Posted by admin | Posted in General | Posted on 26-06-2010
I use the stochastic all the time and think there is no better indicator for timing your trading signals – its simply the ultimate momentum indicator and every forex trader should use it – lets look at this fantastic indicator in greater depth….
The stochastic indicator is:
A momentum indicator which warns of strength or weakness in advance, making it leading indicator to confirm trading signals in conjunction with support and resistance.
The Technical Bit
The stochastic is plotted as two lines %K and %D.
The %K line is the more sensitive line
The %D line is a moving average of %K.
The plotting of the stochastic is a bit similar to a moving average. Substitute the %K for the fast moving average and %D for the slower average.
The lines are plotted 1 – 100.
Here are 3 ways you can use the stochastic indicator to great affect, with crossovers from over bought – oversold being my personal favorite.
1. As a Overbought / Oversold Indicator
A common use of the stochastic is to use it as an overbought / oversold indicator. When stochastic moves below the 20% and above 80% trigger lines are crossed the Buy when the stochastic goes below 20% and then rises above that level and sell when the stochastic rises above 80% and then goes below.
2. Trading Crossovers
the crossover is my favorite way of using the stochastic from over bought above 80% or oversold below 20% Many traders simply buy when the %K line rises above the %D line and then sell when the %K line falls below the %D line.
This can work but you tend to get a lot of whips in price. I personally prefer to do crossovers from very overbought and oversold levels. In currencies you often get above 90 and below 10 and a recent currency signal I had was from 96!
When these levels are reached and you have cross the upside from oversold or down turn from overbought are great signals.
I know traders who simply use support and resistance and crossovers from extremes and make a lot of money with the stochastic and support and resistance lines.
Sure it’s simple but it’s very effective now the final use.
3. Trading Stochastic Divergences
Divergences between the stochastic and price can be used as a leading indicator for executing trading signals.
For example, if prices are making new lows and the stochastic moves higher or crosses to the upside you have a warning that prices may re bound as price move up. The opposite is of course true in a bear market.
Of course no indicator works all the time by itself – but in terms of a momentum and timing indicator for your trades, it’s a fantastic indicator if used correctly.
As stated my preference is not just to use crossovers but crossovers from price chart extremes and this with trend lines and a little practice works.
I also like to use filters in line with the stochastic and use the Relative Strength Index (RSI) and Average Directional Movement (ADX). There great as momentum indicators and work well with the stochastic. Get the book they come from – New Concepts in Technical Trading – By Wells Wilder it’s a great book and outlines them in more detail.
I have used the stochastic for 25 years and use it for swing trading and trend following and never execute a trade without checking it.
It’s a very visual indicator and you can learn to use it in 30 minutes. If you don’t know or use the stochastic, its time to make it part of your essential forex education.
Posted by admin | Posted in General | Posted on 31-05-2010
Overbought and Oversold are the two most powerful concepts in trading the Forex. Understanding that a market that is over bought will fall and that an oversold market has no choice but to rise takes a lot of confusion away from trading. So having simple to use indicators that tell when a market is trading in these extremes becomes vitally important.
Enter The Stochastic
Invented by George Lane the stochastic is based on the relationships of where a market closes in relationship to their highs and lows. George noticed that when a falling market is about to turn its closing prices tend to be near their daily lows. And of course the opposite would be true in a booming market that is about to turn south.
Based on this Mr. Lane built a simple indicator called a stochastic.
The Insides
Obviously the math behind the stochastic indicator is lengthy but lucky for you and I most charting services provide the indicator as a free service with their charts. Peeking inside the stochastic you will noticed that it has two lines that are smoothly rising and dropping and crossing each other in their paths. The two lines are represented by the titles %K and %D. The lines represent this relationship between the closing price and the daily high and low. The reason there are two lines is due to sensitivity – the %K is set up to be more sensitive to the market fluctuations than the %D and it is also a moving average of %K which is why it lags a bit behind.
These lines are plotted on a scale of 1% to 100% and it is in this scale that the trade signals are made.
Trade Signals
A good Forex trading signal is when the stochastic enters the upper 80% region, or the lower 20% region. This is the range where the markets are becoming over bought or over sold respectively. And the official “trigger pull” moment comes when the %K and %D cross each other inside these regions.
The beauty of this signal is that it is simple and it conforms to the principle of overbought and oversold. It is not predictive but rather helps to clear up the crazy price movements of the Forex markets.
Posted by admin | Posted in Women's Health | Posted on 21-05-2009
According to new research the promotion of healthy eating to fight obesity can drive some teenagers into eating disorders.
Also many adult women and men admit that the extremes of trying to eat healthy lead them into abnormal eating behaviors and later to a fully developed eating disorder.
So the question is how healthy for you is a “healthy eating plan” and diet?
From one point of view, it is good to make a healthy choice when you eat and it does help to fight obesity. But on the other hand there are people who get so obsessed with their eating habits that it becomes abnormal and absolutely out of control.
Most eating disorder sufferers say that their disorder started from a simple diet and trying to eat healthy. They also say that they became very emotional about their diet, weight and food.
For example here is a testimonial from a 24 year old woman who has been suffering from bulimia for the last 10 years: “It was very painful for me to hear people called me fatty and I began dieting. When I lost some weight people started complimenting me for the way I looked and it felt so rewarding that I only wanted to continue dieting and loosing more and more weight … I really associated loosing weight with a reward and big personal achievements, so I thought the more I do it the better I will become. And I pushed myself into an extremely restrictive regiment of diet and exercise.
Every week I reduced my calorie intake and increased the exercise time. Sometimes I was very hungry and felt jealous towards people who could eat whatever they wanted. I started dreaming about food – of what I would eat if I could.
Once I cheated and ate much more food then I planned to do. I felt disgusted with myself. Then I went to the toilet and made myself sick. This gave me an instant relief to my strained feelings.
On the next day I repeated it again, and again it made me feel better. I thought I discovered a new way to eat whatever I want and at the same time stay slim. I thought it was my own invention but it wasn’t and that was how my bulimia was born…”
This is a typical story of the beginnings of anorexia-bulimia. So the question is would these people have developed an eating disorder without initially going on a “healthy” diet and an extreme exercise regiment? Probably not!
In conclusion it is fair to say that eating healthy still should be a major part of overall health education in schools and in public education.
But teaching about balance regarding peoples eating habits is probably much more important than just healthy eating at all costs. Teaching balance is crucial for any health program if it wants to stop the spread of eating disorders.
