In this post we will analyze the Price Action engulfing pattern, one of the main candlestick patterns, which traders appreciate for its reliability and high percentage of success rate. Confirmed by other factors (key levels, indicator signals, fundamental preconditions), the engulfing pattern can become an effective tool for gaining profit.
✴️ What Does This Pattern Tell Us?
The engulfing pattern (outside bar) is mostly a reversal pattern (although in most cases it can also indicate a trend continuation). It looks like two candles, the first of which is small in size, and the second is a large candle with a body larger than the entire previous candle and directed in the opposite direction.
From the point of view of the crowd movement, this pattern means that the strength of the current trend is running out (as evidenced by the small size of the first candle being engulfed). The crowd does not know in what direction to move and, figuratively speaking, is treading on the spot. The appearance of a powerful candle, which absorbed the previous one and closed in the opposite direction, marks the beginning of a new, strong trend.
The example above shows that the bears, having failed to find support, stopped the downward movement, after which the bulls, having organized an impulse in the price growth, collected stop losses of traders who opened positions on the downside, when the price was still moving downward by inertia at the beginning of the reversal candle formation. After the reversal and knocking these traders out of the market, the bulls finally strengthen and a powerful uptrend is formed.
There are several mandatory conditions that a pattern must meet in order for its signal to provide the maximum probability of working out:
1. There must be a downtrend or uptrend in the market before the pattern itself. The movement can be small, but its presence is necessary.
2. The body of the second candle must be of a different color and direction (bearish after bullish and bullish after bearish). Shadows may not be engulfed, but then the signal is considered weaker.
3. The body of the second candle should have a contrasting color to the body of the first candle. The exception is when the body of the first candle is very small (doji).
In addition to the basic rules of determining the pattern of the outside bar, there are other important nuances, taking into account which traders are more likely to increase the efficiency of their trading. It is worth avoiding trading in flat conditions. In a sideways movement, engulfing patterns are quite common, and if you trade each of them, you can get a lot of losing trades. A reversal pattern implies the presence of a trend. If you open a position on the signal of the outside bar only after a clear movement, the number of false entries into the market will be significantly reduced, respectively, the overall percentage of profitability of trading will increase. It is necessary to take into consideration the overall market situation before opening a trade, it is necessary to evaluate what happened to the price of the asset earlier.
✴️ Trading Engulfing Pattern
If all conditions are met and the signal is strong enough, you can enter the market. Let's consider how exactly trading on the outside bar is conducted. It is better to enter a trade on the engulfing pattern by a pending stop order. It is placed a few points above the maximum of the bullish signal candle, or a few points below the minimum of the bearish candle. The breakout of the signal candle will confirm the market reversal and the validity of the open position.
✴️ Setting Stop Loss
There are two ways of placing stop losses when trading the pattern. At the extreme of the signal candle (a few pips above the high of a bearish candle or below the low of a bullish candle). On the ATR indicator (the indicator value is multiplied by 2 and the stop loss is placed on the received number of points from the pending order). Setting a stop on the ATR is considered optimal, although it often coincides with the extremum of the signal candle.
✴️ Take Profit
There are also several variants of take profit setting:
By the ratio of 3:1 or more to the stop loss;
By key levels. The ratio of 3:1 provides a positive mathematical expectation, but this method has no connection to the real market situation, and therefore is less effective. Taking a take profits at levels is optimal, because in this case the probability of price reaching the target and profit fixation increases. When placing a TP on a key level, a take/stop ratio of less than 3:1, but not less than 1:1 is acceptable.
✴️ Examples of Trading by Engulfing Pattern
For an example, let's consider a trade on the 4-hourly chart of USDCHF. After a bullish trend, engulfing pattern was formed at the confluence level: a bullish candle engulfed the last small bearish candle, and the signal bar itself was larger than the previous ones. On this signal a buy stop order was placed to buy above the maximum of the engulfing candle. Stop Loss was set by ATR indicator (parameter 0.0010) at 20 pips from the order, TP was set near the key level at 30 pips from the order (the R:R ratio is almost 2:1). The pending order was activated by the next candle, and the price went up. A few hours later the trade was closed at take profit.
The next trade was opened to buy EURUSD, also on 4-hourly. All conditions were met: we had bullish trend, a powerful full-body bullish candle that engulfed and closed above previous candles. A pending buy stop order was placed couple of pips above the candles high. Stop Loss was set the candle low, take profit at the nearest psychological level. The R:R ratio turned out to be 2:1, which is good.
