Technical indicators: The tools of the trade

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Visualize market data to make informed decisions.

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Technical analysis attempts to identify underlying patterns of buying and selling in a stock or security that may offer clues about potential entry and exit points. This is done using technical indicators—in essence, mathematical calculations that analyze historical price and volume data to provide objective buy and sell signals.

Technical indicators are widely used by traders and investors to analyze stock performance and make informed decisions. Although some technical indicators straddle categories, they can be broadly grouped into five main types: trend-following indicators, momentum indicators, volatility indicators, volume indicators, and tools (or studies) for identifying areas of support and resistance. (See figure 1 for some examples.)

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Figure 1: GIVE ME AN INDICATION. Technical analysis tools and indicators measure trend strength and momentum, volatility, trade volume, and more.

Image source: StockCharts.com. Annotations by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

As the name suggests, these technical indicators help identify the direction of a stock’s trend. Multiple trends can exist at once, even conflicting with each other at times, so using an indicator that aligns with your strategy and time frame is key.

Moving average (MA). A simple moving average is a straightforward and widely used technical indicator that smooths out price trends by calculating average prices over a specific period of time. There are also more complex forms of this indicator, including exponential and weighted moving averages.

Parabolic SAR. Developed by technical analysis pioneer J. Welles Wilder, this trend-following indicator uses a series of trailing dots to highlight potential trend changes on a chart. It can help confirm an existing trend or highlight when a trend is beginning to slow.

Average directional index (ADX). Also developed by Wilder, this indicator measures the strength of a trend, though not the direction. When the ADX is above 25, it suggests that a strong trend is active; when it’s below 20, there’s no trend present.

Momentum indicators measure the strength of a stock’s price movement in one direction over a given time period and work best in conjunction with trend-following indicators.

MACD (moving average convergence divergence). As mentioned, some technical indicators fall into more than one category. MACD visualizes the relationship between two trend-following moving averages, and shows if the momentum of the trend is increasing or decreasing. MACD is one of the most powerful indicators out there, but it has a lot of moving parts.

Relative strength index (RSI). Another Wilder creation, this momentum oscillator measures the strength of a stock’s price action. It can be used to identify overbought or oversold conditions.

Stochastic oscillator. This indicator compares a stock’s closing price to its price range over a specified time period. It can help traders identify potential trend reversals.

This group of technical indicators help to measure the likelihood of sudden—and often extreme—changes in the price of a stock.

Bollinger Bands. Developed by John Bollinger, this indicator plots two standard deviations away from a moving average, creating “bands” that track a stock’s highs and lows. It can be used to help identify potential breakouts or trend reversals.

Average true range (ATR). Also created by Wilder, this technical indicator calculates the average price range of a stock over a specific time period. The higher the ATR value, the higher the volatility.

CBOE Volatility Index (VIX). Instead of analyzing price, the VIX was created by the Chicago Board Options Exchange to measure the market’s expectation of price movement in the S&P 500 Index. It’s plotted as a standalone chart.

Volume represents the total number of shares traded in a stock (or number of contracts, for options and futures) during a given period of time. Many traders believe that when more volume accompanies a price move, it’s more valid, in a kind of “wisdom-of-the-crowds” way.

On-balance volume (OBV). This technical indicator uses changes in cumulative trading volume to predict changes in stock price. It can help identify specific areas of buying and selling pressure.

Volume-weighted average price (VWAP). An increasingly popular indicator, VWAP calculates the average price where a stock has traded throughout the day, adjusted for volume. Anchored VWAP is a modified version of this indicator that can be used over any time period.

One of the underlying theories behind technical analysis is that price has “memory,” meaning the actions of buyers and sellers can create support or resistance at specific price levels. These levels can then be used to fine-tune entry and exit points as well as manage risk.

Fibonacci. Some support and resistance tools are based on the Fibonacci sequence, which was discovered by the Italian mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci. These indicators include Fibonacci retracements, extensions, and channels.

Technical indicators don’t guarantee anything—no indicator, whether technical or fundamental, can do that. But these math-based tools can offer clues as to where other investors in the past have been looking to buy and sell, and where a stock’s movement has tended to pick up steam (up or down). In this way, technical indicators can provide a potential edge for traders and investors who are looking to select entry and exit points.