All About Technical Analysis : The Easy Way to Get Started [Paperback]

Constance Brown (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0071385118 | ISBN-13: 978-0071385114 | Publication Date: December 9, 2002 | Edition: 1

ALL ABOUT . . . SERIES

All About
TECHNICAL ANALYSIS

Wary of trusting their trading fortunes to chance, investors are increasingly turning to the proven tools of technical analysis to help them make better trading and investing decisions. All About Technical Analysis explains what technical analysis is, why so many savvy investors rely on it to help forecast market movements, and how to successfully blend it into an overall investing program.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Everything You Need to Know About Technical Analysis--What It Is, How to Use It to Forecast Markets, Mutual Funds, and Real Estate, and More!

Technical analysis is one of today's most accurate investment tools for market selection and timing. But what is technical analysis? How can you combine it with traditional investing methods to improve your portfolio's performance and make informed--and better--investment decisions?

All About Technical Analysis tells you everything you need to know to incorporate the predictive strength of technical analysis into your overall investing strategy. From the basics of charts and charting to how to use advanced technical indicators and oscillators, this easy-to-understand guidebook explains why so many independent investors have come to rely on technical analysis--and how you can use it to dramatically improve both your short- and long-term investment returns.

Whether you are an experienced stock market investor or a beginner, look to All About Technical Analysis to learn more about:

• Using charts to identify stock, bond, and real estate trends
• Strategies to pick industry sectors and stocks
• Precise price levels to buy and sell
• Techniques for combining momentum, breadth, and sentiment indicators
• and much more

About the Author

Constance Brown, C.M.T. (Chartered Market Technician), is president of Aerodynamic Investments, Inc., and a fund manager who has traded global markets for fifteen years. She wrote Technical Analysis for the Trading Professional, which was selected by the Market Technicians Association to prepare candidates for the professional certification exam.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (December 9, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071385118
• ISBN-13: 978-0071385114
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,112,359 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not for beginners, February 28, 2004

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: All About Technical Analysis : The Easy Way to Get Started (Paperback)

I'm giving this book a middling rating, but I don't feel like I'm really in a position at this point to judge its actual value.

What I can say -- and what anybody just getting started should know before acquiring this book -- is that the book is more assuredly *not* written for beginners. The fundamental style of the book presumes a pre-existing familiarity with a set of terminology and concepts, and can be quite terse in its explanation of concepts and examples. It strikes me as probably well-suited to those who have engaged fairly extensively in the study of technical analysis already, and who are looking for alternative analysis viewpoints.

To her credit, the author does provide considerably more insight than just technical analysis -- for example, summarizing the fundamentals connecting different markets. So I would think this book would be quite interesting to one who has a solid foundation in technical analysis, but lacks a bigger picture of the market. On the other hand, as at least one other reviewer commented, the book does jump around a lot in discussing these relationships, making it a somewwhat awkward path to that comprehensive picture.

However, the most significant point, for anybody who is a beginner, is that the book's subtitle "The Easy Way to Get Started" and it's cover description "Everything you need to know about technical analysis..." are misleading, inasmuch as it makes it seem as if it is targeted to, and suitable for, beginners. It is not.

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simplifying Technical Analysis, March 26, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: All About Technical Analysis : The Easy Way to Get Started (Paperback)

I was lucky to encounter Connie's work when I was just getting started with trading. The gem in this and her other writing is seeing her total dedication to uncovering the science of the markets.

She will never GIVE you ALL her secrets. Part of the message is do your work, study your market, learn your indicators and study timing. You will be slapped around by the market, and you need YOUR OWN disciplined approach to keep going when that happens. This book is not going to reveal a mechanical system that can be translated into instant trading success.

You won't find a targeted approach for one market...her approach works for all and any markets; that's why she includes charts and analysis for everything from stocks to fundamental housing data. The bottom line is that many free market activities can be charted and analyzed in much the same way as stocks or futures.

But there are very specific insights into the methods of a highly intelligent trader.... and you're challenged to rise to her level. This book and Technical Analysis for the Trading Professional give many specific insights into indicators and approaches: She points out features of indicators, how to choose non correlated indicators, simplifying "market geometry" and advanced considerations of support and resistance in instrument prices and in indicators, as well as target calculation--plenty of information, and simplified for an easy grasp of the subject.

I feel that this book provides an essential background and insight into how the market works. Whatever the level of trading you decide to do. I think a "non trader" can benefit too...we are all "at risk" of various markets throughout our lives. The charts of currencies and housing show other areas where a non trader could benefit from some technical analysis knowledge to avoid getting caught in a destructive cycle.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Haphazard, April 2, 2003

By 

markatkar (Canada.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: All About Technical Analysis : The Easy Way to Get Started (Paperback)

The book is written by an extremely busy professional. Therefore, it appears there was no time to organize the material in a manner suitable to either a beginner, intermediate or an advanced student. So, one gets a mix of all levels. There is poor order of chapters and the author does not care to present her material in a manner which makes the topics clear. Or present the subject from simple ideas to difficult. Many of the graphs/charts included in the book are left unexplained.
To be fair, the author is an expert in this field and has a lot of experience, teaching material and the professional competence to write this book. However, it appears as if the author had just enough time to put together each chapter at the end of a long day or during holiday weekends. The way the book is written, you are supposed to rise to her level, which is fine if her explanations are well done. But when it matters most, she lacks the clarity of expression and or presentation. Often she wanders off and forgets to come back to her explanations, where she left off. She includes a lot of irrelevant material about some trivial professional experience as if they matter to a serious learner of the TA. Many of them do not. Who cares she traded in WTC or near UN building.

After so many years of successful trading, one would think that, writing a book of this nature is like performing a service to the reader to teach, be it a novice or an advanced trader. I did not find that kind of attitude in this book. It is more like, 'I know all this stuff after all these years. I challenge you to become as good as I am. If you do not understand what I write, too bad'. Too bad, look elsewhere if you wish to learn about TA (Eg.: A. Elder, Schwager, Murphy, Kaufman).

Haphazard is the word that comes to mind when you read this book.