Psychology of chart colors - imagined?

[Redneck]

Yes color affects one’s emotions…, as do sounds – and a million other things in life

However, ultimately one needs to become detached from this crap and act dispassionately

Pick color combos that are easy on the eyes

Knowing you gotta build a wall and keep your personal shit away from the business of trading


RN

 

[satchel]

Being detached is one thing, when I look back at a trading week that has been 'on point' the elements have been: not freezing during decision-making and calm rational (minimal information to process).

Being detached takes ice in the veins, some people are better at this.

This may not be a psychology forum question. I am talking about cognitive overload, how information is processed when faced with too many choices. Where is the scientific/chemistry/biology forum.

Iyengar did a Columbia study and later a book The Art of Choosing.
example:
shown a 401K plan, as the options available increased, participation dropped, the choices to make a decision was overload and so no decision was made. 75% participation for 2 options and as the options went up to 60 the participation dropped to 61% (Ever been guilty of freezing in a trade? What is the right decision, I am not sure, so much going on, so I will do nothing.)

Even worse, in an online shopping scenario, the more options offered, then poorer buying choices were made.

What's interesting about decision science study: your unconscious can make better decisions.

Why can't I let my unconscious take on more of the decision-making... then the less over-thinking occurs.

Looking at it that way, the color of bars, candles, lines is no longer innocuous.

 

[toolazy]

jh correct me if I am wrong but this is what your system is :

translation on selected granual level (fractal) from market emotion to graphic representation price/volume. Once you find bearings, you invoke your modrian table to drive you and take $ along the way.

What you are doing here is trying to tech people to use that translation.

I am actually using something similar however with my own touch and being paranoid to maintain robustness that will handle next generation of players.

What makes you think that your translation will stand test of time ? Players change and same representation of market in the speculators head will provoke different responses therefore your translation table will become useless, same as with other TA approaches.

 

[bighog]

Quote from jack hershey:



read Nitro's latest seige of threads. read his Q's and do that in the context of his posting count. It takes a real long runway for some people to even get off the ground.

 

[Scataphagos]

Quote from satchel:

The emotions of Fear and Greed can impact our decision process during trading. Fear perhaps being the stronger (more afraid of losing on a trade vs feeling afraid of winning on a trade).

Does use of or lack of color on your chart make a difference to your trading?

Red is a stimulating, intense color, invokes excitement, one could say aggression. Elevates blood pressure, respiratory rate.

Blue is calming, trustworthy, harmonious (the sky, the sea), lowers blood pressure.

Denise Shull - trading performance psychology - recommends removing red/green, red/blue. specifically removing Red.

My setup, I rarely change a thing. Already use black-background charts, this week removed price colors such as red or blue to hollow-body and grays. When a strategy setup occurs at a price level/bar, the strat color splotches the bar, that's it.

Was I more rational in decision-making (slower, considerate thinking, focused on price) with the grays...yes. Too early to tell or imagined.

If there are edges everywhere, is this a trivial one?

FWIW... I've used black background with cyan candles for years.. brightness turned down. Can't imagine changing.

Trading should be about logic and discipline. "Emotional impact of colors", if such a thing is real, should not apply.

 

[satchel]

Very true Scat. Removing colors could be a great start for a new trader, avoid the traps of emotion. Again, some people are not wired this way, not an issue.

The answer could be: less decision-making. What's interesting about decision science study: your unconscious can make better decisions.

Why can't I let my unconscious take on more of the decision-making... then the less over-thinking occurs.

So far hollow candles for up closes and gray for down closes has been working for me. Don't have to process/think about the color consciously. I found myself today looking at a bar and all I thought of was price, even though it was reaching an extreme. Perhaps it is as simple as less stimuli and I make too much of this. Too early to tell.

Push the performance bar ever higher, otherwise you stand still.

 

[stock777]

I guess none of you motu's want to let me into the inner circle

 

[jem]

Jack... do you set up a gradient too.

When I arrive at 90% of the daily profit I have the color of bars shade over to yellow.
Which reminds me to stop trading for the day because I have reached my FED quota.

I have been been sync commed by the Fed since they became aware of my currency speculations. My always in strategy in the currency markets was so powerful that during the 2008 crisis when the FED "forced" the banks to borrow money they forced me to purchase some banks and their regional Fed shares. Its in the secret minutes. You can use the tag 3.1414 foia.

Normally I trade JPM and use their blue color on my candles but when I reach my FED DAL (daily allowable limit) I trade another bank. I like to use a red to yellow with BAC.

 

[Wide Tailz]

For years I used the standard red and black. Then one day I decided to become profitable, and realized that all that is necessary is to size up the trend and the range (the signal and the noise). LHC bars in walnut show it best, to my eye.

:eek:

 

[satchel]

having a good time aren't we.