Chart Patterns | SigmaForex

The Basics

To be profitable in today's world technology and advancement, one must be proficient and reading and more importantly understanding chart patterns and basic technical indicators. Below is just a few basic points to help your understanding of technical analysis and currency chart reading.

• Pricing

Price reflects the perception and action taken by the market participants. It is the urgency between buyers and sellers in the trading pit that creates price movement.

Thus, all fundamental factors are quickly discounted in price. Therefore, by studying the price charts, you are indirectly seeing the fundamental and market psychology all at once - after all the market is feed by two emotions - Greed and Fear and once you understand that, then you begin to understand the psychology of the market and how it relates to the chart patterns.
Data Window.

Most computer programs will display a small box of data usually called a display window which will contain the following items:

O = Opening Price
H = Highest Price
L = Lowest Price
C = Close or Last Price
Tr = Volume or number of trades ( not contracts ) in that time period.

• Price Bars

Price bars are a linear representation of a period of time. This enables the viewer to see a graphic representation summarizing the activity of a specific time frame.

As an example, we use one minute and five-minute bars for our system. Each bar has similar characteristics and tells the viewer several important pieces of information.

First, the highest point of the bar represents the highest price that was achieved during that timer period. The lowest point of the bar represents the lowest price during the same period. Regular bars display a small dot on the left side of the bar which represents the opening price of the period and the small dot on the right side represent s the closing price of the period.

Volumes

Volume is a measure of supply and demand that is independent of price
Volume is usually light during the formation of the pattern and increases on a breakout from the pattern. For any pattern or trend line penetration, a breakout with increasing volume is more an indication that prices will continue in the direction of the breakout than a breakout on low volume.
Rising volume levels when price is falling after a major peak gives supporting evidence that there is an underlying weakness in the security & warns that falling prices may continue.
When price goes to a new high on increased volume, traders often compare volume with that which occurred during previous rallies in prices. If the current volume is less than the previous rally's volume, there is a potential for a price trend reversal.