Candlesticks and overall technical picture

Candlesticks fit into the overall technical picture, but it should be known that candlestick chart patterns are just one part of a wide array of studies that fit into technical analysis.  Technical analysis spans all chart analysis, and it is even applied to some fundamental analysis statistics. 

Candlesticks are usually traded actively or passively, but few traders deny their influence, especially those that use technical analysis in favor of traditional investing.  Some traders like to use candlesticks as the sole buying and selling signals, while others blend them in with a few other technical indicators to refine their trading.  Day traders and swing traders are much more likely to use candlestick patterns than investors, but that is due largely because of the difference in investing ideologies. Read more...