gallery_financial_candlestick.cpp

Financial Candlestick Chart Example

This example demonstrates how to create professional financial charts using candlestick traces with volume indicators. It generates synthetic stock market data and visualizes it with the standard OHLC (Open, High, Low, Close) format used in financial analysis.

What You'll Learn

• Creating candlestick charts for financial data visualization
• Generating realistic synthetic stock data with random price movements
• Implementing dual y-axis layouts for price and volume data
• Customizing candlestick colors for bullish/bearish patterns
• Working with time-series data and date formatting
• Adding volume bars as complementary indicators

Sample Output

The example creates a comprehensive financial chart featuring:

• 60-day candlestick chart with OHLC price data
• Green candles for price increases, red candles for decreases
• Volume bars displayed below the main price chart
• Interactive hover information showing detailed price data
• Professional styling suitable for financial analysis

Financial Candlestick Chart Example

See also

plotly::Object For candlestick trace configuration

parseGalleryArgs() For command line argument handling

 
#include "plotly/plotly.hpp"
#include "utils/arg_parser.hpp"
#include <cstdlib>
#include <random>
#include <string>
#include <vector>
 
auto main(int argc, char *argv[]) -> int {
  // Parse command line arguments
  auto args = parseGalleryArgs(argc, argv);
 
  plotly::Figure fig;
  fig.openBrowser(args.headless);
 
  // Generate synthetic stock data
  const int numDays = 60;
  std::vector<std::string> dates;
  std::vector<double> open, high, low, close, volume;
 
  // Random number generation for realistic stock data
  std::random_device rd;
  std::mt19937 gen(rd());
  std::normal_distribution<double> priceChange(0.0, 2.0);
  std::uniform_real_distribution<double> volumeDist(100000, 1000000);
 
  double currentPrice = 100.0;
 
  for (int i = 0; i < numDays; i++) {
    // Generate date string (simplified)
    dates.push_back("2024-" + std::to_string((i / 30) + 1) + "-" +
                    std::to_string((i % 30) + 1));
 
    // Generate OHLC data
    double dayOpen = currentPrice;
    double priceRange = std::abs(priceChange(gen));
    double dayHigh = dayOpen + priceRange * 0.8;
    double dayLow = dayOpen - priceRange * 0.6;
    double dayClose =
        dayLow + (dayHigh - dayLow) *
                     std::uniform_real_distribution<double>(0.2, 0.8)(gen);
 
    open.push_back(dayOpen);
    high.push_back(dayHigh);
    low.push_back(dayLow);
    close.push_back(dayClose);
    volume.push_back(volumeDist(gen));
 
    currentPrice = dayClose + priceChange(gen) * 0.5;
    if (currentPrice < 50)
      currentPrice = 50;
    if (currentPrice > 200)
      currentPrice = 200;
  }
 
  // Create candlestick trace
  plotly::Object candlestickTrace = {
      {"type", "candlestick"},
      {"x", dates},
      {"open", open},
      {"high", high},
      {"low", low},
      {"close", close},
      {"name", "Stock Price"},
      {"yaxis", "y"},
      {"increasing",
       {{"fillcolor", "#00ff00"}, {"line", {{"color", "#00aa00"}}}}},
      {"decreasing",
       {{"fillcolor", "#ff0000"}, {"line", {{"color", "#aa0000"}}}}}};
 
  // Create volume bar trace
  plotly::Object volumeTrace = {{"type", "bar"},
                                {"x", dates},
                                {"y", volume},
                                {"name", "Volume"},
                                {"yaxis", "y2"},
                                {"opacity", 0.3},
                                {"marker", {{"color", "blue"}}}};
 
  // Create layout with dual y-axes
  plotly::Object layout = {
      {"title", {{"text", "Stock Price Candlestick Chart with Volume"}}},
      {"xaxis", {{"title", "Date"}, {"rangeslider", {{"visible", false}}}}},
      {"yaxis", {{"title", "Price ($)"}, {"domain", {0.3, 1.0}}}},
      {"yaxis2",
       {{"title", "Volume"}, {"domain", {0.0, 0.25}}, {"side", "right"}}},
      {"width", 1000},
      {"height", 700},
      {"showlegend", true}};
 
  // Create the plot
  std::vector<plotly::Object> data = {candlestickTrace, volumeTrace};
  fig.newPlot(data, layout);
 
  if (!args.headless) {
    fig.waitClose();
  } else {
    // Save image instead of opening browser
    plotly::Object imageOpts = {{"format", "png"},
                                {"width", 1000},
                                {"height", 700},
                                {"filename", "financial_candlestick"}};
    fig.downloadImage(imageOpts);
  }
 
  return 0;
}