November 14, 2025
9 mins read
Candlestick charts… They're everywhere. At first glance, they look like little green and red rectangles with lines poking out. Almost decorative. But once you get past that, you realise they’re one of the most expressive ways traders read markets.
Unlike a simple line chart that just says “here’s where the price closed,” candlesticks tell you more. Open, close, highs, lows it’s like a daily diary of price behaviour. A quick glance, and you can often sense who was winning the tug of war that day: buyers or sellers.
So, what exactly is a candlestick chart? Imagine a single candle as a snapshot of trading over a set time could be a day, could be an hour. Stack hundreds of these side by side, and suddenly you have a moving picture of the market’s mood.
Traders love them because they show patterns you’d never see in a plain line chart. You get to see hesitation, sudden bursts of energy, reversals that feel like mood swings. Stocks, forex, crypto candlesticks don’t care. They work across all.
Every candle has a few parts. Sounds simple, but honestly, the details can trip you up at first.
This is the chunky bit in the middle. It shows the distance between where the price opened and where it closed. Long body- means serious momentum. Short body- market wasn’t sure what it wanted. And the colour matters too green (or white) says buyers pushed the price higher. Red (or black) says sellers had the upper hand.
Those thin lines above and below the body are called shadows or wicks. They mark the extremes the highest and lowest price reached. Think of them like footprints showing how far the market wandered before settling back.
A long upper shadow- Buyers tried to push up, but sellers dragged it down.
A long lower shadow- Sellers pushed down, but buyers fought back.
Tiny shadows- Price stuck close to the open and close.
Once you see it this way, every candle feels less abstract and more like a mini battle report.
Colours matter more than you’d think:
Green/White Candles – Closing higher than opening. Buyers in control.
Red/Black Candles – Closing lower than opening. Sellers in control.
Long Green Candles – Strong buying. Sometimes almost too strong you wonder if it’s sustainable.
Long Red Candles – Heavy selling. Could be panic, could be profit booking.
And no, it’s not always straightforward. Sometimes a big green candle pops up in the middle of a downtrend a head fake. Context matters.
Here’s the thing: one candle by itself? Not that useful. But several together? That’s where the story unfolds.
A run of green candles buyers pressing forward, an uptrend building.
A cluster of red sellers calling the shots.
Strange mixes like “morning star” or “evening star” patterns often warn of a shift.
Size also tells a tale. Big bodies with tiny shadows = conviction. Tiny bodies with long shadows = indecision. Add in trading volume, and you get a sense of whether the move has real muscle or is just a flicker.
And yes, traders also look backward. “Has this pattern shown up before? What happened next?” It’s not prophecy, but it’s pattern recognition.
Bullish patterns show a possible rise in price. They signal that buyers are strengthening, and the market could go up.
Hammer: It has a compact body with an extended lower shadow and minimal to no upper shadow. It appears on the underside of a decline and indicates sellers forced prices downward but buyers recaptured the ground and pushed the price back upwards. It represents a potential price reversal.
Bullish engulfing: A two-candle pattern in which a larger green candle fully engulfs the prior red candle. This indicates buyers dominated sellers, demonstrating strong buying pressure. It usually occurs after a downtrend, suggesting a potential trend reversal.
Morning star: Three-candle reversal pattern that comes at the terminal of a decline. The sequence starts with an elongated red candle, second with a short-bodied indecisive candle, and third is a powerful green candle. All this indicates is that selling strength is diminishing while buying strength is on the rise, and there will be a reversal to the upside.
Piercing line: A two-candle formation in which a red candle is followed by a green candle that closes higher than the midpoint of the prior red candle. This indicates that buyers are coming in after a fall, and prices could keep going up.
Three white soldiers: Three continuous green candles with a successively higher close. It suggests intense buying pressure and is a strong indication of an upward bullish trend.
Bearish patterns suggest the likelihood of a price fall. They point to the possibility that sellers are gaining control, and the market can move downward.
Shooting star: This formation has a short body with an extended upper shadow and minimal or no lower shadow. It forms at the peak of an uptrend and indicates that buyers attempted to drive prices upward, but sellers gained control and pushed prices lower. This indicates a potential price decline.
Bearish engulfing: Two-candle pattern in which a big red candle completely engulfs the earlier green candle. Sellers dominated buyers, indicating high selling pressure. It usually follows an uptrend, suggesting a potential trend reversal.
Evening star: This is a three-candle pattern seen at the end of an uptrend. The first is a long green candle, the second is a small-bodied indecision candle, and the third is a strong red candle. This pattern shows weakening buying pressure and growing selling pressure, indicating a bearish reversal.
Three black crows: This formation comprises three red consecutive candles with the third having a lower close compared to the preceding one. This is a powerful bearish indicator and reflects great selling momentum.
These candlestick patterns are not difficult to spot, and a good understanding of them will guide traders to better trading decisions while anticipating price moves. It's easy to detect these patterns upon practice, thereby enabling traders to respond swiftly as well as adequately manage risks.
Candlestick charts are among the most handy tools in a trader's arsenal. They offer an easy, graphical way of viewing price action over time. Compared to single-line charts, candlestick charts display opening and closing prices in addition to the highs and lows over the course of a specified time. This allows the trader to review market trends promptly.
Pattern recognition enables traders to make quicker decisions. There are patterns on the candlestick that inform traders whether prices will go up or down, and therefore they are able to anticipate future price movements. The charts support other technical indicators, such as moving averages and volume analysis, in developing trading strategies into something more substantial.
Candlestick charts are found everywhere in any market, whether stocks, forex, or cryptocurrencies. It is a favorite among beginners and experts. Whether finding trends, finding reversals, or validating market indicators, candlestick charts play a crucial role in making smart decisions and evading risks in trading.
Candlestick charts aren’t magic. They don’t guarantee what comes next. But they are a language. Once you learn it, you start noticing subtleties how the market tests levels, how traders react, how momentum builds or fades.
At first, it feels like memorising patterns. Over time, though, you stop “studying” and start “reading.” That’s when candlestick charts stop being just shapes on a screen and start becoming a narrative you can follow.
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A candlestick chart is a visual way to track price movements in trading. It shows the opening, closing, highest, and lowest prices for a specific time period. Traders use it to understand market trends, spot potential reversals, and make quick decisions. It’s a key tool for predicting price movements in stocks, forex, and cryptocurrencies.
A bullish candlestick pattern signals a possible price increase. Look for green or white candles where the closing price is higher than the opening price. Common bullish patterns include the hammer, bullish engulfing, and morning star. These patterns often appear after a downtrend, suggesting that buyers are gaining strength and the market may rise.
The shadows, or wicks, show the highest and lowest prices reached during a specific period. The upper shadow represents the highest price, while the lower shadow shows the lowest price. Long shadows indicate price volatility, meaning traders pushed the price up or down before settling near the opening or closing price.
Candlestick patterns help traders predict trends by showing buyer and seller activity. A series of bullish candles suggests an uptrend, while bearish candles indicate a downtrend. Reversal patterns, like the evening star or bullish engulfing, signal possible trend changes. When combined with other indicators, candlestick patterns help traders make better market predictions.
Yes absolutely, candlestick charts are useful in all types of trading, including stocks, forex, and cryptocurrencies. They provide a clear view of price action, helping traders spot trends and reversals. Whether you’re day trading, swing trading, or investing long-term, candlestick patterns can improve decision-making and help manage risk more effectively.
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