Spinning Top candlestick pattern
A small body with long wicks on both sides. Buyers and sellers both pushed price around during the session and neither came out ahead.
Illustrative shape. Real patterns vary in proportion.
How to identify a Spinning Top
- Small real body near the middle of the range
- Upper and lower wicks both longer than the body
- Can be green or red; the color matters little
- Most meaningful after a strong trend
What the Spinning Top tells you
A spinning top is the market pausing to think. After a strong move it suggests the side that was winning has lost conviction, but it doesn't say who will take over.
How traders use it
Spinning tops aren't trade signals on their own. Traders treat them as a heads-up and wait for the next candle: a strong move in either direction often follows, and that breakout candle is what they act on.
Before taking any pattern-based trade, decide your stop first and size the position from it with the position size calculator.
Think you'd spot it on a chart?
Take the Beginner quiz: single-candle patterns →Related patterns
Frequently asked questions
Is the Spinning Top bullish or bearish? +
Neither on its own. The Spinning Top signals indecision; the candle that follows usually decides the direction.
How reliable is the Spinning Top? +
No candlestick pattern works every time. Patterns are more reliable when they form at a meaningful level (support, resistance, a moving average), after a clear trend, on higher volume, and when the next candle confirms them.
Do I need confirmation to trade the Spinning Top? +
Most traders want it. Waiting for the next candle to move in the expected direction filters out many false signals, at the cost of a slightly worse entry price.
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