Candlestick charts are essentially a visual representation of price and volume. It may seem simple, but if you know how to interpret them, you can gain a lot. The combination of price and volume will tell you an important thing — what big funds are doing. Generally speaking, institutional investors are like the "elephants" in the market, and their every move leaves a mark on the chart. Who is pushing the market up, who is crashing it down, volume speaks volumes. Learning to read charts is actually learning to track those forces capable of influencing the market. This is also why many professional traders place great importance on technical analysis.