Candlestick patterns
Recurring single-day and multi-day candle shapes that traders read as supply / demand shifts.
Recurring single-day and multi-day candle shapes that traders read as supply / demand shifts.
Recurring single-day and multi-day candle shapes that traders read as supply / demand shifts. Each one only carries meaning inside a specific prior trend. The same shape signals different things at the top vs the bottom of a move.
Grouped by candle count; ordered within each group by how often retail traders and educators reference the pattern. Doji, Bullish / Bearish Engulfing, Hammer, and Shooting Star dominate everyday commentary.
10 patterns
Indecision
Open and close at essentially the same level: body is a thin horizontal line. Upper and lower wicks can be any size.
Bullish reversal
Small body sitting near the top of the candle's range with a long lower wick at least twice the body's height. Little or no upper wick.
Bearish reversal
Small body near the bottom of the candle's range with a long upper wick at least twice the body's height. Little or no lower wick.
Bullish reversal
A long green candle with no upper or lower wick. Open is the low, close is the high. Sellers had no control during the session.
Bearish reversal
A long red candle with no upper or lower wick. Open is the high, close is the low. Buyers had no control during the session.
Bearish reversal
Same shape as a hammer (small body at the top, long lower wick), but appearing at the top of an uptrend rather than the bottom of a downtrend.
Bullish reversal
Small body near the bottom of the candle's range with a long upper wick at least twice the body's height. Identical shape to a shooting star but appearing at the bottom of a downtrend instead of the top of an uptrend.
Indecision
Small real body with upper and lower wicks of roughly equal length, both noticeably longer than the body. Like a Doji but with a visible body.
Bullish reversal
Open, high, and close at essentially the same level (at the top of the candle) with a long lower wick. Looks like a 'T' shape.
Bearish reversal
Open, high, and close at essentially the same level (at the bottom of the candle) with a long upper wick. Inverted 'T'.
8 patterns
Bullish reversal
A small red candle followed by a large green candle whose body completely engulfs the prior session's body (open below the prior close, close above the prior open).
Bearish reversal
A small green candle followed by a large red candle whose body completely engulfs the prior session's body (open above the prior close, close below the prior open).
Bullish reversal
A long red candle followed by a small green candle whose body fits entirely inside the prior candle's body (an 'inside bar' of opposite colour).
Bearish reversal
A long green candle followed by a small red candle whose body fits entirely inside the prior candle's body.
Bullish reversal
A long red candle followed by a green candle that opens below the prior candle's low and closes above the midpoint of the prior body (but doesn't fully engulf it).
Bearish reversal
A long green candle followed by a red candle that opens above the prior candle's high and closes below the midpoint of the prior body (but doesn't fully engulf it).
Bullish reversal
Two consecutive candles with the same (or near-identical) low. First is red, second is green. The matching low signals support held twice.
Bearish reversal
Two consecutive candles with the same (or near-identical) high. First is green, second is red. The matching high signals resistance held twice.
4 patterns
Bullish reversal
Three candles: (1) a long red candle continuing the downtrend, (2) a small-bodied candle (any colour) that gaps below the prior close, (3) a long green candle that closes above the midpoint of the first candle's body.
Bearish reversal
Three candles: (1) a long green candle continuing the uptrend, (2) a small-bodied candle (any colour) that gaps above the prior close, (3) a long red candle that closes below the midpoint of the first candle's body.
Bullish reversal
Three consecutive long green candles, each opening within the prior candle's body and closing near its high. Steady stair-step up.
Bearish reversal
Three consecutive long red candles, each opening within the prior candle's body and closing near its low. Steady stair-step down.
These pages describe the patterns; they do not predict what a stock will do. Patterns work in some markets and fail in others; context (trend, volume, broader market) decides which.