Tag: trends

Candlesticks - Using the Doji

Posted on by The INO.com Team

If you follow our blog, then you are definitely familiar with trader Larry Levin, President of Trading Advantage LLC. We have gotten such a great response from some of his past posts that he has agreed to share one more of his favorite trading tips as a special treat to our viewers. Determining the direction of the market can be tricky and just plain confusing at times, but Larry’s expert opinion keeps it simple.

If you like this article, Larry’s also agreed to give you free access to his award winning book.

On a candlestick chart, there is a pattern that technicians refer to as a doji. A doji has top and bottom shadows like a regular candlestick, but has practically no real body. This happens when the opening and closing price are the same, or so close that they just leave a sliver of a real body. A doji looks like a plus sign or cross.

Finding a Doji can tell a technical analyst key things about a market trend

Doji are considered a good sign of indecision in a market. Finding a doji with short and nearly identical shadow points suggests a neutral trading session. The market opened, had a small trading range, and then closed at the opening price. Neither bulls nor bears got the upper hand. Longer shadows show potentially greater indecision. They are neutral on their own, but paired with a trend, a doji can hint at a coming change.

Market participants looking for a reversal like to see Doji

Doji are like little battle scars of conflict. The trade had action but in the end no one won the day and the market closed pretty much where it started. If the market was on a bullish trend, this could be a signal that the bears were coming in. The opposite could be deduced if the market was in a bearish trend.

A technician's reversal argument is simple. If the dominant trend were still in control, there wouldn't have been a wrestling match for control. And there would have been a clear winner. Instead, the real body showed that the day was almost a wash. Continue reading "Candlesticks - Using the Doji" →

How the open can make or break your day

Posted on by The INO.com Team

If you follow our blog, then you are definitely familiar with trader Larry Levin, President of Trading Advantage LLC. We have gotten such a great response from some of his past posts that he has agreed to share one more of his favorite trading tips as a special treat to our viewers. Determining the direction of the market can be tricky and just plain confusing at times, but Larry’s expert opinion keeps it simple and straight-to-the-point.

If you like this article, Larry’s also agreed to give you free access to his award winning book.

Today he’s going to talk about how the open of the market can make or break your trading day.

The open for any trading session can set the tone for the day’s trade. Barring any major fundamentals, it can signal whether or not traders are going to be primarily bearish or bullish, or neutral and cautious. The start of the day can set the stage for your own trades as well. Starting off with a winning trade or having the market move in your favor at the beginning of the day gives you a confidence level that can propel you to an extremely successful trading day. Having a negative tone or having the market move against your analysis and any open positions will probably color your judgment for the rest of the day. Continue reading "How the open can make or break your day" →

4 Trends You Need to Know About This Bull Market

Posted on by admin

As the markets reach new highs, investors have begun to express caution instead of celebration.

Since Nov. 15, 2012, the SP 500 has risen an impressive 15%. That works out to be a 45% annualized gain. And the whole time, a significant number of investors have remained dubious, citing ample reasons why the market should be moving lower -- not higher. And as the market has climbed this "wall of worry," even the most ardently pessimistic bears have thrown up their hands in dismay. Continue reading "4 Trends You Need to Know About This Bull Market" →

It seems so right – but it goes so wrong!

Posted on by The INO.com Team

By: Chris Irvin, Veteran Instructor & Trader at The Wizard

It is the most frustrating thing in the world!  You sift through, what seems like a million different stocks to find the perfect trade.  You time your entry perfectly, and at the moment you enter the trade the chart rolls over on you.  It is like the trading floor has a camera focused on you and everyone is told to do exactly the opposite of what you are doing.  You can almost hear the snickering.

Okay, we all know that doesn’t really happen, but there are times when it sure feels like it.  When we enter or exit a trade, it is as a result of something that convinces you that your stock is going to move in a particular direction for a period of time or the mover has ended.  Continue reading "It seems so right – but it goes so wrong!" →

Trends, Retracements and Reversals

Posted on by The INO.com Team

By: Chris Irvin, Veteran Instructor & Trader at The Wizard

When we are looking a social media and pop culture it seems that trends change by the minute.  I read recently that the seniors leaving collage this year believe that email is dead.  It is essentially the snail mail of the 21st century and has been replaced by texting.  Waiting for an email response just takes too long.   As I get older, it takes me longer to identify trends, and I often miss the signals that they are coming to an end.  Just ask my kids – they will agree with me.

When it comes to the stock market some people suffer from the same difficulties.  They cannot see the market trends and have a tough time seeing the signals that those trends are coming to an end.  This is a critical skill in the trading world.  The truth is that everything is trending.  It does not matter if you trade stocks, currencies or futures, in some timeframe there will be an observable trend.

In this blog we are going to discuss the definition of a trend, and more importantly how to recognize the difference between “Retracements” and  ”Reversals.” Continue reading "Trends, Retracements and Reversals" →