How to use candlesticks?

On a Japanese Candlestick chart, a harami is recognized by a two-day reversal pattern showing a small body candle completely contained within the range of the previous larger candle's body. This formation suggests that the previous trend is coming to an end. The smaller the second candlestick, the stronger the reversal signal. On a non-Forex chart, this candle pattern would show an inside candle in the form of a doji or a spinning top, that is a candle whose real body is engulfed by the previous candle. The difference is that one of the shadows of the second candle may break the previous candles extreme. In Forex charts though, there is usually no gap to the inside of the previous candle. The harami pattern can be bullish or bearish but it always has to be confirmed by the previous trend. An important criteria in a Forex chart (as opposed to a non-FX chart) is that the second candle has to be of a different color than the previous candle and trend. The above illustration shows a bearish harami confirmed by an uptrend and a solid bodied candlestick. The larger prior candle shows a clear direction but once the hesitation of the harami is printed on the chart, it requires a confirmation as to where the market is heading from now. Later in this chapter we will see how to get a confirmation of candlestick patterns.