Candlesticks are formed using the open, high, low and close.
- If the close is above the open, then a hollow candlestick (usually displayed as white) is drawn.
- If the close is below the open, then a filled candlestick (usually displayed as black) is drawn.
- The hollow or filled section of the candlestick is called the “real body” or body.
- The thin lines poking above and below the body display the high/low range and are called shadows.
- The top of the upper shadow is the “high”.
- The bottom of the lower shadow is the “low”.
Long bodies indicate strong buying or selling. The longer the body is, the more intense the buying or selling pressure.
Short bodies imply very little buying or selling activity. In street forex lingo, bulls mean buyers and bears mean sellers.
Upper shadows signify the session high.
Lower shadows signify the session low.
Candlesticks with a long upper shadow, long lower shadow and small real bodies are called spinning tops. The pattern indicates the indecision between the buyers and sellers Marubozu means there are no shadows from the bodies. Depending on whether the candlestick’s body is filled or hollow, the high and low are the same as it’s open or close.
Doji candlesticks have the same open and close price or at least their bodies are extremely short.
The
hammer is a
bullish reversal pattern that forms during a downtrend. It is named because the market is hammering out a bottom.
The hanging man is a bearish reversal pattern that can also mark a top or strong resistance level.
The inverted hammer occurs when price has been falling suggests the possibility of a reversal.
The shooting star is a bearish reversal pattern that looks identical to the inverted hammer but occurs when price has been rising.
