Inside Bar
Also called: inside day
A candle whose whole high-low range fits inside the prior candle's range — a pause in volatility that often comes before a larger move.
An inside bar makes a lower high and a higher low than the candle before it (the 'mother bar'). Color doesn't matter. The shrinking range shows the market pausing after the prior session's move.
It's different from a harami. A harami compares bodies only and needs opposite colors; an inside bar compares the full range, wicks included. Traders often mark the mother bar's high and low, since a break of either side shows which way the pause resolved.
How it has actually played out
An indecision candle has no direction to measure — it's context for the next move, not a signal.
On StockSetups
StockSetups detects inside bars on the last daily bar, but they're neutral: one can tag a chart-pattern setup's candle read, but inside bars are never listed on the Daily Candlesticks board. A bar that also fits a more specific candle (a harami, doji or spinning top) gets that name.
Scan for candlestick patterns nightly →Frequently asked
Is an inside bar bullish or bearish?
Neither on its own. It's a pause; the direction comes from which side of the mother bar price breaks next and from the surrounding trend.
What is the difference between an inside bar and a harami?
An inside bar keeps its whole high-low range inside the prior candle's range. A harami only keeps its body inside the prior body, its wicks can extend further, and the two candles are opposite colors.
Related terms
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