Stock Pattern Analysis
Home Up

 

Home
Up
Elliott Waves
Stock Trend Analysis
Stock Pattern Analysis
Fibonacci Studies
Fourier Transfromation
Rise & Fall of Shares
investment_theories.htm
Trade Cycle Theories

 

 

 

TREND LINE ANALYSIS

               You cannot beat the market! The market will beat you!

     It means the stock market and the business cycle have its own way. Every analyst is analyzing the past and present of the market condition and try to predict the future. The market always discounts the future and most of the time it neglects the past. That is why so many turnaround companies emerge as a highly profitable than the blue chips today. 

            Prices move in trends because of an imbalance between supply and demand. When the supply of a stock or commodity is greater than the demand, the trend will be down as there are more sellers than buyers; when demand exceeds supply, the trend will be up as buyers “bid up” the price; and if the forces of supply and demand are nearly equal, the market will sideways in what is called as a “trading range”.   Later the newer news will lead the market.

 

Definition: - 

            A trend line is a sloping line drawn between two prominent points on a chart. Rising trendlines or Red lines are usually drawn between two troughs (two low points) to illustrate price support while falling trend lines or Blue lines are usually drawn between two peaks (high points) to illustrate upside price resistance.

 

            The consensus is that once a trend has been formed (two or more peaks / troughs have touched the trend line and reversed the direction) it will remain intact until broken. The same can be explained in a different way as in Elliott Wave theory viz.  the primary trend has 5 waves and the secondary trend will have 3 waves.  Primary trend has three tops and 2 bottoms.  So in a trend line analysis the 3rd or subsequent bottom in bull / rising trend may be a reversal clue if it penetrates the trend line in action. In a simple way to discuss as Elliott wave every 3rd top or subsequent stagnation points are critical / important tops  in a bull market and 3rd bottom or proceeding stagnations are important / critical bottom of the cycle and most probably prices may react after that. 

              There are two trend lines. 1. Falling trend line or Blue line2. Rising trend line or Red line

The benefit of the trend line is they can help distinguish intuitive decisions.  It means not only to give clue to buy and also help to hold till the existing trend breaks. Another benefit of the trend line is that they almost always keep you on the right side of the market. When using trend line it is difficult to hold a security for very long when prices fall just as it’s hard to be short when prices rise either way the trend line will be broken.                      

              We can distinguish the trends in 3 stages.

  1. Bullish trend
  2. Bearish trend
  3. Neutral or stagnant 

 

    One can earn profit in both bull and bear trends. In bull market one can buy shares at a price and then sell at a higher price later. This is called bull operation. It is also called as “going long or stay long”.  The person doing such business is called as bull operator. 

In bear market one can sell first and later buy from market at a lower price and then settle to the buyer. It is possible in a bear market. In a bear market the prices initially rule high and later decline. This operation is called bear operation or Shortselling. The person doing such business is called bear operator. It is easy to understand a bull operation. But how the bear operator gets profit?

                         For example take the settlement in National stock Exchange. In NSE the share transactions are settled on weekly basis. Wednesday is the first day and Tuesday is the last day for them.  If one buy a share on Wednesday and sell the same share after any day before the proceeding Tuesday (within the week) he neither required to deliver the document or pay the full amount. On the other hand the broker or the client will pay the differences of money. If it is profit the bull operator will get the differences of the buy / sell transactions. If it is lose the bull operator has to pay the balance money against the difference of buy / sell transactions.  

            Contrary to this the bear operator first sells the share in the market and later buys within the week and settles his transactions.  In a declining market the bear operator earns profits and in a rising market bull operators and majority of general public earns profits. Due the technical difficulties and settlement necessitates there are only a few people in shortselling or bear operation. So the majority of general public are either investors or bull operators. 

Trend, which are brief, are called as major trends, minor trends and intermediate trends.

There are two types of trend lines.  

  1. Blue Line or Down trend line
  2. Red Line or Up trend line

     Trends, which are very, brief called minor trends; those lasting a few weeks are known as intermediate trends; and trends lasting for a period of months are major trends. 

Types of Analysis: -  

  1. Valid penetration
  2. Fan lines
  3. Speed resistance lines
  4. Trend Channels
  5. Pull back
  6. Andrew Pitch work
  7. Fibonacci Fans
  8. Trend line with some patterns

Trend line theory states that once a trend line is penetrated, the trend, which was previously in force, is reversed. Thus is a blue line is penetrated it is a buy. If prices penetrate below the red line it is sell signal.   

