What it looks like
Bullish: a down candle, then a long up candle that opens at or above the down candle's open. Bearish: an up candle, then a long down candle that opens at or below the up candle's open. It usually needs a gap, so it shows up most on US30 and NAS100 around the cash open or after weekends.
What it means
The market changed its mind between one candle and the next. Whatever came in (news, a session open) flipped control. It is a sign the move is tiring, not proof that it has turned.
Bullish and bearish versions
How to trade it
- 1
Confirm: wait for the next candle to close above the pattern's high (bullish) or below its low (bearish).
- 2
Enter on that close.
- 3
Stop: just beyond the other end of the pattern.
- 4
Target: 2 times the stop, or the nearest swing level.
- 5
Example: US30 gaps up at the open on the 15 minute chart and forms a bullish kicker 120 points tall. The next candle closes above its high; you buy with the stop under the pattern's low and aim for twice that risk, sizing down because the stop is wide.
A close below the pattern's low (bullish) or above its high (bearish).
Where it works best
On markets that gap, around session opens and after news, at a floor or ceiling.
WickSpeak finds the kicker 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, so you never have to guess the rule. In Playbook you can use the kicker, 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 costs.
Common mistakes
- Expecting it on gold or forex intraday charts, where gaps are rare.
- Using a normal position size with a very wide stop.
- Entering without the confirming close.
Related patterns
Questions traders ask
Why is the kicker rare?
It needs the second candle to open beyond the first candle's open, which usually means a gap. Markets that trade continuously rarely gap between candles.
Which markets show kickers most?
Indices such as US30 and NAS100 around the cash open, and most markets after a weekend.
Is a kicker a reversal pattern?
It hints at one: it is a sign the move is tiring, not proof. We wait for a close beyond the pattern.
What cancels a kicker?
A close below the pattern's low for a bullish kicker, or above its high for a bearish one.