Summary: The Shooting Star candlestick is a powerful bearish reversal pattern that appears after an uptrend. It looks like a small body with a long top wick. It tells traders that buyers are losing strength and sellers may take over. It’s best to wait for the next candle to confirm the pattern. Mostly, traders use it to spot market tops.
Ever wondered if there’s a way to catch the top of a market trend before it reverses? The Shooting Star candlestick pattern might be your answer.
Have you ever seen a candlestick on a chart with a small body and a long tail at the top? That might just be the shooting star candlestick – one of the most powerful candlesticks of a bearish reversal in technical analysis.
In this blog post, we’ll learn about the Shooting Star Candlestick Pattern, how to identify it, trading strategies, examples, and important tips to consider while trading with it. So, let’s get started!
What is a Shooting Star Candlestick Pattern?

A Shooting Star is a bearish reversal pattern that appears at the top of an uptrend. It shows buyers tried to push the price higher, but sellers took over and backed down. This is a warning sign that the rally may be ending.
Key features of a Shooting Star:
- It appears after an uptrend.
- Has a small real body
- Has a long upper shadow/wick (at least twice the size of the body)
- Little or no lower wick
It resembles a shooting star in the sky — rising and then falling back down 🌠.
Psychology Behind the Pattern
Example 1: Nifty 50 Shooting Star Candlestick Formation Analysis

Here, you can see the market is rising, and suddenly, in a single candle session, prices go higher but then reverse and close below the open price. This means buyers tried to push prices up, but sellers stepped in with strength, and the candle showed signs of a trend reversal.
This sudden shift tells traders that the uptrend might be losing strength and a bearish reversal could follow.
What does a Shooting Star mean?
- When the candle formed, the buyers took control and pushed the price higher
- Under the buying pressure, suddenly huge selling pressure stepped in and pushed the price lower
- The selling pressure is so strong that it closed the candle below the opening price of the candle.
In short, a Shooting Star is a Bearish reversal candlestick pattern that shows rejection of higher prices.
Now, this is the most important tip-
Just because you see a shooting star candlestick doesn’t mean you go short immediately, because the context of the market is more important than the shooting star. The shooting star candle doesn’t tell you the direction of the overall trend.
So, here you should know the basic concept of price action. When this candle was formed, then find the location of candle… if the candle formed is at a resistance level, then with the help of this candle we can find the bearish trend, but if it happens randomly at different places, then it also leads to chasing losses.
So, learn price action and increase the accuracy of candlesticks.
How to Identify a Shooting Star Candlestick Pattern
To confidently find a shooting star, follow these simple steps:
Criteria | Important Points |
Trend Direction | Appear after an uptrend (near resistance level) |
Body | Small body below the candle |
Upper Shadow/Wick | Must be at least twice the length of the body |
lower Shadow | Very small or absent |
Look for confirmation on the next candle bearish that breaks the low of the shooting star.
How to Trade the Shooting Star Candlestick Pattern
Here’s a simple way to trade the this candle
First, find a clear uptrend and wait for a candle formation near at resistance level. Now, wait for confirmation with the next bearish candle close below the low of the shooting star.
Entry
Enter the trade when the next candle closes below the shooting star’s low.
Stop Loss
Place the stop loss above the high of the shooting star candle, which is above the top of the week.
Target
Use recent support levels or a risk-reward ratio of 1:2 or 1:3 accordingly.
Note: Always wait for confirmation from the next candle before entering a trade.
Pros & Cons of Shooting Star Pattern
Pros
- Easy to identify
- Provides perfect entry and exit points
- Effective in various timeframes
Cons
- Needs confirmation
- False Signals
- Not effective in sideways markets.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Avoid these mistakes to get more accuracy with the candlestick pattern. Here are some comment mistakes:
Traders place trades without confirmation, Some traders also confuse the shooting star with the inverted hammer, which looks similar but appears after a downtrend, ignoring the overall market structure & random trade in a sideways market.
Conclusion
So in this Shooting Star trading strategy guide, you’ve learned:
- What is the Shooting Star Candlestick Pattern
- Psychology Behind the Pattern
- How to Identify Pattern Perfectly
- How to trade Shooting Starlike a PRO
- PROs & Cons with Common mistakes to avoid
Now I want to know…
How do you trade the shooting star candlestick pattern?
Leave a comment below and share your thoughts with me.
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Happy Trading…..