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What is the Rising Flag (Bullish) Pattern?
The Rising Flag (or Bullish Flag) pattern looks like a flag with a mast. It forms when rising prices experience a consolidation period, and the price moves within a narrow range defined by the parallel lines through points (2, 4) and (3, 5). After the consolidation, the previous trend resumes. This type of formation happens when the price of a security is expected to move in a rising trend line, but some volatility along the way creates a consolidation period. Continue reading...
Top Stock Chart Patterns
Chart patterns are shapes that sometimes appear in the charts of securities prices. Some of them may prove useful to you. Some frequently discussed chart patterns include Head and Shoulders, Double/Triple Bottom/Top, Cups and Saucers, Flags and Pennants, and others. Generally, it can be useful to compare and connect the troughs to each other and the peaks to each other to see if there is a trend confirmation if the breadth is narrowing, or if a reversal might be imminent. Continue reading...
What is the Falling Flag (Bearish) Pattern?
The Falling Flag (or Bearish Flag) pattern looks like a flag with the mast turned upside down (the mast points up). The pattern forms when falling prices experience a consolidation period, and the price moves within a narrow range defined by the parallel lines through points 2-4 and 3-5. After the consolidation, the previous trend resumes. This type of formation happens when anticipation of a downtrend is high, and when a security’s price consolidates during a broader decline. It may indicate growing investor concern of an impending downtrend. Continue reading...
What is the Rising Pennant (Bullish) Pattern?
The Rising Pennant (or Bullish Pennant) pattern looks like a pennant with a mast. It forms when rising prices experience a consolidation period, and the price moves within a narrow range defined by the converging lines through points (2, 4) and (3, 5). After the consolidation, the previous trend resumes. This type of formation happens when anticipation of an uptrend is high, and when the price of a security consolidates within a range. It indicates growing investor interest in a potentially explosive uptrend. Continue reading...
What is the Rising Flag (Bullish) Pattern?
The Rising Flag (or Bullish Flag) pattern looks like a flag with a mast. It forms when rising prices experience a consolidation period, and the price moves within a narrow range defined by the parallel lines through points (2, 4) and (3, 5). After the consolidation, the previous trend resumes. This type of formation happens when the price of a pair is expected to move in a rising trend line, but some volatility along the way creates a consolidation period. Continue reading...
What is the Difference Between a Thrift Savings Plan and Other Retirement Plans?
The main difference is that the TSP is only for Federal employees. A Thrift Savings Plan is essentially a 401(k) for employees of the federal government. It functions in the same ways and is subject to the same limitations. The contribution limits and catch-up limits are the same, as well as the employer contribution limit. The plan actually has lower fees than most 401(k)s, so that’s one difference. The investment options are fairly limited, but not much more than regular 401(k)s. There are basically 5 index funds to choose from and then a series of target-date funds that blend the index funds. Continue reading...
What is the Rising Wedge (Bullish) Pattern?
The Rising Wedge pattern forms when prices seem to be spiraling upward, and two upward sloping trend lines are created with the price hitting higher highs (1, 3, 5) and higher lows (2,4). The two pattern lines intersect to form an upward sloping triangle. Unlike Ascending Triangle patterns, however, both lines need to have a distinct upward slope, with the bottom line having a steeper slope. This pattern is commonly associated with directionless markets since the contraction (narrowing) of the market range signals that neither bulls nor bears are in control. However, there is a distinct possibility that market participants will either pour in or sell out, and the price can move up or down with big volumes (leading up to the breakout). Continue reading...
What is the Rising Wedge (Bearish) Pattern?
The Rising Wedge pattern forms when prices appear to spiral upward, with higher highs (1, 3, 5) and higher lows (2,4) creating two up-sloping trend lines that intersect to form a triangle. Unlike Ascending Triangle patterns, both lines need to have a distinct upward slope, with the bottom line having a steeper slope. This pattern is commonly associated with directionless markets since the contraction (narrowing) of the market range signals that neither bulls nor bears are in control. There is a distinct possibility that market participants will sell out, and the price can move down with big volumes (leading up to the breakout). Continue reading...
What are market indicators?
Market indicators are quantitative tools for the analysis of market information, which may hint or confirm that a trend or reversal is about to happen (leading indicator) or has begun (lagging indicator). Indicators are technical analysis algorithms which give investors signals that may be used as the guidelines for trading. Indicators might be called oscillators or have various other proper names, since some of them are quite well-known, but there are general conventions or instructions for how to use an indicator, how it can be tweaked to suit the scope of your analysis, and what is considered a trade signal. Continue reading...
What is the Falling Pennant (Bearish) Pattern?
