Definitions

Bollinger Bands

A band plotted two standard deviations away from a simple moving average.
Because standard deviation is a measure of volatility, Bollinger bands adjust themselves to the market conditions. When the markets become more volatile, the bands widen (move further away from the average), and during less volatile periods, the bands contract (move closer to the average). The tightening of the bands is often used by technical traders as an early indication that the volatility is about to increase sharply.

This is one of the most popular technical analysis techniques. The closer the prices move to the upper band, the more overbought the market, and the closer the prices move to the lower band, the more oversold the markets.
learn more about bollinger bands at www.bollingerbands.com

Break Out

A price movement through an identified level of support or resistance, which is usually followed by heavy volume and increased volatility. Traders will buy the underlying asset when the price breaks above a level of resistance and sell when it breaks below support.

In practice, a breakout is most commonly used to refer to a situation where the price breaks above a level of resistance and heads higher, rather than breaking below a level of support and heading lower. Once a resistance level is broken, it is regarded as the next level of support when the asset experiences a pullback Most traders use chart patterns and other technical tools such as trendlines to identify possible candidates that are likely to break through a support/resistance level.

A breakout is the bullish counterpart to a breakdown.

Dow Theory

Dow Theory is a theory on stock price movements that provides a basis for technical analysis. The theory was derived from 255 Wall Street Journal editorials written by Charles H. Dow (1851–1902), journalist, founder and first editor of the Wall Street Journal and co-founder of Dow Jones and Company. Following Dow’s death, William P. Hamilton, Robert Rhea and E. George Schaefer organized and collectively represented “Dow Theory,” based on Dow’s editorials. Dow himself never used the term “Dow Theory,” though.

The six basic tenets of Dow Theory as summarized by Hamilton, Rhea, and Schaefer are described below.

1. Markets have three trends

Dow defined an uptrend (trend 1) as a time when successive rallies in a security price close at levels higher than those achieved in previous rallies and when lows occur at levels higher than previous lows. Downtrends (trend 2) occur when markets make lower lows and lower highs. It is this concept of Dow Theory that provides the basis of technical analysis’ definition of a price trend. Dow described what he saw as a recurring theme in the market: that prices would move sharply in one direction, recede briefly in the opposite direction, and then continue in their original direction (trend 3).

2. Trends have three phases

Dow Theory asserts that major market trends are composed of three phases: an accumulation phase, a public participation phase, and a distribution phase. The accumulation phase (phase 1) is when investors “in the know” are actively buying (selling) stock against the general opinion of the market. During this phase, the stock price does not change much because these investors are in the minority absorbing (releasing) stock that the market at large is supplying (demanding). Eventually, the market catches on to these astute investors and a rapid price change occurs (phase 2). This is when trend followers and other technically oriented investors participate. This phase continues until rampant speculation occurs. At this point, the astute investors begin to distribute their holdings to the market (phase 3).

3. The stock market discounts all news

Stock prices quickly incorporate new information as soon as it becomes available. Once news is released, stock prices will change to reflect this new information. On this point, Dow Theory agrees with one of the premises of the efficient market hypothesis.

4. Stock market averages must confirm each other

In Dow’s time, the US was a growing industrial power. The US had population centers but factories were scattered throughout the country. Factories had to ship their goods to market, usually by rail. Dow’s first stock averages were an index of industrial (manufacturing) companies and rail companies. To Dow, a bull market in industrials could not occur unless the railway average rallied as well, usually first. According to this logic, if manufacturers’ profits are rising, it follows that they are producing more. If they produce more, then they have to ship more goods to consumers. Hence, if an investor is looking for signs of health in manufacturers, he or she should look at the performance of the companies that ship the output of them to market, the railroads. The two averages should be moving in the same direction. When the performance of the averages diverge, it is a warning that change is in the air.
Both Barron’s Magazine and the Wall Street Journal still publish the daily performance of the Dow Jones Transportation Index in chart form. The index contains major railroads, shipping companies, and air freight carriers in the US.

5. Trends are confirmed by volume

Dow believed that volume confirmed price trends. When prices move on low volume, there could be many different explanations why. An overly aggressive seller could be present for example. But when price movements are accompanied by high volume, Dow believed this represented the “true” market view. If many participants are active in a particular security, and the price moves significantly in one direction, Dow maintained that this was the direction in which the market anticipated continued movement. To him, it was a signal that a trend is developing.

6. Trends exist until definitive signals prove that they have ended

Dow believed that trends existed despite “market noise”. Markets might temporarily move in the direction opposite the trend, but they will soon resume the prior move. The trend should be given the benefit of the doubt during these reversals. Determining whether a reversal is the start of a new trend or a temporary movement in the current trend is not easy. Dow Theorists often disagree in this determination. Technical analysis tools attempt to clarify this but they can be interpreted differently by different investors.

Elliott Wave Principle

Ralph Nelson Elliott developed the Elliott Wave Theory in the late 1920s by discovering that stock markets, thought to behave in a somewhat chaotic manner, in fact, did not. They traded in repetitive cycles, which he discovered were the emotions of investors as a cause of outside influences, or predominant psychology of the masses at the time. Elliott stated that the upward and downward swings of the mass psychology always showed up in the same repetitive patterns, which were then divided into patterns he termed “waves”.

