Sometimes referred to as a trading gap or an area gap, the common gap is usually uneventful.

This gap occurs characteristically in nervous markets and is generally closed within few days. In fact, they can be caused by a stock going ex-dividend when the trading volume is low. Getting closed means that the price action at a later time (few days to a few weeks) usually retraces to at the least the last day before the gap. This is also known as filling the gap.

A common gap usually appears in a trading range or congestion area and reinforces the apparent lack of interest in the stock at that time. Many times this is further exacerbated by low trading volume. Being aware of these types of gaps is good, but doubtful that they will produce trading opportunities.