A line chart displays data values as a set of points that are connected by a line. You typically use line charts to present large amounts of data that occur over a continuous period of time. A line chart is the most basic type of chart in finance. Figure 8‑16 shows an example of a line chart that shows the value of the Euro against the US Dollar over 10 days.

A line chart is similar to an area chart, except that the line chart does not fill in the area below the line, and it uses a square marker for each data value.

There are three subtypes of line charts, which are functionally similar to the area chart and bar chart subtypes. The line chart subtypes in the following sections use the same data as the area charts and bar charts in earlier sections. You can compare how different chart types present the same set of data.