Evening Star
An Evening Star is the bearish mirror of a Morning Star: a strong green candle, a small-bodied star at the top, and a strong red candle that closes deep into the first candle's body, printed after an uptrend.
What it measures
Candle 1: large green body confirming the uptrend. Candle 2: small body, ideally with a gap or higher close than candle 1. Candle 3: large red body closing below the midpoint of candle 1's body.
Parameters
| Name | Default | Range | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| star_body_max_pct | 30 | 10–50 | Middle candle's maximum body-to-range percentage. |
| candle3_penetration | 50 | 30–100 | How far candle 3 closes into candle 1's body. |
How it behaves
The pattern narrates a top: buyers push (C1), the buying stalls (C2), sellers reclaim decisively (C3). Rising volume on C3 vs C1 confirms distribution.
When it misleads
In grinding uptrends the Evening Star fires and the trend continues within days. Require a resistance context and a lower close on the candle after C3 before treating it as a real short signal. Middle-candle strictness matters — a loose "Evening Star" scan catches too many uptrend pauses.
Backtest result
Sourced backtest in preparation — we're running the rule on our own historical candles before publishing numbers we can stand behind.
FAQ
- Evening Star vs Three Black Crows?
- Three Black Crows is three consecutive large red candles with no indecision in the middle. Evening Star has the small pause candle. Different mechanics, same eventual bearish outcome.
- How much does volume matter?
- Substantially — an Evening Star with rising volume on C3 has historically been much more reliable than one on flat or falling volume, which often marks a shallow pullback.
- What is an Evening Doji Star?
- The strictest form, where the middle candle is a doji. Traditionally the highest-conviction version of the top-reversal family.
Build a strategy with Evening Star
Drop the block into the Nodlow builder and backtest on real historical data.
Try it in the builder