Encyclopedia of Chart Patterns (Wiley Trading) [Hardcover]

Thomas N. Bulkowski (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2, 2005 | Series: Wiley Trading (Book 225)

In this revised and expanded second edition of the bestselling Encyclopedia of Chart Patterns, Thomas Bulkowski updates the classic with new performance statistics for both bull and bear markets and 23 new patterns, including a second section devoted to ten event patterns. Bulkowski tells you how to trade the significant events -- such as quarterly earnings announcements, retail sales, stock upgrades and downgrades -- that shape today?s trading and uses statistics to back up his approach. This comprehensive new edition is a must-have reference if you're a technical investor or trader. Place your order today.

"The most complete reference to chart patterns available. It goes where no one has gone before. Bulkowski gives hard data on how good and bad the patterns are. A must-read for anyone that's ever looked at a chart and wondered what was happening."
-- Larry Williams, trader and author of Long-Term Secrets to Short-Term Trading

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

The Encyclopedia of Chart Patterns, recognized as the premier reference on chart pattern analysis, extends its lead with this Second Edition. This definitive text includes new bull and bear market statistics, performance sorted by volume shape and trend, more than a dozen additional chart patterns, and a new section covering ten event patterns. Significant events—such as earnings announcements, stock upgrades and downgrades—shape today's trading, and Bulkowski gives readers the best information on what happens after those events occur. He also shows you how to trade them and uses reliable statistics to back it all up.

In each chapter of Encyclopedia of Chart Patterns, Second Edition you'll learn the following about each pattern:

• Results Snapshot—A statistical summary of pattern behavior, including its performance rank, breakeven failure rate, average rise or decline—all separated by breakout direction and market type (bull or bear)
• Tour—A broad introduction to the pattern
• Identification Guidelines— Characteristics to look for
• Focus on Failures—What failed patterns look like, why they failed, and how to avoid them
• Statistics—The numbers and what they tell you, separated into bull/bear markets and breakout direction, including average rise or decline, failure rates, volume shapes, performance by size, and busted pattern performance
• Trading Tactics—Strategies to increase profits and minimize risk
• Sample Trade—Puts it all together, showing the chart pattern in action, with hypothetical or actual trades using real data
• For Best Performance—A table of selection tips to boost performance

Encyclopedia of Chart Patterns, Second Edition also includes summary tables ranking chart- and event-pattern performance for easy reference; a glossary; a chapter on methodology explaining what each statistical table entry means and how it was calculated; and a visual index to make chart pattern identification a snap.

The result is today's most comprehensive and valuable technical analysis reference—one that will save you critical time in identifying chart patterns and increase your likelihood of buying near the price bottom and selling near the top.

From the Back Cover

Praise for encyclopedia of chart patterns, SECOND EDITION

"The most complete reference to chart patterns available. It goes where no one has gone before. Bulkowski gives hard data on how good and bad the patterns are. A must-read for anyone that's ever looked at a chart and wondered what was happening."
—Larry Williams, trader and author of Long-Term Secrets to Short-Term Trading

"Chart patterns are the basics behind most trading methods, and this book is a great achievement in a highly useful format. Bulkowski has taken an intelligent and thoughtful approach to producing a practical guide to understanding and trading chart formations."
—Perry Kaufman, author of New Trading Systems and Methods and A Short Course in Technical Trading

Praise for the First Edition

"Not since Edwards and Magee has someone put together so comprehensive an assemblage of market behavior expressed graphically. No chartist should be without this book."
—John Sweeney, Interim Editor Technical Analysis of Stocks & Commodities

"Encyclopedia of Chart Patterns . . . is a valuable contribution to the existing literature on charting and should be considered an indispensable reference by any serious chart trader."
—Edward D. Dobson, President, Traders Press, Inc.

"Meticulously researched, complete, and insightful, the Encyclopedia has earned a permanent place on my trading desk as a highly valued resource."
—Thomas A. Bierovic, Manager, Strategy Testing & Development, Omega Research, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1032 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 2 edition (May 2, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471668265
• ISBN-13: 978-0471668268
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 1.8 x 10.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #90,622 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #14 in Books > Business & Investing > Investing > Futures
  • #27 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > Business
  • #43 in Books > Business & Investing > Investing > Commodities

More About the Author

Thomas N. Bulkowski is recognized by many as one of the world's leading authorities on chart patterns. He is a successful investor and trader with over thirty years of experience trading stocks. He is also the author of the books:

Encyclopedia of Candlestick Charts
Encyclopedia of Chart Patterns, Second Edition
Fundamental Analysis and Position Trading: Evolution of a Trader
Getting Started in Chart Patterns
Swing and Day Trading: Evolution of a Trader
Trading Basics: Evolution of a Trader
Trading Classic Chart Patterns
Visual Guild to Chart Patterns

His best selling books have been translated into multiple languages. Over one hundred of his articles have been published in Active Trader; Stocks, Futures and Options; The Technical Analyst; Traders'; The Trader's Journal and Technical Analysis of Stocks & Commodities magazines.

