Wick (shadow)
The wick, or shadow, is the thin line above or below a candle's body. It shows prices reached and then abandoned during the period.
The upper wick runs from the top of the body to the high of the period, the lower wick from the bottom of the body to the low. A long wick signals that price was rejected: buyers or sellers tried to push further, then lost control.
A long lower wick at support suggests buyers defended the area. A long upper wick below resistance suggests the opposite.
Wicks also help you place stops: below the lower wick of a signal candle for a buy, above the upper wick for a sell. They often mark the liquidity zones where orders pile up.
See also