Fundamental vs. Technical Analysis: What's the Difference?

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Christina Majaski
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Christina Majaski writes and edits finance, credit cards, and travel content. She has 14+ years of experience with print and digital publications.
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Updated July 27, 2021
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Katrina Munichiello
Katrina Avila Munichiello
Fact checked by Katrina Munichiello
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Katrina Ávila Munichiello is an experienced editor, writer, fact-checker, and proofreader with more than fourteen years of experience working with print and online publications. In 2011, she became editor of World Tea News, a weekly newsletter for the U.S. tea trade. In 2013, she was hired as senior editor to assist in the transformation of Tea Magazine from a small quarterly publication to a nationally distributed monthly magazine. Katrina also served as a copy editor at Cloth, Paper, Scissors and as a proofreader for Applewood Books. Since 2015 she has worked as a fact-checker for America's Test Kitchen's Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country magazines. She has published articles in The Boston Globe, Yankee Magazine, and more. In 2011, she published her first book, A Tea Reader: Living Life One Cup at a Time (Tuttle). Before working as an editor, she earned a Master of Public Health degree in health services and worked in non-profit administration.
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Fundamental vs. Technical Analysis: An Overview

Fundamental and technical analysis are two major schools of thought when it comes to approaching the markets, yet are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Investors and traders use both to research and forecast future stock prices. Like any investment strategy or philosophy, both have advocates and adversaries.

Fundamental Analysis

Fundamental analysis evaluates stocks by attempting to measure their intrinsic value. Fundamental analysts study everything from the overall economy and industry conditions to the financial strength and management of individual companies. Earnings, expenses, assets, and liabilities all come under scrutiny by fundamental analysts.

Technical Analysis

Technical analysis differs from fundamental analysis, in that traders attempt to identify opportunities by looking at statistical trends, such as movements in a stock's price and volume. The core assumption is that all known fundamentals are factored into price, thus there is no need to pay close attention to them. Technical analysts do not attempt to measure a security's intrinsic value. Instead, they use stock charts to identify patterns and trends that suggest what a stock will do in the future.

Popular technical analysis signals include simple moving averages (SMA), support and resistance levels, trendlines, and momentum indicators.

Fundamental analysis and technical analysis are the major schools of thought when it comes to approaching the markets.

Simple Moving Averages

Simple moving averages are indicators that help assess the stock's trend by averaging the daily price over a fixed time period. Buy and sell signals are generated when a shorter duration moving average crosses a longer duration one.

Support and resistance utilize price history. Support is defined as areas where buyers have stepped in before, while resistance are areas where sellers have impeded price advance. Practitioners look to buy at support and sell at resistance.

Trend lines are similar to support and resistance, as they provide defined entry and exit points. However, they differ in that they are projections based on how the stock has traded in the past. They are often utilized for stocks moving to new highs or new lows where there is no price history.

There are a number of momentum-based indicators, such as Bollinger Bands®, Chaikin Money Flow, stochastics, and moving average convergence/divergence (MACD). Each of these have unique formulas and provide buy and sell signals based on varying criteria. Momentum indicators tend to be used in range-bound or trendless markets.

Key Takeaways

  • Fundamental analysis evaluates securities by attempting to measure their intrinsic value.
  • Technical analysis differs from fundamental analysis, in that traders look to statistical trends in the stock's price and volume.
  • Both methods are used for researching and forecasting future trends in stock prices.
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