Anatomy of a candle
Open, high, low, close — and why the wicks tell the truth.
One candle, four prices
Each candle packs four numbers: where trading opened, the high, the low, and where it closed. The body stretches from open to close; the wicks reach the extremes.
The close is the verdict
The close is the most important price on the candle. If buyers push price up all session but it closes near the open, the "rally" changed nothing. Always ask: where did it end?
Wicks are rejection receipts
A long lower wick means sellers dove and buyers slapped the price back up before the candle closed. The market visited that price and said no. That memory matters at levels.
Quick check
The body of a candle spans…
- Open to close
- High to low
- Volume to price
- Yesterday to today
Open-to-close is the body. The wicks only show how far price traveled beyond it.
A candle with a tiny body and a very long lower wick just fell to a support level. Most likely story?
- Sellers tried to break it and buyers rejected the low
- Buyers gave up
- Nothing — candles are random
- The market is closed
A long lower wick at support is a rejection receipt: sellers pushed down, buyers defended. That is the seed of a hammer, which you meet in Unit 2.
This lesson is part of the free learning path at /academy/ — progress, XP and boss games live there.
Educational content only — not financial advice.