Recent content by goldpattern

Directional movement can also be important when analyzing the slope. A negative and rising slope shows improvement within a downtrend. A positive and falling slope shows deterioration within an uptrend. Chart 3 shows the Nasdaq 100 ETF (QQQQ) with the 100-day Slope. A 20-day simple moving...

OBV can be used to confirm a price trend, upside breakout or downside break. The chart for Best Buy (BBY) shows three confirming signals as well as confirmation of the price trend. OBV and BBY moved lower in December-January, higher from March to April, lower from May to August and higher from...

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 uptrends that zigzag higher. Bounces are part of downtrends that zigzag lower. In this regard, the Stochastic...

RSI is a versatile momentum oscillator that has stood the test of time. Despite changes in volatility and the markets over the years, RSI remains as relevant now as it was in Wilder's days. While Wilder's original interpretations are useful to understanding the indicator, the work of Brown and...

The Force Index can be used in conjunction with a trend following indicator to identify short-term corrections within that trend. A pullback from overbought levels represents a short-term correction within an uptrend. An oversold bounce represents a short-term correction within a downtrend. Yes...

The ZigZag feature can be used to filter out small moves and make Elliott Wave counts more straightforward. The chart below shows the S&P 500 ETF with a 6% ZigZag to filter moves less than 6%. After a little trial and error, 6% was deemed the threshold of importance. An advance or decline...

Measuring overbought and oversold conditions can be tricky with Price Channels. Securities can become overbought and remain overbought in a strong uptrend. Similarly, securities can become oversold and remain oversold in a strong downtrend. In a strong uptrend, prices can move above the upper...

Pivot Points offer chartists a methodology to determine price direction and then set support and resistance levels. Price direction is determined by looking at the current period's price action relative to the pivot point: starting above or below the pivot point, or crossing it in either...

Failure swings and divergences can be combined to create more robust signals. A bullish failure swing occurs when MFI becomes oversold below 20, surges above 20, holds above 20 on a pullback and then breaks above its prior reaction high. A bullish divergence forms when prices move to a lower...

The Aroon indicators signal a consolidation when both are below 50 and/or both are moving lower with parallel lines. It makes sense that consistent readings below 50 are indicative of flat trading. For 25-day Aroon, readings below 50 mean a 25-day high or low has not been recorded in 13 or more...