Marubozu

A Marubozu is a candlestick with little to no wicks (shadows) — the open and close are at or very near the high and low of the period. It represents total dominance by one side. A bullish (green) Marubozu opens at the low and closes at the high, showing uninterrupted buying. A bearish (red) Marubozu opens at the high and closes at the low, showing uninterrupted selling. The name comes from the Japanese word for "bald" or "shaved."

Pattern Anatomy

• The open is at or very near one extreme of the range.
• The close is at or very near the opposite extreme.
• Virtually no upper or lower shadows.
• All body, no wick — the most decisive type of candle.
• Bullish: Open ≅ Low, Close ≅ High. Bearish: Open ≅ High, Close ≅ Low.

How to Interpret

• Shows complete one-sided conviction — no pushback from the opposing side at any point.
• Bullish Marubozu: strong continuation signal in an uptrend, or a powerful start to a new trend.
• Bearish Marubozu: strong continuation in a downtrend, or a decisive breakdown.
• Unlike reversal patterns (Doji, Hammer), the Marubozu is typically a continuation/momentum signal.
• After a Marubozu, the next candle's open is often watched closely — any gap in the same direction adds confidence.

Expert References

Steve Nison describes the Marubozu as conveying urgency and momentum — a candle that leaves no doubt about the session's dominant force. Thomas Bulkowski's statistical research notes that Marubozu candles are more commonly continuation signals than reversal signals, reinforcing the idea that they confirm existing momentum rather than predict a change in direction.

Controversy & Limitations

True Marubozus (absolutely zero wick) are rare; Engulfy uses a small tolerance to catch near-perfect examples. The pattern has a relatively low priority in Engulfy's pattern ranking because it confirms existing momentum rather than predicting a change. Some analysts view it as "too obvious" — by the time a Marubozu forms, the move is already well underway.