Tips for Trading Descending Triangles Short

By Jeff Cartridge

Descending triangles have been very popular with traders on the short side and are not so often traded when it breaks in the upward direction. A descending triangle is defined by two lines, one on the lower boundary of the price movement which is horizontal and one on the upper side which slopes down.

Descending Triangles, One Of The Best

The descending triangle does break down more than it breaks up with this occurring in 57% of the patterns. A downside breakout is profitable 45% of the time delivering an average profit of 0.92% in 9 days. A large number of downside breakouts (12.1%) return in excess of 10% gain.

Refine Your Entries

A break to the downside works better in a falling market or sector environment. By using filters that require the market to be in a consolidation or an up trend you can improve the results. The sector should also be in a down trend for the best results. Strangely a sector that is in a down trend at the beginning of the pattern produces better results than a sector in a down trend when the breakout occurs.

A breakout from a descending triangle can occur anywhere on the way to the point of the pattern; it is not important exactly where the breakout occurs. The best trades occur when a down side break occurs after the stock bounces off the lower boundary and drops back before hitting the upper boundary.

If volume supports a descending triangle breakout then the profitability of the trades improves. For volume to support the breakout, volume when the stock is going down should be greater than volume when the stock is going up.

Descending Triangles, Profitable When the Markets Is Not

Following a series of simple rules to determine which descending triangle to trade can improve results dramatically. By applying these filters descending triangles are profitable on 48% of the trades and return an average of 2.55% per trade in 10 days. This is a very profitable pattern to trade.

Note: Statistics for this article have been provided by Patterns Trader after analyzing over 60,000 chart patterns on the Australian market from 2000 - 2008. - 23305

About the Author:

Jeff Cartridge is a private trader and created the website LearnCFDs.com Discover Patterns of Success

Sources For Stock Market News

By Michael Swanson

For many years, the Wall Street Journal was considered the source for stock market news. Today, however, stock market news can be found in many ways.

Do not be mislead, the Wall Street Journal is still in publication. It is comprehensive in its coverage of the markets. It is also a great source of information for investors. You may also find listings for the market in your local newspaper. You should know that there are more sources of news on the market today than just in print.

Cable television news shows will often show information on the market at least once during their repeated broadcasts. The news is generally shown in a ticker that trails across the bottom of you television screen. Additional, you will be able to find special shows that just follow the market.

For the quickest news on the stock exchange, however, one has to turn no further than the internet. Prices of stocks are known immediately around the world with the advent of the World Wide Web. In addition, we can know what is happening in many of the world markets almost as soon as they happen.

Perhaps you think the market does not affect you. Think again. The prices in the market will determine your cost of living. If you have money tied up in a 401K or an IRA, chances are that your money is directly tied to the stock market. The growth of those funds only happens when the market is increasing.

Persons who have lost their jobs in the current economy and been forced to remove the cash that remained in the 401k will find that the amount in this retirement fund today is much less that was in the fund two years ago. That is because your money was invested in the stock market. When the economy went south, so did your money.

Follow the stock market news to make wise investments. - 23305

About the Author:

For more on stock trading strategies go to WallStreetWindow.

News Straddling (Part I)

By Ahmad Hassam

Major short term currency moves are almost always preceded by changes in fundamental views influenced by the news. Traders around the world make a living by processing and translating information into money. The forex market is extremely sensitive to the flow of news related to it.

We live in an era where information can be extremely powerful and strategic asset. Timely information is vital to an individual or a corporation and information equals money especially to a trader. Shutting yourself off to the news can be suicidal.

The speed of the news dissemination is very important to traders. Traders especially the day traders require the latest up to the second news updates. This facilitates their trading decisions which have to be made at the lightening speed.

Online news services display the latest financial and economic news on their websites. You can also get breaking news alert through your email. Many professional traders opt for instant online news services such as the Bloomberg, Dow Jones Newswires, CNBC and Reuters. Reuters and Bloomberg are very popular.

News is important to currency trading. Each new piece of information can potentially alter the traders perception of the current or future situation relating to the outlook of certain currency pairs. Market work on perceptions! Perceptions change, expectations change and prices change.

News that is of great importance to forex traders is generally related to a countrys economic, monetary and political situations. Socio-political events that are happening around the world like in Middle East and North Korea also tend to affect the forex market in major ways.

Based on this news, these traders will be preparing to cover their existing positions or initiate new positions. A traders action is based on the expectation that there will be follow through in prices when other traders see and interpret the same news in a similar fashion and adopt the same directional bias as the trader as a result.

This is in a way an anticipatory reaction on the part of the trader as he or she assumes that the other traders will be affected by the news as well. Because of the expected impact it has on other market players, news is a very important catalyst of short term price movements. Markets hate surprises. If a news item has a very low surprise value, market may not react much. But if the news item has a high surprise for the market, the reaction will be extreme volatility until the surprise has been digested by the market.

Suppose the news item happens to be bullish for the US Dollar. Traders who reacts the fastest will be the first to buy US Dollar. They are anticipating an uptrend in US Dollar. They will be followed soon by other traders. Other traders may be slower. They maybe were waiting for some technical criteria to be met before they jump on the bandwagon. However, all of them anticipate an uptrend to develop.

