Sunday, November 8, 2009

Trading Divergences

By Ahmad Hassam

Divergence trading is one of the ways to trade the market. Though divergence trading is not often used but if used correctly it can be highly profitable. Divergences are often used as important trading signals. But it doesn't mean that divergences will always predict a reversal correctly. Price oscillator divergences have long been acknowledged by technical traders as a solid indicator of potential price reversals. Well defined divergences particularly on the long term charts can be surprisingly accurate in many instances.

Price divergence oscillators can be spotted with just two elements on the price charts. Catching a major price reversal at the correct time can be so profitable that only a few accurate divergence signals are needed to offset the inevitable false signals.

The first element is the price and the second element is an oscillator that runs either above or below a price level. This second element can be Stochastics, RSI, MACD or any similar oscillator.

Many traders use MACD as their sole confirming indicator. The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) is among the most popular technical indicator or an oscillator invented.

Some traders also take trading signals exclusively from MACD. MACD is a multifaceted indicator that acts as a sign of trend momentum by representing the relationship between two moving averages.

MACD is basically the difference between two moving averages. MACD can be traded by taking signals from the crossovers of two lines, crosses above and below the zero line. Relative Strength Indicator (RSI) is another popular oscillator that provides a measure of price momentum.

RSI is an indicator that gives overbought and oversold signals in ranging markets. RSI may also be used for divergence purposes. However, its usefulness like most other indicators tends to diminish during a trending market. Stochastic indicator may also be used for divergence trading.

Technically speaking what is a divergence? When there is an imbalance between the price element and the oscillator element a divergence occurs. This is the point when the oscillator is providing a strong hint that price may be losing its momentum and a change in price direction may therefore be impending. Both the price action and the oscillator begin to go separate ways and start telling opposite stories.

A bearish divergence is a hint for an impending reversal back down. A bearish divergence occurs when the price hits a higher high while the oscillator hits a lower high.

A bearish divergence is an indication that price may soon turn and go back down as the higher high in the price may lose its momentum and begin falling.

A bullish divergence is an exact opposite of the bearish divergence. A bullish divergence occurs when price hits a lower low while the oscillator hits a corresponding higher low. A bullish divergence hints at an impending reversal back up.

Divergences can be a remarkably effective method for helping to time major market events when used in conjunction with other trading tools. Divergences are often used as hints of possible turns and reversals. However, divergences are not frequently used as a full fledged self sufficient trading strategy. - 23309

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Picking A Winner

By Bo Miller

Small cap stocks, AKA penny stocks make for some good conversation. Many investors have developed the skills needed to profit by trading them and now love them. At the same time many investors do not understand how penny stocks work and end up losing money.

So with some investors winning and some losing how do you know when and how to invest in these so called "penny stocks" to make some some good profits. Well there are several things that profitable investors are doing to cash in on these types of investments. By the end of this article you too will know what is needed to make good money trading penny stocks.

One of the first things that every good investor does is find a company who is on the verge of breaking out. Now it may be that they have found a cure for cancer or developed a new technology that will change the world. Their profit has been steadily increasing in the last few quarters. Their chart shows all the signs of an upward trend. It seems like all the signs are saying this company is a winner! however we must be very careful before we dump our hard earned money into this company.

Many companies will provide online interviews of the CEO's, this is a great tool and helps investors to better understand the goals and plans of the company. Many investors think wrong about these types of companies. One common thing said about these companies is " if they are so great why are they so cheap" however most companies started out small. Think about dell and apple computers, apple was started from a garage and look how large the company is today! so never underestimate the power of the small business.

Nearly all of the successful penny stock investors do all of the above. There is a way to cut down your research time, let the pros pick the best stocks for you. The web is filled with great penny stock newsletters that will deliver the best investment opportunites straight to your inbox. - 23309

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