What it looks like
Three up candles in a row with long bodies and small wicks. Each one opens inside the body of the candle before and closes at a new high, near the top of its own range. The bodies should be similar in size or growing, not shrinking. The pattern's low is the first candle's low and its middle is halfway between its low and high.
What it means
Buyers were in charge from start to finish with no fight back, three candles running. That is real pressure, and it often carries on for a few candles. Late in a long rise, though, it is often the last push before a pause.
How to trade it
- 1
Check where it formed. Early in a move, such as just after a break above a ceiling, it counts. At the end of a long rise, do not chase it.
- 2
Wait for a small pullback rather than buying the third candle's close.
- 3
Buy the pullback, for example on the gold 15 minute chart where the soldiers span 15 points and price dips 4 to 5 points before turning up.
- 4
Put the stop below the pattern's low.
- 5
Target the next swing high or 2 times the stop.
A close back below the middle of the pattern.
Where it works best
Early in a new rise, for example right after price breaks out of a range or above a ceiling, on 15 minute and higher charts.
WickSpeak finds three white soldiers automatically on any chart and names them on the candles that made them. 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 three white soldiers, 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
- Buying the top of the third candle after a long rise.
- Missing that bodies are shrinking with long upper wicks, which is an advance block, not soldiers.
- Using too tight a stop inside the pattern rather than below its low.
Related patterns
Questions traders ask
Are three white soldiers bullish?
Yes. They show buyers in charge for three candles with no fight back. Late in a long rise, though, they are often the last push, so location matters.
Should I buy immediately after three white soldiers?
We would not chase them. Early in a move, buy a small pullback with a stop below the pattern's low.
What proves three white soldiers wrong?
A close back below the middle of the pattern. Sellers have then taken back half of the push.
What is the difference between three white soldiers and an advance block?
Both are three up candles. In an advance block the bodies shrink and the upper wicks grow, which shows buyers tiring. Soldiers have full bodies closing near their highs.