A Complete Guide to Technical Trading Tactics

Preface ix Acknowledgments xv CHAPTER 1 Introduction to Futures and Options:Understanding the Mechanics 1 How the markets work, the elevator analogy, product for the times, important terminology such as margin, contract specifications, and leverage CHAPTER 2 Fundamentals: The Market Driver 19 Supply and demand issues, economic growth and productivity effects, major economic reports and their in role in market prices CHAPTER 3 Technical Analysis: The Art of Charts 33 Western-style bar charts and key reversals, point-and-figure charts that focus only on price, market profiling, price and time analysis CHAPTER 4 Candle Charts: Lighting the Path 43 Enlightening charting technique and its colorfully named patterns--hammers, stars, spinning tops, dojis, hanging man, and others--powerful reversal patterns, reliable continuation patterns, key examples in the dollar and bonds CHAPTER 5 Chart Analysis: Volume, Open Interest, Price Patterns 67 Volume and open interest rules for traders, M tops and W bottoms, trend lines, measuring patterns, the head-and-shoulders, triangles, pennants and flags, diamonds, wedges, funnels, gaps, islands, rounded bottoms, oops signals, opening range breakouts CHAPTER 6 Pivot Point Analysis: A Powerful Weapon 93 The pivot point formula for target trading, calculating support and resistance levels, importance of multiple verification from several sources, the P3T trading technique, weekly and monthly charts and numbers, risk management techniques CHAPTER 7 Day-Trading, Swing Trading: Acting on Analysis 113 Trading to bounce off target numbers, calling tops and bottoms, weekly chart magnets, harami cross and other candle clues to market reversals, pivot points save the day, lining up the stars, the verify-verify-verify approach CHAPTER 8 Technical Indicators: Confirming Evidence 135 Moving averages and trends, simple rules with averages, tweaking and visualizing MACD, stochastics, false signals, Gann's key numbers, Fibonacci ratios and projections, time counts for cycles, Elliott wave and its clues CHAPTER 9 Market Sentiment: What Traders Are Thinking 161 Getting a market consensus from contrary opinion, Commitments of Traders reports, margin rate changes, Market Vane Bullish Consensus report, put-to-call ratios, volatility index (VIX), when the boat is tipping over, media effect CHAPTER 10 Order Placement: Executing the Plan 171 Importance of getting an order right, online platform concerns, impact of market conditions on orders, 14 top order entry selections you need to know, orders in after-hours trading, spreading concepts CHAPTER 11 The Mental Game: Inside the Trader 189 Conquering fear, learning discipline, improving confidence, suggestions for success, I'll-think-about-it syndrome, the paper trader, fear and greed factors, becoming a specialist, setting up an investment diary, setting a positive mind frame, dealing with adrenaline, establishing goals, positive affirmations, stress relief techniques, rewarding success to build success CHAPTER 12 The Tactical Trader: Tips and Techniques That Work 203 Pyramiding approaches, scale trading, stop reversals, breakouts, momentum trading, the Friday 10:30 a.m. rule, stop placement near a magnet, trading multiple contracts CHAPTER 13 Options: A Primer 217 What options are and how to use them with futures, simple puts and calls, options premiums, the Greeks, comparison shopping, strangles and straddles, eight top option spreads, delta neutral techniques CHAPTER 14 Closing Bell: My Top 10 List 235 What the experts suggest, top 10 trading thoughts, measuring success Glossary 241 Bibliography 253 Index 255