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Technical Analysis · Intermediate · 5 min

Three-candle patterns: morning and evening star, three soldiers

You can recognize morning and evening stars and three white soldiers, describe the three steps each shows and explain why they still need context.

Push, pause, reply

Turning points in markets are rarely clean. More often there is a strong push in one direction, a moment of doubt, and then a reply from the other side.

Three-candle patterns describe exactly that sequence. They are a little more demanding than single or two-candle patterns, and they tell a richer story. But the same rule applies: they describe what happened, not what has to happen next.

The morning star

A morning star appears after a decline and has three parts:

  1. A long red candle. Sellers are clearly in control.
  2. A small candle, the star. It often opens below the previous close. The small body shows that the selling has lost momentum. Its color matters little.
  3. A long green candle that closes well into the body of the first candle, often above its middle.
Candle chart A morning star after a decline: a long red candle from 54 to 52.50, a small candle that opens lower at 52.20, and a long green candle that closes at 54.20, above the middle of the first candle's body.

In the chart, the third candle falls from 54.00 to 52.50. The star opens lower at 52.20 and closes almost unchanged. The fifth candle then rises from 52.60 to 54.20, above the middle of the first long body at 53.25.

The evening star is the mirror image after a rise: a long green candle, a small star, and a long red candle closing well into the green body. If the star is a doji, the patterns are sometimes called morning or evening doji stars.

What makes these patterns interesting is the sequence of behavior. Selling pressure, then hesitation, then a strong reply. That is more information than a single candle gives. But a turn can still fail. A morning star in a strong downtrend can be followed by new lows a few days later.

As the lesson on two-candle patterns noted, research has found little value in candlestick signals used on their own. Their use lies in describing behavior at places that matter, which the next lesson is about.

Three steps up

Three white soldiers are three long green candles in a row. Each opens within the body of the candle before and closes near its own high. The bearish mirror is called three black crows.

Candle chart Three white soldiers: after two red candles, three long green candles in a row, each opening inside the previous body and closing near its high, from 49.40 to 52.70.

In the fictional chart, two red candles take the price to 49.40. Then three green candles follow: 49.40 to 50.50, 50.30 to 51.60, and 51.40 to 52.70. Each opens inside the previous body and closes near its high. Buyers were in control for three periods in a row.

Location changes the reading. After a decline or a long sideways phase, three soldiers can mark a change in control. After a long rally, the same three candles can mean the move is stretched, and the buyers arriving now may be the last ones.

Common mistakes

The takeaway

Three-candle patterns tell a short story: a strong move, a pause, and a reply. They show a possible turn, not a certain one.

Check yourself

Quick quiz

4 questions. Instant feedback, nothing is saved.

  1. 1Tap the small middle candle of the morning star.

    Tap the chart.

    Candle chart Chart for the question: Tap the small middle candle of the morning star.

    The star is the small candle between the long red and the long green candle. It shows a pause in the selling.

  2. 2What are the three steps of a morning star?

    Sellers dominate, then hesitate, then buyers reply strongly. The evening star is the mirror image after a rise.

  3. 3What describes three white soldiers?

    The pattern shows buyers in control over three periods in a row, typically after a decline or a range.

  4. 4Why can three white soldiers after a long rise be a warning rather than a signal to follow?

    Location matters. The same three candles mean something different after a decline than at the end of a long rally.

of 4 correct.

Sources

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