Some newbies entering the Forex trading world may not be too familiar with technical analysis, even to the point of not knowing anything about it. Technical analysis is basically the process by which one tries to predict price movements in the future by studying past market data. In short, chart watching.
If you’re going to promote Forex brokers as an affiliate, this is the kind of thing you should be familiar with if you hope to create a site that will generate sales from visitors looking for free Forex info.
A lot of investors use this process not only to gain information on an investment’s price history but to also to see if they are buying at a reasonable price. Technical analysis does not include the study of moods, differing opinions but the study of all market fundamentals that are reflected in price data. In the Forex market there are things called signals, which are the patterns generated by price movements.
The ultimate goal is to reveal the market’s signals by studying past market signals and this is possible because history often repeats itself. As a general feeling, most technical analysts think that price fluctuations and not erratic and can be predicted. In this way trends can come and go and as they usually last for a certain amount of time, they are possible at times to predict. Technical analysis is important for it can help add discipline to your trading whilst also lowering the amount of emotion, you have to be focused on your different trades, making sure that you treat each one the same with specific objectives in mind and with a sure lack of emotion.
There are quite a few price charts that are useful for you to make sure your technical analysis is spot on. For instance Bar charts, which are the most common chart and show price action. Each different bar stands for a set period of time which can be as small as one minute or up to as long a few years. When using these charts, you will see a clear price pattern developed over periods of time. Candlestick charts show the highs, the lows and the opening and closing prices for the time period that it is representing. These charts show patterns which provide great visual detail as they develop. There are also point and figure charts which although resembling bar charts, are unlike them in that they use Xs and Os in order to mark the price direction, they also use no time scale.
There are also 6 main technical indicator types, the first being Trend indicators, which smooth the price data out. This type of indicator makes sure that when there is a persistent up, down or sideways trend it can be seen clearly such as moving averages. Strength is the second indicator which describes the intensity of market outlook on specific prices. This is done by studying the market positions taken by different market contributors. The basic ingredients of strength indicators are volume or open interest.
The third, Volatility relates to the scale of the day to day price variations. These changes in volatility tend to foresee the changes in prices. Cycle indicators point to all the repeating market patterns from regular events for instance elections or seasons and they establish the timing of certain market patterns.
Support/Resistance is also an important indicator as it details all the price levels where the market has risen or fallen again and again and then reversed. This occurrence is due to the basic supply and demand. Momentum is the final indicator and determines the strength or weakness of a specific trend over a certain amount of time. This indicator is highest at the time a trend has just started and at its lowest when the trend changes. It indicates weakness when price and momentum are diverging. The end of movement in that direction is suggested when a price extreme occurs with weak momentum. However if, prices are flat alongside strong momentum it suggests a change in the price direction. Learn more about the forex market here.