The theory is somewhat based upon the Dow Theory inasmuch as the price movements move in waves. It was understood by the technicians at the time that because of the fractal nature of the markets, Elliott was able to break down and analyze the markets in much greater detail.
Elliott was able to spot unique characteristics of wave patterns and make detailed market predictions based on the patterns he identified. Fractals are mathematical structures, which on an ever-smaller scale infinitely repeat themselves. The patterns that Elliott discovered are built in the same way. An impulsive wave, which goes with the main trend, always shows five waves in its pattern. On a smaller scale, within each of the impulsive waves of the before-mentioned impulse, five waves can again be found. In this smaller pattern, the same pattern repeats itself ad infinitum. These ever-smaller patterns are labeled as different wave degrees in the Elliott Wave Principle. Only much later were fractals recognized by scientists.
In the financial markets we know that “every action creates an equal and opposite reaction” as a price movement up or down must be followed by a contrary movement. Price action is divided into trends and corrections or sideways movements. Trends show the main direction of prices while corrections move against the trend. Elliott labeled these “impulsive waves” and “corrective waves”.
The interpretation of the Elliott Wave Theory is as follows:

* Every action is followed by a reaction.
* There are five waves in the direction of the main trend followed by three corrective waves (a “5-3″ move).
* A 5-3 move completes a cycle.
* This 5-3 move then becomes two subdivisions of the next higher 5-3 wave.
* The underlying 5-3 pattern remains constant, though the time span of each may vary.

Let’s have a look at the following chart made up of eight waves (five up and three down) which are labeled 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, a, b and c.

You can see that the three waves in the direction of the trend are impulses, so these waves also have five waves. The waves against the trend are corrections and are composed of three waves.

In the 70s, this wave principle gained popularity through the work of Frost and Prechter. They published a legendary book on the Elliott Wave, entitled “The Elliott Wave Principle – The Key to Stock Market Profits”. In this book, the authors predicted the bull market of the 1970s, and Robert Prechter called the crash of 1987.

The corrective wave formation normally has three, in some cases five or more, distinct price movements, two in the direction of the main correction (A and C) and one against it (B). Waves 2 and 4 in the above picture are corrections. These waves have the following structure:

Note that the waves A and C go in the direction of the shorter-term trend, and therefore are impulsive and composed of five waves, which is shown in the picture above.

go to www.elliottwave.com for more information.

Grand Supercycle

In Elliott wave theory the term grand supercycle is used to describe the longest Elliott wave that was proposed by Ralph Nelson Elliott. Elliott speculated that a grand supercycle advance had started around the time that the United States declared independence from mother-England on July 4, 1776.

In technical analysis, a Kondratiev wave grand supercycle is a cycle of 50 to 60 years.

Some Elliott Wave analysts believe that a Grand Supercycle bear market in US and European stocks started in 2000. Others view the 2000-2002 bear market in US stocks and 2000-2003 bear market in European stocks as being of lesser degree, such as Primary, Cycle or Supercycle.[citation needed]

The picture in Asia is occluded by the divergence of the Japanese market from other Asian indices; the Nikkei 225 is still far below its late 1980s high, whilst other indices are presently (2006) at all-time highs.

If a Grand Supercycle bear market started in the USA and Europe in 2000, the Elliott Wave forecast would be for several hundred years of turmoil. If there are an infinite number of fractal degrees in the Elliott Wave fractal, then the wave position at above Grand Supercycle degree is unknown, meaning that the forecasted bear market in stocks could be at least one degree larger than that of 1929 to 1932.

As of October 2006, the situation has been clarified: the Dow Jones Industrial Average made a new all-time closing high, which confirms that 2000-2002 was NOT the beginning of a Grand Supercycle bear market, but a complex correction of the bull market that began in 1982. Those who believe in the Grand Supercycle expect their bear market to begin once five waves up are complete from the October 2002 lows. Those who do not believe in the Grand Supercycle say that a new bull market is underway and that a Grand Supercycle bear market will never occur, instead forecasting a never-ending series of Supercycles.

Market Timing

The act of attempting to predict the future direction of the market, typically through the use of technical indicators or economic data.

Market Trends

In investing, financial markets are commonly believed to have market trends[1] that can be classified as primary trends, secondary trends (short-term), and secular trends (long-term). This belief is generally consistent with the practice of technical analysis.

That market prices do move in trends is one of the major assumptions of technical analysis, and the description of market trends is common to Wall Street.

Market trends are described as periods when bulls (buyers) consistently outnumber bears (sellers), or vice versa. A bull or bear market describes the trend and sentiment driving it, but can also refer to specific securities and sectors.

Moving Average

RSI

It is calculated using the following formula:
RSI = 100 – 100
______
1 + RS

RS = Average of x days’ up closes / Average of x days’ down closes

Trend Line

A trend line is formed when you can draw a diagonal line between two or more price pivot points. They are commonly used to judge entry and exit investment timing when trading securities.

A trend line is a bounding line for the price movement of a security. A support trend line is formed when a securities price decreases and then rebounds at a pivot point that aligns with at least two previous support pivot points. Similarly a resistance trend line is formed when a securities price increases and then rebounds at a pivot point that aligns with at least two previous resistance pivot points