.
---
Chart Composition: Multi-Panel Layout
Most trading charts need multiple synchronized panels — price on top, volume in the middle, indicators at the bottom.
### Stacked panels with shared x-axis
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import matplotlib.gridspec as gridspec
fig = plt.figure(figsize=(14, 10))
gs = gridspec.GridSpec(3, 1, height_ratios=[3, 1, 1], hspace=0.05)
ax_price = fig.add_subplot(gs[0])
ax_volume = fig.add_subplot(gs[1], sharex=ax_price)
ax_rsi = fig.add_subplot(gs[2], sharex=ax_price)
# Hide x-tick labels on upper panels
ax_price.tick_params(labelbottom=False)
ax_volume.tick_params(labelbottom=False)
### Panel height ratios
| Layout | Ratios | Use Case |
|--------|--------|----------|
| Price + Volume | [3, 1] | Simple OHLCV chart |
| Price + Volume + Indicator | [3, 1, 1] | Standard analysis view |
| Equity + Drawdown | [2, 1] | Performance review |
| Price + RSI + MACD | [3, 1, 1] | Full indicator stack |
---
Candlestick Charts with Overlays
import mplfinance as mpf
import pandas as pd
# df: DataFrame with DatetimeIndex, columns Open/High/Low/Close/Volume
ema20 = df["Close"].ewm(span=20).mean()
ema50 = df["Close"].ewm(span=50).mean()
ap = [
mpf.make_addplot(ema20, color="#ff6600", width=1.2),
mpf.make_addplot(ema50, color="#3399ff", width=1.2),
]
style = mpf.make_mpf_style(
base_mpf_style="nightclouds",
marketcolors=mpf.make_marketcolors(
up="#00ff88", down="#ff4444",
wick={"up": "#00ff88", "down": "#ff4444"},
edge={"up": "#00ff88", "down": "#ff4444"},
volume={"up": "#00ff88", "down": "#ff4444"},
),
facecolor="#1a1a2e", figcolor="#1a1a2e",
gridcolor="#333333", gridstyle="--",
)
mpf.plot(df, type="candle", style=style, addplot=ap,
volume=True, figsize=(14, 8),
title="Token / SOL — 15m", savefig="candles.png")
---
Equity Curve with Drawdown Panel
import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
def plot_equity_drawdown(equity: pd.Series, title: str = "Portfolio") -> plt.Figure:
"""Plot equity curve with drawdown panel below."""
peak = equity.cummax()
drawdown = (equity - peak) / peak
fig, (ax1, ax2) = plt.subplots(2, 1, figsize=(14, 8),
height_ratios=[2, 1], sharex=True)
ax1.plot(equity.index, equity, color="#00ff88", linewidth=1.5)
ax1.plot(equity.index, peak, color="#555555", linewidth=0.8,
linestyle="--", label="Peak")
ax1.set_title(title, fontsize=14, fontweight="bold", color="white")
ax1.set_ylabel("Portfolio Value", fontsize=11)
ax1.legend(loc="upper left")
ax1.grid(True, alpha=0.3)
ax2.fill_between(equity.index, drawdown, 0, color="#ff4444", alpha=0.5)
ax2.set_ylabel("Drawdown", fontsize=11)
ax2.set_xlabel("Date", fontsize=11)
ax2.grid(True, alpha=0.3)
fig.tight_layout()
return fig
---
Return Distribution
from scipy import stats
def plot_return_distribution(returns: pd.Series) -> plt.Figure:
"""Histogram of returns with normal fit and risk metrics."""
fig, ax = plt.subplots(figsize=(10, 6))
ax.hist(returns, bins=50, density=True, alpha=0.7,
color="#4488ff", edgecolor="#333333")
# Normal fit overlay
mu, sigma = returns.mean(), returns.std()
x = np.linspace(returns.min(), returns.max(), 200)
ax.plot(x, stats.norm.pdf(x, mu, sigma), color="#ffaa00",
linewidth=2, label=f"Normal(μ={mu:.4f}, σ={sigma:.4f})")
# VaR line
var_95 = returns.quantile(0.05)
ax.axvline(var_95, color="#ff4444", linestyle="--",
label=f"VaR 95%: {var_95:.4f}")
ax.set_title("Return Distribution", fontsize=14, fontweight="bold")
ax.set_xlabel("Return", fontsize=11)
ax.legend()
ax.grid(True, alpha=0.3)
fig.tight_layout()
return fig
---
Correlation Heatmap
def plot_correlation_heatmap(returns_df: pd.DataFrame) -> plt.Figure:
"""Correlation matrix heatmap with annotations."""
corr = returns_df.corr()
fig, ax = plt.subplots(figsize=(10, 8))
im = ax.imshow(corr, cmap="RdYlGn", vmin=-1, vmax=1, aspect="auto")
ax.set_xticks(range(len(corr.columns)))
ax.set_yticks(range(len(corr.columns)))
ax.set_xticklabels(corr.columns, rotation=45, ha="right")
ax.set_yticklabels(corr.columns)
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Imported from agiprolabs/claude-trading-skills@main