What it means
A shooting star is the bearish-reversal version of the hammer family. Long upper wick (≥2x body), small real body near the candle's low, minimal lower wick. Forms after an uptrend, signaling sellers absorbed an attempted upside push. Same structure as inverted hammer but in a different trend context (shooting star = at tops; inverted hammer = at bottoms).
Why it matters
Shooting star captures buyer exhaustion at a local high — price pushed up during the session, met heavy supply, and closed back near the open. Bulkowski reports ~62% reversal reliability when at significant resistance with confirmation.
How to use it
Require prior uptrend (3+ green sessions). Confirmation: next candle closes below the shooting star's body. Stop above the upper wick extreme. Best at structural resistance levels.
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