The Ultimate Guide to Gravestone Doji Candlestick Patterns

The Gravestone Doji candlestick pattern can be interpreted as a bearish reversal when it occurs at the top of uptrends. The Gravestone Doji can help traders see where resistance to a pricing increase is located. It is typically used with other technical indicators to identify a possible uptrend. The gravestone doji is a frequently occurring candlestick pattern that opens and closes near the low, traditionally thought to represent indecision.

The Doji is a candlestick pattern in which a candle’s open and close price is almost one and the same. Generally, the doji formation represents the indecision present,  a sign of trend reversal or continuation in the security. Since candlestick patterns are representations of market price movements, they tell us a lot about what happened, and how the market acted. While it’s nearly impossible to know exactly why a pattern was formed, it’s a really good exercise to try and analyze candlestick patterns a little further. Trading the gravestone candle pattern is straightforward to understand.

Can the Gravestone Doji Candle be used for Buy & Sell Signals?

In this case, a stop loss is placed below the lowest level of the bearish trend, and TP is placed at one of the previous price swing peaks. Further, as explained above, the gravestone candlestick pattern can be either bullish or bearish, meaning you’ll have to know how to identify this pattern in both market scenarios. The Gravestone Doji is a bearish Doji, which is observed when the opening and closing price of a security is equal during a trading session. The Gravestone Doji is initiated with an uptrend, which is denoted with a long upper shadow. The Gravestone Doji got its name because the pattern resembles a gravestone with an unusually long shadow pointing upwards. While the gravestone doji can be found at the end of a downtrend, it is more common to be found at the end of an uptrend.

In Chart 2 above, the market began the day by testing where support would enter the market. Altria found resistance at the high of the day and subsequently fell back to the opening’s price. After an uptrend, the Gravestone Doji can signal to traders that the uptrend could be over and that long positions could potentially be exited. Discover the practical advantages of modern market analysis and forecasting tools that can elevate your work with traditional candlestick charts by trying the ATAS Market Replay simulator. This module of the ATAS platform uses historical data to recreate real-time trading conditions.

Further, when trading the bearish gravestone candle pattern, a stop loss should be placed above the highest level of the gravestone candle. Then, as soon as the next candle closes below the closing price of the gravestone candle, a trend reversal is likely to occur, and a new bearish trend begins. The key difference between the Gravestone Doji and Dragonfly Doji is the direction of the trend reversal signal they provide. The Gravestone Doji suggests a potential trend reversal to the downside, while the Dragonfly Doji suggests a potential trend reversal to the upside. The effectiveness of the indicator or tools used for technical analysis is also dependent on the skills of the person using them. Without proper knowledge any tool would produce false outputs, so gravestone doji candle traders should have proper knowledge before using them.

What does a Gravestone Doji indicate in trading?

While the gravestone doji only is a bearish reversal sign, a neutral doji could be both bearish and bullish, depending on the direction of the preceding trend. I have been seeing the gravestone doji in up trends too when the bulls go parabolic. This trade example shows how the Gravestone Doji can be used to help traders make smart choices, taking advantage of the key moments when bears gain momentum at key resistance levels.

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2. The reason it is named a “gravestone” is that the candlestick’s general shape, which has a long upper shadow but no lower shadow, is similar to a gravestone.
3. Traders use the gravestone Doji candle pattern as a bearish trend reversal indicator.
4. Traders can use the pattern to determine when to take profits—either through a bearish trade or on a bullish position.
5. We also offer real-time stock alerts for those that want to follow our options trades.

It suggests that sellers have entered the market with the intent to potentially stall price movement and potentially reverse the price at crucial levels. This pattern’s formation signifies a struggle between buyers and sellers where, despite initial bullish momentum, the sellers take control by the end of the session. A defining characteristic of a Gravestone Doji is the absence (or minimal presence) of a lower shadow. This signals that the market’s bears successfully overwhelmed the bulls during the trading period, pushing prices back down from the peak. As part of technical analysis, understanding this pattern requires the context of the prevailing market trend and confirmation from subsequent trading periods. As you can see in the chart above, the Gravestone Doji chart pattern appears at the bottom of a downward trend and signals the end of the bullish sentiment.