✴️ Conclusions
There are several factors to consider when trading Price Action. Candlestick patterns provide a guide to action, but the main trend and price levels should not be overlooked. The pattern itself should always have a support point. Such a comprehensive assessment will help to avoid knowingly false entries, and the habit of a calculated approach is only for the better.
✴️ What Does This Pattern Tell Us?
The engulfing pattern (outside bar) is mostly a reversal pattern (although in most cases it can also indicate a trend continuation). It looks like two candles, the first of which is small in size, and the second is a large candle with a body larger than the entire previous candle and directed in the opposite direction.
From the point of view of the crowd movement, this pattern means that the strength of the current trend is running out (as evidenced by the small size of the first candle being engulfed). The crowd does not know in what direction to move and, figuratively speaking, is treading on the spot. The appearance of a powerful candle, which absorbed the previous one and closed in the opposite direction, marks the beginning of a new, strong trend.
There are several mandatory conditions that a pattern must meet in order for its signal to provide the maximum probability of working out:
1. There must be a downtrend or uptrend in the market before the pattern itself. The movement can be small, but its presence is necessary.
2. The body of the second candle must be of a different color and direction (bearish after bullish and bullish after bearish). Shadows may not be engulfed, but then the signal is considered weaker.
3. The body of the second candle should have a contrasting color to the body of the first candle. The exception is when the body of the first candle is very small (doji).
In addition to the basic rules of determining the pattern of the outside bar, there are other important nuances, taking into account which traders are more likely to increase the efficiency of their trading. It is worth avoiding trading in flat conditions. In a sideways movement, engulfing patterns are quite common, and if you trade each of them, you can get a lot of losing trades. A reversal pattern implies the presence of a trend. If you open a position on the signal of the outside bar only after a clear movement, the number of false entries into the market will be significantly reduced, respectively, the overall percentage of profitability of trading will increase. It is necessary to take into consideration the overall market situation before opening a trade, it is necessary to evaluate what happened to the price of the asset earlier.
✴️ Trading Engulfing Pattern
If all conditions are met and the signal is strong enough, you can enter the market. Let's consider how exactly trading on the outside bar is conducted. It is better to enter a trade on the engulfing pattern by a pending stop order. It is placed a few points above the maximum of the bullish signal candle, or a few points below the minimum of the bearish candle. The breakout of the signal candle will confirm the market reversal and the validity of the open position.
✴️ Setting Stop Loss
There are two ways of placing stop losses when trading the pattern. At the extreme of the signal candle (a few pips above the high of a bearish candle or below the low of a bullish candle). On the ATR indicator (the indicator value is multiplied by 2 and the stop loss is placed on the received number of points from the pending order). Setting a stop on the ATR is considered optimal, although it often coincides with the extremum of the signal candle.
✴️ Take Profit
There are also several variants of take profit setting:
By the ratio of 3:1 or more to the stop loss;
By key levels. The ratio of 3:1 provides a positive mathematical expectation, but this method has no connection to the real market situation, and therefore is less effective. Taking a take profits at levels is optimal, because in this case the probability of price reaching the target and profit fixation increases. When placing a TP on a key level, a take/stop ratio of less than 3:1, but not less than 1:1 is acceptable.
✴️ Examples of Trading by Engulfing Pattern
For an example, let's consider a trade on the 4-hourly chart of USDCHF. After a bullish trend, engulfing pattern was formed at the confluence level: a bullish candle engulfed the last small bearish candle, and the signal bar itself was larger than the previous ones. On this signal a buy stop order was placed to buy above the maximum of the engulfing candle. Stop Loss was set by ATR indicator (parameter 0.0010) at 20 pips from the order, TP was set near the key level at 30 pips from the order (the R:R ratio is almost 2:1). The pending order was activated by the next candle, and the price went up. A few hours later the trade was closed at take profit.
The next trade was opened to buy EURUSD, also on 4-hourly. All conditions were met: we had bullish trend, a powerful full-body bullish candle that engulfed and closed above previous candles. A pending buy stop order was placed couple of pips above the candles high. Stop Loss was set the candle low, take profit at the nearest psychological level. The R:R ratio turned out to be 2:1, which is good.
✴️ Conclusions
There are several factors to consider when trading Price Action. Candlestick patterns provide a guide to action, but the main trend and price levels should not be overlooked. The pattern itself should always have a support point. Such a comprehensive assessment will help to avoid knowingly false entries, and the habit of a calculated approach is only for the better.
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🔻FREE Telegram channel🔻
t.me/DeGRAMChannel
🔻Contact for Paid SIGNALS🔻
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