Before earning enough from his investments to retire from his day job at age thirty-six, Bulkowski was a hardware design engineer at Raytheon, a senior software engineer for Tandy Corporation, and a software manager for Tracor-Westronics.

He was the president of the Keller Writers' Association, vice president of membership and later treasurer of the Keller Chamber of Commerce, chairman of the Keller Parks and Recreation board, president of Keep Keller Beautiful, vice president of the Friends of the Keller Library and charter member of the Keller Writers' Association. He also authored the Keller Recycling Task Force report and Park System Study for the City of Keller.

In his spare time, he likes to wander around his back yard looking for toads, spiders, snakes, and other inhabitants and then photograph them, occasionally play guitar while watching birds visit the bath or feeder, putter around in his garden, read and write fiction, and sneak up on his dog.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 57 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Most informative review on chart patterns June 21, 2005

By Vincent F. Simione

Format:Hardcover

I have always wondered - how reliable are chart patterns? Now I know. Tom gives you every statistic necessary to give you the confidence needed to trade these patterns. If you want to know what each pattern should look like, what the average rise or decline is, what the success rate is of each pattern, how to deal with failed patterns and strategies for maximizing profit and minimizing risk - then this 2nd edition is a must.

I have been trading for 25 years and this is the first book I have read that gives me the confidence to take action.

Bravo Tom.

Vince

70 of 75 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A New Perspective on Chart Patterns July 15, 2005

By Guang Lu

Format:Hardcover

Many years ago, when I was a college student in China, one of my most enjoyable moments was to sit in library reading Encyclopedia Britannica, which always gave me new perspectives for the world. It was natural that the title of this book attracted my attention and I bought it immediately. What a wonderful reference book to add to my trading library! I only wish I had it before the market crashed in 2000, when I lost all my trading accounts.

This reader-friendly book consists of Part One Chart Patterns (53 chapters) and Part Two Event Patterns (10 chapters). Each chapter focuses on a specific chart pattern with informative details. The RESULTS SNAPSHOP and TOUR are very useful to give readers a general idea of each chart pattern. The IDENTIFICATION GUIDELINES and TRADING TACTICS give readers a practical trading guide. The STATISTICS shows the author's new approach to analyze each chart pattern scientifically. The SAMPLE TRADE is a fictitious story to illustrate a trading circumstance. The FOCUS ON FAILURES provides necessary warnings for each chart pattern. All the technically complicated information is smartly rendered in layperson's language. I think if every trader (day traders, swing traders, position traders, and buy-and-hold investors) reads this book, we will be on the same page and will act similarly. Then, our trading will become more consistently profitable.

Of course, this is not a book to read from cover to cover. Instead, it is a must-have reference book. Any time I found a chart pattern showing a potential for profits, I checked it with this encyclopedia and designed a proper plan to trade with the pattern. This way, I learned while I earned. However, this book is not a crystal ball, but a great trading tool, which you should master. Should we ask more from a book?

Guang Lu, Ph.D.

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST August 29, 2006

By Mark Dankowski

Format:Hardcover

If I were to be deprived of all the trading books in my collection but one, that would be The Encyclopedia. Unlike other literature on the patterns, in this book you will not find clauses like "most of the time", "usually", "seldom". All the information as it's related to the pattern trading is thoroughly backtested.

Few words about the author are due here. I do not believe you will find more ethical individual in the trading community than Mr. Bulkowski is. Unlike others who use their books as an advertising medium to lure you into subscription to their services and seminars, the author simply does not do that. His web site is FREE and he sells nothing but his book.

I can't even say that this book is highly recommended or you should buy this book... Nothing like that. I believe you owe yourself having this book on your desk 24/7 if you are to trade chart patterns. If you do not trade chart patterns then... you should not trade at all as all the "indicators" are nothing but derivatives of the price and volume behavior. Turn of all that noise and focus on patterns and volume and that's what this book is teaching you to do.