The movement of the trend line can be confirmed in following way.

 i.     Penetration of trend line with a high / good volume transactions

ii.     A pattern of higher top / higher bottom in successive moves

iii.   Penetration fan / speed resistance lines will signal faster moves

iv.    Penetration of immediate resistance line signal further scope of appreciation.

v.     Penetration of trend line is healthy along with some other favorable position on indicators as below

 

When 12 day Rate of change (ROC) is above zero

When MACD indicator is above zero

When 12-day price Oscillator is above zero

When 14 day RSI (relative strength index) is above 50

When Ultimate Oscillator / ROC / RSI / MACD shows higher top / higher bottom

When prices are above 50 day moving averages 

Now let us assume your down trend line has just been decisively broken and you now feel you are starting a new uptrend. Then prices start moving up and you will get a higher bottom. Then with two clear bottoms you may draw an uptrend line / red line. So far prices are moving above the red line you may buy and continue to hold. As per Elliott wave theory when the primary market is up it goes up 3 times. (Say 3 tops.). Accounting intermediate waves Elliott named as 5 waves.  So whenever you meet 5th wave / 3rd top partly book profit is advisable.   

Figures to explain Blue line and red line 

              In addition to that you may find that very steep trend lines are not very authoritative in that a brief sideways movement  or consolidation  will often break them after which prices will shoot up again.  A steady less steeper trend line usually has more significance than a steep / vertical slope trend line.

 Valid Penetration: -

As per the trend line theory when prices penetrates the blue line / down trend line up it is a buy signal. Similarly when prices penetrate down below the red line or uptrend line it is a sell signal. For valid penetration we may have a number of clues

 

1.      Price penetration with a high volume of transaction

2.      A higher top / higher bottom moves after penetration

3.      Prices are steadily moves above the red line / uptrend line

4.      Prices are above 12 day / 50 day moving averages

5.      The market indicators such as ROC, RSI, MACD, and Ultimate oscillator are positive say above zero in a bull market.

6.      Price moves from some powerful patters such as wedge, down channel / tilted rectangle, ascending triangle, Flag and pennant

7.      Consolidation after a major down move / trend

Speed Resistance lines: - 

            Speed resistance lines are (also called as 1/3rd, 2/3rd lines) a series of trend lines that divide a price move into 3 equal sections. They are similar to interpret as fibonacci fans. 

Interpretation: - 

            Speed resistance lines are used to define price support levels. For example, if a security is in a rising trend, its price will usually stay above the 2/3rd speed line. If prices do penetrate the 2/3rd line they will generally fall all the way to the 1/3rd line before regaining support. 

 

 

   

  Trend Channels: -

              In some companies the uptrend will go steady and even it will appreciate to double, treble, quadruple, quintuple…likewise. For steady moving companies we can draw channels and predict in an arithmetic chart. For companies, which fly to dizzy heights, we can draw channels in a semi- logarithmic chart.  In both the cases once the prices break the channel’s red line the trend is reversed.

 

Pull back: - 

            Pullbacks or throw back or Retracement often occur after breaking the trend line. In Elliott wave theory it explains that such pullbacks occurs in the 5th wave say in the last wave or 3rd rally. The 5th wave rise is full of news and euphoria and even a small decline attracts a lot of investors as you have seen this year the buyers of software companies such as Satyam computers, NITT, Silverline even at high prices. They and traders are the cause of such pullbacks or retracements. We can use such pullbacks for a good shortselling in an already high-priced company and for buying in a company, which crossed a downtrend (3 down cycles) recently.

 

            Best way is partly book profit / sell when penetrates the trend line and sell remaining in the pullbacks / retracements.

      

Andrew Pitchwork: - 

             Andrew pitchwork is a trend line study consisting of 3 parallel lines. The lines are drawn from 3 points that you select. 

The trend lines are drawn as follows. The first trend line begins at the left most point selected and is drawn so it passes directly between the right most points. This line is the handle of the pitch work. The second and third trendlines are drawn beginning at the right most points and are drawn parallel to the first line. These lines are the tines of the pitchwork.

   

 

  Trendline with Patterns: -

                          Trend lines will have more weightage when a breakout comes from some pattern.

Generally two or more trend lines accommodate patterns. Patterns will be discussed in separate chapter. When prices are coming with a breakout from triangle, rectangle, wedge, channels, flag and pennant and head and shoulder patterns. Detailed pictures can be viewed in patterns chapter 

                        Generally trendlines are a little delayed signal as moving averages but gives a clear view to the investor.

 

  ###########################################################################

 

 

 

 

                                        ****** Best viewed with IE7,  browser*****

                                              

For courses contact <courses@elliottwavesindia.biz>

Back Home Up Next

Elliott Wave international Courses Freestuff Home   1    2   3   4
Asian Markets European Markets American Markets African Markets