The 52-week high and low are the highest and lowest prices at which a security has traded over the past year. Together they frame the recent range, showing at a glance whether today's price sits near the top, the bottom, or somewhere in the middle of where the market has valued it lately.
The figures are context, not a forecast. A price near its 52-week high is not automatically "expensive" and one near its low is not automatically "cheap" — both can keep moving in the same direction. The range describes where the asset has been, not where it is going.
Investors often watch these levels because other traders do, which can make them act as informal areas of support or resistance. That is a behavioural effect, not a guarantee, and it can break at any time.
Worked example
A stock at $90 with a 52-week range of $60 to $100 is sitting in the upper third of where it has traded all year.
Related guides
This definition is general education, not investment advice. Markets — especially crypto — are volatile and you can lose money. Please read our disclaimer and see our methodology.