Candlestick charts are the most common chart types used by retail traders and investors. There are many other types of charts such as line charts, bar charts etc., but they don’t tell the story of past price action like candlestick indicator patterns do. When active trading is based solely upon technical analysis, projecting future price action is rooted in how the price has behaved in the past.
Candlestick analysis is a very useful form of technical analysis. It works almost perfectly in volatile times but also functions adequately in less volatile times. All in all, candlesticks, as well as candlestick trading, works fairly well in isolation or when combined with one or two other indicators.
Candlesticks represent fluctuations in price for a certain period of time. Durations may be as little as one minute or as large as a week or month. The body of the candlestick is the price difference between the opening and the closing time. The two vertical lines on each side, which are called shadows or wicks, display the highest and the lowest point of the price for that period of time.