Harami Cross in Forex

A harami cross is a two-candle pattern in which a doji forms inside the real body of a larger preceding candle. It is a more specific version of the harami pattern.

How to Recognise It

The first candle has a relatively large real body. The second candle is a doji - its open and close are nearly equal - and that tiny body sits within the first candle's body. The pattern can be bullish after a decline or bearish after an advance.

How to Read It

The first candle shows strong directional control, while the doji shows that the next period ended in balance. This sudden loss of momentum can be more noticeable than an ordinary small-bodied harami. Even so, the pattern still needs trend, level, and subsequent price action for confirmation.

Context and Confirmation

Read the candle only after its timeframe has closed. A single candlestick records what buyers and sellers did during one period, but it does not guarantee what the next period will do. Its meaning becomes stronger when it appears after a relevant prior move, near a meaningful support or resistance area, and alongside clear market structure. A wick through a level is not automatically the same as a confirmed body-close break.

Key Takeaway

A harami cross is a doji contained within the prior large real body. It highlights a sudden loss of directional momentum but does not prove reversal by itself.