Understanding the top 10 candlestick patterns

There is candlestick pattern for just about every high probability price action. The wise investors and traders use these to their advantage. Here are 10 of the most popular candlestick patterns you should probably get to know.

* The dark cloud cover: This 2 candlestick high probability formation is bearish. Generally the first candlestick is continuing the bull trend and the next candlestick will gap up and open appearing to continue the trend, but fail to make any bullish headway and close well below the open and well into the real body of the first candlestick.

* Doji: When the opening and closing price are essentially the same, the candlestick formed resembles a plus sign, cross, or inverted cross and is referred to as Doji. It represents indecision on the part of the market, and is interpreted by traders that a turning point is imminent.

* Engulfing Pattern: This is a two-day pattern where the first day’s body is smaller than the subsequent candlestick, and they are both of opposite colors. This pattern is considered bearish when it appears at the end of an uptrend and bullish when it occurs in a down trending market.

* Evening star candlestick: This is a 3 bar bearish candlestick pattern. The first candlestick will be a rather strong white candlestick the second is a gap up short bodied candlestick indicating a weakness in bullish strength, then the final is a gap down bearish black candlestick where typically the low reaches beyond the 50% mark of candlestick #1.

* The Hammer: This is a single candlestick. The hammer is always bullish It will indicate a continuation in a bull trend and a reversal in a bearish one. It just a small body and a long tail. The tail is imply the bears trying their best to push price down and failing by end of day to keep it there.

* Hanging man: The hanging man is still a hammer, but when its on an uptrend its called a hanging man. Look to the long tail for the intuitiveness in the candlestick. Price pushed down but failed to stay there, this is bullish and so the hanging man tells us the trend will continue. A continuation candlestick.

* The Harami: The is like a mirror image of the engulfing pattern. With the harami the first candlestick engulfs the second. So the second and last candlesticks open and close are within the real body of the first. Depending on the color of the candlestick it can be bullish or bearish but the bottom line is that it’s telling you the short term trend is reaching exhaustion.

* Morning Star: This formation is considered a three day bullish reversal pattern that consists of a long bodied black first day, a short gap down second day, followed by a third long white bodied candle, which closes above the midpoint of the first day.

* Piercing line pattern: This pattern is a bullish reversal pattern with two candlestick in the formation. The first will continue the downtrend. The second candlestick will gap down appearing to continue the trend but will ultimately close higher than the open and well within the real body of candlestick #1.

* Shooting Star: The opposite of the Hammer, this is a one-day formation and occurs in an uptrend. Trading opens higher and trades much higher but prices end near the low. This pattern is viewed as a bearish reversal.