Technical Analysis is a Must For Investors Who Want to Learn Stock Market Investing Techniques

By Christopher Fitch

For people looking to learn stock market investing techniques, a great place to start is through gaining an understanding of technical analysis tools. Although technical analysis is never enough determine whether to execute a trade, it can provide statistical data on entry and exit points.

In terms of the strongest and most popular technical analysis measurements, the following are three of the greatest technical formations that you will want to understand as you learn stock market investing techniques. While these three are not comprehensive by any stretch of the imagination, they provide a solid starting point:

Head-and-Shoulders. As one of the most reliable and strongest technical patterns, a head and shoulders formation tells investors where the stock is headed in the short-, medium- or long-term. A head-and-shoulders top, for example, has three distinctive peaks which are formed by successive stock rallies. The second rally (the head) will reach a higher peak than the first, and the third rally will fall short. This type of patter is easy to identify, even for investors who are just starting to learn stock market investing techniques. Volume, however, should also be considered, with the volume being strongest with the first rally than with the third rally.

Gaps. One of the easiest technical formations to spot, people who want to learn stock market investing techniques will automatically become drawn to gaps (up or down). Typically, gaps provide support or resistance to stock trends. Although trading on a gap up or down can become risky for people who are just starting to learn stock market investing, when a regular trend breaks through that previously formed gap, it is quite possibly a sign of a strong price movement.

Bollinger Bands. Considered an Oscillator when it comes to technical analysis, this does not provide a pattern, per se. Instead, it measures the volatility from the stock's trading mean. Volatility here is defined as two or three standard deviations from that mean, or moving average. Traders who have started to learn stock market investing techniques need to understand that when the stock price crosses the upper "band" a sell signal is triggered and, likewise, when it crosses the lower band, a buy signal is triggered. Cross-overs typically happen during periods of high volatility.

Investors who are eager to learn more about stock market investing techniques can find plenty of instruction on-line. For those who prefer a more hands-off approach, there is an equally abundant amount of trading software that will complete all of the analysis. Most software measures the same statistical data that full-time technical analysts measure and is therefore a worthy investment. - 32004

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