Guide
Wick rejection versus a true break
How to tell when a wick through a level is noise, and when price has actually accepted beyond that level.
A long wick through a level shows that price traded there and was pushed back. It is evidence of rejection at that moment, not proof the level will hold forever. Context decides: was the wick printed into a known prior high during thin liquidity, or during an active session with expanding range?
A true break needs acceptance beyond the level — typically a close through it on your working timeframe, followed by a hold on a retest or a series of candles that refuse to reclaim the old side. One spiked wick that closes back inside the range is usually a probe, not a break.
Journal both outcomes separately. When a wick fails and price reverses, note the session and the overlapping volume story if you use it. When a break holds, note how many candles stayed beyond the level before you trusted it. Over a month you will see which patterns on your instruments deserve patience.
In mentoring sessions we often redraw student levels one candle too tight. Give levels the width of a realistic wick; otherwise every noise print feels like invalidation.