Does Technical Analysis Make a Good Trader? (Technical Analysis For Beginners)

Ileke Airende
Coinmonks
9 min readAug 16, 2022

--

Photo by Chris Liverani on Unsplash

Technical Analysis Explained.

Technical analysis employs mathematical indicators to analyze statistical trends to forecast the future direction of market prices. It is done by analyzing past price fluctuations and volume data to establish how the market functions and predict how it will influence future price fluctuations.

Technical analysis methods use price trends and chart patterns to evaluate crypto markets and uncover trading opportunities. Technical analysts believe that an asset’s previous trading activity and price changes are useful indicators for predicting future price activities.

In other words, it is described as the technique of forecasting the future direction of a particular asset based on past price information.

Technical analysis involves forecasting the future direction of a given asset based on its past price data. Technical analysis focuses solely on price levels, trends, and volume, as opposed to fundamental analysis, which examines the underlying asset itself.

Technical Analysts believe that price trends tend to repeat themselves. They base their analysis on crowd psychology and investment behavior patterns. Technical analysis can be applied to many asset classes, from Crypto to stocks to commodities market and Forex trading.

To acquire consistent success in crypto trading, you must perform technical analysis. To forecast price movement in trading, you must perform several computations. Suppose you place buy or sell orders based solely on intuition or guesswork. In that case, trading becomes a gamble, and technical analysis is a crucial tool for traders to gather information about market conditions.

See also: Surviving a Bear Market: 6 Practical Steps.

Technical Analysis Relies on Three Fundamental Assumptions.

Image by Pexels from Pixabay

Technical analysis is predicated on three assumptions.

  1. The Market is Self-Discounting.

This assumption states that all market factors that could affect the price of cryptocurrencies are already reflected in their prices. A crypto asset’s price reveals all pertinent information about it. You are not required to evaluate the underlying variables that influence the price of a crypto asset when determining its price movements.

Technical analysts use tools such as the candlestick pattern, the magnitude of the price drop, and other technical indicators to determine if it is the best time to invest in any particular asset.

2. Price Changes Form usually form a Trend.

Price action always displays trends regardless of the timeframe you employ, especially during random market fluctuations. The green and red candlesticks indicate the trend pattern and price direction.

Technical analysts believe that price changes in the future are more likely to follow an established trend. The price trend may be rising, decreasing, or horizontal.

3. History repeats itself.

Because the crypto market is repetitious, examining prior patterns can help you predict future market movements. Market players’ reactions to market events are usually constant over time. Even if some chart patterns formed long ago, they are still considered significant since they may occur again.

Market players’ reactions to market events are usually constant over time. Even if some chart patterns formed long ago, they are still considered significant since they may occur again.

Technical Analysis’s Limitations.

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

One of the primary objections of technical analysis is that history does not repeat itself exactly, rendering technical analysis erroneous.

A further critique of technical analysis is that it only applies in specific circumstances and yields inconsistent outcomes.

Additionally, technical analysis is restricted to the study of chart patterns and market trends. It disregards the importance of examining other fundamental elements that affect pricing.

Technical analysis is useful and enlightening only when the market swings in a particular direction. It is incapable of predicting movement that requires fundamental background study.

See also: The Story Of Bitcoin: The Novel Technology Made By an Invisible Creator.

Is Technical Analysis Sufficient?

Photo by Nicholas Cappello on Unsplash

Numerous traders base their trade decisions on technical analysis. In truth, some individuals exclusively adhere to technical analysis. However, integrating technical and fundamental analysis is a more holistic and reasonable trading strategy.

Technical analysis provides information on market patterns, particularly short-term trends, whereas fundamental analysis typically provides guidance for long-term investment ideas. Fundamental analysis also offers investors and traders information about the short-term market sentiment of the market. Combining technical and fundamental analysis will produce better trading results for traders and investors.

Technical versus Fundamental Analysis.

Technical Analysis offers at least two advantages over the research-intensive fundamental analysis.

  1. Technical Analysis is less subjective and less Controversial.

The subjectivity of external research findings based on fundamental inputs tends to be significantly higher. It would be best if you formed a conclusion on the long-term prospects of a stock or cryptocurrency based on a number of distinct criteria (Economic growth, sector growth, etc.).

These are considerably more subjective than a list of absolutely provable price points. Your analysis is the only factor that matters when attempting to analyze a chart.

2. Better for Risk Management.

Investors who enter a position based on fundamental analysis do so based on their estimation of the asset’s fair worth. This means that they will typically hold the item for a long time, believing that the price will eventually reflect this.

The issue with this is that they allow little opportunity for error in their analysis. They are less likely to abandon the trade, even if it is against them, due to the time and effort they have put into the research.

Technical analysts, on the other hand, are mostly stop-loss traders. Frequently, their stop loss, limit, and take profit positions will be based on technical levels. Consequently, they will have the necessary safeguards in place if a trend does not corroborate their research.

Technical traders can be considered more meticulous in this regard. They have no qualms about abandoning a trade and immediately minimizing their losses if it looks like they may have been mistaken.

Finally, while fundamental analysis uses financial data, Industry trends, competitors’ performance, and economic outlook to determine the movement of price and performance of an asset, technical analysis focuses on price movements and market psychology. In other words, while traders focus on technical analysis, investors are more akin to adopting a fundamental analysis approach to their assets.