The Falling Pennant (or Bearish Pennant) pattern looks like a pennant turned upside down (the mast points up). It forms when falling prices experience a consolidation period, and the price moves within a narrow range defined by the converging lines through points (2, 4) and (3, 5). After the consolidation, the previous trend resumes. This type of formation happens when anticipation of downtrend is high, and when the price of a security consolidates during a declining trend. It may indicate growing investor concern of an impending downtrend. Continue reading...
What is Endpoint Moving Average (EPMA)?
Moving averages are important components of many technical indicators. The Endpoint Moving Average (EPMA) is a popular method of plotting a line that uses linear regression instead of averages, which reduces the noise of market price activity and can reveal or follow trends. Compared to a simple moving average, this method hews more closely to data and lags less. A moving average line averages prices in a given time period (such as the 30 days leading up to each day), and plots that point on a chart; when connected, the collection of points becomes the moving average line. Continue reading...
Understanding the Rising Flag (Bullish) Pattern in Stock Trading
Discover the art of trading with the Rising Flag (Bullish) Pattern in our latest article. Learn how this pattern signals a continuation of bullish trends, delve into effective trading strategies, and explore the cognitive and emotional aspects of pattern recognition in the stock market. Essential reading for traders aiming to harness the power of technical analysis for successful investments Continue reading...
What are Technical Indicators?
Technical Indicators are charting tools that appear as lines on charts, or as other kinds of graphical information, which serve as guidelines for buying and selling opportunities. They are based on mathematical formulas, and may be called oscillators, trading bands, and signal lines, among other things. Technical analysts use information about price, volume, standard deviation, and other metrics to construct systems for trading using mathematical formulas which can be translated into useful charting tools. The systems can bring discipline to a trader’s strategy by providing clearly defined circumstances in which a trader has reason to buy, sell, hold, and so on. Continue reading...
What is the Three Rising Valleys (Bullish) Pattern?
The Three Rising Valleys pattern forms when three minor Lows (1, 3, 5) arranged along an upward sloping trend line. It often appears at the end of a declining trend – an indication that buyers are overtaking sellers, which ultimately pushes the price higher. This type of formation happens when investors shift into buying mode following a consolidation period. Once the price breaks out from the top pattern boundary, day traders and swing traders should trade with an UP trend. Consider buying a security or a call option at the breakout price level. To identify an exit, compute the target price level by adding the pattern’s height (highest price minus the lowest price within the pattern) to the breakout level (the highest high). When trading, wait for the confirmation move, which is when the price rises above the breakout level. Continue reading...
What is Risk?
Risk can be defined as exposure to the possibility of loss of an asset. Risk might be used to denote the cause of the potential loss, or the probability of the loss. In finance, it is common to hear about the correlation between risk and return; more risk may yield a higher return, but it also has the potential for more loss. The situation requires that an investor willing to take such a risk must provide the capital to fund the investment which may grow or may fail. Continue reading...
What is Systematic Risk?
Systematic risk is the broad risk of fluctuations and downturns in the market as a whole, which it is said cannot be eliminated through diversification. Systematic risk is also known as market risk, which is the exposure of all investors to the broad movements and downturns of the market as a whole. Theoretically it cannot be controlled for through simple diversification, since that would only bring a portfolio closer to the broad market performance, with a Beta closer to 1. Continue reading...
What is currency risk?
Countries, investors, and international businesses have to frequently assess currency risk, which is the chance that exchange rates will change unfavorably at inopportune times. An investment in a foreign security or company, or income payments coming from foreign sources, can be at risk for exchange rate changes. If an investor or company has financial interests which are based in another currency, or if the investor engages in Forex trading, currency risk looms over the future value of the holdings, on top of any typical market risk. Continue reading...
What is Unsystematic Risk?
Unsystematic risk is idiosyncratic or unique risk that does not reflect a direct correlation with the risk present in the market, or systematic risk. Most securities and portfolios experience risk and variations which are not attributable to the market as a whole, and this is known as unsystematic risk. Systematic risk, on the other hand, is the risk borne by all investors in the market, where broad changes in the market cannot be avoided through diversification of a portfolio. Continue reading...
What is market risk?
Market risk is the chance that an investment will not maintain its value when it is dependent on the many factors that influence the health of the economy and the stock market. Investors must be aware that investing money in a stock or mutual fund is to tie the fate of that money to the fate of the company or companies that they have invested in. The other side of the coin, of course, is the potential for gains. The potential gains of an investment are the premium that is paid to an investor in exchange for allowing a company or mutual fund to take risks with the investor’s money. Continue reading...
What is the Equity Risk Premium?
The Equity Risk Premium (aka, Equity Premium) is the expected return of the stock market over the risk-free rate (U.S. Treasuries). This number basically refers to the amount an investor should expect in exchange for accepting the risk inherent in the stock market. The size of the equity risk premium varies depending on the amount of risk of a portfolio, the market, or a specific holding investment, against the risk-free rate. Continue reading...