In plain English
What Candlestick means
Each candlestick summarizes price movement over a chosen period, such as one minute, one hour, or one day. The body shows the open and close, while the wicks show the high and low. Traders use candlesticks to read price action more quickly than from raw numbers alone.
Why it matters
Candlesticks are a standard way to analyze market behavior because they compress four key prices into one visual unit. That makes it easier to compare sessions, spot volatility, and identify patterns near support, resistance, or breakouts.
Example
If a one-hour candlestick opens at 1.1000, trades as high as 1.1020 and as low as 1.0980, then closes at 1.1010, the candle shows that full range for that hour. This is a simplified example using exact prices.
Quick answers
Common questions
Is a candlestick the same as OHLC?+
Not exactly. OHLC is the price data; a candlestick is one common visual way to display that data.
Does every platform draw candlesticks the same way?+
The basic structure is the same, but colors, scaling, and session settings can differ by platform.
Sources