What it is
Tushar Chande designed Qstick to turn candlestick bodies into a number. A run of large green bodies lifts it, a run of large red bodies drops it. Wicks are ignored: only what happened between the open and the close counts.
Because it is measured in points, the scale depends on the market. A Qstick of +3 on gold and +30 on US30 can mean similar strength.
How it is calculated
1. For each candle, subtract the open from the close. 2. Average those values over the last 10 candles (Chande used a simple moving average; some platforms use an exponential one). 3. The result is in price points and moves around 0.
Settings
| Setting | Default | Range | What it changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Length | 10 | 2 to 200 | How many candle bodies are averaged. Shorter reacts quickly to a few strong candles; longer shows the underlying pressure. |
How to read it
How to trade it
- 1
Confirm the trend on a 1 hour gold chart, for example price above a rising 50 EMA.
- 2
On the 15 minute chart, let Qstick dip below 0 during a pullback.
- 3
Enter long when Qstick crosses back above 0 on a closed candle.
- 4
Stop below the pullback low, for example 5 to 8 points on gold.
- 5
Target the prior swing high or 2 times the stop.
The long is cancelled if Qstick falls back below 0 and price closes below the pullback low.
WickSpeak writes a plain-English reading of Qstick on the live candle: what it is, whether buyers or sellers are winning the candle bodies now, how to trade it and what would prove it wrong. In Playbook, a condition can check when Qstick crosses above or below zero, stays above or below zero, or is rising or falling.
Best markets and timeframes
Works on any market and timeframe because it only needs opens and closes. Most practical on 15 minute to 4 hour charts of gold and indices.
Common mistakes
- Ignoring wicks entirely. A candle with a long upper wick can still add to Qstick even though sellers pushed back hard.
- Comparing values across markets. Qstick is in points, so the scale changes with the instrument.
- Treating a small zero cross in a range as a trend change.
Works well with
Questions traders ask
What does Qstick measure?
It measures the average size and direction of candle bodies, close minus open. Positive values mean candles have mostly closed up; negative values mean they have closed down.
What is the best Qstick setting?
Common settings are 8 to 14 candles; WickSpeak uses 10. Shorter settings react quickly but are noisier.
Is Qstick a trend indicator?
It is a momentum indicator that reflects buying and selling pressure in the candles. Many traders use its side of 0 as a simple trend read.
How is Qstick different from Balance of Power?
Qstick averages the raw body size in points. Balance of Power divides each body by its full range, so every candle scores from -1 to +1.