Top 10 Most Effective Candlestick Pattern Cheat Sheet Guide


Candlestick patterns, which are technical trading tools, have been used for centuries to predict price direction. By referring to this cheat sheet guide, you will get the basic price-action structure of the 10 most effective patterns that are mentioned below.

Many people would agree that learning to become a forex trader is difficult. This is true especially when there are so many different ways, methods, strategies out there. The most popular way to look for trading opportunities is by looking for candlestick patterns.

The problem here is that there are more than 30 candlestick patterns to learn from memory. Learning these 30+ candlesticks and instantly recognizing them in real-time can be difficult when you are a beginner. That is why we have designed this top 10 effective candlestick pattern cheat sheet. It’ll save you time and money.

Now before you get your hands on this cheat sheet, let’s go through the absolute basics…

What is a Candlestick?

What is candlestick

A candlestick is a way of displaying information about an asset’s price movement. Candlestick charts are one of the most popular components of technical analysis, enabling traders to interpret price information quickly and from just a few price bars.

This article focuses on a daily chart, wherein each candlestick details a single day’s trading. It has three basic features:

  1. The body, which represents the open-to-close range
  2. The wick, or shadow, that indicates the intra-day high and low
  3. The color, which reveals the direction of market movement – a green (or white) body indicates a price increase, while a red (or black) body shows a price decrease

Over time, individual candlesticks form patterns that traders can use to recognize major support and resistance levels. There are a great many candlestick patterns that indicate an opportunity within a market – some provide insight into the balance between buying and selling pressures, while others identify continuation patterns or market indecision.

Before you start trading, it’s important to familiarise yourself with the basics of candlestick patterns and how they can inform your decisions.

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Five bullish candlestick patterns

Bullish patterns may form after a market downtrend, and signal a reversal of price movement. They are an indicator for traders to consider opening a long position to profit from any upward trajectory. Below, we have five candlestick patterns cheat sheet that may signal a bullish move in the markets.

1# Hammer Candlestick Pattern

The Hammer Candlestick Pattern has a shorter body and a longer lower wick. It is located at the bottom end of a downward trend.

A hammer indicates that, despite selling pressures throughout the day, the price rose due to strong buying pressure. Although the color of the body may vary, green hammers signify a stronger bullish market than red.

Candlestick Pattern Cheat Sheet Guide

2# Inverse Hammer Candlestick Pattern

In our candlestick patterns cheat sheet, the inverted hammer is another bullish pattern. The only difference between the two is that the upper and lower wicks are both longer.

This indicates that there was a buying and selling pressure. However, it did not cause the market to fall. Inverse hammer indicates that buyers will soon control the market.

Inverse Hammer Candlestick Pattern

3# Engulfing Candlestick Pattern

Engulfing Candlestick Pattern

The bullish engulfing pattern is two candle reversal pattern that is formed at the end of a downtrend or an uptrend.  The first candle is a short red body that is completely engulfed by a larger green candle.

Though the second day opens lower than the first, the bullish market pushes the price up, culminating in an obvious win for buyers.

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4# Piercing Candlestick Pattern

The Piercing Pattern is a two candle reversal pattern made up of a long red candle, followed by a long green candle. The two-stick pattern indicates a strong buying pressure, as the price is pushed up to or above the mid-price of the previous day.

Piercing Candlestick Pattern

5# Morning Star Candlestick Pattern

The morning star candlestick pattern is considered a sign of hope in a bleak market downtrend. It is a three-stick pattern: one short-bodied candle between a long red and a long green. Traditionally, the ‘star’ will have no overlap with the longer bodies, as the market gaps both on open and close.

It signals that the selling pressure of the first day is subsiding, and a bull market is on the horizon.

Morning Star Candlestick Pattern
These are some great examples of bullish candlestick patterns that you can reference now and then to familiarize yourself with. Moving on, it’s time to discuss 5 candlestick patterns when the bears gain control of the market.

Five Bearish Candlestick Patterns

Bearish candlestick patterns usually form after an uptrend and signal a point of resistance. Heavy pessimism about the market price often causes traders to close their long positions, and open a short position to take advantage of the falling price.

1# Hanging Man Candlestick Patterns

The Hanging Man is the bearish counterpart of a hammer. It has the same shape, but forms at an uptrend.

This indicates that the market experienced a substantial sell-off, but buyers were able push the price higher. This is usually interpreted as a sign that the bulls have lost control of the market.

Hanging Man Candlestick Patterns

2# Shooting Star Candlestick Patterns

Shooting Star Candlestick Patterns

The shooting star is the same shape as the inverted hammer, but is formed in an uptrend: it has a small lower body and a long upper wick.

Usually, the market will gap slightly higher on opening and rally to an intra-day high before closing at a price just above the open – like a star falling to the ground.

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3# Bearish Engulfing Pattern

A bearish engulfing pattern occurs at the end of an uptrend. The first candle has a small green body that is engulfed by a subsequent long red candle.

It signifies a peak or slowdown of price movement and is an indication that the market downturn is imminent. The lower the second candle goes, the more significant the trend is likely to be.

Bearish Engulfing Pattern

4# Evening Star Candlestick Pattern

The evening star is a three-candlestick pattern that is the equivalent of the bullish morning star. It is formed of a short candle sandwiched between a long green candle and a large red candlestick.

This signifies the reversal of an uptrend and is particularly strong when the third candlestick wipes the gains of the first candle.

5# Three Black Crows Candlestick Pattern

The three black crows candlestick pattern comprises of three consecutive long red candles with short or non-existent wicks. Each session opens at a similar price to the previous day, but selling pressures push the price lower and lower with each close.

Traders interpret this pattern as the start of a bearish downtrend, as the sellers have overtaken the buyers during three successive trading days.

Three Black Crows Candlestick Pattern

Bonus: Two continuation candlestick patterns

If a candlestick pattern doesn’t indicate a change in market direction, it is what is known as a continuation pattern. These can help traders to identify a period of rest in the market when there is market indecision or neutral price movement.

1# Doji Candlestick Pattern

The Doji Candlestick pattern resembles a cross or plus sign and it is formed from a single candle. Alone a Doji is a neutral signal and it represents the equilibrium between demand and supply. The appearance of this pattern indicates a tug of war in which neither the bulls nor the bears are winning.

In the case of an uptrend, the bulls will be winning the battle, and the price goes higher, but after the appearance of Doji, the strength of the bulls is in doubt. The opposite is true in case of a downtrend. If we come across this pattern, we must wait for extra confirmation to take any action.

2# Spinning Top Candlestick Pattern

The spin top candlestick pattern features a small body that is centered between two wicks of equal length. This pattern is indicative of market indecision. The bulls drove the price higher while the bears drove it lower again. Spinning tops can be interpreted as a period for consolidation or rest after a significant downtrend or uptrend.

The spinning top, while a benign sign, can be taken as a signal of things to come. It could indicate that market pressures are losing control.

Spinning Top Candlestick Pattern

Take Away

Forex trading isn’t meant to be easy. However, after going through this top 10 most effective candlestick pattern cheat sheet guide, you will have gained a visual aid that will help you establish and gain experience with these price action patterns.

By focusing on learning to become better, practicing the patterns, and testing them out – only then you will gain an edge that is needed to conquer the markets. Cheers and safe trading.

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