My passion for technical analysis and markets started when I was in college working at a brokerage firm. I realized I knew nothing about the markets, but was intrigued and fascinated by how they work. I watched the markets every day for my job. That led me to constantly cycle through various charts while helping clients with their trades, their charting platforms, and their own technical analysis methods. This was when I started trading too, and began learning lessons very quickly. I remember day trading for the first time. I remember placing my first options trade. I am pretty sure both went terribly. The veterans are right when they say you need to “pay your tuition” when it comes to markets – meaning, learning how to trade and understanding markets takes time, energy, and of course, money. I realized I had a lot to learn; I needed to build my own process and strategy. I needed to control my emotions – that was a big one. I needed to pay my tuition.
As I developed in my career, I wanted to pursue a deeper knowledge and study of technical analysis, and came across the Chartered Market Technician (CMT) Association and their 3-level education program. I obtained my CMT two years ago now, which is when I believe the learning really began. That was when I was finally able to take all of the information that I had studied, and put it into practice when building my own discipline. For that education, I am forever grateful.
Anyone that knows me well, knows that I won’t stop talking about the markets and charts. I am constantly sharing tidbits of things that I am seeing with my family, friends, co-workers, etc. So, this is why last year, I felt the need to put my ideas and thoughts down on paper. I wanted to be able to go back, and check myself; I wanted to track when I was right and when I was wrong – with the factors I was analyzing and how I was interpreting signals. I also wanted to be open to public feedback about my analysis, and accept critiques from other technicians in the field.
The only problem was, at my company, we were not allowed to comment on the markets. How was I supposed to put my charts, thoughts, ideas out there and accept feedback and criticism with those barriers? How was I going to keep growing as a technician? How was I going to let others know my thoughts on a stock or what I was watching in the markets without driving my family and friends crazy?
I got a little bold, and I created an anonymous “X” account. I began to post charts and some dialogue on what I was noticing about stocks, trends, inter-market relationships, and markets in general.
Now, that brings me to today. The idea for this blog was started by feeling the need to get my thoughts and ideas down on a “longer” piece of paper. The 280 characters we receive on “X” isn’t enough. I want to be able to openly share my full analysis with others, and gladly welcome any feedback. That is the only way I will be able to grow in this business and as a technician. I am still at a very early point in my career, and I continuously strive to develop. So that is why I am here.
Thank you for reading – happy charting!
Dash Charts 