The four-candle fractal model: Anchor, Reclaim, Extend, and Finish

The four-candle fractal model organizes price movement into four functional stages. The labels describe roles in a sequence; they do not predict what any candle must do, and the same anatomy repeats on every timeframe pairing.

Also called the C1 to C4 model or the fractal candle model elsewhere. This library names the stages Anchor, Reclaim, Extend, and Finish.

The model at a glance

Anchor: the reference

The Anchor frames the map: its high and low, nearby swings, model-timeframe gaps, and the open levels above and below. No entry lives here.

Reclaim: the reversal candidate

The Reclaim breaches one side of the Anchor and body-closes back through it: below a prior low and back above (bullish), or the mirror (bearish). Color is irrelevant. Geometry alone is not enough: the breach must land at a qualified location, and the chart timeframe must confirm with a trigger close. Details: the Reclaim explained.

Wick profile frames the choice: a large reversal wick means much of the move already happened inside the Reclaim, and the methodology points to Extend. A small wick with an expansion body means the Reclaim itself is the location, and a later Extend becomes chase-risk. This describes where you are in a move; it is not a tested filter. The methodology publishes no numeric cutoff, we have not established that either branch produces better results, and FMP+ never removes or ranks a setup by wick profile.

Extend: continuation (and the late-closure path)

Canonical Extend is expansion after a valid Reclaim. Before acting, ask: was the Reclaim actually valid, did the chart timeframe trigger, is there room to the next objective, and has too much already moved?

A separate path exists: if the Reclaim breached but failed to close back, the next candle's body close back through the original boundary is an Extend reversal closure. Candle color and the Reclaim's model-candle open are not additional gates. It inherits the original breach's location; it never searches forward for a new one. A delayed Reclaim likewise keeps the original boundary and does not require a directionally colored later candle.

Finish: the final stage

Actionable Finish context requires an Extend that followed through: directional body, new extreme, wick holding beyond the prior candle's midpoint. Then the Finish retrace is framed by Extend's directional half. A bullish Finish opening below Extend's midpoint (or bearish above) invalidates the premise. The model ends at Finish. No fifth stage, no sixth, no rolling relabels.

The timeframe chain

Each arrow is its own chart and model pair: 15m → 4H → 1D → 1W. A 15-minute Reclaim is not a four-hour Reclaim; every tier completes on its own clock. Full treatment: multi-timeframe analysis.

Common mistakes

• Numbering any four consecutive bars. Roles come from structure, not counting.
• Calling every breach a Reclaim. No qualified location, no setup.
• Arming Finish after a weak Extend. Chronology is not follow-through.
• Reading unfinished model-timeframe candles as final.
• Chasing an extended Extend. A correct idea can still be a bad location.

FAQ

Are the four stages always four consecutive candles?

No. Confirmation can be delayed and designations chain through trends. Validity comes from the rules, not the count.

Is the Reclaim always the better entry?

No. The Reclaim offers earlier location with less evidence; Extend offers more evidence with chase risk. The Reclaim's wick profile frames the trade-off.

Can Finish keep going in the same direction?

It can. "Final" means the sequence stops being extended, not that price must reverse.

No candle sequence removes uncertainty. Practice in simulation, define maximum loss before entry. Fractal Model Pro+ draws these designations, projections, and NOW-versus-finalized states automatically, as analysis, not as signals.