Candle Body and Wick Explained

The body is the thicker, rectangular part of a candlestick, representing the range between the open and close prices. A larger body indicates a greater difference between open and close (more decisive movement in one direction during that period), while a smaller body indicates the open and close were relatively close together.

The wick (also called a shadow) refers to the thin lines extending above and/or below the body, representing the high and low prices reached during the period, beyond the open and close range captured by the body.

A long upper wick suggests that price reached significantly higher during the period before pulling back to close lower within the body's range, sometimes discussed as reflecting selling pressure that emerged after an initial push higher. A long lower wick suggests the opposite — price fell significantly before recovering, sometimes discussed as reflecting buying pressure after an initial decline. These are general tendencies discussed in technical analysis education, not guaranteed interpretations.