To Learn Technical Analysis Means Understanding the Inside Bar
Many investors who are just learning technical analysis will make short-term investment decisions based on reliable, longer-term patterns such as the head and shoulders top discussed elsewhere in this series. The difficulty with such a strategy is that short-term trades based on long-term patterns will typically not yield the desired gains.
The inside bar pattern is one such pattern from which investors can take short-term cues. This pattern indicates a possible change in investor sentiment in the short-term. In other words, if the overall trend has been heading down, the inside bar often indicates a reversal in that trend.
Discovering an Inside Bar Pattern
For investors who are learning technical analysis, identifying the inside bar might be a little more difficult. It involves a taller bar one day, followed a smaller bar the next. The smaller bar consists of a trading range within the preceding day's taller bar.
Supporting Criteria
When it comes to using the inside bar to commit to a trade, investors should seek additional confirmation through additional analysis. This step is often overlooked when investors start learning technical analysis. Other analysis includes fundamental data for the security, sector and market, as well as technical data such as support and resistance levels and momentum.
When it comes to analyzing the inside bar pattern, investors will achieve better trading results from this pattern when the inbound trend is steeper. Additionally, investors will want the first bar to be longer, which suggests the inbound momentum has climaxed. As for the second bar, the narrower the better as this indicates that the reversal will be more dramatic.
Finally, volumes should be smaller on the inside bar than on the first bar.
For investors learning technical analysis, please remember that no single indicator should be used in isolation. Confirmation is highly recommended from other tools. For investors who would prefer a hands-off approach, there are trading software programs that will simply make buy or sell calls. - 23305
The inside bar pattern is one such pattern from which investors can take short-term cues. This pattern indicates a possible change in investor sentiment in the short-term. In other words, if the overall trend has been heading down, the inside bar often indicates a reversal in that trend.
Discovering an Inside Bar Pattern
For investors who are learning technical analysis, identifying the inside bar might be a little more difficult. It involves a taller bar one day, followed a smaller bar the next. The smaller bar consists of a trading range within the preceding day's taller bar.
Supporting Criteria
When it comes to using the inside bar to commit to a trade, investors should seek additional confirmation through additional analysis. This step is often overlooked when investors start learning technical analysis. Other analysis includes fundamental data for the security, sector and market, as well as technical data such as support and resistance levels and momentum.
When it comes to analyzing the inside bar pattern, investors will achieve better trading results from this pattern when the inbound trend is steeper. Additionally, investors will want the first bar to be longer, which suggests the inbound momentum has climaxed. As for the second bar, the narrower the better as this indicates that the reversal will be more dramatic.
Finally, volumes should be smaller on the inside bar than on the first bar.
For investors learning technical analysis, please remember that no single indicator should be used in isolation. Confirmation is highly recommended from other tools. For investors who would prefer a hands-off approach, there are trading software programs that will simply make buy or sell calls. - 23305
About the Author:
Chris Blanchet has more than 16 years of experience as a Financial Advisor at one of the world's largest banks by market capitalization. To learn technical analysis free visit Online Trader Today.com where Chris writes about Technical Analysis and Options trading. Chris also maintains a debt-free blog at How To Repay Debt.com