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nikacus8 favorited a video
(2 weeks ago)
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A lesson on how to trade the Moving Average Converg...
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A lesson on how to trade the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) in the stock, futures, and forex markets.
The indicator, which was developed by Gerald Appel, is constructed by taking a 12 period exponential moving average of a financial instrument and subtracting its 26 period exponential moving average. The resulting line is then plotted below the price chart and fluctuates above and below a center line which is placed at value zero. A 9 period EMA of the MACD line is normally plotted along with the MACD line and used as a signal of potential trading opportunities in the stock, futures and forex markets.
When the MACD line is above zero this tells the trader that the 12 period exponential moving average is trading above the 26 period exponential moving averages. When the MACD line is below zero this tells the trader that the 12 period exponential moving average is below the 26 period exponential moving average. Traders will watch the MACD line as when it is above zero and rising this is a sign that the positive gap between the 12 and 26 EMA's is widening, a sign of increasing bullish momentum in the financial instrument they are analyzing. Conversely when the MACD line is below zero and falling this represents a widening in the negative gap between the 12 and 26 day EMA's, a sign of increasing bearish momentum in the financial instrument they are analyzing.
The purpose of the 9 period exponential moving average line is to further confirm bullish changes in momentum when the MACD crosses above this line and bearish changes in momentum when the MACD crosses below this line.
Example of the Signal Line
Lastly many traders and charting packages will plot a histogram along with the MACD which is representative of the distance between the MACD and its signal line. When the MACD histogram is above zero (the MACD line is above the signal line) this is an indication that positive momentum is increasing. Conversely when the MACD histogram is below zero this is an indication that negative momentum is increasing.
When the MACD histogram is above zero (the MACD line is above the signal line) this is an indication that positive momentum is increasing. Conversely when the MACD histogram is below zero this is an indication that negative momentum is increasing. The higher or lower the histogram goes above or below zero the greater the momentum of the trend is thought to be.
That completes this lesson. You should now have a good understanding of the different components that make up the MACD indicator. In our next lesson we are going to go over some of the different ways that traders use the MACD in their trading so we hope to see you in that lesson.
As always if you have any questions or comments please leave them in the comments section below, and have a great day!
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nikacus8 favorited a video
(2 weeks ago)
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A lesson on how to trade the RSI for traders and in...
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A lesson on how to trade the RSI for traders and investors using technical analysis in the stock market, futures market and forex market.
In our last lesson we looked at 3 different ways that the MACD indicator can be traded. In today's lesson we are going to look at a class of indicators which are known as Oscillators with a look at how to trade one of the more popular Oscillators the Relative Strength Index (RSI).
An oscillator is a leading technical indicator which fluctuates above and below a center line and normally has upper and lower bands which indicate overbought and oversold conditions in the market (an exception to this would be the MACD which is an Oscillator as well). One of the most popular Oscillators outside of the MACD which we have already gone over is the Relative Strength Index (RSI) which is where we will start our discussion.
The RSI is best described as an indicator which represents the momentum in a particular financial instrument as well as when it is reaching extreme levels to the upside (referred to as overbought) or downside (referred to as oversold) and is therefore due for a reversal. The indicator accomplishes this through a formula which compares the size of recent gains for a particular financial instrument to the size of recent losses, the results of which are plotted as a line which fluctuates between 0 and 100. Bands are then placed at 70 which is considered an extreme level to the upside, and 30 which is considered an extreme level to the downside.
Example of the RSI
The first and most popular way that traders use the RSI is to identify and potentially trade overbought and oversold areas in the market. Because of the way the RSI is constructed a reading of 100 would indicate zero losses in the dataset that you are analyzing, and a reading of zero would indicate zero gains, both of which would be a very rare occurrence. As such James Wilder who developed the indicator chose the levels of 70 to identify overbought conditions and 30 to identify oversold conditions. When the RSI line trades above the 70 line this is seen by traders as a sign the market is becoming overextended to the upside. Conversely when the market trades below the 30 line this is seen by traders as a sign that the market is becoming over extended to the downside. As such traders will look for opportunities to go long when the RSI is below 30 and opportunities to go short when it is above 70. As with all indicators however this is best done when other parts of a trader's analysis line up with the indicator.
