| It Is Not Too Late To Profit From High Volatility |
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| Written by Chris Blanchet |
| Tuesday, 23 June 2009 14:46 |
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For anyone who has been invested in the markets over the past two years, it should come as no surprise to discover that market volatility, as measured by the Chicago Board Options Exchange, has risen from the range 16 to nearly 80, the highest level ever recorded.
For anyone who has been invested in the markets over the past two years, it should come as no surprise to discover that market volatility, as measured by the Chicago Board Options Exchange, has risen from the range 16 to nearly 80, the highest level ever recorded. In fact, after the attacks of September 11, 2001, volatility jumped to just 33. They closed the markets as a result of the uncertainty! Today, the markets feel subdued, yet are registering volatility in the range of 30. This presents plenty of opportunity for investors to profit. When taking a run at profiting from the markets, individual investors will only succeed when they are able to distance themselves from the emotion of investing. This is extremely difficult to do, however, and is why so many investors are gun shy and keeping their money invested in safer instruments. It's not difficult to understand; we all work hard for our money and to see it erode in a market where we receive no tangible benefits is terribly difficult. Trading software that tells us when to buy and sell can eliminate this emotion as the software, like an investment manager, does not care that we invested blood and tears into our investments. The next thing the investor needs is an understanding of volatility. Although Yahoo! Finance provides a neat graphical image (enter "^VIX" in the quote box), it does not give a definition to the term. Simply put, volatility is rate of change in the deviation from the mean. This means that the higher volatility, the more rapidly a price will wander from its mean price. The final thing the investor should do is control his or her greed. Again, this is difficult to achieve as short-term returns suggest longer-term returns. Again, removing the emotion of greed can be achieved by using trading software that measures concrete factors like volatility, moving averages, momentum, etc.. To summarize, taking emotion out of the investment equation and relying on technical measurements that give strong probabilities as to the direction of a stock, traders can use volatility to profit. Used properly, a trading system can assist with the emotional side of a trade and can provide strong signals for entry and exit points. DISCLAIMER: This article is provided as information only and is not to be taken as financial advice. Chris has more than 15 years of experience in the financial services industry as a Financial Advisor. For recommendations on trading systems and analysis, visit Online Trader Today.com where Chris is a Technical Advisor. As well, you can visit his debt-free blog at How To Repay Debt.com |