Giles Coghlan LLB, Lth, MA
Financial Source
The piercing pattern
Some candlestick price patterns are well known, like shooting stars, hammer reversal bars, and engulfing bars. However, some of the less well-known candlestick price patterns are worth noting when reading price charts. This is particularly helpful when you are managing a position on the longer-term charts. First, let’s look at the piercing pattern with an example of how this looks from Apple’s price charts.
The piercing pattern described
The piercing pattern is a candlestick pattern used in trading to show that a downtrend might be ending and the price could start going up. It has two candlesticks. It is particularly useful when assessing whether a downtrend is about to come to an end. The pattern is subtle and easily overlooked, so this is what to specifically look for. Note the gap that is needed for the second candlestick pattern.
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Candlestick 1: The first candlestick in the pattern is a bearish candlestick, indicating selling pressure. It represents a continuation of the existing downtrend and opens near or above the previous candlestick’s close.
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Candlestick 2: The second candlestick is a bullish candlestick, which opens lower than the previous candlestick’s close. Note: There is a price gap between the close of the first candlestick and the open of the second candlestick. Intraday, it would look like the bears are taking prices to even lower lows. However, the tide changes with the second candlestick.
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Close of candlestick 2: The crucial aspect of the piercing pattern comes with the second candlestick, as it must close at least halfway into the real body of the first candlestick. In other words, the second candlestick’s closing price is significantly higher than the first candlestick’s midpoint.
The piercing pattern on the charts
Take a look here for a market example of what candlestick 1 and candlestick 2 from the Apple Weekly chart should look like.
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Editors’ Picks
EUR/USD clings to small gains near 1.1750
Following a short-lasting correction in the early European session, EUR/USD regains its traction and clings to moderate gains at around 1.1750 on Monday. Nevertheless, the pair's volatility remains low, with investors awaiting this weeks key data releases from the US and the ECB policy announcements.
GBP/USD edges higher toward 1.3400 ahead of US data and BoE
GBP/USD reverses its direction and advances toward 1.3400 following a drop to the 1.3350 area earlier in the day. The US Dollar struggles to gather recovery momentum as markets await Tuesday's Nonfarm Payrolls data, while the Pound Sterling holds steady ahead of the BoE policy announcements later in the week.
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Gold loses its bullish momentum and retreats below $4,350 after testing this level earlier on Monday. XAU/USD, however, stays in positive territory as the US Dollar remains on the back foot on growing expectations for a dovish Fed policy outlook next year.
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