The dark cloud cover is a signal that tells an obvious reversal of a trend and is the bearish counterpart to the piercing pattern. It is one of the 12 major candlestick patterns and it is named the dark cloud cover because it looks like a dark cloud over a nice bright sunny uptrend.

The first day of this pattern is a long white or green candle at the top end of a trend with the second day’s open higher than the high of the previous day. It closes at least half way down the previous day’s candle and the further down the white or green candle it closes the more convincing the reversal is. Keep in mind that a close at or below the previous day’s open turns this pattern into a bearish engulfing signal.

Criteria for the dark cloud cover

• The body of the first candle is white or green and the body of the second candle is black or red.
• A long white candle occurs at the top of the trend. The up-trend has been evident for a good period.
• The second day opens higher than the trading of the prior day.
• The black or red candle closes more than half-way down the white or green candle.

Signal Enhancements for the dark cloud cover

• The longer the candle the more forceful the reversal.
• The higher the gap up is from the previous days close the more pronounced the reversal.
• The lower the black or red candle closes into the white or green candle the stronger the reversal.
• Large volume during these two trading days is a significant confirmation.

Pattern Psychology

After a strong up-trend has been in effect the atmosphere is bullish. Exuberance sets in as the price gaps up. The bears begin to appear and push the price back down and it finally closes at or near the lows for the day. The close has negated most of the previous day’s gains and the bulls are now concerned because they see that the uptrend may have stopped. This signal makes for a good short with a stop being the high of the black or red candle day. Notice that if the dark cloud candlestick closes lower and below the open of the previous day it will become a bearish engulfing pattern which has slightly stronger bearish implications.

Using candlesticks signals with other technical analysis tools greatly enhances the ability to recognize what the candlestick charts are revealing. Use of these patterns will benefit you for the rest of your investment career.

The piercing pattern is one of the 12 major candlestick patterns and it is a two-candle formation that occurs when the market is in a down trend. The first candle is black or red which is a continuation of the existing trend and the second candle opens below the low of the previous day. The piercing pattern closes more than midway up the black or red candle which is near or at the high for the day.

Criteria for piercing pattern

• The body of the first candle is black or red and the body of the second candle is white or green.
• The downtrend has been evident for a good period of time and a long black candle occurs at the end of the trend.
• The second day opens lower than the trading of the prior day.
• The white or green candle closes more than halfway up the black or red candle.

Signal Enhancements

• The longer the candle the more forceful the reversal.
• The greater the gap down from the previous day’s close the more pronounced the reversal.
• The higher the white or green candle closes into the black or red candle the stronger the reversal.
• Large volume during these two trading days is a significant confirmation.

Pattern Psychology

After a strong downtrend has been in effect the atmosphere is bearish. Fear becomes more predominant and the prices gap down. The bears may even push the prices down further however before the end of the day the bulls step in and dramatically turn prices around. The prices finish near the high of the day and the move has almost negated the price decline of the previous day. This now has the bears concerned. This move is confirmed by more buying the following day.

The psychology built into a major candlestick signal is simple common sense investment philosophy. When you learn how to utilize the candlestick signals correctly you now have the knowledge to improve your trading techniques for those trading entities you want to trade. You do not have to depend on canned programs that sometimes work and sometimes don’t work and you do not have to buy or sell stock recommendations blindly based on a research analyst’s recommendations. The candlestick signals provide guidance as to what investors are actually doing at a certain point in time. Learn the 12 major candlestick patterns as well as the secondary patterns and your investments perceptions will greatly improve.

Continue to learn about candlestick signals and read about the Dark Cloud Cover.

The hanging man is one of the 12 major candlestick patterns and it produces very important attributes when analyzing a potential reversal. This signal is comprised of one candle and it is easily identified by the presence of a small body with a shadow at least two times greater than the body. It is found at the top of an up-trend and the probability of making a correct trade  becomes extremely high when utilizing this signal. The Japanese named this pattern the hanging man because it looks like a head with the feet dangling down.

Criteria for hanging man

• The upper shadow should be at least two times the length of the body.
• The real body is at the upper end of the trading range. The color of the body is not important although a black or red body should have slightly more bearish implications.
• There should be no upper shadow or a very small upper shadow.
• To confirm the hanging man signal a black candle should be seen the following day. An even better confirmation of this signal is to see a gap down with a lower close.

Signal Enhancements

• The longer the lower shadow the higher the potential of a reversal occurring.
• A gap up from the previous day’s close sets up for a stronger reversal provided prices trade lower the day after the hanging man signal is formed.
• Although it is not a necessity a large volume on the signal day increases the chances that a blow-off day has occurred.

Pattern Psychology

After a strong up-trend has been in effect the atmosphere is bullish. The price opens higher but then begins to move lower. The bears take control but before the end of the day the bulls step in and take the price back up to the higher end of the trading range. This creates a small body for the day and could indicate that the bulls still have control. The long lower shadow however represents that sellers have started stepping in at these levels. Even though the bulls may have been able to keep the price positive, by the end of the day the evidence of selling is apparent. A lower open or a black or red candle the following day reinforces the fact that selling continues.

The twelve major candlestick signals demonstrate the visual elements produced by human emotions. You can learn to correctly analyze what these emotions are doing at specific points of a trend. Use Japanese Candlesticks to profit from your investment decisions today!

Continue to learn about candlestick signals and read about the Piercing Pattern.

One of the most visually compelling candlestick patterns is the hammer signal. This signal is easily recognized by the lower shadow also known as the tail that protrudes to the downside after an extended downtrend.

The hammer signal is comprised of one candle and it is easily identified by the presence of a small body with a shadow at least two times greater than the body. It is found at the bottom of a downtrend and this shows evidence that the bulls started to step in. The color of the small body is not important but a white or green candle has slightly more bullish implications than a black or red body. A positive day is then required the following day to confirm this signal.

Criteria for the hammer signal

• The lower shadow should be at least two times the length of the body.
• The real body is at the upper end of the trading range. The color of the body is not important although a white or green body should have slightly more bullish implications.
• There should be no upper shadow or a very small upper shadow.
• The following day needs to confirm the hammer signal with a strong bullish day.

Signal Enhancements

• The longer the lower shadow the higher the potential of a reversal occurring.
• A gap down from the previous day’s close sets up for a stronger reversal move as long as the day after the Hammer signal opens higher.
• Large volume on the Hammer day increases the chances that a blow-off day has occurred.

Pattern Psychology

After a downtrend has been in effect the atmosphere is very bearish. The price opens and starts to trade lower. The bears are still in control but the bulls then step in and they start to bring the price back up towards the top of the trading range. This creates a small body with a large lower shadow and represents that the bears could not maintain control. The long lower shadow now has the bears questioning whether the decline is still intact and a higher open the next day would confirm that the bulls had in fact taken control.

Take advantage of the benefits that Japanese Candlestick trading provides. Opportunities are easily identified and someone will take advantage of the information the signals provide even if you don’t. Once you learn the valuable benefits revealed by Candlestick formations the rewards will be overwhelming.

Continue to read about candlestick signals and read about the Hanging Man.