Open a card for an example chart with the entry, stop and target marked, how to read the pattern and when it fails.
All patterns
59 patterns shown
Bullish reversalReliability 2 of 3
Hammer
One candle with a small body near the top of its range and a lower wick at least twice the length of the body. Little or no upper wick. It has to come after a decline.
Bullish reversalReliability 3 of 3
Bullish Engulfing
Two candles. A red candle, then a larger green candle whose body covers the whole red body: it opens at or below the red close and closes above the red open.
Bullish reversalReliability 3 of 3
Morning Star
Three candles: a long red candle, a small candle of either colour that trades below it, then a long green candle that closes past the midpoint of the first candle's body.
Bullish reversalReliability 2 of 3
Piercing Line
A long red candle, then a green candle that opens below the red candle's low and closes above the midpoint of the red body, but not above its open.
Bullish reversalReliability 3 of 3
Three White Soldiers
Three long green candles in a row after a decline, each opening inside the previous body and closing near its high.
Bullish reversalReliability 1 of 3
Bullish Harami
A long red candle followed by a small green candle whose body sits entirely inside the red body.
Bullish reversalReliability 2 of 3
Tweezer Bottom
Two neighbouring candles with matching lows after a decline, usually a red candle followed by a green one.
Bullish reversalReliability 1 of 3
Inverted Hammer
A small body near the bottom of the range with a long upper wick and almost no lower wick, after a decline.
Bullish reversalReliability 1 of 3
Dragonfly Doji
Open, high and close at or very near the same price, with a long lower wick and no upper wick. It looks like a T.
Bullish reversalReliability 2 of 3
Bullish Pin Bar
Bullish rejection candle
A candle whose lower wick (the tail) makes up two thirds of its range or more and pokes clearly below the lows of the candles around it. The body sits in the upper part.
Bullish reversalReliability 2 of 3
Three Inside Up
A bullish harami (a long red candle, then a small green candle inside it) followed by a third candle that closes above the first candle's open.
Bullish reversalReliability 3 of 3
Three Outside Up
A bullish engulfing pattern followed by a third green candle that closes higher than the engulfing candle.
Bullish reversalReliability 3 of 3
Bullish Kicker
A red candle, then a green candle that opens above the red candle's open (a gap up) and keeps rising, never trading back into the red body.
Bullish reversalReliability 3 of 3
Bullish Abandoned Baby
A long red candle, then a doji that gaps below it with no overlapping wicks, then a long green candle that gaps above the doji.
Bullish reversalReliability 1 of 3
Bullish Belt Hold
A long green candle that opens at its low, with no lower wick, after a decline. It often opens with a gap down.
Bullish reversalReliability 1 of 3
Homing Pigeon
Two red candles after a decline: a long one, then a smaller one whose body sits inside the first body.
Bearish reversalReliability 2 of 3
Shooting Star
A small body near the bottom of the range with an upper wick at least twice the body and little or no lower wick, after a rally.
Bearish reversalReliability 3 of 3
Bearish Engulfing
A green candle followed by a larger red candle whose body covers the whole green body: it opens at or above the green close and closes below the green open.
Bearish reversalReliability 3 of 3
Evening Star
Three candles: a long green candle, a small candle that trades above it, then a long red candle that closes past the midpoint of the first candle's body.
Bearish reversalReliability 2 of 3
Dark Cloud Cover
A long green candle, then a red candle that opens above the green candle's high and closes below the midpoint of the green body.
Bearish reversalReliability 3 of 3
Three Black Crows
Three long red candles in a row after a rally, each opening inside the previous body and closing near its low.
Bearish reversalReliability 1 of 3
Bearish Harami
A long green candle followed by a small red candle whose body sits entirely inside the green body.
Bearish reversalReliability 2 of 3
Tweezer Top
Two neighbouring candles with matching highs after a rally, usually a green candle followed by a red one.
Bearish reversalReliability 1 of 3
Hanging Man
The hammer shape at the top of a rally: a small body near the high, a lower wick at least twice the body, little or no upper wick.
Bearish reversalReliability 1 of 3
Gravestone Doji
Open, low and close at or near the same price, with a long upper wick and no lower wick. It looks like an upside-down T.
Bearish reversalReliability 2 of 3
Bearish Pin Bar
Bearish rejection candle
A candle whose upper wick makes up two thirds of its range or more and sticks clearly above the highs of the candles around it. The body sits in the lower part.
