What it looks like
Price is rising. Candle one is a long up candle. Candle two is a down candle that opens above candle one and closes inside candle one's body, but still above the midpoint of that body. The pattern runs from the first candle's low to the highest point of the two.
What it means
Sellers made a real attempt and got into the first candle's body, but could not get below its middle. The rise paused and buyers came straight back. It says the trend is still in charge and the pause was only a rest. In a sideways market it means nothing.
How to trade it
- 1
Confirm the rise: higher highs and higher lows. Skip it in a sideways market.
- 2
Buy when price closes above the pattern's high.
- 3
Example: on the gold 15 minute chart in an uptrend, bullish thrusting spans 10 points; a close above its high is the buy.
- 4
Stop just below the pattern's low, about 10 to 11 points in that example.
- 5
Target the next swing high or 2 times the stop.
A close below the pattern's low.
Where it works best
In an established uptrend on 15 minute and higher charts, where the dip lands on a level that already mattered.
WickSpeak finds the bullish thrusting pattern automatically on any chart and names it on the candles that made it. Next to the name it writes what the pattern is, how to trade it and what proves it wrong, in plain English. In Playbook you can use the bullish thrusting pattern, or any of the 146 patterns, as a condition alongside up to 12 conditions on any of 12 timeframes, then backtest it on past candles with your own costs.
Common mistakes
- Confusing it with dark cloud cover, where the down candle closes below the middle and is a warning, not a continuation.
- Trading it with no rise behind it.
- Buying before the close above the pattern's high.
Related patterns
Questions traders ask
What does bullish thrusting mean?
A rise paused and sellers pushed into the last up candle but could not get below its middle. Buyers are still in charge, so the rise is likely to carry on.
How is bullish thrusting different from dark cloud cover?
Dark cloud cover closes below the middle of the up candle and warns the rise is tiring. Bullish thrusting closes above the middle and says the rise is still in charge.
Where is the stop on bullish thrusting?
Just below the pattern's low. A close below it proves the pattern wrong.
Is thrusting a continuation or reversal pattern?
On WickSpeak both thrusting versions are treated as continuation patterns and traded with the trend only.