A technique used in technical analysis that attempts to gauge the direction of the overall market by analyzing the number of companies advancing relative to the number declining. Positive market breadth occurs when more companies are moving higher than are moving lower, and it is used to suggest that the bulls are in control of the momentum. Conversely, a disproportional number of declining securities is used to confirm bearish momentum. A large number of advancing issues is a sign of bullish market sentiment and is used to confirm a broad market uptrend. Traders will specifically look at the number of companies that have created a 52-week high relative to the number that created a 52-week low because this data can provide longer term information about whether the bullish or bearish trend will continue.
A type of candlestick formation where the opening and closing prices are nearly equal despite a lot of price movement throughout the trading day. This candlestick is often used to signal indecision about the future direction of the underlying asset. Long-legged doji candles are deemed to be the most significant when they occur during a strong uptrend or downtrend. The long-legged doji suggests that the forces of supply and demand are nearing equilibrium and that a shift in the direction of the trend may be coming.
A type of scale used on a chart that is plotted in such a way that two equivalent percent changes are represented by the same vertical distance on the scale, regardless of what the price of the asset is when the change occurs. The distance between the numbers on the scale decreases as the price of the underlying asset increases. This is the case because a $1 increase in price becomes less influential as the price heads higher since it now corresponds to less of a percentage change than it did when the price of the asset was at a lower level. Also referred to as a "log scale". Logarithmic price scales are generally accepted as the default setting for most charting services, and they're used by the majority of technical traders. Common percent changes are represented by an equal spacing between the numbers in the scale. For example, the distance between $10 and $20 is equal to the distance between $20 and $40 because both scenarios represent a 100% increase in price. Contrast this to "linear price scale".
A market breadth indicator that is based on the difference between the number of advancing and declining issues on the NYSE. It is primarily used for short and intermediate term trading. To calculate subtract a 39 day EMA (of advancing issues - declining issues) from a 19 day EMA (of advancing issues - declining issues). Simplified, it looks as follows: (19 Day EMA of Advances - Declines) - (39 Day EMA of Advances - Declines) Usually, a small number of stocks making large gains characterizes a weakening bull market. This gives the perception that the overall market is healthy, but in reality it isn't, as rising prices are being driven by a small number of stocks. Conversely, when a bear market is still declining, but a smaller amount of stocks are declining, an end to the bear market may be near.
Realizing the gains of a position, such as buying a stock, by exiting at a profit. By locking in, that portion of the investment is no longer exposed to risks. All profits are unrealized until the position is closed. Also known as “realization.” When investing it is important to protect your capital and your profits, this can be done by locking in your profits. For example, if you bought 100 shares of ABC Company for $12 and the price went up to $36 two days later all potential profits are unrealized because the position isn’t partially or fully closed. You can lock in the profits by selling 50 shares because 50 x $36 = $1,800. If the stock drops to $1, you will have still made a profit.
The movement of a security's price to the extent that it confirms or refutes the trader's original prediction. A movement of material amount that refutes the trader's original prediction should trigger a stop-loss trade. It can also signify an amount worth mentioning, as in financial statements or conference calls. If it is not a material amount, then it is considered too insignificant to mention. The exact number that is considered a material amount is different for every trade. Traders that set this number wrong in their systems risk being stopped out early or taking too much risk. It is often thought that this amount can be more important to a profitable trading system than actually predicting the price movement correctly.
A technique used in technical analysis to identify changing trends. It is created by placing a large number of moving averages onto the same chart. When all the averages are moving in the same direction, the trend is said to be strong. Reversals are confirmed when the averages crossover and head in the opposite direction. The moving averages used in the diagram start with the 50-day moving average and increase by 10-day periods up to the final average of 200. (50, 60, 70, 80 ... 190, 200) Responsiveness to changing conditions is accounted for by changing the number of time periods used in the moving averages. The shorter the number of periods used to create the average, the more sensitive the ribbon is to slight price changes. For example, a series of 5, 15, 25, 35 and 45-day moving averages will be a better choice to find short-term reversals then 150, 160, 170, 180-day moving averages.
A tool used by technical analysts to track the price movements of a security or commodity. It plots average daily settlement prices over a defined period of time, anywhere from a few days to a couple years. Usually, when a stock price moves below its 50-100 day moving average, things are not in your favor. The opposite is true for stocks that protrude their moving average.