How To Read Candlestick Charts Forex
Marcelene Vasconez
Once you start to trade forex instruments, you will notice that professional traders and brokers use a number of diagrams, analysis tools, graphs and stock charts to highlight projections and patterns in day trading.
One such tool that is commonly used is a candlestick chart. Candlestick charts are particularly popular in day trading for two reasons: they offer a wide range of trading information and their design makes them easy to read and interpret.
It is important to understand how to read candlestick charts and what the different components of a candle are. If you want to learn how to apply candlestick chart analysis to your trading strategy, this article covers all the basics to help you get there.
Candlestick charts offer an enjoyable visual perception of price, which is a distinct advantage over bar charts. Bar charts are not as visual as candle charts, and the candle formations or price patterns are not as easy to distinguish as they are in candlestick charts.
When the closing price is higher than the opening price, it is called a Bullish Candlestick. If the closing price is lower than the opening price, it is known as a Bearish Candlestick. The upper and lower shadows of the candlestick mark the highest and lowest price during the chosen time period (one minute, 60 minutes, one day etc.)
Candlestick charts are a useful tool to better understand the price action and order flow in the forex market. However, before you can read and explain a candlestick chart, you must understand what it is and become comfortable identifying and using candlesticks patterns.
A candlestick chart is a technical tool for forex analysis that consists of individual candles on a chart, which indicates price action. Candlestick price action requires forex traders to identify the place where the price opened for a period, where the price closed for a period, and to pinpoint the price highs and lows for a specific period.
For example, groups of candlesticks can form patterns throughout forex charts and diagrams that could indicate reversals or continuation of trends. Candlesticks can also form individual formations, which could indicate buy or sell entries in the market.
The very concept of candlestick charts used in forex trading comes from Japanese rice farmers in the 18th century. Candlesticks build patterns were introduced to the Western world by Steve Nison in his popular 1991 book, "Japanese Candlestick Charting Techniques."
In fact, candlestick charts had been used for centuries before the West developed the bar and point-and-figure charts we know and use today. In the 1700s, a Japanese man named Homma noted that in addition to the link between price and the supply and demand of rice, the markets were strongly influenced by the emotions of traders.
Candlesticks started being used to visually represent that emotion, as well as the size of price movements, with different colours. Traders use candlesticks to make trading decisions based on patterns that help forecast the short-term direction of the price.
There many different candlestick patterns you can use. However, professional traders may use some of the most popular candlestick patterns that provide information on the three market sentiments: bullishness, bearishness, and a neutral or tentative market condition.
It depends on the number of candlesticks required to form the patterns. A simple candlestick pattern requires a single candlestick, while the more complex candlestick patterns usually require two or more candlesticks to form.
An example of a complex pattern is the Three White Soldiers, which requires three candlesticks, the Bullish Harami show in the previous example requires two candlesticks, whereas the Bullish 3-Method Formation shown here requires four.
We can see that the GBPJPY price was bouncing around a strong support level, but failed to break below it. It penetrated the support level on the third try, but the market swiftly reversed and formed an Engulfing Bullish Candlestick pattern that signaled further bullishness in the market.
Once the Engulfing Bullish Candlestick formed around this crucial support level, it prompted a significant number of pending buy orders just above the high of this Engulfing Bullish Candlestick. When the price penetrated above the high, it triggered those orders, adding the additional bullish momentum in the market.
When the market consolidates for a while, it is basically setting up to break out in one direction or the other. The formation of this bullish candlestick pattern was the signal as to which way the market was about to break. Traders who understand how to read a simple candlestick pattern like the Engulfing Bullish would have known when to enter this trade, and could have profited with this high reward-to-risk ratio setup.
Once you learn how to correctly read candlestick patterns, you can use this skill as part of a broader trading strategy. This can improve the consistency of your market entries and your overall performance as a trader.
Candlestick patterns are useful for spotting areas of support and resistance. They are also valuable for confirming your predictions about market movements. However, it is worth mentioning that there is a lot that candlesticks cannot tell you. For instance, you cannot use them to learn why the open and close are similar or different.
Once you master the basics of reading candlestick charts, you potentially can start integrating them into your preferred trading strategy for better accuracy. To use the insights gained from understanding candlestick patterns and investing in an asset, you require a brokerage account.
The best way to get comfortable with using candlesticks in your trading is to open a demo account and start practicing applying your knowledge. As soon as you get comfortable enough in reading candlestick charts for trading, you can open a live account and use your experience to improve your trading performance in the long run.
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A candlestick chart is simply a chart composed of individual candles, which traders use to understand price action. Candlestick price action involves pinpointing where the price opened for a period, where the price closed for a period, as well as the price highs and lows for a specific period.
Price action can give traders of all financial markets clues to trend and reversals. For example, groups of candlesticks can form patterns which occur throughout forex charts that could indicate reversals or continuation of trends. Candlesticks can also form individual formations which could indicate buy or sell entries in the market.
The period that each candle depicts depends on the time-frame chosen by the trader. A popular time-frame is the daily time-frame, so the candle will depict the open, close, and high and low for the day. The different components of a candle can help you forecast where the price might go, for instance if a candle closes far below its open it may indicate further price declines.
The open price depicts the first price traded during the formation of the new candle. If the price starts to trend upwards the candle will turn green/blue (colors vary depending on chart settings). If the price declines the candle will turn red.
The lowest price traded is the either the price at the bottom of the lower wick/shadow and if there is no lower wick/shadow then the lowest price traded is the same as the close price or open price in a bullish candle.
The close price is the last price traded during the period of the candle formation. If the close price is below the open price the candle will turn red as a default in most charting packages. If the close price is above the open price the candle will be green/blue (also depends on the chart settings).
The direction of the price is indicated by the color of the candlestick. If the price of the candle is closing above the opening price of the candle, then the price is moving upwards and the candle would be green (the color of the candle depends on the chart settings). If the candle is red, then the price closed below the open.
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