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Oracle Info    Tech Analysis    Staircase    Trap Door    Channeling    Gap Down    Breakout    MACD Track

- OracleTrader Swing Trades

 

When you select Best Swing Trades in the Longer-term section, you are essentially asking for the best MACD indicators. MACD is a widely used technical analysis signal that indicates trend, momentum, and directional changes in a stock. It is an excellent indicator for multiday, or swing trading.

 

Reliability

 

In addition to the MACD signal, OracleTader also rates each stock on its reliability for responding to this signal. Historically, not all stocks respond equally. When stocks are screened for swing trades, their reliability (based on recent history) is factored into the score. Hence, the term best swing trades.

 

For more information on MACD, see below.


MACD Tracking

One of the most powerful strategies I have ever seen for longer holding is [what I call] MACD Tracking. MACD is a technical indicator, that when plotted against a daily stock chart, can be a very reliable buy/sell indicator. Without going into too much technical detail, a MACD signal is basically two moving averages, one with a different time interval than the other. Typically, MACD  is shown as two horizontal lines, one green and one red. It is said that a "buy" signal is indicated when the red line crosses above the green, and a "sell" signal is when the red falls below the green.

The caveat, however, is that not all stocks respond equally to MACD. As in all other technical indicators, this particular signal indicates a probability, not a certainty. Furthermore, for reasons that I do not fully understand, some stocks respond more reliability than others when it comes to MACD (and other) signals. Hence, we could benefit from this indicator a thousandfold if we applied it only to stocks that have proven to respond favorably in the past.

Such a list of "reliable MACD" stocks is possible using computer screening, and the OracleTrader software does just that---it screens for the top most reliable responders to the MACD signal.
 

- Using the OracleTrader MACD Crossover Alert

 

When you check "MACD Crossover" alert in the Longer-term section, OracleTrader searches for stocks that have just crossed over their MACD lines. For longs, this means the "red" line has crossed above the green. In this way, you can be notified the moment a stock has changed direction, per MACD.

 

MACD Tracking Example

The chart shown above is for one of the most reliable stock for upside response  to a positive MACD signal---QQQQ. Notice that every time the red line crosses above the green line, QQQQ rallies handily. Subsequently, when the red line reverses and falls below the green, QQQQ responds with a downtrend. This reliability is likely to continue, and as a trader, you could buy QQQQ (or trade call options, etc.) on each buy signal, and unload the position on the sell signal.

QQQQ was also chosen for an example because it is a perfect stock for options trading. QQQQ trades about 80 million shares per day, a perfect candidate for call and put options.

Shorting and Put Options

An equally interesting discovery was that a stock which responds well to buy signals usually responds as well to sell signals. Hence, during market downturns, you might choose  to sell short (or buy put options) rather than sideline.

RMBS, one of the top stocks in the " MACD reliability" list, is an excellent stock to sell short, according to its historical response to MACD. Notice how each sell signal (the red line crossing below the green) is quite reliable for this stock. Coincidentally, the market was also on a downturn during these sagging periods, so a  trader could profit quite handily by shorting the buy signals and covering when the signal reverses.

The MACD signal is available on the OracleTrader as one of four chart indicators.


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