Volume and candles here. Of course knowing the general trand helps. I don't daytrade, but position trade--could be days or even weeks. These days, the institutions (the big money) have to sell on the way up and buy on the way down. So, during a bull market, what that looks like is heavy volume, a bull candle with virtually no upper range. As the price moves upward, volume typically decreases and the upper range increases. If this happens, you can look for downward movement. Now, if it is a pullback with light volume, indicating profit-taking by the late comers, you can bet that the big money will come back in, for they also buy on the way down. In bear markets, you see the opposite. You see ever increasing volume on the way down with solid bear candles. Bear traps again show decreasing volume with a bull candle or two, and small or bearish candles, followed by a high volume reversal. Only at the "bottoms" you want incredible volume, bull candle with long lower range. Of course, we do not know the ultimate bottom until it has already passed. Forget about catching tops and bottoms, concentrate on the middle 70% of the move.