Marubozu Candlestick Pattern: What It Looks Like and What It Means
A marubozu is a candle with a full body and little or no wick at either end: the price opened at one extreme of the period and closed at the other. It shows one side in control from start to finish, so it comes in two versions, bullish (an up candle) and bearish (a down candle). It is a picture of a period that is over; the next period starts fresh.
How It Forms
In a bullish marubozu, the price opens at or near its low, and buyers push it up all period until it closes at or near its high. A bearish marubozu is the mirror image: the price opens near its high, sellers push it down all period, and it closes near its low. Either way, the price never backs off far enough to leave a wick.
A candle packs one period of trading into one shape. The open and the close mark the two ends of the body, while the wicks are thin lines reaching the period's high and low. Bullish and bearish simply name the direction of the move, up or down.
The drawing shows the bullish version. Its five candles, with made-up prices in dollars:
| Candle | Open | High | Low | Close |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $9 | $17 | $7 | $15 |
| 2 | $15 | $21 | $13 | $19 |
| 3 (marubozu) | $18 | $37.50 | $17.50 | $37 |
| 4 | $37 | $43 | $35 | $41 |
| 5 | $41 | $47 | $39 | $45 |
Candle 3 opens at $18, just above its $17.50 low, and closes at $37, just under its $37.50 high. Its body is $19 tall inside a $20 range, so each wick is only $0.50. The bearish version swaps the open and close. A made-up mirror of candle 3 would read like this:
| Version (made-up prices) | Open | High | Low | Close |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bullish (candle 3) | $18 | $37.50 | $17.50 | $37 |
| Bearish mirror | $37 | $37.50 | $17.50 | $18 |
How to Read It
- Control. One side dominated the entire period, so the candle shows strong momentum in that period.
- Direction. It depends on the candle: up is bullish and down is bearish.
- Trend. A marubozu is often a continuation cue within an existing trend. In the drawing, it sits among rising candles, and the two after it keep climbing.
What to Watch For
A marubozu is a powerful candle, but a very large one can be overextended and mark the last push before a pause. Where it appears matters, and support and resistance levels show where earlier moves have stalled.
Three patterns share some of its features:
- An engulfing pattern is judged against the candle before it: the second body covers the first. A marubozu is judged by its own body and wicks. They differ by what is measured.
- Three white soldiers is a run of three strong up candles. A marubozu is a single candle, so they differ by count.
- A belt hold is described by where it opens: at the extreme of its range. A marubozu is described at both ends, with little or no wick on either side. They differ by shape.
Free or Premium
Core patterns cost nothing to use, and marubozu is one of them: it works on charts and in Rapunzl's Stock Scanner without Premium.
Try It in Rapunzl
Choose a Candlestick or OHLC chart, open Customize Chart → Chart Indicators → Levels, Patterns & AI Charts and turn on Pattern Markers. Bullish patterns are marked ▲ and bearish ones ▼, so a marubozu can carry either, with a list of detected patterns below the chart.
Marubozu appears in two filters in the Stock Scanner: Bullish candlestick and Bearish candlestick. Pick it among the patterns in whichever one fits. The ready-made idea "Bullish candlestick today" covers company stocks with a bullish pattern on their latest daily candle and an average volume of 500K shares or more, and its own note cautions that many such patterns are not followed by a rise. Open a result to reach that stock's chart, then turn on Pattern Markers there to see the candle.
A 15-Minute Class Activity
Flip It. Pairs need graph paper and a pencil each. Every price below is made up.
| Candle (made-up prices) | Open | High | Low | Close |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| a | $60 | $80 | $60 | $80 |
| b | $80 | $80.50 | $60 | $60.50 |
| c | $64 | $80 | $56 | $74 |
- 3 minutes. Partner A writes open, high, low and close for a bullish marubozu inside a $40-to-$55 range.
- 4 minutes. Partner B writes the bearish mirror by swapping the open and the close. Both partners draw the pair to scale.
- 4 minutes. Label candles a, b and c as bullish marubozu, bearish marubozu or neither. (a is bullish and b is bearish. c is neither: it has a $6 wick above and an $8 wick below.)
- 2 minutes. Which of the three would you expect to see inside a falling trend as a continuation cue? (Candle b.)
- 2 minutes. Exit ticket: in one sentence, say how to tell a bullish marubozu from a bearish one.
Related Patterns
- Engulfing: a second body that covers the first.
- Three White Soldiers: a run of three strong up candles.
- Belt Hold: a candle that opens at its extreme.
- How to Read a Candlestick Chart: what the body and wicks of a candle tell you.
Frequently Asked
Questions
It can be either. An up marubozu is bullish and a down marubozu is bearish.
No. The description allows little or no wick at either end.
Not by itself. A marubozu describes the period it covers, and a very large one can be the last push before a pause.
Add Candlestick Practice to Your Course
A unit on candlesticks can run on Rapunzl's charts and simulator; request a demo to see it. Families can begin on the parents page.
Indicators, patterns and examples in this article are for education and are not investment advice or a recommendation to buy or sell any security.
By Maria Rodriguez, Curriculum Designer at Rapunzl.