Dogra backtested candlestick patterns on the NSE Nifty 50 stocks over a 10-year period. Their results showed the Hammer performed the best as a bullish reversal pattern with a win rate of 63%. Marcko also identified an approximate 60% success rate for Hammer signals. So, across different asset types and time periods, the Hammer has exhibited a win rate, most often between 55-65%. The bullish Hammer is a single candlestick pattern that forms after a decline in price. It has a small real body positioned at the top of the candlestick range and a long lower shadow that is at least twice the height of the real body.

1. The bullish Inverted Hammer candlestick  is a price reversal pattern at the bottom.
2. For a hammer to be valid, it must appear at the bottom of a downtrend.
3. If the candlestick is green or white, the asset closed higher than it opened.
4. This pattern indicates that the market is facing a downtrend during a particular period, and it is estimated to witness a pullback before the closing.
5. This transition from selling-dominated trading to buying-dominated trading makes the pattern so potent.

Identifying where they occur within the broader trend is key to interpreting the formation correctly. A green hammer candlestick closes higher than its opening price, reinforcing the bullish reversal signal. The long lower shadow shows that buyers were in control by the end of the session, overcoming the initial selling pressure. The inverted hammer candlestick, like the bullish hammer, also provides a signal for a bullish reversal. The candle has a long extended upper wick, a small real body with little or no lower wick.

For example, small-cap stocks tend to form more hammers because of their volatility and liquidity profile. Around major news events or earnings season, hammer patterns sometimes emerge a bit more https://bigbostrade.com/ often. But overall, even in volatile markets, they still only appear 1-3% of the time. The real body of the candle is small and positioned at the top end of the trading range for the period.

Hammer candles can appear during any time period, with higher timeframe patterns providing stronger signals if valid and confirmed. This is why it is important for traders to confirm the signal with other trading tools before making any decision. As noted above, a hammer candlestick pattern appears in a downtrend, i.e., when the price of a stock is facing a noticeable decline.

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This often occurs right around a key support zone or Fibonacci retracement level. The pattern hints that a reversal could be forthcoming if buyers confirm the momentum change. There are several forms of confirmation to reinforce the bullish reversal signal of a hammer candle. An upward white or green candle on heavy volume shows buyers have taken control and were able to drive prices higher following the Hammer. A gap-up opening after the Hammer, followed by an upward candle, confirms buyers have firmly established control. For a hammer to be valid, it must appear at the bottom of a downtrend.

Bearish Inverted Hammer

One of the problems with candlesticks is that they don’t provide price targets. Therefore, stay in the trade while the downward momentum remains intact, but get out when the price starts to rise again. If you’ve spotted a hammer candlestick on a price chart, you may be eager to make a trade and profit from the potential upcoming price movement. Before you place your order, let’s take a look at a few practical considerations that can help you make the most of a trade based on the hammer pattern. Patterns can form with one or more candlesticks; most require bullish confirmation. The actual reversal indicates that buyers overcame prior selling pressure, but it remains unclear whether new buyers will bid prices higher.

Seeing prices fall below oversold levels on momentum oscillators like RSI also carries more weight. Finally, the reversal has a higher probability of success if the prior uptrend showed signs of weakness before rolling over into the downtrend. Adhering to these rules helps distinguish high-quality hammer setups from those with a lower probability of reversing the prevailing downtrend.

The long lower shadow shows that buyers initially pushed prices higher before sellers took control and drove prices back down to close near the open. The long lower shadow shows sellers did initially push the price lower as the downtrend continued. But buyers became more aggressive at those lows and bid the price back up to close near the open by the end of the period. A common mistake in trading hammer patterns is acting on the signal without considering market context or confirmation. In my experience, traders often fall prey to the simplicity of the pattern and rush into trades.

Using Hammer Candles in Technical Analysis

Dragonfly doji candlesticks are a reversal candlestick that are found at the bottom of downtrends. They are shaped like a T and signal a potential reversal to a new uptrend. Watch our video on how to identify and trade dragonfly doji candlesticks. This Metatrader indicator will scan the chart for hammers, inverted hammers, doji, hanging men and shooting star candlestick patterns.

They must remember to confirm the trend reversal’s legitimacy through other means. The following example of how to trade the hammer candlestick highlights the hammer candle on the weekly EUR/USD chart. Other indicators should be used in conjunction with the Hammer candlestick pattern to determine potential buy signals. There are two other similar candlestick patterns, which can lead to some confusion for new traders.

Is a Red Hammer Bullish?

Candlestick patterns are a reflection of the market’s psychology – by studying the historical price movements of an asset, you can get insights into its future price directions. In this regard, the hammer candlestick pattern is a significant bullish trading pattern that helps traders identify possible trading opportunities. In contrast to the hammer, the shooting star formation emerges at the top of an uptrend and suggests a potential bearish reversal.

Doji candlesticks are useful for traders, as they make it possible to identify whether a particular trend is losing strength and when prices may turn their direction. This enables traders to catch and ride a particular trend just when it begins, or exit a trend before it reaches its end. Patterns based on doji candlesticks safe haven investments provide reliable signals within trending markets. The Hanging Man represents a bearish reversal formation – it is formed after prices have previously been in an uptrend. What it signals is, that price action may have probably reached a high limit, while prices may begin to change their direction and fall.

The Hammer marked the bottom as traders took note of the intraday reversal reflected on January 28. Active traders could have entered long on February 1 as the gap up, and rally validated the bullish pattern. This transition from selling-dominated trading to buying-dominated trading makes the pattern so potent.

The doji, at times, is useful in any trend, downtrend, or uptrend when it signals indecision during a move. Looking at specific index candle charts also confirms that Hammer is an uncommon pattern. For example, an analysis of the S&P 500 over the past decade shows that only 1 out of every 40 candles (2.5%) qualified as a valid hammer. The percentage was slightly higher for small-cap stocks in the Russell 2000 index, at 3.2% of daily sessions forming hammers. But overall, all market examinations point to hammers appearing on under 5% of price charts.

Another similar candlestick pattern to the Hammer is the Dragonfly Doji. If the Hammer is green, it is considered a stronger formation than a red hammer because the bulls were able to reject the bears completely. Also, the bulls were able to push up the price past the opening price. The Hammer formation is created when the open, high, and close prices are roughly the same. Also, there is a long lower shadow that’s twice the length as the real body.