Like most new traders I got my start in the markets via technical analysis. Technical analysis as defined by the study of past price movements and chart patterns. It all seemed to make perfect sense on the chart, however, when applied in real time, things did not appear as clear as the various TA proponents proclaim. Buying break outs above the 200 day simple moving average, selling touches of the upper Bollinger Band and the other easily understood TA tenants simply failed to produce the profits promised by the gurus. Surely, I must be interpreting the data wrong, right? After many years of trading and market study, I have reached the conclusion that TA makes no sense to follow and it the prime reason new traders fail at this game. Here are 4 practical reasons this is the case:
1. Hindsight bias. Charts are n......
1. Hindsight bias. Charts are n......