About trend lines and channels

Here are some extracts from my free eBook on Technical Analysis taken from Chapter 2: Trend Lines and Channels:-

“Stock or commodity prices tend to move in a trend. A bullish (or up) trend occurs when demand for a stock or commodity exceeds supply. In other words, there are more buyers than sellers. A bearish (or down) trend occurs when supply of a stock or commodity exceeds demand. That means there are more sellers than buyers.

Some times, demand from buyers and supply from sellers are almost equally matched. The trend becomes sideways – neither going up nor falling down. At such times, technical analysis doesn’t work too well. At some point, a mismatch between buyers and sellers causes a break out from the area of sideways consolidation.

There are three types of trends. A major trend lasts for a few months or years. This is the trend of greatest interest for buyers and sellers. An intermediate trend moves in a direction opposite to the major trend, and lasts for a few weeks or months. Eventually, the major trend resumes. A minor trend occurs for a few days during major and intermediate trends, and is of very little consequence.

Prices don’t move in one direction in a straight line. An up move of a few days is followed by two or three days of a down move, producing a zigzag pattern on the chart. Trend lines enable investors to identify the major and intermediate trends. These lines are drawn by connecting the progressively higher bottoms touched by prices in an up trend, or the progressively lower tops touched by prices in a down trend.

Some times, prices move within trend channels – a pair of parallel lines can be drawn connecting the tops and bottoms touched by prices during an up or down trend. A trend channel is similar to a sideways consolidation, but with an upward (or downward) bias. Eventually prices break out of the channel.

Drawing trend lines (and channels) is a skill that improves with practice. Despite its name, there is nothing ‘technical’ in technical analysis – other than dealing with graphs and geometrical shapes taught in school to every student. The important thing is to remain flexible about adjusting to changing conditions if chart patterns don’t form exactly as per expectations.”

Why remain satisfied with these extracts? Get the real thing. The eBook is absolutely free. Just send me an email at mobugobu@yahoo.com with your full name and a request for the eBook to receive your copy.