What it is
The Marubozu (Japanese for "bald" or "shaved head") is a single-candle pattern characterized by a long body with no shadows (or minimal shadows). The open equals the high or low, and the close equals the opposite extreme.
A Bullish Marubozu opens at its low and closes at its high - buyers controlled the entire session from start to finish. A Bearish Marubozu opens at its high and closes at its low - sellers dominated without opposition.
The psychology
The Marubozu represents complete one-sided conviction. In a typical candle, both buyers and sellers exert some influence - wicks show where one side temporarily gained ground before being pushed back. A Marubozu has no such give-and-take.
For a Bullish Marubozu: from the opening bell, buyers stepped in and never let sellers push price below the open. Every attempt to sell was met with stronger buying. The close at the high shows buyers remained confident until the end.
This kind of sustained pressure typically indicates institutional involvement or strong conviction. The lack of any shadow suggests that dip-buyers or bounce-sellers never had a chance - momentum was overwhelming.
Identification
- 01Long body - Significantly larger than average candle size
- 02No upper shadow - Or minimal (less than 5% of body)
- 03No lower shadow - Or minimal (less than 5% of body)
- 04Clear direction - Bullish (close > open) or Bearish (open > close)
- 01High volume - Confirms institutional participation
- 02Breakout from range - Breaking key level adds significance
- 03Trend alignment - In direction of higher timeframe trend
- 04Perfect Marubozu - Absolutely zero shadows
- 01Significant shadows - Even small wicks reduce the signal
- 02Low volume - May indicate gap or illiquid conditions
- 03Counter-trend - Against dominant higher timeframe direction
- 04At major resistance/support - May be exhaustion gap
Execution framework
Continuation: Enter on a pullback to the midpoint of the Marubozu body. Breakout: Enter on break beyond the Marubozu's extreme in the trend direction.
Place stop beyond the opposite end of the Marubozu. If bullish, stop below the open/low; if bearish, stop above the open/high.
T1: Next major support/resistance level. T2: Measured move equal to the Marubozu's range projected forward.
Minimum 1:2 R:R required. Wide stop due to large body size.
Context matters
The Marubozu's significance depends on where it appears. As a breakout candle, it's powerful. As the last candle of an extended move, it may signal exhaustion.
- 01Breaking out of consolidation range
- 02Following a period of compression
- 03With significantly above-average volume
- 04In the direction of the higher timeframe trend
- 05Breaking through key support/resistance
- 06As first candle of a new trend
- 01After extended move (exhaustion)
- 02Against higher timeframe trend
- 03With low or declining volume
- 04In choppy, directionless conditions
- 05At major support/resistance (may reverse)
- 06During news-driven events (gap risk)
A full-body candle with no wicks shows total dominance by one side. These often mark the start of strong moves.
Compare the full pattern set
Use the library to compare similar structures before deciding what the chart is actually building.