The next lesson in my course on how to trade stocks which covers stock trade execution on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

Duration : 0:4:15

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In our last lesson we learned about the Average Directional Index (ADX) an indicator which helps traders determine the strength of trends in the market. In today’s lesson we are going to look at another indicator called the Parabolic Stop and Reversal (Parabolic SAR), which helps traders enter and manage positions when trading those trends.

The Parabolic SAR is an indicator that, like Bollinger bands is plotted on price, the general idea of which is to buy into up trends when the indicator is below price, and sell into downtrends when the indicator is above price. Once traders are in positions the indicator also ists in managing the position by providing guidance as to how one should trail their stop.

Example of the Parabolic SAR

While this is an indicator that works very well in trending markets, as you can see from the below chart simply following the basic be long when the indicator is below price and be short when the indicator is above price will lead to many whipsaws in range bound markets.

Example of Whipsaws in Range Bound Markets

To combat this problem the developer of the indicator J. Welles Wilder (who also developed the RSI and ADX) recommended establishing the strength and direction of the trend first through the use of things such as the ADX, and then using the Parabolic SAR to trade that trend. As mentioned above although the Parabolic SAR is used for both entering and managing positions, it is used far more to set stops once in a position.

As with the other indicators we have covered in past lessons it is recommended to use this indicator in conjunction with other methods of analysis for confirmation not only on trade entry but also on trade exit.

Example:

That’s our lesson for today. While my lessons are by no means exhaustive on the subject this also concludes my series on technical indicators. If you are interested in learning more about the indicators that we have studies as well as some of the other indicators that traders use, I encourage you to visit the technical indicators section of informedtrades.com. In our next lesson we will finish up our series on technical analysis by taking a deeper look at candlestick chart patterns and how one can use these in their trading.

As always I encourage you to participate in the community by posting your comments and questions below, and have a great day!

Duration : 0:4:34

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The second of two lessons on trading stocks on margin which covers the basic rules surrounding trading the stock market on margin.

Duration : 0:4:56

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The link that I refer to on Standard Deviation is here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_deviation

The link that I refer to with more resources on Bollinger Bands is here:

http://www.informedtrades.com/tags/index.php/bollinger%20bands/

In our last lesson we learned about the Stochastic Oscillator and how traders use this in their trading. In today’s lesson we are going to learn about an indicator which helps traders gauge the volatility and how current prices compare to past prices.

Bollinger Bands are comprised of three bands which are referred to as the upper band, the lower band, and the center band. The middle band is a simple moving average which is normally set at 20 periods, and the upper band and lower band represent chart points that are two standard deviations away from that moving average.

Example of Bollinger Bands:

Bollinger bands are designed to give traders a feel for what the volatility is in the market and how high or low prices are relative to the recent past. The basic premise of Bollinger bands is that price should normally fall within two standard deviations (represented by the upper and lower band) of the mean which is the center line moving average. If you are unfamiliar with what a standard deviation is you can read about it here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_deviation. As this is the case trend reversals often occur near the upper and lower bands. As the center line is a moving average which represents the trend in the market, it will also frequently act as support or resistance.

The first way that traders use the indicator is to identify potential overbought and oversold places in the market. Although some traders will take a close outside the upper or lower bands as buy and sell signals, John Bollinger who developed the indicator recommends that this method should only be traded with the confirmation of other indicators. Outside of the fact that most traders would recommend confirming signals with more than one method, with Bollinger bands prices which stay outside or remain close to the upper or lower band can indicate a strong trend, a situation that you do not want to be trading reversals in. For this reason selling at the upper band and buying at the lower is a technique that is best served in range bound markets.

Example of Buying and Selling at the Upper and Lower Band:

Large breakouts often occur after periods of low volatility when the bands contract. As this is the case traders will often position for a trend trade on a break of the upper or lower Bollinger band after a period of contraction or low volatility. Be careful when using this strategy as the first move is often a fake out.

Example

As Bollinger bands paint a good picture directly on the price chart of how high or low price is relative to historical prices, this is a good indicator to use in conjunction with other methods such as some of the chart patterns that we have learned so far and some of the candlestick patterns which we will learn in future lessons. Below is one such example:

As Bollinger Bands are one of the most popular indicators around I have created a special page on InformedTrades.com which lists multiple resources for those looking for more information on trading Bollinger Bands.

That’s our lesson for today. You should now have a good understanding of Bollinger bands and how traders use these in their trading. In our next lesson we are going to go over the Average Directional Index or ADX, which helps traders identify the strength or weakness of a trend so we hope to see you in that lesson.

As always if you have any questions or comments please feel free to have them in the comments section below, and have a great day!

Duration : 0:7:36

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The next lesson in our course on the basics of stock trading, which covers what a limit order is and how to place a limit order on the ThinkorSwim Platform.

Duration : 0:5:13

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