Technical Analysis For Dummies®

What is it they say? "If you could have only one book ...?" Well this should be it. A thin book (only 350 pages) for such a broad subject. Barbara Rockefeller gets right down to the core issues with absolute clarity and simplicity. She rapidly exposes flawed thinking and weak logic, debunking (very decisively) false optimism. This book shows you how to grow as a trader, and the book grows with you. Revisit it again and again over the years. I'd been trading for years before I found this book. I own (and have read) the major works (Murphy, Link, Masonson, Nison, etc). Like many experienced traders I was getting buried in the analysis and begun to lose sight of the basics. Rockefeller rips away the crap. On the front cover she claims you will be able to Identify Trends, Improve Timing, Never Make A Big Loss, Trade As A Business. That's a tall order for one book. This one does what it says on the tin. Get it. You won't need anything else to become profitable. If you've got other books, or are thinking of getting some, then look at them through Rockefeller's eyes and you'll never get bogged down again.

Although a few years old (and American) this book is still more than beneficial to the UK trader (beginner or otherwise); and costing less than the average dealer fee for a trade - hardly expensive. Plenty of very good information in it, no magic formulas or false promises, just a good insight into technical analysis - what it is, why you should use it and the commonly used techniques. I'd already been using a bit of TA, but this made it clearer, explained it and gave better understanding of how to use it - trends, momentum, understanding market sentiment etc... well worth the money and easy to read as well (although take your time with it, there is plenty of information to absorb) If you're new to trading, i'd recommend some other books first (Naked Trader 2nd ed by Robbie Burns for example), then use this to add on as technical analysis is about human nature: when to buy, not what or how to buy.... also a bit of economic research helps (The little book of bull moves in a bear market by Peter Schiff is very informative, yet understandable). Overall, I give 4*, it's certainly helping me improve - and you've got to be constantly improving (remember to make money, someone has to be losing it!). It doesn't quite get 5* as there are a couple of things I'd like to have seen (elliot waves for example).

I've read many trading books and this is one of the best if you are starting out. It's a fabulous primer. A great foundation from which to build your knowledge. Wish I'd read this before I'd read many others. As others have mentioned, Barbara manages to cut through the fluff and exagerated claims surrounding TA and give a realistic assessment of its philosophy, strengths and weaknesses.

Uses the normal `Dummies' layout. Although clearly it was written for US readers (examples are all US companies and amounts in Dollars) it is relevant to analysis of all stock markets including UK. The techniques relate to charts of all kinds of shares, currencies and commodities. The suggested websites are only useful to a US reader. Reading other books as well will help UK users. Try "Pocket Guide to Trading Online" by Alpesh Patel - also available on Amazon. This is much more focused for the UK market and gives UK websites. I have been trading for the past year using TA and found that I learnt quite a bit more on techniques and indicators that I had not tried. This will now be one of my Reference books to help me improve my share trades. Recommended

it does what it says on the tin.Its a little dated there is a newer version out. For me it gave me what I needed.I am alittle wiser but I have learn that certainty is really uncertainty and that the only constant is change so guess no one book can address everything on Technical Analysis

This is the best "For Dummies" book I have read on any subject. Not just a basic introduction but a very detailed insight into the world of technical analysis and the numerous indicators that come with it. I found this book really good as a reference also. This book is interesting as it covers far more than just technical analysis. Well worth a read.

this is a really good introduction to technical analysis. if you are interested in learning to trade; this book will give you a good start in to the basics so that you don't lose money hand over fist. i would like to warn the potential purchasers of this book that by reading its content you wont go out and make 'trillions', it is literally a good primer - you will learn a bit, but it will set the foundation to build on... good luck to making huge sums of cash!!

This book is very detailed and very informative. It is superbly written and is easy to understand all the concepts. the author details all concepts and elaborates on more technical variations, their advantages and pitfalls. a very good intro into technical analysis. Could do with some better diagrams in places but not easy to do given they are in black and white.

The illustrations on the technical trading is very helpful to get the point across, fantastic book to get started. Covers pretty much every basic indicators and trend analysis. Learn to identify trends, when to enter and exit a trade, improve your timing, and most importantly how to stop your loses. You will learn how to trade stocks like a business and with a plan from start to finish.

This is a great, informative book. It is clearly written and approaches the subject of technical analysis in a concise, clear and comprehensive ways. The sections on chart reading and analysis I found to be particularly invaluable and highly informative. This book talks in detail about the major candlestick indicators (which I didn't know about before) and I found the sections on candlestick indicators to be very valuable. This book also goes into detail about all major technical indicators and how to use them and their pros and cons(MACD, RSI, Fast and Slow Stochastic Oscillators, Bollinger Bands, DMI indicator, etc...). It talked in a clear and informative way about identifying trends and identify trend reversal signals using technical indicators like the MACD as well as with chart reading and candlestick indicators. With what I've learned through this book I almost find myself wondering why people think stock trading is so hard and how could an educated person not make good money on the stock market? There are so many indicators of market changes, so many guiding indicators like the MACD, Stochastic indicators, etc... This book has taught me invaluable and significant information that have already greatly influenced my ability, confididence and profitability as a trader. If your a beginner or intermediate trader, get this book!! The personality of the author did turn me off. However the clarity, value and informativeness of the book absolutely overrode any dislike I had of the author. This is a great book.

Bra. Inga problem.

I am not new to investing but am a beginner in day trading, technical analysis and the forex market. Now I've read several books on those subjects. I read Day Trading for Dummies which was OK, basic, and kind of what I expected. TA for Dummies was more than I expected for a Dummies book. It covers loads of the important indicators, is well-written and easy to follow, and offers lots of clear, understandable charts that illustrate the point well. I know these technical indicators are complicated and there is much more to each of them, but I agree with other reviewers - if you are a beginner trying to learn technical analysis, this is an excellent place to start!

This book has exactly what I expected and what I was looking for. Although I studied and work in Finance, I have never done any trading beyond the most basic fundamental analysis. I had heard of technical analysis but was completely scared off from learning it by the charts and graphs and technical terms that were really foreign to me. Through much research on my own, I decided that if I ever want to be truly successful in trading that I really needed to get a handle on Technical Analysis, so I bought several dummies books on trading, including this one. I have started to read all of them at once as much of the information overlaps and complements each other, but this is the one I seem to be going back to more and more, and it is the one I am furthest along. For me, this book has been a source of immense knowledge. I chose this book because I wanted to scratch the surface before jumping in with both feet first. I am completely green and needed a blank canvas approach. I like the Dummies books because they are an easy read, but are written by experts on the subject. This book is no exception. I feel like I am getting a very well-rounded overall understanding of technical analysis without being overly whacked with technical jargon and complicated mathematics. This has been great because I now have a big picture view of TA. From here, I can really narrow in on specific forms of analysis that I have learned about in this book. I have learned that most traders use 3-5 different analysis techniques out of the dozens or possibly hundreds that are available. This book has allowed me to uncover the 3 or 4 different forms that I am most interested in and would like to read about further. Of course that will require additional book purchases, however, that was the whole purpose of getting this book - was so I could figure out what works for me. If you're looking to get a big picture overview of technical analysis, as well as get helpful hints and techniques that I see as invaluable insider input, then this is a great book for your collection. And because it is sprnkled with so much helpful information, I'm sure it will be a reference on my shelf that I will refer back to for years to come.