See also: Surprising Uses Of Blockchain Outside Cryptocurrencies.

How Technical Analysis works in Crypto.

Image by Csaba Nagy from Pixabay

Technical analysis is more likely to be successful in liquid, high-volume markets with several exchanges. Attempting to interpret the charts of certain mid- and micro-cap coins is less productive.

This is due to the fact that smaller market capitalization coins are subject to a substantial amount of market manipulation. There are pump-and-dump groups and crypto whales that attempt to generate movement and interest in a currency so they may profit from less experienced investors.

What you may interpret as a price that has violated a trendline may merely be the acts of unscrupulous traders luring inexperienced ones. As a new trader, it’s always safer to stick to coins with a high trading volume and not as prone to market manipulation. For instance, coins in the top 10 by market capitalization are likely to be the most secure from manipulation by whales and pump and dump groups.

Technical Analysis Instruments.

  1. Candlestick Charts.

Traders use candlestick charts because they provide more information about price movement. Each candlestick depicts the activity surrounding the timeframe selected for trade analysis. Consequently, if you are working with a four-hour timeframe, each candlestick will indicate the price change every four hours.

Body and wicks make up candlesticks. The body may be either green (increase) or red (declines).

Green candlesticks show a trade that closed at a greater price than its opening price. The bottom represents the initial price, and the top represents the final price.

The red candlesticks, on the other hand, indicate that the closing price was below the opening price.

2. Resistance and Support

A support level is where prices stop falling, and a resistance level is where the market price cannot increase anymore.

Once the market falls below the support level, it appears to rebound. On the other side, once the price reaches the resistance level, which acts as an upper barrier, it declines. Technical analysts use both levels to pinpoint areas on a price chart where a halt or reversal of the current trend is more likely to occur.

To put it another way, support is the point in the market when there is enough demand or purchasing interest to halt a downward trend temporarily. The support line is formed by the rising demand for assets or securities as their price falls. Conversely, selling pressure causes prices to hit resistance levels when prices rise.

As a price approaches a support or resistance level, it will either bounce back away from the level or violate the level and continue in its direction until it reaches the next support or resistance level, at which point it will reverse direction. These price levels can therefore be used as potential entry or exit points.

After identifying these levels, technical analysts can utilize them to create market price forecasts.

3. Trend Lines

They are used to identify possible market trends. Traders also utilize numerous trend lines to illustrate more intricate patterns. A trend line connects various price peaks and valleys. The stronger the trend, the closer the price point is to the line.

4. Moving Average

The indicator enables you to track the price trend by averaging the past values of a crypto asset over a predetermined time frame. Moving averages provide insights into the market’s direction and assist in determining the optimal entry price.

Investors can compute moving averages using periods of differing lengths depending on their trading objectives. Typically, shorter moving averages are employed for short-term trading, while longer moving averages are more appropriate for long-term investors.

There are two popular types of moving average: the basic moving average, which indicates the average of total prices over a given period, and the exponential moving average, which favors the most current values without considering earlier price fluctuations. The most often employed moving averages are 10,20, 30,50, 100, and 200-day moving averages.

5. Relative Power Index (RSI)

The RSI is an oscillating indicator that indicates whether a security is overbought or oversold. 0 to 100 is the measurement range. When the RSI value of a crypto asset falls below 30, the asset is oversold, and when the RSI value rises beyond 70, the asset is overbought. A state of overbought implies a possible sell indication, whereas a state of oversold offers a possible purchase opportunity.

6. Bollinger Bands

This indicator also allows you to measure the price fluctuations of assets. Typically, the band is calculated using a 20-day simple moving average by adding and subtracting a standard deviation from the average. When the market price rises above the higher Bollinger band, it is considered overbought, and when it falls below the lower Bollinger band, it is considered oversold.

See also: Why Bitcoin Is the Future of Money in Developing Economies.

What Makes a Good Technical Analysis Trader?

Image by Csaba Nagy from Pixabay

Technical analysis is a tool; like most tools, it can be utilized appropriately or incorrectly.

You are gambling if you employ technical trading without a systematic and deliberate approach. If you execute trades based on one or two levels that you believe may validate your opinion, then you are unsystematic.

It is crucial to note that emotions should be fully disregarded in trading and technical analysis specifically. You should place and exit trades entirely on the basis of what the charts and analysis indicate.

You should never execute a bad trade and remove your stop losses to chase losses. You should take your profits at the stated levels and not allow the “winning streak” mentality to distort your research.

The market is extremely systematic but occasionally idiosyncratic, requiring a meticulous and diligent trader to exploit its inefficiencies.

Researching Effectively.

Regardless of how proficient you believe you are at technical analysis, it is useful to seek the opinions and studies of others. This could also assist you in avoiding subjective bias with regard to reading patterns.

There are a variety of resources that can be utilized to obtain reasonably sound analyses. The best locations are usually charting-focused forums, such as Tradingview or others of a similar nature. They usually have verifiable track records for the technicians providing analyses.

Conclusion.

Traders can utilize technical analysis to make consistent profits from the market through proper risk management. However, traders should supplement their technical analysis with a variety of additional indicators and fundamental research to maximize their trading profits.

New to trading? Try crypto trading bots or copy trading

--

--

Ileke Airende
Coinmonks

Crypto Aficionado and a passionate Marketer. Writes about life, people, Defi, DAOs, Web 3 and 21st Century Marketing.