Hi Vivian
HEIKIN ASHI (HA) CANDLES
HA candles can filter out "noise" (1-2 day random fluctuations in price), allowing you to view more clearly, and hence trade, a major price trend.
HA is an averaging technique, that uses the average of prior day's candle(s), to plot the summary HA candle. Because it uses averaging, HA candles will always 'lag' the real OHLC action by 1-2 days, hence their signals are late. However, given that one can not forecast imminent price direction with certainty, this is also true of most other trend-following techniques.
The above chart posted by Mr Admin is a fine example of how to use HA candles. When today's candle turns green, you buy; when it turns red, you sell. If prices continue to trend long enough to generate a prolonged sequence of candles of the same color, then you will profit. You can see the green uptrends and red downtrends clearly in the chart.
The size of the candle body can also be helpful. When a trend weakens, successive candle bodies get smaller, which can sometimes point to an impending reversal. A "doji" (cross shaped) candle is the smallest possible bodied candle, and is an indication of indecision in the market.
It's important not to associate the wicks and tails on HA candles as shifts in buying and selling pressure, as one does with 'normal' candles. For a good article on caveats in interpreting HA candles, see here:
http://www.ensignsoftware.com/tips/tradingtips57.htm
Also, more information on Heikin-Ashi in the following threads:
http://www.stock-anal.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000897.html
http://www.stock-anal.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000034.html
EQUIVOLUME CANDLES
Richard Arms is the inventor of equivolume candles – download his free book here:
http://www.armsinsider.com/pdf/ArmsBookwcontents.pdf
(NOTE – You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to read this book.)
Or, if you prefer a shorter explanation:
Equivolume candles represent volume as the width of the candle. Thus a wide candle indicates high volume for the day; a narrow candle low volume.
When a price breaks out (usually upward) from a period of tightly congested sideways movement, it can generate a lot of buyer excitement, and of course the increased participation results in high volume, hence a wider candle. A fast breakout, where the price rises quickly, will of course mean that the candle has height as well as width. If you are an intraday trader, you may be able to catch this breakout as it occurs. If you trade only end-of-day (e.g. a swing or position trader), then you must somehow decide (in reality, guess) whether the price rise will continue into the following day(s).
When prices are nearing the end of a trend, any loss of momentum will result in shorter candles. As more traders start selling off the stock, volume increases, so the equivolume candles will widen. So short, wide candles can sometimes signal that a trend is about to end. The same can also be true for a downtrend, i.e. short wide candles near the end of a downtrend can indicate a "sell-off", where the fall is almost over, and traders will start buying in again. However, a long wide candle can indicate panic selling as prices plummet.
Narrow equivolume candles tend to occur while a trend (either up or down) is in progress, and indicate probability that the trend will continue; lower volume indicates that there are potentially more participants still to join in the rise (or fall). When volume increases (hence the candles get wider), this is often a signal that something extraordinary is about to happen.
To see all of this more clearly, refer to the diagrams in Mr Arms' book.
Volume is sometimes difficult to read. The volume-based indicators in Best-Charts (EFI, MFI, OBV, PVT) show money flowing into (when they rise) or out of (when they fall) a stock
GUPPY MULTIPLE MOVING AVERAGES (GMMA)
GMMAs consist of two sets of exponential moving averages. The faster set is 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 and 15 period EMAs, and is supposed to summarise the activities of TRADERS, while the slower is 30, 35, 40, 45, 50 and 60 period EMAs, and is supposed to reflect the activities of INVESTORS.
When a price trend accelerates (upward or downward), the shorter EMAs tend move away from the longer ones, causing the bands to widen. Thus in a healthy trend there is space between the lines in both bands.
Conversely, when a price trend decelerates (loses momentum), the bands tend to contract (get closer together), and if the trend reverses, the bands will cross over each other shortly after that. The faster moving bands cross first. A "pullback" in the price results in the faster band contracting, while a full "reversal" of the trend is often preceded by the contraction (and eventual crossover) of the slower band.
See also my post here:
http://www.incrediblecharts.com/forums/messages/191443/493874.html#POST67064
The following links explain all of this further:
http://www.startraderreport.com/Articles/GuppyMMA/GMMAArticle1.html
http://www.chartfilter.com/articles/movingaverage.htm
http://www.market-analyst.com/kb/article.php/Guppy_Multiple_Moving_Average/
http://www.traderji.com/technical-analysis/620-guppy-multiple-moving-average.html
http://tradermike.net/2004/05/another_look_at_multiple_moving_averages
http://www.aussiestockforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1650
http://www.justdata.com.au/Journals/AlanHull/guppy_mma.htm
There's no magic in how I found these. Simply type 'Guppy MMA' into Google.
Best wishes
David
[This message has been edited by david_louisson (edited 03-06-2006).]