A long upper wick into the London open looks decisive until you check what the Asian range already spent. In the hall we ask three questions before anyone writes “rejection” in the margin.
First: how much of the prior session’s range does the wick reclaim? A wick that tags a quiet overnight high is different from one that reverses a multi-hour push.
Second: what is the body doing relative to the previous two candles? A tiny body under a tall wick after two strong bullish bodies deserves more caution than the textbook hammer sketch suggests.
Third: what time stamp are you marking? A wick printed at 07:05 London sits in thinner conditions than one at 08:20. Session timing changes how loudly we trust the same shape.
Homework we give intensive students: mark ten London opens from the past month. Circle only the wicks you would still call rejection after writing the session note. Most students cut their circles in half — which is the point.