When buying and selling single candlestick patterns, no sample is extra highly effective than the engulfing candlestick sample. You’ll be able to create methods with solely this sample which will simply outperform the market. I do know a dealer who has constructed his entire profession on this sample alone.
Engulfing Candlestick Anatomy
An engulfing candlestick sample is a robust sign of momentum reversal in technical evaluation, and figuring out one is kind of easy. This sample happens when the physique of the present candlestick totally engulfs the physique of the earlier one, signaling a possible shift in market sentiment.
In a bullish engulfing sample (BE+), the worth motion kinds a big bullish candle the place each the excessive is increased, and the low is decrease than the earlier candle, indicating sturdy shopping for stress and a possible upward development reversal.
Probably the most dependable engulfing patterns happen when your complete physique of the present candlestick engulfs the earlier candle’s vary. Nonetheless, weaker variations also can kind when solely the wick vary (the excessive and low) engulfs the earlier candle, with out the our bodies overlapping totally. These patterns should still point out potential reversals, however their indicators are typically much less sturdy.
A bearish engulfing candle (BE-) kinds when a big bearish candle totally engulfs the physique of the earlier bullish candle, signaling a possible downward reversal. On this sample, the bearish candle opens increased and closes decrease than the earlier candle, with each the excessive and low extending past the earlier candle’s vary. This means sturdy promoting stress, typically seen on the prime of an uptrend, suggesting that sellers are gaining management and a value decline might comply with.
The screenshot under exhibits good examples of each a bullish and bearish engulfing candlestick.
As steered above, it isn’t mandatory for the engulfing candle to engulf the entire vary (wicks) of the earlier candle, because the bullish engulfing candlestick exhibits within the screenshot under – but when it does, the sample high quality is way increased.
First, let’s take into consideration the standard of the sample:
- The dimensions: the extra candles it engulfs, the higher. The BE- you see above engulfed the earlier 7 candles of the uptrend. That’s highly effective.
- The shut: the nearer the worth of the engulfing candlestick closes to the excessive (for a BE+) or low (for a BE-), the extra momentum, the higher. You do not need to see giant wicks in your engulfing candlestick.
- The placement: swing factors! We need to commerce this bar on the backside/prime of pullbacks for a development continuation, or on the finish of strikes for a reversal.
These are the three fundamental high quality standards of the bar itself that are important.
Engulfing Candlestick And Context
However much more vital is context. Ask your self the next questions when assessing the context of your sample:
- The place on the chart was the BE+ or BE- printed?
- Is it near assist/resistance?
- Is it near provide/demand?
- Or does it kind in the midst of nowhere?
- Is the worth ranging or trending?
- Is the worth buying and selling towards or with the development?
These are vital inquiries to reply earlier than participating in a commerce.
Have a look at the chart under and you’ll see two engulfing candles. For extra data, I’ve additionally added a Bollinger Band indicator with commonplace settings (20 SMA, 2 StdDev).
The BE- is on the prime of the Bollinger Band (BB) and the BE+ is on the backside of the BB. Which sign is the higher commerce? For that, we want context. Let’s zoom out.
Wanting on the greater image, you may see that the BE- shaped towards the long-term bullish development and not at a key degree on our chart, whereas the BE+ was printed at a key flip zone degree on our chart, plus it was with the uptrend – throughout a correction development wave. The worth was additionally properly prolonged (on the backside of the BB), so taking an extended commerce right here can be thought of a bullish trend-following commerce.
Usually, most merchants go lengthy on the break of the excessive of the BE+ or the low of the BE-, with a cease loss order on the opposite facet of the bar.
A typical take revenue goal for this technique can be the center of the BB, the opposite facet of the BB, at 2:1 or 3:1, or a mix of those with partial income, or perhaps a trailing cease.
It’s as much as you as commerce administration is extremely private. Let’s check out one other instance.
You’ll be able to commerce this sample on all timeframes, however probably the most dependable indicators are discovered on the upper timeframes such because the Day by day and the Weekly timeframe. Extra skilled trades can also search for engulfing patterns on intraday timeframes, however the indicators there usually are not going to work as typically and require extra expertise.
Engulfing Candlestick Foreign exchange Sign
We’re on fairly an unique pair right here, the USDSEK however the identical rules apply right here and you’ll commerce the engulfing candlestick sample on all markets.
The BE- sample shaped at a key degree on the chart, on the excessive of the BB, and as a reversal commerce, towards the longer-term uptrend.
Buying and selling towards the long-term development may also be a worthwhile technique, however you should make it possible for (1) you discover sufficient context (right here the important thing degree plus BB), and (2) your targets usually are not too far-off, since reversal value actions usually don’t final so long as trend-continuation strikes.
The BE+ sample then occurred on the low of the BB and into the route of the long-term bullish development.
And on this USDCAD day by day chart, you may see my favourite variation of the engulfing candle: one with a robust wick to the opposing facet of our commerce.
This implies that the worth pushed up initially, after which was strongly reversed till the day closed strongly bearish.
Once more, this can be a reversal commerce however look how the worth melted from the important thing ranges and the highest of the BB. A pleasant commerce with a whole lot of context supporting the commerce thought.
Engulfing Candlestick Shares Sign
Lastly – some meals for thought to your additional analysis with a extra aggressive strategy to buying and selling engulfing candlestick patterns:
Not all pullbacks will go all the way in which to the alternative facet of the BB. In strongly trending markets, typically you may see value solely pulling again to the center BB, which is simply the SMA 20, after which reversing into the development route from there.
Within the screenshot under, the inventory was in an total bullish trending surroundings and the bearish correction wave pullbacks have been shallow and by no means reached the decrease BB. The worth shaped two BE+ patterns proper on the 20 easy shifting common (center BB) throughout the corrections. These patterns have been supreme development continuation indicators.
Searching for engulfing bars in these areas can yield some good income as properly, however this solely works in sturdy trending markets. I like to recommend weekly charts on shares for this strategy, as Foreign exchange is not going to be in a strongly trending situation fairly often.
And that’s it for this technique. Can buying and selling be this easy? Sure, in fact it could actually. Easy scales, fancy fails. Have enjoyable testing this strategy and pay shut consideration to the standard standards: measurement, shut, location, and context!