What is Tweezer bottom / top?
Qisqich (tweezer) tub / cho'qqi
In short
Two (or more) neighbouring candles share the same low (bottom) or the same high (top). Price tested that level twice and was rejected twice.
Also known as: tweezer bottom, tweezer top
A tweezer is when two or more neighbouring candles share the same or nearly the same low (tweezer bottom) or high (tweezer top). On a chart it looks like the two tips of a pair of tweezers.
The logic
- Tweezer bottom — price fell to a level and buyers pushed it back; the next day it tested the same level and was rejected again. The level was defended twice — a sign of support.
- Tweezer top — the opposite: price hit the same high twice and was rejected twice — resistance.
How "equal" must it be?
For stocks the lows don't have to match to the cent; a difference of a few cents is usually fine. What matters is that both candles were rejected right at that level.
How to use it
Tweezers often come together with other candle patterns: for example, a long red first candle followed by a hammer or a green engulfing candle. The pattern matters at the end of a trend and near a key level. Equal lows in the middle of a range can be coincidence. Its most practical advantage is a clear stop location — just beyond the tweezer bottom (or top).
Green background — bullish hint, red — bearish. Engulfing: the second body fully covers the first. Harami: a small second body inside the first. Piercing line and dark cloud cover: the second candle closes past the middle of the first body. Tweezer top: two candles share the same high ($107.40).
Example
Illustrative (tweezer bottom): a stock has been falling from $36. Day 1 low $31.20, close $31.60. Day 2 low $31.22 (just $0.02 apart), close $32.50 — a strong green candle.
The trader enters at $32.50 and puts the stop slightly below the tweezer bottom, at $31.00:
- Risk: $32.50 − $31.00 = $1.50 per share
- Target: nearby resistance at $35.50 → reward $3.00
- R:R = $3.00 ÷ $1.50 = 1:2
With a $10,000 account and 1% risk ($100): $100 ÷ $1.50 = 66.7 → 66 shares.
Mistakes and tips
Equal lows alone are not enough — the second candle should show rejection (a long wick or a strong close).
Place the stop a little beyond the tweezer level, not exactly on it: many traders' stops sit there and price may sweep through them.
On small timeframes tweezers are very common and mean little; they are more reliable on daily and weekly charts.
Frequently asked questions
- How do you identify a tweezer bottom?
- After a decline, two consecutive candles have almost the same low and the second closes higher. A difference of a few cents usually doesn't matter.
- Is a tweezer top a sell signal?
- It is a warning that a level was rejected twice. Most traders wait for the next candle to confirm or use it to manage an existing position.
Learn it in the Academy
This term is covered with hands-on examples and a quiz in these lessons of the interactive course.
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