Reading the first three candles of the session
Opening candles carry gap information and false reversals. A calm sequence for reading them.
The open attracts drama. Traders rewrite plans after one wide candle. Our briefing clinic uses a quieter sequence.
Candle one: information, not conclusion
Note the gap relative to the prior close and whether the first body continues or rejects that gap. Do not assign a full reversal thesis yet.
Candle two: agreement or fight
If candle two erases most of candle one’s body, early conviction is contested. If it continues with a similar body size, pressure is more coherent — still not a day-long forecast.
Candle three: provisional structure
By the third bar you can often sketch a short opening range. Patterns that form inside that range deserve different filters than patterns that break it with a full-bodied engulfing close.
Bring this sequence to your next open. Write what you saw for each candle before you change size or direction. Pattern reading at the open is mostly about patience disguised as structure.