1. Our chat rooms will provide you with an opportunity to learn how to trade stocks, options, and futures.
2. Candlestick charting may have started more than 300 years ago in Japan, but it is still a vital tool for traders of all types today.
3. As part of technical analysis, understanding this pattern requires the context of the prevailing market trend and confirmation from subsequent trading periods.
4. One very powerful technique we use a lot in our strategies, is seasonality.
5. So, let’s see an example of the gravestone Doji candle pattern on a live price chart.

Bearish reversal

So, let’s see an example of the gravestone Doji candle pattern on a live price chart. Strike offers a free trial along with a subscription to help traders and investors make better decisions in the stock market. Traders who are active take part in technical analysis should always take into account the wider market circumstances and news stories that could affect the price of the asset being studied. Yes, the color of a Gravestone Doji Candlestick can be significant in technical analysis as it indicates the direction of the price movement. Once you install the platform, you will automatically get the free START plan, which includes cryptocurrency trading and basic features.

This pattern is supposedly bearish, but our testing disproves that theory. I found using TrendSpider to identify and execute trades to be fast and accurate. If you want to independently test candlestick patterns and strategies, please follow the instructions below and refer to the screenshot for guidance. As you can see in the chart above, there are two Gravestone Dojis; the first occurs at the end of an uptrend and does signal a price reversal. The second one also occurs in an uptrend, but the following day, prices do not reverse; they continue upwards. This unreliability is reflected in our testing, which indicates that Gravestone Dojis only indicates a bearish reversal 43% of the time.

They often employ charts and other tools to identify opportunities in the market. Knowing whether a pattern is a reversal or continuation pattern is important. For example, gravestone doji candlesticks are typically a part of reversal patterns, but that does not mean they do not show up in a continuation pattern.

Instead, they aggressively drive the price back down to the candle’s opening level, forming the long-wick Gravestone Doji. Moreover, combining technical analysis with fundamental analysis can lead to more robust investment decisions. That said, you must confirm that the indicator and the price movement indicate the same, otherwise, there’s a divergence. To learn more about divergences, we suggest you download our divergence cheat sheet.

It indicates that buyers failed to push the prices up, and the sellers were able to bring them back down to around the opening price at the end of the trading session. At the bottom of the downtrend was a candlestick with a bit bigger of a real body than a gravestone doji, but it was an inverted hammer. The Gravestone Doji pattern is combined with a short-term moving average as a double confirmation to avoid false signals generated. We know that the formation of Gravestone Doji indicates trend reversal and initiates an entry to a short position. To confirm the entry by pattern formation we shall apply the moving average to the chart. The pattern formation indicates buyers try to push the price higher, but the market rejects the buyers, causing the price to move down and close at the candles opening price.

Just be sure you set your stop-loss at the lowest point of the gravestone candle before you take your profit. Traders use the gravestone Doji candle pattern as a bearish trend reversal indicator. Further, to confirm the trend reversal, you should use other momentum indicators such as the RSI, MACD, and Fibonacci support and resistance levels. On May 22nd, 2015, an Indian company called Adani Ports formed a Gravestone Doji in its daily charts.

Incorporating the Gravestone Doji into a trading strategy should also involve setting up risk management parameters and exit strategies. A stop-loss order above the high of the Gravestone Doji candle can help limit potential losses if the anticipated bearish reversal doesn’t materialize. While the Gravestone Doji is a bearish pattern, its counterpart, the Dragonfly Doji, signals potential bullish reversals. The Dragonfly Doji is formed when the open, high, and close prices are the same or nearly the same, with a long lower shadow and no upper shadow. Investors and traders should consider the Gravestone Doji as a warning sign of possible changes in market sentiment. If interpreted correctly and supported by other technical indicators, it could provide a signal to exit long positions or even enter a short position.