Steve Ruffley
SteveRuffley.com
Summary
The Elliot Wave theory is another great example of a technical analysis tool that relies on the ‘self-fulfilling’’ nature of trading. The trick with interpreting the Elliot wave in my opinion is certainly on the 3rd wave. The Elliott Wave Principle posits that collective investor psychology, or crowd psychology, moves between optimism and pessimism in natural sequences. These mood swings create patterns evidenced in the price movements of markets at every degree of trend or time scale. In Elliott's model, market prices alternate between an impulsive, or motive phase, and a corrective phase on all time scales of trend, as the illustration shows. Impulses are always subdivided into a set of 5 lower-degree waves, alternating again between motive and corrective character, so that waves 1, 3, and 5 are impulses, and waves 2 and 4 are smaller retraces of waves 1 and 3. Corrective waves subdivide into 3 smaller-degree waves starting with a five-wave counter-trend impulse, a retrace, and another impulse. In a bear market the dominant trend is downward, so the pattern is reversed—five waves down and three up. Motive waves always move with the trend, while corrective waves move against it. Personally I never trade the Elliot wave on the way up, only on the way down. This is a much more robust way of making sure you apply the correct rules and make maximum profits. I will show you how I trade, then you will not be trading the ‘theory’ but the resulting price correction and action.Latest Live Videos
Editors’ Picks
AUD/USD: Further weakness could retest 0.7000
AUD/USD resumes its decline, leaving behind two daily gains in a row and approaching the area of multi-day lows in the 0.7040-0.7030 band ahead of the opening bell in Asia. Moving forward, the Aussie is expected to remain under scrutiny in light of the publication of the jobs report in Australia.
EUR/USD stays well offered below 1.1800
The selling pressure on EUR/USD is picking up pace, with the pair slipping decisively below the key 1.1800 level and sliding to fresh two week lows as Wednesday’s session draws to a close. The move lower comes as the US Dollar finds renewed strength after the latest round of US data and the release of the FOMC Minutes. Next of note on the docket will be the US weekly Initial Jobless Claims.
Gold battle to regain $5,000 continues
Gold is back on the front foot on Wednesday, shaking off part of the early week softness and challenging two-day highs near the $5,000 mark per troy ounce. The move comes ahead of the FOMC Minutes and is unfolding despite an intense rebound in the US Dollar.
Australia unemployment rate set to edge up within overall strong labor market
The Australian monthly employment report is scheduled for release on Thursday at 00:30 GMT, and market participants anticipate a modest increase in jobs in January. The Australian Bureau of Statistics is expected to announce that the country added 20K new jobs in the month, while the Unemployment Rate is forecast at 4.2%, up from the 4.1% posted in December.
Mixed UK inflation data no gamechanger for the Bank of England
Food inflation plunged in January, but service sector price pressure is proving stickier. We continue to expect Bank of England rate cuts in March and June. The latest UK inflation read is a mixed bag for the Bank of England, but we doubt it drastically changes the odds of a March rate cut.
Here is what you need to know on Thursday, February 19:
European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde may step down from her job earlier than her planned retirement in October 2027, according to a report by the Financial Times.