What it looks like
Price is falling. Candle one is a long down candle. Candle two is an up candle that opens below candle one and closes inside candle one's body, but still below the midpoint of that body. The pattern runs from the highest point of the two down to the lowest.
What it means
Buyers made a real attempt and got into the down candle's body, but could not get above its middle. The fall paused and sellers 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 fall: lower highs and lower lows. Skip it in a sideways market.
- 2
Sell when price closes below the pattern's low.
- 3
Example: on the US30 15 minute chart in a downtrend, a thrusting pattern spans 60 points; a close below its low is the sell.
- 4
Stop just above the pattern's high, about 60 to 65 points in that example.
- 5
Target the next swing low or 2 times the stop.
A close above the pattern's high.
Where it works best
In an established downtrend on 15 minute and higher charts, where the bounce stalls at a level that already mattered.
WickSpeak finds the 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 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 the piercing line, which closes above the middle and is a bullish warning.
- Trading it with no fall behind it.
- Selling before the close below the pattern's low.
Related patterns
Questions traders ask
Is the thrusting pattern bullish or bearish?
On WickSpeak the thrusting pattern is bearish: it appears in a fall and says the trend is likely to carry on.
What is the difference between thrusting and piercing line?
Both have an up candle after a down candle. In a piercing line the up candle closes above the middle of the down candle and hints the fall is tiring. In thrusting it stays below the middle, so sellers are still in charge.
What proves the thrusting pattern wrong?
A close above the pattern's high.
Can thrusting be used in a range?
No. It only says a trend is carrying on, so without a fall behind it the pattern means nothing.