By Mark Deaton

There are many candlestick patterns that have been identified and used by investors to assist in trading performance. Candlestick patterns are best used in conjunction with other analytical tools in order to produce optimum performance. 10 candlestick patterns that traders should learn for investment activities are the following:

* The dark cloud: This 2 candlestick reversal patter shows its face at the top of a bullish trend. The first candlestick matches the trend with its bullish real body while the next candlestick appears on the open to be aggressive but immediately fails and heads down to close beyond the 50% point of the first candlestick, letting us know that the reversal has started.

* Doji: When the opening and closing price are essentially the same, the candlestick formed resembles a plus sign, cross, or inverted cross and is referred to as Doji. It represents indecision on the part of the market, and is interpreted by traders that a turning point is imminent.

* The engulfing pattern: The classic engulfing pattern consists of two candlesticks. The first candlestick open then closes, then the second has an open and close outside the open and close of the previous candlestick, thereby engulfing the previous session.

* Evening star candlestick: This is a 3 bar bearish candlestick pattern. The first candlestick will be a rather strong white candlestick the second is a gap up short bodied candlestick indicating a weakness in bullish strength, then the final is a gap down bearish black candlestick where typically the low reaches beyond the 50% mark of candlestick #1.

* Hammer: When trading occurs significantly below the open, but ends well above the low and closes as its high, the candlestick formed has only one tail below its body. When this formation occurs during a downtrend, it often signals a reversal.

* The hanging man: The hanging man is like an upside down hammer. The hanging is simply a hammer on an uptrend, like I said its always bullish, in the case of a hanging man its a continuation candlestick as opposed to a reversal candlestick.

* The Harami: The is like a mirror image of the engulfing pattern. With the harami the first candlestick engulfs the second. So the second and last candlesticks open and close are within the real body of the first. Depending on the color of the candlestick it can be bullish or bearish but the bottom line is that it's telling you the short term trend is reaching exhaustion.

* Morning Star: This formation is considered a three day bullish reversal pattern that consists of a long bodied black first day, a short gap down second day, followed by a third long white bodied candle, which closes above the midpoint of the first day.

* Piercing line pattern: This pattern is a bullish reversal pattern with two candlestick in the formation. The first will continue the downtrend. The second candlestick will gap down appearing to continue the trend but will ultimately close higher than the open and well within the real body of candlestick #1.

* Shooting star: This is a single candlestick pattern. It looks like an upside down hammer and signals a bearish reversal. As such it's best when found on a bullish uptrend. Look to the long upper witch for the intuitiveness in this candlestick. The bulls pushed hard like they did in the prevailing trend but the bears won the race by days end closing near the low / open.

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