It's a common reference, which we constantly read and hear relating to currency trading; that currency pairs move in a more random nature in comparison to other securities, such as; equities, precious metals and commodities. That belief is often taken one stage further, as many traders are of the opinion that certain currency pairs not only move in a more random pattern than others, but that they have particular traits and habits unique to that currency pair. Both of these claims are false.

Randomness could be defined as the lack of pattern or predictability in a series of events. A random sequence of events, symbols or steps, appears to have no order and fails to follow an intelligible pattern, or any combination.

OK, so most of us forex traders know what candlesticks are and what they're supposed to represent on our charts. We'll avoid the history lesson, by delivering this quick synopsis and reminder of the basic candlestick body and shadow meaning.

Candlestick charts are thought to have been developed in the 18th century by Munehisa Homma, a Japanese rice trader of financial instruments. They were then introduced to the trading world by Steve Nison through his (now quite famous) book, Japanese Candlestick Charting Techniques.

One of the common mistakes novice and intermediate level traders endure is painfully cluttering their charts (with just about every indicator ever invented), to then (by accident as much as design), discover what works and more importantly works for them.