Why don't candlestick bodies overlap on intradays?

Hi all,

Please forgive the newbie question...

I've been learning about candles. When I look at some intraday charts, I wonder why sometimes the bodies of the successive candles don't overlap (please see attached illustration).

My assumption is that in a fairly liquid security, prices should pretty much change in sequence, like 10.00, 10.05, 10.10, 10.07, 10.02. The way some candlesticks look it seems like there is a gap in price.

For example, candle one opens at 10.00, has a range from 9.75 to 10.20, and closes at 10.15. Then the next candle, logically, should open at 10.15, or at least within a few very small points of it, no? Yet I often see that sometimes the next candle may open at like 9.50, or 10.50, in other words there seems like a very rapid jump in price.

I gather the candlesticks are not omitting any information if this is an intraday chart (i.e. 5 minute chart).

Thank you in advance for your explanations!
 

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Quote from God,just God:

its just a gap, it happens, if it happens too often, it ain't liquid enough

Okay, so let's pretend we're in the pit...

Candle opens: 10.00
Next sale: 9.90
Next sale: 10.00
Next sale: 10.05
Next sale: 10.10
Next sale: 10.20
Last sale, candle closes: 10.10
Shadow is from 9.90 to 10.20

Very next sale, candle opens at: 9.10

That means from the last candle close (10.10) to the next candle open (9.10) absolutely no trading activity took place. There was a 1.00 difference between the close of the first candle and the open of the next one.

That means the security is probably not very liquid, if we're talking an intra-day candle - or there was a significant instantaneous change in supply and demand. Otherwise the candle close and the next candle open would be very close to each other. This difference is called a gap, right?

Thank you for any advice, as always.
 
well... :-))) didnt think about guys trading unliquid instruments intraday...
thats correct...its a gap :-)))))))))))))))
 
Quote from God,just God:

yes its a gap

gaps are rare in liquid instrument and show up often in low volume instruments

What is your definition of liquid?

Will you consider something a liquid instrument that trades Mil+ in 5 minute time-frame (check average volume in the attached).

There has to be another explanation - I was also wondering about the same but could never find the correct answer.
 

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