Software That delivers Gives You a Successful PlatformChoosing the Right Program Is like Hitting the Jackpot. As far as software platforms, the following suggestions I strongly feel are necessary for any software to be useful.1. It must be able to offer live streaming technical data. (Otherwise the program is merely educational)   2. The platform should defiantly include candlestick charting.3. Visually it has to be large enough for all the data to be seen easily. (Many of the online brokerage’s technical data is too small to be useful) 4. It must be cost effective. (Most good systems can be purchased for between one and two hundred dollars)If you can acquire software that gives you even the slightest edge in your favor, it is well worth the Investment. I don’t profess to being an expert, but I do know of some. I obviously don’t have the time to go into all the details now, but at my site  Market Mentalist you will find all you need to know about investing online. There is access to some of the top trading systems available including software, books, newsletters, and Forums. Whether you are an inquisitive novice or a seasoned pro,Market Mentalist offers the online investment resource, you just might be seeking.

In order to determine what techniques will work the best for your particular situation, we have to first discover what you already know. Technique is defined as a procedure that is effective in achieving an aim or goal. Of course we know that your ultimate goal is to make money, and if you are already making money, to increase your profits. How we get there is dependent on what path you desire to take. Is this something that you are planning on devoting all your efforts to? Or perhaps you are planning on dabbling in it while keeping your present job, or enjoying your retirement. This decision will set the tone for your online trading future. Don’t confuse dabbling with having any commitment. Anytime you trade you must be totally committed, which includes be knowledgeable, properly trained, and possessing the right tools to get the job done successfully. Therefor if your plan is to tackle trading part time, you will be a swing trader.

Do you know the difference between day trading and swing trading? To me there is a major difference. Just as there are differences between an option and futures contract. Many so-called experts lump all online traders into the bag of day trading. For the sophisticated observer it is plain to see the obvious differences. A day trader rides the rush of the asset, while a swing trader diagnosis the trends and holds onto it as long as the momentum  last. I don’t know if the term “day trading” ever existed before we had access to the internet. If it did, I some how would picture a broker becoming a bit frazzled, trying to keep up with this mad client who is buying and selling at the speed of light. Because this, is the life of the day trader. They do not care about fundamentals or even for that matter what the company does. They are riding the trend, up or down it doesn’t matter, as long as the asset is behaving the way they have projected it would. Day traders don’t care what markets they are in, be it stocks, options, currencies, or futures, they get in and out with a fast profit. A transaction may last a few minutes, an hour or so, but never more than that day. These rebels of tradition are literally traders, rather than investors, but can reap huge rewards in a relatively short period of time. This is the itinerary of a day trader. If you can’t commit or don’t have the time to pursue this strategy properly, as I previously  suggested  you do indeed have to look into swing trading. Another thing about day traders, are they  must adhere to a set of strict rules and regulations, including maintaining an account that doesn’t fall less than twenty-five thousand. For complete details on all the rules, please refer to the SEC web site. This is the itinerary of a day trader. If you can’t commit or don’t have the time to pursue this strategy properly, I suggest you do indeed look into swing trading. Please don’t misunderstand me, swing trading can be a full time job as well, and for thousands it is. You just can’t do day trading part time. It is important to know what path you are taking because the techniques to travel it are identical. You must be knowledgeable, able to comprehend technical analysis, and possess software that can give you the upper hand. Remember trading the market, no matter which one you chose, is like gambling, make no mistake about it. However instead of just rolling the dice, putting your chips all on lucky 7, or hopelessly watching the little pea spin around, you can learn what is the equivalent of counting cards. Confidence Derives From KnowledgeTechnical Training and Charting Leads to Higher ProfitsLet us assume that you have some knowledge or you wouldn’t be researching the market. Any training you receive should be for technical analysis, or you are just wasting time and money. As far as software platforms, the following suggestions I strongly feel are necessary for any software to be useful.1. It must be able to offer live streaming technical data.    (Otherwise the program is merely educational)   2. The platform should defiantly include candlestick charting.3. Visually it has to be large enough for all the data to be seen easily. (Many of the online brokerage’s technical data is to small to be useful) 4. It must be cost effective. (Most good systems can be purchased for between one and two hundred dollars)No More Meaningless Stock TicksCandlestick Charting Is Technical Analysis For those of you not yet familiar with candlestick charting, I will try to give a brief but accurate explanation.  The Chinese invented the market concept, and the Japanese perfected charting techniques with the use of the candlesticks. It is easy to understand this complex system, if we simply break it down to the ticks on the chart you follow every day. We know that the lower tick is where the stock opened and the higher is where it closed. Now if we made the two lines parallel and connected them, what would we have? A candle. However, during that movement, the stock might have gone lower or higher then where it opened or closed, so our candle has formed a tail and a wick. Is it starting to make a little sense to you? Can you see the advantage of knowing this information, for getting in and out, and setting a stop loss?Take these examples: 1. Lets assume a stock opens twenty cents higher than it closed yesterday. It later closes ten cents higher than that. Should we get in? Not necessarily. Because as the candlestick showed us, even though it had a thirty-cent swing from the day before, a long wick was created. This meant that it went even higher then it eventually settled on. That tells us that the pressure to go higher wasn’t strong enough. We will put it on our watch list, and keep a keen eye on it.2.A few days passes with similar results. Suddenly there is a break in the resistance. The stock has formed a candlestick with a long tail. What does this convey? We might put a buy signal for a couple of cents  higher than it has previously gone, because the long tail tells us that the bulls are ready to take over.3. Ideally you want to wait for clusters to form. Of course the greatest indicator is a long candle. One that opens and closes with hardly any wick or tail.This synopsis could have very easily taken place over a few hours rather than days, if you were day trading, for example. There are many “characters” in candlestick charting, and those who master reading them become successful.

If you can acquire software that gives you even the slightest edge in your favor, it is well worth the Investment. I don’t profess to being an expert, but I do know of some. I obviously don’t have the time to go into all the details now, but at my site        Market Mentalist you will find all you need to know about investing online. There is access to some of the top trading systems available including software, books, newsletters, and Forums. Whether you are an inquisitive novice or a seasoned proMarket Mentalist offers the online investment resource you just might be seeking.