Concept
Spinning Top, Marubozu and Harami
These three names describe candles by the relationship between body and wicks. A spinning top has a small body with wicks on both sides; a marubozu has a long body with almost no wicks; a harami is a small candle contained within the previous one.
How to read it
- A spinning top means the period ranged in both directions and finished near where it started.
- A marubozu means the period opened at one extreme and closed at the other, with little trading beyond either end.
- A harami means the second period stayed entirely inside the first period’s body — a contraction in range.
What it does not tell you
- All three are defined by proportions with no standard thresholds, so classification varies by observer and by platform.
- They describe the completed period only, and each occurs often enough that presence alone distinguishes little.
- Timeframe changes everything: a marubozu on an hourly chart is one part of an ordinary daily candle.
Frequently asked questions
What is a marubozu candle?
A candle with a long body and almost no wicks, meaning the period opened at one end of its range and closed at the other.
What does a spinning top indicate?
That price moved in both directions during the period and finished near its open. It is conventionally described as indecision.
What is a harami pattern?
A two-candle shape where the second candle sits entirely within the body of the first, describing a contraction in range.
Are these patterns reliable?
They are descriptions of shape with no standardised thresholds, and each occurs frequently. They are more useful as vocabulary for describing what happened than as indications of what follows.
Related
- How to Read a Candlestick — Concept
- Doji Candle — Concept
- Consolidation and Ranges — Concept
Educational use only
This page is educational material about how a technical tool is calculated and read. It is not investment advice, not a recommendation to buy or sell anything, and not a signal service. No indicator predicts future prices. CernoQuant is a trading journal and analytics platform, not a SEBI-registered investment adviser. Trading decisions and their outcomes are yours alone.
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