Read one candle
The open is the first price of the interval and the close is the last. The high and low mark the extremes reached. The body joins open and close, while the wicks extend to the high and low.
Imagine a candle that opens at 100, reaches 105, falls to 98 and closes at 103. Its body runs from 100 to 103, with wicks reaching 105 and 98. Those four values, often shortened to OHLC, summarise the interval. The finished candle alone cannot tell you whether 105 or 98 came first.
In these lessons, aqua means the close is at or above the open and coral means it is below. Platforms can use other colours, so read the underlying values rather than relying entirely on colour.
A long body shows a large net move relative to that candle's open. A long wick shows price travelled beyond the body and returned before the close. It does not reveal the motive of the traders involved, and it does not guarantee a future reversal.
Watch a sequence build
Use Next to reveal completed candles. Compare each body with its wicks, then with the candles around it. Every candle represents the same length of time; the prices are hypothetical.
One candle, four prices
Each candle has an open, high, low and close. The body joins open to close; the wick extends to the high and low. Up and down describe the close relative to the open.
Illustrated walkthrough · all scenarios
Read the candles
- One candle, four prices. Each candle has an open, high, low and close. The body joins open to close; the wick extends to the high and low. Up and down describe the close relative to the open.
- A sequence gives context. These are equal-length intervals. A small candle says little by itself; compare its range and location with nearby candles.
- A large range. Compare the full high-to-low range with the body. The wicks show how far price travelled beyond its open and close; they cannot tell you what the next candle will do.
- Wait for the close. Playback adds completed hypothetical candles. On a live chart, the latest high, low and closing price can change until the interval ends. Four aligned 1h intervals make one 4h candle.
The volume bars refer to the same intervals as the candles above them. A tall volume bar describes more trading; it does not change what the four candle prices mean.
Forming versus closed candles
During a live interval, the latest candle is still forming. Its high can increase, its low can decrease and its latest price can move back and forth. An apparent breakout can disappear before the close.
After the interval ends, its open, high, low and close summarise that completed interval. A close beyond a level is therefore a different observation from a brief intraperiod move through it. Neither guarantees follow-through, but they answer different questions.
These lessons add completed candles for clarity. They do not simulate the unknown sequence of trades inside each candle. You cannot infer whether a stop or target was hit first within a bar merely from its final OHLC values.
What a timeframe changes
A one-hour chart uses one candle per hour; a four-hour chart uses one per four-hour interval. A properly aligned four-hour candle combines four one-hour intervals: the first open, highest high, lowest low and last close. Daily and weekly charts aggregate still more activity.
Aggregation can hide the path. A small daily body might contain a large rally and decline. Shorter charts reveal more detail but also more fluctuations that may be irrelevant to a longer-horizon decision.
Indicators use the chart's interval. A 14-period RSI on a four-hour chart updates from four-hour closing prices; a 14-period daily RSI updates from daily closes. The same setting describes different spans of market activity.
Is there a best timeframe?
There is no universally best timeframe. Begin with the decision horizon and how often you can monitor it. A short-lived intraday idea can require attention and execution that are unsuitable for someone checking once a day.
Shorter intervals do not automatically improve accuracy. More frequent decisions mean more opportunities for spreads, fees and slippage to matter. Longer intervals may involve wider price movements and longer waits; they are not automatically safer.
CoinScreener's alert availability is specific to each family: volume and OI use 5m, 15m, 1h and 4h; RSI uses 4h, 1D and 1W; divergence uses 4h and 1D; squeeze-family alerts use 1h, 4h and 1D. A guide's general concept may apply beyond those product-supported intervals.
In these labels, m means minutes, h means hours, 1D means one day and 1W means one week. OI stands for open interest, the contracts that remain open in a derivatives market.
Use multiple timeframes with a purpose
- Choose the decision chart. Start with the timeframe of the alert or the trade you are assessing.
- Inspect a broader view. Note the surrounding trend and major nearby levels. This is context, not an automatic veto or approval.
- Return to the decision chart. Define confirmation, entry and invalidation consistently.
- Keep the plan consistent. Do not turn a failed short-term trade into a long-term position simply by switching charts.
For example, a bullish four-hour divergence can occur within a weekly downtrend. Downward momentum may be weakening on the shorter chart while the broader trend still points down. Consider whether your idea is a short-term bounce or a broader reversal, and what evidence would distinguish the two.
Common reading mistakes
Do not compare a forming candle with completed historical candles as though it is final. Do not assume identical-looking candles represent the same duration. Check timezone labels and exchange boundaries when comparing charts from different platforms.
Also avoid claiming an exact sequence within a candle. If a bar's high and low cross both a hypothetical target and stop, you need finer data or an explicit simulation assumption to resolve which happened first. A visually smooth animation should not invent that knowledge.
Reading charts in CoinScreener
Confirm the symbol, venue, market type and alert timeframe in the detail screen. The market-context chart explains the observation; supporting indicator panels correspond to the plotted history. Delivery can happen after the candle close, so the market may already have moved.
A chart viewer's interval and a strategy's evaluation schedule are separate. Viewing another interval does not change a published Polaris strategy, its historical evidence or its trade management.
This ZENUSDT alert uses 15-minute candles. Bodies and wicks show each interval; the trigger marker and later candles separate the observation from what happened afterward. The volume panel uses the same time axis.
A quick checklist
- Know which interval each candle summarises.
- Read open, high, low and close separately.
- Distinguish forming data from a completed observation.
- Align price and indicator timestamps.
- Use a broader chart for context, not to excuse a failed plan.
Common questions
Is an aqua candle always bullish? It closes at or above its open in this lesson. Its location and surrounding price action still matter.
Does a long lower wick prove buyers will win? No. It records an intraperiod move and recovery, not the next outcome.
Are four one-hour candles always interchangeable with a four-hour chart? Only when the time boundaries and source data align. Check the exchange, timezone conventions and interval boundaries.
Sources and further reading
This guide uses standard OHLC definitions and original examples. CoinScreener's supported timeframes were checked on 5 September 2026. Apply these ideas in the RSI divergence lesson or the volume lesson.