Candlestick
A chart symbol showing an asset's open, close, high, and low for a given time period.
A candlestick packs four prices into one shape: the open, close, high, and low for a period. The thick body spans open to close, colored one way if price rose and another if it fell. Thin wicks above and below mark the extremes. A daily chart shows one candle per day; a 1-minute chart, one per minute.
The format, borrowed from 18th-century Japanese rice traders, makes momentum visible at a glance. Long bodies show conviction; long wicks show rejection, a price probed and pushed back. Patterns like the doji or the hammer get a lot of attention, though on their own they predict less than chart-readers like to claim.
Related terms
A line that averages price over a set period, smoothing noise to reveal the underlying trend.
Support and ResistancePrice levels where buying or selling has repeatedly stalled a move, marking floors and ceilings on a chart.
VolatilityA measure of how sharply and how often a price swings, in either direction, over time.
BullishDescribes an expectation that a price will rise, or a trader positioned to profit from gains.