Bearish reversalReliability 2 of 3
Three Inside Down
A bearish harami (a long green candle, then a small red candle inside it) followed by a third candle that closes below the first candle's open.
Bearish reversalReliability 3 of 3
Three Outside Down
A bearish engulfing pattern followed by a third red candle that closes lower than the engulfing candle.
Bearish reversalReliability 3 of 3
Bearish Kicker
A green candle, then a red candle that opens below the green candle's open (a gap down) and never trades back into the green body.
Bearish reversalReliability 3 of 3
Bearish Abandoned Baby
A long green candle, then a doji that gaps above it with no overlapping wicks, then a long red candle that gaps below the doji.
Bearish reversalReliability 1 of 3
Bearish Belt Hold
A long red candle that opens at its high, with no upper wick, after a rally. It often opens with a gap up.
Bearish reversalReliability 1 of 3
Advance Block
Three green candles that still close higher each time, but with shrinking bodies and growing upper wicks.
ContinuationReliability 2 of 3
Rising Three Methods
A long green candle, then three small candles drifting lower inside its range, then a long green candle that closes above the first candle's close.
ContinuationReliability 2 of 3
Falling Three Methods
A long red candle, then three small candles drifting higher inside its range, then a long red candle that closes below the first candle's close.
ContinuationReliability 2 of 3
Rising Window
Gap up
A gap between two candles in an uptrend: the low of the second candle is above the high of the first.
ContinuationReliability 2 of 3
Falling Window
Gap down
A gap between two candles in a downtrend: the high of the second candle is below the low of the first.
ContinuationReliability 1 of 3
Upside Tasuki Gap
In an uptrend, a green candle gaps above the previous green candle, then a red candle opens inside its body and closes inside the gap without closing it.
ContinuationReliability 1 of 3
Downside Tasuki Gap
In a downtrend, a red candle gaps below the previous red candle, then a green candle opens inside its body and closes inside the gap without closing it.
ContinuationReliability 2 of 3
Mat Hold
A long green candle, a small candle that gaps above it, two or three small candles drifting lower while staying in the upper half of the first candle, then a green candle that closes at a new high.
ContinuationReliability 2 of 3
Bullish Marubozu
White marubozu
A long green candle with no wicks, or almost none: it opens at the low and closes at the high.
ContinuationReliability 2 of 3
Bearish Marubozu
Black marubozu
A long red candle with no wicks, or almost none: it opens at the high and closes at the low.
IndecisionReliability 1 of 3
Doji
Open and close at or almost at the same price, so the body is a thin line. The wicks can be any length.
IndecisionReliability 1 of 3
Long-legged Doji
A doji with long upper and lower wicks: price travelled far in both directions and closed where it opened.
IndecisionReliability 1 of 3
Spinning Top
A small body in the middle of the range, with upper and lower wicks that are both longer than the body.
IndecisionReliability 1 of 3
High Wave
A small body with very long wicks on both sides, longer than those of a spinning top.
IndecisionReliability 2 of 3
Inside Bar
A candle whose high and low both sit inside the range of the previous candle, which traders call the mother bar.
Chart patternsReliability 3 of 3
Double Bottom
W pattern
Two lows at roughly the same level, separated by a rally. The high of that rally is the neckline.
Chart patternsReliability 3 of 3
Double Top
M pattern
Two highs at roughly the same level with a dip between them. The low of that dip is the neckline.
Chart patternsReliability 3 of 3
Head and Shoulders
Three peaks: a left shoulder, a higher head, then a right shoulder at about the left shoulder's height. The lows between them form the neckline.
Chart patternsReliability 3 of 3
Inverse Head and Shoulders
Three troughs: a left shoulder, a deeper head, then a right shoulder near the left shoulder's level. The highs between them form the neckline.
Chart patternsReliability 2 of 3
Bull Flag
A sharp rally (the pole), then a short, orderly drift lower inside a narrow parallel channel (the flag).
Chart patternsReliability 2 of 3
Bear Flag
A sharp drop (the pole), then a short, orderly drift higher inside a narrow parallel channel.
Chart patternsReliability 2 of 3
Pennant
A sharp move (the pole) followed by a small triangle whose upper and lower lines converge.
Chart patternsReliability 2 of 3
Ascending Triangle
A flat resistance line on top and a rising line of higher lows underneath.
Chart patternsReliability 2 of 3
Descending Triangle
A flat support line underneath and a falling line of lower highs on top.
