Essentials of Technical Analysis for Financial Markets

James Chen is a clear thinker and a deep thinker, and he has graced the oeuvre of technical analysis with an enormously valuable contribution. Like all good writing, the writing is easy to read. Yet he makes words count. That is to say, there is no lack of substance. Each and every sentence adds cumulative value. In summary, this is a terrific introduction for anyone who is seeking a fundamental understanding of the principles of technical analysis, the forces that impact on price, and how practitioners of the former exploit the latter. Whereas one could read this book quickly, don't. There is much on which to reflect within its 270+ pages, and you will get more than your money's worth if you invest in readig it the time it deserves. Highly recommended for anyone who is either new to technical analysis or who wants to shore up their knowledge after reading other introductory texts.

I read half this book at a local bookstore. Why? I was asked by a friend to join him and help him find some good books on trading. I have over 10 years of experience and have been making nice contributions to my retirement account by doing so.I wanted to find him a nice book that would teach technical analysis...not scrape the surface, only to bounce off and never come back!The problem is, this book only tells you minor details. You could say this is an introduction to an introduction!OK, so what do I mean exactly?Say you wanted to learn about cars. You open the book and it tells you there are foreign cars and domestic cars. DUH! Then it tells you the domestic cars can break down to Ford, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, etc. DUH again! Did you learn anything? NO!Mr. Chen does not even begin to scratch the surface of Technical Analysis. To be fair, he does title the book "ESSENTIALS". I would argue there is nothing "ESSENTIAL" about any of the pages in his book.Why? Two simple reasons.1 - There are better introductory books on this subject that cost less and will teach you more.2 - There is nothing in this book that you could not learn for free on the numerous and excellent trading websites and blogs on the internet. And they will teach you tons more than this book...errr, scratch that...than this $30 RAG ever will!Does this book introduce you to technical analysis? Sure..if you consider being introduced to ice cream by sampling it from the head of a pin!

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