What it looks like
In a fall, two long down candles with closes moving lower, then a third candle with a small body that makes only a little new ground below the second. The third candle often opens near the second one's close.
What it means
Sellers had a strong run for two candles, then suddenly could not get much further. That pause shows them hesitating. It is a hint the fall is tiring and no more than that.
How to trade it
- 1
Do not buy on the small third candle. Mark the high of the whole pattern (the top of the first candle) and its low.
- 2
Wait for a candle that closes above the pattern's high, then buy.
- 3
Put the stop just below the pattern's low.
- 4
Target one to two times the stop distance, or the nearest swing high.
- 5
Example: on the gold 15 minute chart the pattern spans 14 points. A candle closes above its high, you buy with a stop about 15 points away and aim for 15 to 30 points.
A close below the pattern's low.
Where it works best
At a floor that already mattered, such as a pivot point or the previous day's low.
WickSpeak finds the bullish deliberation automatically on any chart and names it on the candles that made it. It writes what it is, how to trade it and what proves it wrong right on the chart. Playbook can use it, or any of the 146 patterns, as a condition alongside up to 12 conditions on any of 12 timeframes, and backtest the play on past candles with your costs.
Common mistakes
- Buying the small candle as if it were a reversal on its own.
- Waiting for the high of three long candles, which can make the stop too large: check the risk first.
- Trading it in the middle of a sideways range.
Related patterns
Questions traders ask
What does bullish deliberation mean?
It means a strong fall has suddenly stalled, with the third candle barely making progress. Sellers are hesitating. It is not proof that price has turned.
How do you confirm bullish deliberation?
Wait for a candle to close above the pattern's high. Only then buy, with the stop just below the pattern's low.
Is bullish deliberation the same as a descent block?
No. In a descent block all three candles shrink. In bullish deliberation the first two are long and strong and only the third stalls.
What cancels a bullish deliberation?
A close below the pattern's low. That shows sellers have pushed on.