Active Trading Articles

Stay calm, play dead and keep your eyes open for attractive valuations.

The reverse calendar spreads offers a low-risk trading setup that has profit potential in both directions.

Just because a stock is in a slump doesn't mean it's time to sell. Some value managers make a living by investing in "dogs."

Rating systems are a helpful - but not perfect - tool to help you find a winning fund.

There are several simple strategies you can use to protect yourself from downside risk.

Riding the bubble takes timing, a clear understanding of the market and, most of all, a lot of luck.

If your investment strategy is avoidance, the consequences can be scary.

How did America's strong economy tumble so quickly? Find out here.

Flexible and cost efficient, options are more popular than ever. Find out why.

With options, the direction of a stock's next major move becomes less important than its magnitude.

This strategy involves scaling into profitable investments as they continue to rise.

This rule prevents traders from driving stocks down, but its effect on market volatility is debatable.

Leveraging your money can have many perks, but it's not always the smartest financial plan.

Both parts of the market cycle present major opportunities for savvy investors.

High-quality stock reports needn't be confused with stock manipulators' dramatic claims.

After the crash of 1929, this barrier helped define ethical limits, but it did little to prevent fraud.

Take a closer look at triangles, which appear in ascending, descending and symmetrical forms.

The directional movement index tells you whether to go long, short or stand aside.

Acquaint yourself with an indicator that played a role in the early development of technical analysis.

VIX can gauge when the market has hit bottom - a welcome sign of better things to come.

Confirm your buy and sell signals with this oscillator categorized as an overbought/oversold index.

Learn about the powerful hybrid techniques that take advantage of both technical and fundamental analysis.

It's the key to any market economy, so investors need to learn the measures and how to analyze them.

The mystery of options pricing can often be explained by a look at implied volatility (IV).

It's a simple but powerful tool to help you implement your stock-investment strategy. Find out how.

Analyzing a variety of markets around the world can provide powerful insight into trading opportunities.

Divergences may signal a change in market direction, but traders must also identify the speed of that change.

Check out the returns this newer technical analysis tool would've yielded over the period from 1920 to 2003.

Find out how to use this tool to identify opportunities.

Learn how Bollinger's "squeeze" can help you determine breakout direction.

The sushi-roll indicator may help lower the risk of trying to pick market tops and bottoms.

Wondering what it means to be a "logical trader"? Take a look at this system devised by Mark Fisher.

Learn how to apply the ACD technique to a longer time horizon.

You too can use the strategies of one man who turned $11,000 into more than $18 million in 18 months.

For a record-holding stock trader, CANSLIM is the formula that identifies this magic mix.

We break down this indicator into simple, easy-to-understand pieces so you can profit.

Traders don't have to be solitary to be successful--discover how to connect with fellow traders and experts.

Understanding the real forces that move stock prices is part of being a good trader.

Professional market players are some of the best models for the individual small trader to mimic.

Stochastics can be very effective as the second screen in this three-part system. Find out how to use this popular oscillator.

Williams %R can confirm the strength of trends and warn of reversals. Find out how to use it as the second screen in this triple-screen system.

This system identifies the intraday price movements that indicates entry points for your buy or sell orders.

Making use of the tightest stops in entering and exiting positions is what this three-part system is all about.

Monitoring your trades in real-time can help you anticipate their outcomes.

Discover how put-call ratios and moving averages can be used to analyze investor behavior.

Use a global view to determine which stocks belong in your portfolio.

If holding on to losing trades is human nature, this tool will help protect you from yourself.

Jim Cramer's spirited recommendations are a case study in irrational market behavior.

Find out how fixed and variable costs interact to shed new light on old companies.

Learn how to make money off failing shares.

Read the case against this well-established indicator.

Learn to ace the questions that involve both options contracts and stock positions.

Find out how average investors are breaking into what was once reserved for the ultra rich.

Knowing what the market is thinking is the best way to determine what it will do next.

Terrorist activity tends to have a negative impact on the markets. Find out how to take cover.

Should you refinance your mortgage to purchase other assets? Learn how to weigh your risk.

They don't call him "The Oracle" for nothing. Learn how Buffett comes up with his winning picks.

Learn how to short this reversal pattern with a favorable risk/reward ratio.

Find out how to make sense of this tricky - but profitable - formation.

Buy high and sell higher. Find out if you could surf these risky waters.

Investing today couldn't happen without the inventions of yesterday. Learn more here.

Putting your goals in writing will help you achieve them more consistently.

Don't flip a coin to find your next investment.

Common mistakes can prevent even the smartest investors from beating the market.

How to find a portfolio that will survive when the bulls stop charging.

Market timing is surrounded by controversy, but does it work?

Find out how to protect your assets so you can live out your dreams in style.

This strategy provides the potential for larger returns while using less capital.

Learn how to put one of the top equity analysis tools to work for you.

Find out how you can combine the best of both strategies to better understand the markets.

From lenders to buyers to hedge funds, it appears everyone has blood on their hands.

These simple lessons can cut your losses.

The subprime collapse could mean doom and gloom for housing, equities and the overall economy.

Reading pivots will help you spot trends and use them to your advantage.

Learn the patterns that will help you pinpoint and profit from breakouts.

Find out what your broker is doing with your securities when you invest on margin.

Follow this tool to reduced risk and increase profit potential.

This method helped its inventor turn $26,000 into $2 million. Many argue it still works.

With an appropriate filter, you can ride the waters to rising profits.

Follow a modern trade to see how this old strategy still captures profits today.

Find more profitable entry and exit locations with this standard indicator.

If you can't trade commodity futures outright, these vehicles provide a less expensive alternative.

Learn which stocks to watch and which to avoid when the Dow starts to sink.

Learn how your portfolio should evolve to suit bear market conditions.

Find entry or exit signals or develop a complete system based on this versatile tool.

We'll walk you through this trading strategy from start to finish.

Find out how to keep your capital losses small and let your winners run.

Find out how you can change your investing strategy based on market conditions.

Find out what effect institutional investors have on the stock market and individual traders.

Can applying the theory of relativity help you pick a stock? Find out more here.

Get a hold of yourself! Take losses in stride and learn to invest dispassionately.

When investments head south, your 20/20 hindsight can show you who's at fault.

Break down and examine the potential consequences of economic/financial scenarios.

Is your advisor working for you, or for him/herself? Find how to tell the difference.

This trendline-like technical analysis tool has been around for decades - but it still works.

The RS strategy seems counterintuitive, but there is evidence to show that it works.

Forget straddles. These strangles are both liberating and legal in the investing world.