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Glossary · Candlestick patterns

Spinning top

A candle with a small body centred between upper and lower wicks of similar length, showing a tug-of-war that ended roughly even.

By Sky Trade editorial teamUpdated

A spinning top has a small body sitting near the middle of its range, with wicks above and below. Both sides moved price during the period, and neither kept control by the close. It resembles a doji, but its body is visibly larger than a doji's thin line.

The spinning top is a classic indecision candle, and its meaning depends on context:

  • After a strong trend, it can show momentum fading and the market pausing.
  • In a range or a quiet session, it is ordinary and says very little.
  • Several spinning tops in a row show a market that is waiting, often for news.

Its value is mostly as a warning. If you were about to join a trend and a spinning top appears, the market has just shown less conviction. It isn't a reversal signal by itself, and trading against the trend on every spinning top means fighting a steady stream of noise.

The opposite candle is the marubozu, all body and no wicks. Comparing the two on one chart helps you judge how decisive each period was. Both are covered in marubozu and spinning top.

Example

After a 40-pip rally, USD/JPY prints an M15 candle that opens at 151.20, trades between 151.05 and 151.38 and closes at 151.24: a 4-pip body inside a 33-pip range. The trend may be pausing; nothing more is confirmed.

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