Three White Soldiers & Three Black Crows
Three decisive candles in a row — momentum stated plainly.
Some patterns whisper; these shout. Three white soldiers and three black crows are simply three strong candles in a row, each continuing decisively in the same direction — momentumBuying recent winners and avoiding recent losers. made obvious.
- Three white soldiers (bullish) — three consecutive long green candles, each opening within the prior body and closing near its high. Persistent, broad-based buying; often a reversal up from a bottom or a strong continuation.
- Three black crows (bearish) — three consecutive long red candles, each closing near its low. Relentless selling; a reversal down from a top or a strong continuation lower.
A single big candleA chart bar showing a period’s open, high, low and close. can be a fluke — a one-off reaction to news. Three decisive candles in a row is much harder to dismiss: it shows sustained, repeated conviction, the crowd voting the same way three periods running. That persistence is exactly why these patterns are trusted as momentumBuying recent winners and avoiding recent losers. signals — one candleA chart bar showing a period’s open, high, low and close. is an opinion, three in a row is a movement.
Common mistakeChasing the entry after all three candles have formed. By then a big move has already happened and price is often stretched/overboughtA condition suggesting price has risen too far, too fast. short-term — you risk buying right before a pullback. The pattern confirms direction; it doesn’t mean the cheap entry is still there.
Key takeawayThree white soldiers (three strong green) and three black crows (three strong red) show sustained, repeated conviction — momentumBuying recent winners and avoiding recent losers. stated plainly. More reliable than one candleA chart bar showing a period’s open, high, low and close., but beware chasing after the move is already extended.
FAQs
Are these reversal or continuation patterns?
They can be either, depending on where they appear. Emerging from a bottom/top, they signal a reversal; appearing within an existing trend, they signal strong continuation. Either way the core message is the same — powerful, sustained momentum in that direction.