Candlestick charts: what one candle leaves out
A candlestick summarizes prices during an interval. It can make a chart easier to scan, but the compact shape hides the order of movements inside that interval and cannot explain why participants traded.
Read the four values
Identify the open, high, low and close for the selected period. Check whether the platform displays bid, ask or another price series. Two charts may differ because their data feeds or time boundaries differ.
Imagine two paths
A candle with the same high and low could have reached those extremes in different sequences. That distinction matters if a hypothetical strategy assumes an entry and exit occurred in a particular order. A larger-timeframe candle may not contain enough information to settle the question.
Add context without certainty
Compare the candle with nearby price action, scheduled releases and transaction costs, while keeping interpretations tentative. Naming a pattern does not create a forecast. In practice notes, separate what the chart directly shows from what you infer. That habit prevents an attractive diagram from being mistaken for proof that the next price movement has become predictable.
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