There will be many who will join in the frenzy at a later stage when they get hold of the delayed news in the morning newspapers or from their brokers. This progressive entry of the USD bulls over time is what sustains the upward move of USD against another currency.

The reverse will happen on the surprise bearish USD news. Instantly traders will start selling USD on the assumption that when other traders will hear the news, they will also start selling. - 23305

About the Author:

Mr. Ahmad Hassam has done Masters from Harvard University. He is interested in day trading stocks and currencies. Try Netpicks Forex Signals Free. Learn Forex Trading!

Important Considerations For The Selection Of A Property Management Company

By Layla Vanderbilt

One of the most important decisions facing property owners owning a large amount of property is the selection of a property management company. Ideally, you should obtain bids for the management of your properties from several companies. This will allow you to compare each company's rates and services. Generally two payment options are available to choose from: paying a monthly flat fee, or paying a monthly percentage fee.

The lowest management fee may not always be the best choice. Higher fees usually translate into more services. Also, management companies with lower fees may have extra charges for necessary services like as advertising. Investors need to know if the management company charges a fee for showing property to a potential client. Some management companies also charge leasing fees in addition to their management fee. Investors need to read contracts closely to know exactly what is included in the real estate management fee.

The real estate management fee is usually a minimum monthly base charge plus a percentage of collected income, and the fees vary according to the type and size of the property. The charge for single family dwellings can range from a flat rate to a percentage of the income, ranging from six to ten percent. Larger investment property is most always charged by a percentage which is generally lower, generally around two percent. Fees are negotiated by a number of factors that include the location, the size, and the condition of the property, and the total fee can also include additional fees for leasing and other auxiliary services.

Another important consideration in choosing a property management company is payment. Some companies deduct their fee directly from the income your property generates, while others send a monthly or quarterly bill. Other fees a company may charge are for cleaning and preparing rental properties, or eviction fees. Be sure to take the time to discover and consider all fees charged by the property management company.

A management company performs many services for the investor. The company takes care of the daily activities of renting the property, collecting rents, accounting and monthly statements, hires contractors for services such as cleaning, hires groundskeepers and maintenance workers as well as supervises any work. The investor pays the real estate management fees for peace of mind. When an investor has interviewed several companies and found the fees are close in range with a few exceptions, he should then decide to further investigate each company?s contracts and references. By comparing all the services and getting good referrals, an investor can make an informed choice.

When interviewing a representative for a management company, the fee charged will most likely be your primary concern. However, find out as much information about other aspects of their management style as possible. Ask how the company works with tenants, what their goals are of property maintenance, and their methods for handling problems that may arise with the property. Determine if this company will be proactive in informing you of how things are going at your property, and if they will be detail-oriented with all paperwork involved in the leasing of the property.

Hiring a good management company helps an investor rent his property faster and provide preventive maintenance before problems become major repairs and expenses. The investor should look at more than the initial monthly fees when determining how much it will actually cost them if they go with the cheapest company. An investor needs to be sure the company will actually help him avoid those expensive repairs and expenses as well as keep the property in good condition in order to make it attractive to prospective clients. - 23305

About the Author:

Layla Vanderbilt is the content coordinator for a leading property management solution review website which connects people with the leading property management tools.

Old Coins and Collectible Coins

By Pete Marks

Many coin collectors collect old coins for a lot of reasons. A lot of people collect coins as a hobby and others will collect coins for their new numismatic value or metals. Regardless coin collectors often find collecting coins rewarding and fun.

People will collect coins from certain regions countries or just collect coins made from certain metals or a certain time period. Some collectors just collect any old coins and others may collect only made coins or sets.

The values of old coins are often influenced by age, condition or even where they were minted. In recent times many coin collectors have been hoarding more valuable coins in the price of coins have been going up because many contain precious metals such as gold or silver.

Many people will often purchase their coins from a local coin dealer. Your best deals can often be found online and at auctions sites. There are benefits to either buying from a local dealer or from purchasing online.

The main benefit of collecting old coins from a dealer or local shop is you get to the see the coin up close. Another advantage you have is you are less likely to find a fake coin locally. When you deal locally with a local coin dealer or shop you often develop a relationship of trust in the dealer will often keep you informed of certain coins he knows you enjoy collecting.

There are also numerous benefits to collecting coins online and from auction sites. You'll often find auction prices and acceptable way of determining point prices and purchase without paying a premium. You may also find it easier to find hard-to-find coins that you would not find at your local dealer or coin shop.

It may be a little more confusing purchasing coins online but once you have developed a relationship with an online coin dealer or auction seller you will also establish a relationship of trust and a source you can go back to. Most auction sites rate their sellers and this way you may have a good idea on who is best to buy from. In todays age most sellers online have very reasonable refund policies so making a return on a purchased coin that does not arrive in the condition advertise should be a problem. - 23305

About the Author:

There are many ways to determine old coin values find out how much your old coins are worth.