The short answer

An evening star is a three-candle top: a long up candle, then a small-bodied candle that stalls above it, then a long down candle closing well into the first candle's body. It maps a trend running out of buyers over three sessions.

Also called: evening star candlestick

A evening star forming after an advance, drawn from the pattern's real open, high, low and close proportions Trend candle The stall Reversal

Drawn to the real proportions the formation rules describe. Lead-in candles are dimmed; the pattern itself is bracketed.

  • Traditional bias Bearish
  • Type Reversal
  • Built from Three candles
  • Context After an advance

How to spot it

  • Candle one is a long candle in the direction of the uptrend.
  • Candle two has a small body and sits above candle one's body, ideally gapping up.
  • Candle three is a long down candle that closes below the midpoint of candle one's body.
  • The deeper candle three closes into candle one, the stronger the signal.
  • The pattern must sit at the top of a visible advance to mean anything.

What it actually means

Three sessions tell one story. The first is the trend still working. The second is the trend stalling at a high, with neither side able to extend it. The third is the resolution, and it goes against the trend hard enough to erase most of the first session's gain. That sequence, stall then reversal, is why it carries more weight than any single candle.

What confirms it

Candle three closing below the midpoint of candle one is itself most of the confirmation. A fourth session that continues lower and volume expanding on candle three both add to it.

What invalidates it

A close back above the high of candle two. That reclaims the stall level and says the pause was a consolidation rather than a top.

Where people get it wrong

The middle candle is where people get loose. If it does not actually stall above the first candle's body, the sequence is just an up day followed by a down day, which happens constantly and means nothing. Many charting tools also flag evening stars in the middle of ranges, where there is no trend to reverse.

Common questions

Is the evening star bullish or bearish?
The traditional reading is bearish. Three sessions tell one story. It carries that reading only after an advance.
What confirms a evening star?
Candle three closing below the midpoint of candle one is itself most of the confirmation. A fourth session that continues lower and volume expanding on candle three both add to it.
When does the evening star stop working?
A close back above the high of candle two. That reclaims the stall level and says the pause was a consolidation rather than a top. Beyond that, the middle candle is where people get loose.

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Formation rules follow Japanese Candlestick Charting Techniques by Steve Nison. Reviewed 2026-09-14.