Forex Trading

Shooting Star Candlestick Pattern: Meaning, Strategy & Trading Tips

The prior trend before the formation of this pattern needs to be an uptrend. The formation of this pattern indicates a potential end of the uptrend and hence the price might see a downward momentum. In such cases, the shooting star candle is likely to have an even bigger upper candlewick. This implies that the price is about to reverse with even bigger strength. Higher volume during the formation enhances the signal’s reliability, as it may indicate strong selling interest at higher prices. Price action patterns that occur on higher time frames are more meaningful.

Trading the Shooting Star pattern effectively involves identifying potential price reversals. Once this pattern is spotted, especially after a sustained uptrend, it signals that the trend might be reversing, guiding traders to either secure profits from long positions or prepare for short selling. One of the advantages of the Shooting Star pattern is its ease of identification. Its distinct structure — a small real body with a long upper shadow — makes it stand out on a candlestick chart.

Just like price action signals, you need to qualify any support or resistance levels that you are relying on in order to make trading decisions. That being said, the market has a tendency to retest the price levels rejected during the formation of a shooting star candlestick, so it’s actually pretty common to get a pullback to the 50% level. However, in recent years, I’ve completely abandoned the standard entries used with the shooting star candlestick pattern in favor of the confirmation entry discussed below. In the case of the shooting star, it signals a bearish reversal, suggesting that the upward momentum is losing strength and that the price may decline. Trading the bearish shooting star candlestick pattern requires a strategic approach to maximize its effectiveness.

Perhaps the most reliable is a strong bearish follow-through candle, ideally closing below the shooting star’s low. On the other hand, a weak confirmation candle, such as a doji, may indicate hesitation, reducing the strength of the signal. When the price is in a significant uptrend, just the formation of one candlestick won’t be able to affect the trend.

Shooting Star Candlestick Pattern – Psychology

However, it should be used with other indicators to avoid false signals. Combining the shooting star with other technical indicators can greatly improve its accuracy as a reversal signal. Let’s see how these indicators can complement the shooting star candlestick pattern. This article explains how to identify the shooting star candlestick pattern,how to trade it effectively, and a few trading strategies.

Just like other candlestick formations, the shooting star’s success rate can vary based on context, timeframes, and confirmation. Experienced traders note that it performs best on higher time frames, 4-hour, daily, and weekly, where noise is lower. Intraday charts might generate repeated patterns, some of which lack genuine follow-through.

Bearish engulfing pattern

The shooting star candlestick pattern is a well-known and dependable indicator for identifying possible bearish reversals, particularly following an upward price movement. While powerful, its real value emerges when used alongside resistance levels, volume data, and confirmation candles. By integrating it thoughtfully into a broader strategy, traders can improve timing and risk management in volatile markets. The bearish shooting star candlestick pattern indicates a trend reversal. The shooting star candlestick formation appears at the end of an uptrend signifying a potential downtrend in the coming days.

The Shooting Star candlestick pattern, a crucial tool in a trader’s arsenal, is a significant reversal indicator predominantly found at the end of an uptrend. This pattern is formed when a security’s price advances significantly during the trading session but relinquishes most of its gains to close near the open. The resultant candlestick resembles a star shooting across the sky, hence the name. This pattern is a red flag to traders, signaling that the bulls are losing control and a potential trend reversal could be imminent.

Get My 6-day FREE Trading Course That You Can’t Afford to Lose

The meaning of the shooting star candlestick pattern is that buying pressure is starting to dissipate and a potential trend shooting star candlestick reversal may be on the horizon. As with all price action signals, the context in which they occur is very important. Since it’s a bearish reversal signal, a true shooting star candlestick pattern can only occur after an uptrend. Trading it from a consolidating (flat or sideways) market or even a tight range will not work. In technical analysis, the Shooting Star candlestick pattern plays a pivotal role in signaling potential bearish reversals. This pattern is a prime example of how candlestick formations can provide insightful information about market sentiment and possible price movements.

  • In contrast, the gravestone doji has no or a tiny real body, as the open and close prices are identical or nearly identical, with a long upper shadow and no lower shadow.
  • While both have similar structures, a Shooting Star appears after an uptrend indicating a potential bearish reversal.
  • In addition, a hanging man serves as a stronger reversal signal than a shooting star.
  • 60-90% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with the providers presented on this site.

Key Takeaways of the Shooting Star Candlestick Pattern

Support and resistance areas tend to act more like zones than exact levels. That being said, I always draw my support and resistance levels off of the real bodies of the candlesticks – not the highs or lows. While both patterns look similar, the inverted hammer suggests a potential reversal to the upside, indicating that the bearish momentum is weakening and that the bulls might be gaining control. A Green Shooting Star still represents a bearish reversal pattern, but it is slightly weaker than a red one.

  • Before we send our profits to the stratosphere, let’s learn how to identify the one-bar shooting star pattern.
  • Disadvantages are potential false reversal signals in uptrends and the need for additional confirmation.
  • It’s a visual representation of a shift in market sentiment – from bullish to bearish.
  • However, its true power lies in its use alongside other analytical tools and confirmation signals.
  • The solution is to wait for a pullback to the normal entry point (see the image below).

When conducting a technical analysis of any asset, it is important to determine support and resistance. Further on the price chart, a hanging man reversal pattern appears, which warns market participants that the price has reached the top and could reverse soon. The Advance Block pattern is a bearish triple candlestick pattern that could mark the end of an uptrend. It is a variation of the Stalled or Deliberation pattern that is similar in appearance to the Three Advancing White Soldiers pattern.

In case you haven’t noticed yet, I don’t like to be in front of my computer more than I already have to be as a trader and website owner. If the pullback hasn’t happened in about 5 candlesticks, the odds of it happening at all become lower. This next filter is probably not new to you if you’ve been trading price action for a while, but it’s another pretty important one in my experience. I originally wrote this article back in 2012, and the method that I use to trade the shooting star is much different now. A market analyst and member of the Research Team for the Arab region at XS.com, with diplomas in business management and market economics. Since 2006, she has specialized in technical, fundamental, and economic analysis of financial markets.

Trade under the most favorable conditions with a trusted broker.

This suggests that sellers are starting to outweigh buyers, potentially leading to a downward shift in market control. The Bearish Shooting Star warns of a potential end to bullish momentum, urging traders to consider securing profits or establishing short positions. A shooting star is a single-candlestick pattern that forms after an uptrend. It’s a reversal pattern and is believed to signal an imminent bearish trend reversal. As to the pattern itself, a shooting star has a small body that’s located in the bottom half of the candle’s range, and has a long upper wick, with a low or absent lower wick.

Resistance, like price, is a leading indicator, so that’s a great place to start when trading bearish candlestick patterns. However, most new traders (and many experienced traders for that matter), tend to see support and resistance levels everywhere. A Red Shooting Star is a bearish reversal candlestick pattern that signals a potential downtrend after an uptrend.

Our watch lists and alert signals are great for your trading education and learning experience. In this example you’ll see that the first pullback created a rising three methods pattern, which looks like a bull flag. The pattern turned into a bull pennant which ended up breaking out and continuing the bullish trend into a large megaphone pattern.