Common Candlestick Mistakes

Mistake 1: Pattern hunting without levels — seeing engulfing everywhere in chop. Fix: levels first.

Mistake 2: Trading incomplete patterns — entering on candle two of three. Fix: wait for full formation close.

Mistake 3: Ignoring HTF bias — perfect hammer into daily resistance. Fix: top-down filter.

Mistake 4: Stops inside pattern noise — stopped on wick then price goes your way. Fix: stops beyond logical invalidation, size down if needed.

Mistake 5: Pattern encyclopedia paralysis — 50 patterns, zero mastery. Fix: master 8–10 core patterns deeply.

Mistake 6: Recency bias — one failed star does not mean all stars fail. Fix: journal 30+ samples before changing rules.