Elder's favourite indicators

-
I was reading Alexander Elder's book "Entries and Exit" and he mentioned using 5 indicators to help him determine trade actions (there is no need to use more than 5). They are namely - moving averages, channels, MACH-Histogram, Force index (invented by him), and momentum indicator such as Stochastic.

Here are a few indicators which I think are relatively easy to use and worth re-visting. I am a believer of using technical analysis to buy fundamentally good stocks. As a reminder to myself when choosing indicators, I have briefly summarized their key features below and if you want to read the full details from calculations to usage please click on the reference links.


  • Elder Force Index = Change in price x volume
- Measure of buying and selling pressure.  Only indicator which factors in volume.
Reference: http://stockcharts.com/school/doku.php?id=chart_school:technical_indicators:force_index


  • Envelope (a simple trend channel), Bollinger band (trend channel which depicts volatility)
  • MACD
- MACD fluctuates above and below the zero line as the moving averages converge, cross and diverge. Traders can look for signal line crossovers, centerline crossovers and divergences to generate signals. It is not particularly useful for identifying overbought and oversold levels.

- Signal line is a 9-day EMA of the MACD Line and trails it. A bullish crossover occurs when the MACD turns up and crosses above the signal line. A bearish crossover occurs when the MACD turns down and crosses below the signal line. 

- Can be used to spot divergence patterns.


  • Stochastic Oscillator 

- A momentum indicator bound between the range of 0 to 100
  While momentum oscillators are best suited for trading ranges, they can also be used with securities that trend, provided the trend takes on a zigzag format. Pullbacks are part of up trends that zigzag higher. Bounces are part of downtrends that zigzag lower. In this regard, the Stochastic Oscillator can be used to identify opportunities in harmony with the bigger trend.

- Below 20 would signify oversold and above 80 would signify overbought. The indicator can also be used to identify turns near support or resistance. Should a security trade near support with an oversold Stochastic Oscillator, look for a break above 20 to signal an upturn and successful support test. Conversely, should a security trade near resistance with an overbought Stochastic Oscillator, look for a break below 80 to signal a downturn and resistance failure.
Also look out for higher highs and lower lows (eg. Even though the stock held above its prior low, the lower low in the Stochastic Oscillator shows increasing downside momentum).

- The settings on the Stochastic Oscillator depend on personal preferences, trading style, and time frame. A shorter look-back period will produce a choppy oscillator while a longer look-back period will provide a smoother oscillator.

- A 14-period %K would use the most recent close, the highest high over the last 14 periods and the lowest low over the last 14 periods. %D is a 3-day simple moving average of %K. This line is plotted alongside %K to act as a signal or trigger line.
You could also adjust the duration to suit your chart analysis time frame.

Reference: http://www.stockcharts.com/school/doku.php?id=chart_school:technical_indicators:stochastic_oscillator_fast_slow_and_full


***

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Shit happens and I lost my low-hanging fruits

-
My SAYE account has just hit its 25th month anniversary which is also the "month of maturity". Anticipating to get the 3.5% bonus interest for all these months of saving, I was shocked to see only $17+ cash gift credited as opposed to a few hundred dollars. I was about to send a message to query the bank what caused this interest plummet versus what I got in the 13th month when I came across a debit transaction in my account history (GASP!). To my oblivion and horror, I have accidentally selected my SAYE account to transfer $50 to a joint account to foot some bill in one of the months last year. Here's the terms and conditions for those who are not familiar with the SAYE account of POSB. "To receive the additional 3.5% p.a. Cash Gift Interest, ensure that you do not make any withdrawal from your POSB SAYE account." "If a withdrawal is made in the month, this will result in the previously accumulated additional 3.5% p.a. interest to be forfeited." Damn.
Read more

Letters of Administration / Probate - DIY application

-
Image
It's been almost 2 months since my mum's passing. I have not had the mood to blog as there's simply too much for me to settle - both tangible and intangible stuff.  For the first month, there's like a void in my life that I couldn't get used to because I was so used to the daily routine of taking care of her. It felt like a boulder lifted off my shoulder, as I was near breaking point; but this boulder was not gone, instead it shifted to my heart. The passing was sudden but not unexpected. My mum's condition deteriorated rapidly after her last fall, which led to hospitalization, and every hospitalization made her more frail. On the last discharge she could barely sit up in bed. My mum  did not leave behind a will  because she did not see a need to at that time when she still had a clear state of mind. Without a will, I would need to apply for the Grant of Letters of Administration (instead of a Grant of Probate ) in order to administer her Estates. (Note: If ther
Read more

Success in life

-
Image
Different levels of our life and career Level 1 - Aimless You have no earthly idea what you're doing or where you're going. You have no direction. Level 2 - Stuck You can envision yourself doing better but can't seem to get out of a rut. You might work hard but experience very little progress. Level 3 - Coasting You are going through the motions. Your life is on cruise control. You do what you have to do to survive. Level 4 - Developing You are steadily growing. You've had incremental improvements over the past few years, and your relationships and career have excelled. Level 5 - Thriving You are operating in your sweet spot. You don't have to do anything. You get to do everything. Level 6 - Mastery You are doing so well that you're in a place to help others do the same. from  "Leveling up" by Ryan Leak I came across the above while browsing IG and it made me reflect on how success in life and career is defined. Which level am I at now? In my early 30s
Read more

Time or Money? II

-
Image
Some time back last year, I briefly penned a post Time or Money?  at a point when I was gloomiest about work. Today incidentally, I caught something interesting in the book 4-hour Workweek : "People don’t want to be millionaires—they want to experience what they believe only millions can buy. Ski chalets, butlers, and exotic travel often enter the picture. Perhaps rubbing cocoa butter on your belly in a hammock while you listen to waves rhythmically lapping against the deck of your thatchedroof bungalow? Sounds nice.  $1,000,000 in the bank isn’t the fantasy. The fantasy is the lifestyle of complete freedom it supposedly allows. The question is then, How can one achieve the millionaire lifestyle of complete freedom without first having $1,000,000?" This set me thinking.
Read more

Insights from interviewing candidates

-
Being the sai kan g Ops Manager, my new add-on duty currently is to hire for a HR generalist position for the company I am working at (before I get a new add-on duty of  the human resource manager too). Here are some interesting takeaways from the interviews I have conducted - 1) Those who don't know how to give 'model answers' for the standard questions asked, I know they have little or no experience in interviewing and recruiting people, as well as being interviewed. "What do you know about our company xxx?" *stumped*  "Thank you, exit is over there." 2) "What makes you leave your current position?" Ah, I have to watch out for complainers. Those who talk a lot of 'bad' stuff about their current work. You know? I know. Most standard answer - "I want a change of environment / industry." (The nicer way of saying I don't like my current workplace.) Ok... so what kind of environment are you looking for? Wha
Read more

Disclaimer:

The contents of this blog are author's personal opinions and do not constitute advice to hold, buy or sell any securities, commodities or assets mentioned. I do not guarantee the accuracy and reliability of any information provided, and shall not be liable for any losses incurred from reading my posts or using the materials herein. This blog may contain affiliate links to external sites.