# Spinning Top > A spinning top has a small body with wicks on both sides, showing indecision. Learn what it means after trends, in ranges and how traders use it for timing. Source: https://learn.tradelabsai.com/candlesticks/spinning-top/ Track: Candlesticks · Level: Beginner · Updated: 2026-10-03 Publisher: TradeLabs AI (https://tradelabsai.com). Education, not financial advice. Cite as: TradeLabs Learn, "Spinning Top", https://learn.tradelabsai.com/candlesticks/spinning-top/ A spinning top is a candle with a small body in the middle of its range and wicks of similar length above and below. It looks a bit like a child's spinning top. It shows that buyers and sellers both pushed price during the period but neither won: the market ended near where it started. Like the doji, it is a sign of indecision, and its meaning depends entirely on where it appears. ## Anatomy *Figure: Both sides were active, but the period ended close to where it began.* | Feature | Spinning top | Doji | |---|---|---| | Body | Small, but visible | Almost none | | Wicks | Both sides, usually similar length | Varies by type | | Meaning | Indecision | Stronger indecision | The colour of the body matters little; a small green or red body both signal balance. ## What it means in context - **After a strong uptrend:** buyers are losing momentum. A potential warning of a pause or reversal, especially at resistance. - **After a strong downtrend:** sellers are losing momentum. - **Inside a range:** normal and usually meaningless; ranges are full of balanced candles. - **Within a pullback in a trend:** can signal that the pullback is ending as counter trend pressure fades. **Example: A spinning top as an early warning** A stock rises for six days from $30 to $36.50, each candle closing near its high. On day seven it opens at $36.40, trades up to $37.30 and down to $35.60, and closes at $36.55: a spinning top. Buyers could not keep closing near the highs. The trader holding a long position tightens the stop to $35.50, below the spinning top's low. Two days later price drops through $35.50 and the trader is out with most of the gain intact. ## Spinning tops in multi candle patterns Spinning tops often appear as the middle candle of reversal patterns: - **Morning and evening stars:** the small middle candle is often a spinning top. See [Morning Star and Evening Star](https://learn.tradelabsai.com/candlesticks/morning-star-and-evening-star/). - **Harami:** the small inside candle can be a spinning top. See [Harami](https://learn.tradelabsai.com/candlesticks/harami/). - **Clusters:** several spinning tops in a row at a level often show a market preparing for a bigger move, similar to compression. See [Compression and Expansion](https://learn.tradelabsai.com/price-action/compression-and-expansion/). ## How traders use them A spinning top is rarely a trade signal on its own. Common uses: 1. **Trade management:** tighten stops on open positions when spinning tops appear after a strong run. 2. **Alert:** mark the candle's high and low; a break of either often shows who won the standoff. 3. **Confirmation building:** combine with a following candle that closes strongly in one direction, at a key level, before acting. ## Breaking the spinning top's range Because the candle represents balance, its high and low act as short term triggers. A close above the high after a downtrend suggests buyers have taken over; a close below the low after an uptrend suggests sellers have. Stops go on the opposite side of the spinning top's range. ## Common mistakes - **Treating spinning tops as reversal signals by themselves.** - **Reading meaning into spinning tops in the middle of choppy ranges.** - **Ignoring the trend's strength:** strong trends often pause with spinning tops and continue. ## Frequently asked questions ### What does a spinning top candle mean? Indecision: both buyers and sellers were active, but the candle closed near its open, showing neither side won the period. ### Is a spinning top bullish or bearish? Neither on its own. After an uptrend it warns of fading buying pressure; after a downtrend, of fading selling pressure. ### What is the difference between a spinning top and a doji? A spinning top has a small but visible body; a doji has almost no body, with open and close nearly equal. Next, learn the candle with no wicks at all: the [Marubozu](https://learn.tradelabsai.com/candlesticks/marubozu/). ## Continue learning - Next lesson: [Marubozu](https://learn.tradelabsai.com/candlesticks/marubozu/) - Previous lesson: [Tweezer Tops and Bottoms](https://learn.tradelabsai.com/candlesticks/tweezer-tops-and-bottoms/) - Related: [Tweezer Tops and Bottoms](https://learn.tradelabsai.com/candlesticks/tweezer-tops-and-bottoms/): Tweezer tops and bottoms are candles with matching highs or lows, showing a level was rejected twice. Learn the rules, context and how to trade them. - Related: [Doji](https://learn.tradelabsai.com/candlesticks/doji/): A doji forms when open and close are nearly equal, showing indecision. Learn the doji types, dragonfly and gravestone, what they mean and how to trade them. - Related: [Harami](https://learn.tradelabsai.com/candlesticks/harami/): A harami is a small candle contained inside the previous candle's body, signalling a pause. Learn bullish and bearish harami, the harami cross and how to trade them. - Related: [Morning Star and Evening Star](https://learn.tradelabsai.com/candlesticks/morning-star-and-evening-star/): The morning star and evening star are three candle reversal patterns. Learn their structure, what each candle shows, how to confirm them and how to trade them. - Related: [Range Structure and Consolidation](https://learn.tradelabsai.com/price-action/consolidation/): Consolidation is when price moves sideways between support and resistance. Learn to identify ranges, trade them, spot breakouts and avoid range traps. - Related: [How to Read Candlesticks](https://learn.tradelabsai.com/candlesticks/how-to-read-candlesticks/): Learn to read candlestick charts: open, high, low and close, bodies and wicks, timeframes, and what a candle tells you about buyers and sellers.