5 Steps to Trading Success Using Technical Analysis

[Vincent 10]

5 Steps to Trading Success Using Technical Analysis

By Tim Huang

This article is for both novice and experienced traders.

 

1. Simple is better - Use a handful of technical indicators

There are dozens of technical indicators out there. It is a mistake to apply all of them at the same time as many indicators give contradictory signals and you will never find a stock that meets the requirements of all indicators. Instead, you should focus on four to five indicators to make a trading decision. Some of the popular ones include Moving average (MA), Exponential moving average (EMA), MACD, Stochastic and so on.

 

2. Back test your indicators with historical data

Use the technical indicators you learn and test them with historical data. The more tests you do, the better. Develop a trading system that works for you based on your testing results. Try to break your system with more stocks and historical price.

 

3. Paper trade using your trading system

You should spend at least one month testing your system with end of date market data. Select a few stocks that meet the requirements of your technical indicators and see how they are doing each day.

 

4. Set a proper stop loss

No matter what stock you choose, you should always set a stop loss point. Do not hold a losing trade too long hoping it will rise again. Remember, 90% of your profit will be made on 25% of your trades. You should hold winning trades longer instead of the losing ones. What percentage is a proper stop loss point? That depends on your own trading style. If you are an aggressive trader picking volatile stocks, then you should use 8%-10%. If you are less aggressive, then you should consider 2%-5%. One thing to keep in mind, if your stop loss point is 5%, you should not pick a stock that lost more than 5% on a single day in the past 30 days to avoid being kick out.

 

5. When to sell and take profit

Remember, you will never sell at the exact top because no one knows the market for certain. You should keep your winning trades longer. However, if your technical indicators go against you, and the patterns start to fail, that's when you should sell your stock and take profit.

[BULLSANDBEARS 10]

To remove all HOPE and PRAYER , to profit on FEAR and GREED . execute a plan then execute that plan . Knowing your risks and odds more than you know yourself. EXPECT TO LOOSE, if your not loosing trades your not trading like a pro or not trading at all, BE HAPPY with those small losses, that one gainer under proper execution will clean up the graffiti. Good Luck and stay liquid.

[Russian 10]

Thank you for this amazing insight. :haha:

[Ammeo 10]

Everyone knows these 5 steps already...:P

[Guest OILFXPRO]

Everyone knows these 5 steps already...:P

 

 

George Sorros has these as his mantra and chants .He hangs around forums chanting these 5 mantras.

[odysseus11 10]

be more helpful if these were converted to actionable ideas!