Platforms and Charts
Candlesticks and Basic Market Structure
Every candlestick on your chart contains exactly four pieces of information about a specific period of time.
Open — where price was at the start of the period
High — the highest price reached during the period
Low — the lowest price reached during the period
Close — where price was at the end of the period
Reading a Single Candle
Close is Higher than Open
Bullish Candle
Price moved upward during this period. The body is typically green or white. Open is at the bottom of the body, close is at the top.
- Long body = strong buying pressure
- Short body = weak or indecisive move
- Upper wick = buyers pushed high, then sellers pulled back
Close is Lower than Open
Bearish Candle
Price moved downward during this period. The body is typically red or black. Open is at the top of the body, close is at the bottom.
- Long body = strong selling pressure
- Short body = weak or indecisive move
- Lower wick = sellers pushed low, then buyers pulled back
A series of candles shows market structure. Higher highs and higher lows form an uptrend; lower highs and lower lows form a downtrend.