Example of RSI Showing Overbought and Oversold:
A second way that traders look to use the RSI is to look for divergences between the RSI and the financial instrument that they are analyzing, particularly when these divergences occur after overbought or oversold conditions in the market. These divergences can act as a sign that a move is loosing momentum and often occur before reversals in the market. As such traders will watch for divergences as a potential opportunity to trade a reversal in the stock, futures or forex markets or to enter in the direction of a trend on a pullback.
Example of RSI Divergence:
The third way that traders look to use the RSI is to identify bullish and bearish changes in the market by watching the RSI line for when it crosses above or below the center line. Although traders will not normally look to trade the crossover it can be used as confirmation for trades based on other methods.
Example of the RSI Centerline Crossover:
That's our lesson for today. You should now have a good understanding of the RSI and how traders use this indicator in their trading. In tomorrows lesson we will look at another Oscillator which is known as the Stochastic Oscillator so we hope to see you in that lesson.
As always if you have any questions please feel free to leave them in the comments section below, and have a great day!
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nikacus8 favorited a video
(2 weeks ago)
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nikacus8 favorited a video
(2 weeks ago)
http://www.inform...
A lesson on how to trade the stochastic oscillator ...
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http://www.inform...
A lesson on how to trade the stochastic oscillator for active day traders and investors using technical analysis in the stock market, forex market. and futures market.
In our last lesson we learned about the RSI indicator and some of the different ways traders of the stock, futures, and forex markets use this in their trading. In today's lesson we are going to look at another momentum oscillator which is similar to the RSI and is called the Stochastic.
Let me start by saying that there are 3 different types of stochastic oscillators: the fast, slow, and full stochastic. All of them operate in a similar manner however when most traders refer to trading using the stochastic indicator they are referring to the slow stochastic which is going to be the focus of this lesson.
The basic premise of the stochastic is that prices tend to close in the upper end of their trading range when the financial instrument you are analyzing is in an uptrend and in the lower end of their trading range when the financial instrument that you are analyzing is in a downtrend. When prices close in the upper end of their range in an uptrend this is a sign that the momentum of the trend is strong and vice versa for a downtrend.
The Stochastic Oscillator contains two lines which are plotted below the price chart and are known as the %K and %D lines. Like the RSI, the Stochastic is a banded oscillator so the %K and %D lines fluctuate between zero and 100, and has lines plotted at 20 and 80 which represent the high and low ends of the range.
Example of a Stochastic Oscillator:
Whatever charting package you use will calculate the lines for you automatically but you should know that the data points which form the %K line are basically a representation of where the market has closed for each period in relation to the trading range for the 14 periods used in the indicator. In simple terms it is a measure of momentum in the market.
The %D line is very simply a 5 period simple moving average of the %K line. Lastly you should know that you can change the inputs for the indicator and use for example a 3 period moving average of the %K line to get faster signals, however as this is an introduction to the indicator and because most traders I know do not change the standard inputs, I do not recommend changing them at this point.
Like the RSI the first way that traders use the stochastic oscillator is to identify overbought and oversold levels in the market. When the lines that make up the indicator are above 80 this represents a market that is potentially overbought and when they are below 20 this represents a market that is potentially oversold. The developer of the indicator George Lane recommended waiting for the %K line to trade back below or above the 80 or 20 line as this gives a better signal that the momentum in the market is reversing.
Example of Overbought and Oversold Trading Signals:
The second way that traders use this indicator to generate signals is by watching for a crossover of the %K line and the %D line. When the faster %K line crosses the slower %D line this is a sign that the market may be heading up and when the %K line crosses below the %D line this is a sign that the market may be heading down. As with the RSI however this strategy results in many false signals so most traders will use this strategy only in conjunction with others for confirmation.
Example of the Crossover
The third way that traders will use this indicator is to watch for divergences where the Stochastic trends in the opposite direction of price. As with the RSI this is an indication that the momentum in the market is waning and a reversal may be in the making. For further confirmation many traders will wait for the cross below the 80 or above the 20 line before entering a trade on divergence.
Example of Divergence:
As the RSI and Stochastic are similar in nature many traders will use them in conjunction with one another to confirm signals.
That's our lesson for today. You should now have a good understanding of the Stochastic Oscillator and some of the different ways that traders use this in their trading. In tomorrow's lesson we are going to look at an indicator which allows us to gauge the volatility of a financial instrument over a given time called Bollinger Bands.
As always if you have any questions or comments I encourage you to leave them in the comments section below, and have a great day!
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