4 Candlestick Patterns You Need to Know for 2025

Written by Sam Levine, CFA, CMT, Blain Reinkensmeyer
Edited by Carolyn Kimball
Fact-checked by Steven Hatzakis

March 25, 2025

Candlestick patterns are a visual representation of price movements over a specific period and are used to identify potential trend reversals or continuations in the market. They are a cornerstone of technical analysis and patterns can distill complex market data into digestible signals, making them indispensable for traders looking to sharpen their market timing.

In this guide, I’ll teach you how to read candlestick patterns, with examples, and walk you through patterns every trader should know: the bullish engulfing, bearish engulfing, umbrella lines, and dojis. Whether you’re spotting early trend reversals or confirming momentum, understanding these patterns can enhance your trading strategy when paired with other tools. Let’s dive in and illuminate the charts together.

What are candlesticks?

Candlesticks are formed by showing a candle “body,” a solid area between the open and close price, and “wicks,” which represent the high and low. Candles (the terms “candles” and “candlesticks” are used interchangeably) are often colored to indicate whether it indicates an up move or a down move. For a more detailed description of candlestick charts, have a look at our guide How to Read Stock Charts.

Many chart watchers believe specific shapes of individual candles or candlestick patterns can offer clues about the prevailing mood of a market. While candlestick patterns can be a reliable tool for identifying potential market trends, their effectiveness increases when used alongside other technical indicators and market context. Steve Nison’s book "Japanese Candlestick Charting Techniques" introduced the discipline to Western investors and is essential reading for anyone who wants to become a skilled candlestick chart reader.

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How do you read a candlestick chart?

Reading a candlestick chart involves analyzing individual candlesticks and their patterns to understand price movements and market sentiment. Each candlestick represents a specific time period — such as a minute, hour, or day — and is made up of four key data points:

Open Price: Where the price started during the selected period.
High Price: The highest point reached during the period.
Low Price: The lowest point reached during the period.
Close Price: Where the price ended for that period.

A candlestick consists of a body and wicks (or shadows). The body represents the difference between the open and close prices. A long body indicates strong buying or selling pressure, while a short body suggests indecision. The wicks extend from the top and bottom of the body, marking the highest and lowest prices reached during the period.

Candlesticks can be bullish or bearish. Bullish candles (typically green or white) form when the closing price is higher than the opening price, signaling upward momentum. Bearish candles (usually red or black) appear when the closing price is lower than the opening price, indicating downward pressure.

By recognizing individual candlestick formations and multi-candle patterns, you can interpret potential price movements, confirm trends, and make more informed trading decisions.

Candlestick patterns every trader should know

Let’s take a look at four of the most widely used candlestick patterns along with some actual stock chart examples. The four patterns we’ll look at here are the bullish engulfing pattern, the bearish engulfing pattern, umbrella lines, and dojis. Even if candlesticks aren’t your thing, almost everyone agrees the pattern names are vivid.

Bullish engulfing candlestick

A bullish engulfing candle pattern is formed when a candle’s body (the difference between the open and close) is longer than the prior candle with both a lower open and a higher close. It engulfs. Usually, this pattern suggests the price has found support. Often this type of candle can signal a sustained up move or trend change.

Below are, first, an example of a bullish engulfing pattern and, next, how it foretold a change in trend.

Bullish engulfing pattern before uptrend

Chart source: eToro

Bearish engulfing candlestick

The opposite of a bullish engulfing candle, a bearish engulfing candle pattern will open higher than the previous bar’s close, then after finding selling volume will move sharply downwards, breaking the previous day's open. This can foreshadow a sharp sustained drop in price or trend change. Below is an isolated example of a bearish engulfing pattern, followed by where I plucked it from in a chart.

Bearish engulfing pattern before downtrend

Chart source: eToro

Umbrella lines

An umbrella line can form when support or resistance is sharply rejected by market participants. They are small bodies with long lines underneath. A hammer indicates a potential reversal of a downward trend. Below is an example of a hammer in the midst of some market action.

Chart source: eToro

If an umbrella line appears in an uptrend, it also points to a potential reversal and is aptly called a “hanging man.” Below is an umbrella line pointing to a reversal.

Dojis

A candle that lacks a real body is called a “doji.” They are formed when the opening price and the closing price of a bar are the same. Many traders believe this is where the bulls and bears are fighting each other for direction. A doji candle can have long wicks formed to the high and low, which were tested but fought back from by each side. The pattern signifies uncertainty. The market is waiting for either the bulls or bears to take control. Often the next direction is an upwards or downwards sustained move in price as the stock breaks beyond the doji.

The doji candle is not a great entry candle for a trade because the trend can go either way. What it does offer is a heads-up that sentiment may be changing. Options traders might use it as a signal to put on a straddle. Below is a doji signifying the possible end of an uptrend.

Chart source: eToro

Closing thoughts

All in all, these four candlestick patterns, when identified correctly and used in combination with other analysis techniques, can be very useful for investors, as long as you understand what they are trying to tell you. If you're new to trading, our best trading platform for beginners guide can help you get started to practice identifying these patterns in real-time while learning how to apply them effectively.

How many types of candlestick patterns are there?

There are an almost infinite number of patterns possible, but investors tend to focus on established continuation and reversal patterns. Some of the most well known are engulfing patterns, dojis, and umbrella lines.

What is the three candle rule?

The three candle rule is to invest against the trend after an extended move in one direction. When three long-bodied candles appear in the same direction, the trend is expected to reverse, reminiscent of the phrase “three steps forward and two steps back.”

About the Editorial Team

Sam Levine has over 30 years of experience in the investing field as a portfolio manager, financial consultant, investment strategist and writer. He also taught investing as an adjunct professor of finance at Wayne State University. Sam holds the Chartered Financial Analyst and the Chartered Market Technician designations and is pursuing a master's in personal financial planning at the College for Financial Planning. Previously, he was a contributing editor at BetterInvesting Magazine and a contributor to The Penny Hoarder and other media outlets.

Blain Reinkensmeyer has 20 years of trading experience with over 2,500 trades placed during that time. He heads research for all U.S.-based brokerages on StockBrokers.com and is respected by executives as the leading expert covering the online broker industry. Blain’s insights have been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and the Chicago Tribune, among other media outlets.

Carolyn Kimball is a former managing editor for StockBrokers.com and AdvisorSearch.org (formerly investor.com). Carolyn has more than 20 years of writing and editing experience at major media outlets including NerdWallet, the Los Angeles Times and the San Jose Mercury News. She specializes in coverage of personal financial products and services, wielding her editing skills to clarify complex (some might say befuddling) topics to help consumers make informed decisions about their money.

Steven Hatzakis is the Global Director of Research for ForexBrokers.com. Steven previously served as an Editor for Finance Magnates, where he authored over 1,000 published articles about the online finance industry. Steven is an active fintech and crypto industry researcher and advises blockchain companies at the board level. Over the past 20 years, Steven has held numerous positions within the international forex markets, from writing to consulting to serving as a registered commodity futures representative.

4 Candlestick Patterns You Need to Know for 2025

What are candlesticks?

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How do you read a candlestick chart?

Candlestick patterns every trader should know

Bullish engulfing candlestick

Bearish engulfing candlestick

Umbrella lines

Dojis

Closing thoughts

How many types of candlestick patterns are there?

What is the three candle rule?

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About the Editorial Team