What the kicker pattern is
A kicker candlestick pattern is a reversal pattern made of a pair of candles in opposite colours. The later candle opens with a gap (a price jump with no trading in between) past the open of the earlier candle and then moves away in the new direction. The bodies do not overlap.
- Bullish kicker pattern: a bearish candle, then a bullish candle that opens at or above the bearish candle's open and closes higher.
- Bearish kicker pattern: a bullish candle, then a bearish candle that opens at or below the bullish candle's open and closes lower.
For the basics of bodies, wicks and colours, see Reading Candlestick Charts.
Ready to try it on a real or demo account?
Partner link · trading carries a high risk of loss
Drawn example
The sketch below is a drawing, not real prices.
A bearish kicker is the mirror image: a hollow candle in a rise, then a gap down and a filled candle that closes near its low.
Formation rules
- The prior candle has a clear body in the direction of the recent move.
- The kicker candle is the opposite colour.
- The kicker opens beyond the prior candle's open, not only beyond its close.
- The bodies do not overlap. Small wicks touching is a weaker case.
- The kicker has a strong body with short wicks, close to a Marubozu.
If the kicker opens inside the prior body, the pattern is closer to an engulfing pattern or a Piercing Line.
Kicker pattern meaning: buyers and sellers
The prior candle shows the old side in control. The gap shows that between sessions, often after news, orders arrived that moved the open past where the old side had started. The strong body then shows no pullback into the gap. Traders who held the old direction are suddenly at a loss, and their exits can add to the new move.
Where it matters
- Trend: it has more meaning after a clear rise or decline than inside a sideways range.
- Level: a kicker that forms at support or resistance carries more weight. See Technical analysis.
- Timeframe: true gaps are mostly found on daily charts of stocks and indices. In forex, which trades around the clock, gaps appear mainly at the weekly open. On intraday forex charts, "kickers" are often just normal candles with no real gap.
Why it fails in isolation
- Gap fill: price often returns into the gap and closes it, cancelling the signal.
- News spike: a gap after an announcement can reverse once the market digests the news.
- Thin markets: on low-volume instruments, gaps can be noise.
- No context: a kicker in the middle of a range says little about direction.
- Gaps and stops: a gap can jump past a stop order, so the fill may be worse than the planned exit price.
How traders seek confirmation
Traders usually wait for the following candle to hold beyond the gap, and look for a level, a trendline or a volume increase that agrees. Many also check the higher timeframe trend. None of this makes the outcome certain. Position size and stop placement belong to risk management, and you can practise reading patterns on a demo account first.
Leveraged forex and CFD trading can lose money fast, including more than you planned when price gaps.
Frequent questions
What is a kicker pattern?
A pair of opposite-colour candles where the later candle gaps past the earlier candle's open and moves strongly the other way.
Is a bullish kicker the same as a bullish engulfing?
No. An engulfing candle opens inside or near the prior body and covers it. A kicker opens beyond the prior open with a gap.
Does the kicker work on forex charts?
True gaps are rare in forex outside the weekly open, so most intraday examples are not real kickers.
Does a kicker guarantee a reversal?
No. Gaps are often filled, and the pattern needs context and confirmation.
Where can I learn related patterns?
See Candlestick Patterns, Abandoned Baby and Belt Hold.