A marubozu is a candle with no wicks (or very small wicks) — the open and close are at the extreme ends. A bullish marubozu opens at low, closes at high. A bearish marubozu opens at high, closes at low. Marubozus represent maximum conviction and can signal the start of a strong momentum move.
No wicks or extremely small wicks, Full control by buyers (bullish) or sellers (bearish), Often represents breakout moves, Volume should be elevated
Marubozu breaking through key resistance/support, Marubozu occurring on high volume, Opening marubozu (wick only on opening side) at trend continuation points
On bullish marubozu: stop at 50% of the candle's range, hold for continuation. On bearish: inverse. Watch for immediate follow-through.
All timeframes, best on 1H+
A marubozu that also breaks a consolidation range or trendline is an extremely strong signal. The absence of wicks means there was no meaningful opposition.
Pin bars are single-candle reversal patterns with a long tail (shadow) on one side and a small body on the opposite side. The tail shows a sharp rejection of a price level. Pin bars are the most widely used price action signal among naked chart traders and work on all markets and timeframes.
While not strictly a candlestick pattern, continuation triangles (ascending, descending, symmetrical) are multi-candle patterns where price contracts between converging trendlines. Breakouts from triangles tend to continue the prior trend. Triangles are measured-move patterns — the target equals the height of the triangle projected from the breakout point.
The abandoned baby is a rare three-candle reversal pattern considered one of the most reliable candlestick signals. It forms when a doji gaps away from the preceding candle and the following candle gaps in the opposite direction, leaving the doji isolated with gaps on both sides. The pattern indicates a dramatic shift in market sentiment where momentum completely reverses between sessions.
Doji and spinning top candles signal indecision between buyers and sellers. A doji has nearly identical open and close prices, while a spinning top has a small body with long wicks on both sides. These patterns are most significant at the end of extended trends where they can foreshadow reversals.