Chart patternsReliability 1 of 3
Symmetrical Triangle
Lower highs and higher lows converging toward a point, with no clear slope either way.
Chart patternsReliability 2 of 3
Rising Wedge
Price climbs between two rising lines that converge, with the lower line rising faster than the upper one.
Chart patternsReliability 2 of 3
Falling Wedge
Price falls between two declining lines that converge, with the upper line falling faster than the lower one.
Chart patternsReliability 2 of 3
Cup and Handle
A rounded, U-shaped bottom (the cup) between two highs at a similar level, then a small, shallow pullback (the handle) near the right rim.
How to read a candlestick
Each candle records four prices for its period: open, high, low and close. The body runs from the open to the close, and the wicks show how far price travelled before it was pushed back. A green candle closed higher than it opened; a red one closed lower.
The method comes from 18th-century Japanese rice traders and reached Western markets through Steve Nison's 1991 book. Today it is the default chart on TradingView. On MetaTrader, press Alt+2 to switch a chart to candlesticks.
Where a pattern forms
A hammer on support is a setup; the same candle in the middle of a range is noise. Before you trade one, check four things:
Is there a trend to reverse? In a sideways market there is nothing to reverse.
Is it at a level that matters: support, resistance, a round number, an old high or low?
Which timeframe? Four-hour and daily patterns carry far more weight than one-minute ones, where noise produces patterns all day.
Did the next candle confirm it? Jumping in early to catch the exact turn is a common way candlestick traders lose money.
A simple plan for trading any pattern
Wait for confirmation: the next candle closing beyond the pattern's high for bullish patterns, or its low for bearish ones.
Put the stop beyond the pattern's extreme, with a buffer for the spread. If price gets there, the pattern has failed.
Set the target at the next support or resistance, and skip the trade if it cannot offer at least one and a half times the risk.
Size the position from the stop distance and a fixed share of your account, such as 1%. A wider stop means a smaller lot, so the amount at risk stays the same.
Check what news is due. A rate decision or a jobs report can wipe out any pattern in seconds.
Candlestick patterns form over one to five candles and speak to the next few sessions. Chart patterns such as head and shoulders, double tops and triangles take dozens of candles to build and come with a measured target, usually the height of the pattern projected from the breakout. A common approach is to use the chart pattern for direction and the zone to trade, then a candlestick pattern to time the entry.
Mistakes that cost the most
Seeing patterns everywhere without asking what came before them.
Entering the moment a pattern forms instead of waiting for the confirming close.
Setting the stop by money (“I'll risk $50”) instead of by the pattern, then getting stopped out just before price turns.
Learning fifty patterns and testing none. Pick five, log fifty examples of each on the market you trade, and keep the ones that hold up.
Frequently asked questions
Which candlestick patterns are the most reliable?
Multi-candle patterns at a clear support or resistance level after an extended move carry the most weight: engulfing patterns, morning and evening stars, three white soldiers and three black crows, three outside up and down, kickers and abandoned babies. Single candles such as a doji only show indecision. The one-to-three bar rating on each card is our editorial judgement, not a win rate.
Do candlestick patterns work in forex, gold and crypto?
Yes. Candles describe buying and selling, so they apply to any liquid market. Two things differ. Spot forex trades around the clock during the week, so gaps between candles are rare outside the weekly open. The daily candle also closes at a time set by the broker's server clock, so the same day can look different on two platforms.
Which timeframe should I use?
Start with the four-hour and daily charts. The lower the timeframe, the more false patterns appear because of noise. Many intraday traders pick the direction on the four-hour chart and only then look for an entry on the one-hour or fifteen-minute chart.
Do I need indicators as well?
Not necessarily, but they help filter weak signals. Support and resistance, trendlines and volume do most of the work, and RSI divergence alongside a reversal pattern is a popular combination.
How many patterns should I learn?
Fewer than you think. Traders who use candlesticks well usually rely on five to ten patterns they know deeply. Use this page to recognise the rest when they appear, not to trade all of them.
Are these trading signals?
No. This page is for education. The charts are illustrations, and nothing here is advice to buy or sell. Test a pattern on your own market before you risk money on it.
Get part of your spread back
Entries, stops and targets all cost spread or commission. A rebate returns part of that cost on every lot you trade, paid by the broker.
Patterns describe what has happened, not what will. Leveraged trading can lose money quickly, so size each trade so that a failed pattern costs a small, planned amount.