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Forex Course

55. Learning The Dual Candlestick Patterns – Part 2 (Reversal)

Introduction

In the previous lesson, we learned Continuous Dual Candlestick Patterns by taking examples of the two most traded patterns. In this lesson, we will see how to generate trading signals using Dual Candlestick reversal patterns. We will mainly look at the two widely used dual candlestick patterns – Engulfing and Dark Cloud Cover patterns. As the names suggest, both of these patterns consist of two candlesticks, and when we see them on a price chart, we should be anticipating a trend reversal shortly.

Engulfing Candlestick Pattern 

Engulfing is a two-candle trend reversal pattern. It got its name from the fact that the second candle completely engulfs the first candle, irrespective of its size. There are both Bullish Engulfing and Bearish Engulfing patterns. A Bullish Engulfing can be identified when a small (preferably) red candle of the downtrend is followed by a large green candle that overpowers the previous candle entirely. Vice-versa for a Bearish Engulfing Pattern.

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Below is the picture of how the Bullish Engulfing pattern looks like on a chart.

Criteria for the pattern

  • The body of the second candle should be at least twice the size of the first candle.
  • Even though it is a dual-candlestick pattern, Bullish Engulfing gives the best reversal signals when the bullish candle engulfs the bodies of four or more previous candlesticks.
  • It is better if the Engulfing candle does not have any upper wicks. This shows the buying interest among investors and increases the likelihood of Green candles in the following days.

The Bullish Engulfing Pattern is a powerful reversal pattern that has the potential to reverse the current downtrend and turn it into an uptrend. Hence, traders always look out for this pattern and take big positions in the market by adding to their ‘long’ positions.

Dark Cloud Cover Candlestick pattern

The Dark Cloud Cover pattern is a bearish reversal candlestick pattern that is formed from two candles. In this pattern, the Red candle opens above the close of the prior candle and then closes below the midpoint of the previous green candle.

This pattern implies that buyers are trying to push the price higher, but sellers finally take over and push the price sharply down. A shift in momentum causes the trend to reverse, and this marks the beginning of a new downtrend.

Below is an image of the Dark Cloud Cover pattern that makes a reversal of the trend.

Criteria for the pattern

  1. The first requirement is to have an uptrend that is clearly visible on any chart.
  2. The second candle should be a gap up that, by the end of the day, comes down and closes as a bearish candle.
  3. The bearish candle needs to close below the midpoint of the previous bullish candle.

Traders usually wait for confirmation before taking aggressive short positions in the underlying Forex pair. The confirmation is just another Red candle following the first Red candle. On the close of the third candle, traders sell the currency and exit on the following days as the price continues to decline. They place stop-loss just above the high of the bearish candle.

Conclusion

The Engulfing pattern is a bullish reversal pattern, which is one of the easiest patterns to identify and trade. Talking about the bearish reversal Dark Cloud Cover pattern, it has the potential to identify the lower lows and lower highs, which is very rewarding on the downside. This was about the Dual Candlestick reversal patterns. Please explore more patterns of this kind to increase your exposure. In the next lesson, we will talk about the triple candlestick patterns and their types. Cheers! [wp_quiz id=”60890″]

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By Reddy Shyam Shankar

I am a professional Price Action retail trader and Speculator with expertise in Risk Management, Trade Management, and Hedging.

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