What is the bullish kicker pattern?
The bullish kicker is a bullish candlestick pattern. Price gaps up and never looks back: a red candle is followed by a green candle opening above it.
How does the bullish kicker form?
A red bar, then the next bar opens above it and never trades back into it, leaving a gap that stays open.
How do you confirm a bullish kicker?
The defining feature is the gap that does not fill. Sentiment changed between sessions rather than during one, which is why the shape is so abrupt.
When does the bullish kicker fail?
It fails when the gap fills within a bar or two. The reset was mechanical, not a change of mind.
No chart pattern works every time. The examples on this page were chosen because they show the pattern clearly, and in real markets patterns fail often.
Practice on real charts
3 real examples of the bullish kicker, cut off where the pattern completed. Make your call, then see what happened.
The shaded area is a bullish kicker. Where did price go next?
