What it looks like
Bullish: a down candle, then an up candle, then a down candle that closes at the same price as the first (the 'bread' closes match, the middle candle is the 'filling'). Bearish: an up candle, a down candle, then an up candle that closes at the same price as the first. The matching closes mark the level being defended.
What it means
The same closing price held twice with a move the other way in between. In the bullish version sellers pushed down to the same close and could not get beyond it; in the bearish version buyers pushed up to the same close and stalled. It is a hint that the side in control has hesitated, not proof of a turn.
Bullish and bearish versions
How to trade it
- 1
Do not trade it on its own. Mark the high and low of all three candles.
- 2
Bullish: buy after a candle closes above the pattern's high. Bearish: sell after a candle closes below the pattern's low.
- 3
Place the stop just below the pattern's low (bullish) or just above its high (bearish).
- 4
Aim for one to two times the stop distance, or the nearest swing level.
- 5
Example: on the US30 15 minute chart a bullish stick sandwich spans 40 points. A candle closes above its high, you buy with a stop about 42 points away and target 42 to 84 points.
Bullish: a close below the pattern's low. Bearish: a close above the pattern's high.
Where it works best
At a level that already mattered, such as the previous day's low or high, after a clear move into it.
WickSpeak finds the stick sandwich 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 or selling on the third candle before any confirming close.
- Accepting closes that are clearly different as 'the same'.
- Ignoring that the pattern formed in the middle of a range where the level means little.
Related patterns
Questions traders ask
What does a stick sandwich candlestick mean?
It means a closing price was defended twice, with a move the other way in between. It hints the move into that level is tiring. It still needs a close beyond the pattern to confirm.
Is the stick sandwich bullish or bearish?
It comes in both. The bullish version has two down candles closing at the same price around an up candle. The bearish version has two up candles closing at the same price around a down candle.
How exact must the matching closes be?
Very close, usually within a point or two on gold or a few points on US30. If the closes are clearly apart, the level was not really defended twice.
How is a stick sandwich different from a tweezer bottom?
A tweezer bottom matches the lows of two candles in a row. A stick sandwich matches the closes of the first and third candles with a candle in between.