Elliott-Wave-Theory

Imagine you were one of the first people to look through a telescope - and you suddenly found out that the sky was not merely wallpaper. You would have known that the discovery was a breakthrough, but what would happen would be spooky to think about.

That's how I feel reading Prechter's book about the new science of Socionomics. The telescope made sense of the jumble of lights in the night sky, as well as strange events like eclipses. The new science of Socionomics makes sense of a huge jumble of information in financial markets as well as strange events like crashes, manias, fads and fashions. The personality of markets and societies is linked directly to how our brains respond to certain types of input.

It is also a book that stirs up the back of your mind - are we really as independant in thinking as we imagine ourselves to be: how strongly are we influenced by the society around us? The book shows frightening evidence that our brains are hard wired to respond immediately to impulses stimulated by the human herd.

Overall, the book is like reading about the first observations from telescopes - it is a spooky glimpse into a world right in front of our faces that we've not understood until now. If you read it thoughtfully, the book will be both unsettling and inspiring in its implications.

If you use Elliott Wave in your investment analysis you know it works. If you try to point this out to a non-waver you feel like the round earth advocates must have felt 500 years ago defending their position to the flat earthers. After all it does look flat; and stock charts do just look like a bunch of squiggly lines.

After reading this book you begin to understand the science that is at work in Elliott Wave Theory, and believe me, they are not just a bunch of squiggles. Mr. Prechter makes his case brilliantly.

As someone who is extremely interested in how the brain works and why we 'do what we do', as "rational" human beings, I found this book to be extremely compelling. I simply could not put it down. Prechter takes a huge compilation of material (from neuroscience, psychology, fractal anaylsis to technical stock market analysis) and boils it down into a beautifully written and fascinating look at how our mind and society is shaped and guided by an underlying mathematical pattern that is the foundation for all living systems.

We are lead by Prechter through a basic understanding of Ralph N. Elliott's Wave Principle - a technical method of stock market analysis Elliott discovered during the 1930's - and come to find that this pattern is fractal based, and not only indicates where the NASDAQ is going to go tomorrow, but shows us where we will go as a society!

This book is a must read for anyone studying brain function, psychology, or philosophy AND for the beginning and seasoned trader! I wish I had found this type of information years ago.

this book is well written and laid out beautifully. the author first explaining what each chapter is about; he slowly guides you along on the subject at hand -- how to use elliot wave theory profitably.

he starts off by discussing how we should read the waves. the basics of each wave. these are discussed in a clear and concise manner.he constantly emphasises on the need to combine various factors like the economy, using indicators, reading crowd psychology etc, into reading the waves. the intersting thing about this author is that he is trying to teach how the reader should be 'street smart' in wall street...

the next few chapters would see the author sharing some of his analysis to show you how to apply elliot wave theory profitably. this so that you can see how to apply what you've just learnt.

in the final chapter, he tries his hands at doing some predictions using what he just wrote on the dow jones, the US$ and the nikkei.

i'm giving only 4 out of 5 stars because i find some discrepencies in chart references. a few charts are not labelled as the writer referred to. causing some minor confusions. however, the content and presentation of this book is excellent. the best book on eliiot wave i've read.

Most of the literature on technical analysis focuses on easily compuerized techniques, such as moving averages, momentum divergences, volume/price comparisons, etc.

The authors of these books advocate a mechanical approach to technical analysis, and stress the benefits of objective rules to reduce emotional errors. These techniques have become quite sophisticated, from examining the effect of various money management algorithms, to using out of sample data to test the ability of the system to trade in different conditions.

I do not dispute that these techniques have substantial value for some traders. Yet, for all of this sophistication, I think most of this research is of limitted utility, for the simple reason that past performance has NO RELATION to future results. If a clearly definable system is discovered by a significant number of people, the markets inevitably change to render that system useless.

Then, once the system is deemed useless by the majority, it's likely they will turn profitable again.

Even system traders need to understand market psychology and logic in order to develop robust systems. This book will help them do it.

Mechanical systems neglect the underlying psychology of market participants. In an environment where the only constant is change, a successful trader needs an underlying philosophy to guide him on what is likely to lead to profits NOW, as opposed to what has happened before. This is where Mr. Poser's book comes in.

Poser teaches you that technical analysis is about understanding CURRENT market psychology. He does this through the framework of Elliott Wave theory. He also stresses the importance of other factors--including classical technical tools, computerized techniques, fundamentals, and intermarket relationships relate and enhance the interpretation of Elliot wave theory.

He describes how to develop detailed trading plans that take into account these various factors. As someone who focuses heavily on price patterns and momentum indicators, this is a method that I had sort of stumbled upon independently, as I have gained experience trading the markets.

It isn't mechanical, but it is clearly a logical and flexible framework for those up to the challenge of discretionarly trading.

Poser has put together a very good book. He shows you how to use Elliott Wave without turning it into some sort of mystical religion. He does not say that there are times that you cannot trade with Elliott, but he does tell you what to look for when the patterns start to get sloppy. He also shows you how to do your research (and turn it into a trading or investing strategy) and very importantly shows the link between market psychology and the wave patterns. The book also explains how to use Elliott along with technical indicators and classic chart patterns.

No book is perfect, and although Poser does give you detailed trading plans, and also presents some trading tips, I wish he would have made the tips a more consistent feature throughout the book. His clear writing style and clear depth of knowledge makes this an excellent choice for somebody who want to learn how to use Elliott Wave and why it actually works.

In the end, the book is aimed at showing you how to use Elliott to trade, which is why this book is a buy for anybody interested in learning how to use the Elliott Wave Principle in their trading.

You want to know Elliott Wave theory better than you know the menu at McDonald's? This is the book to study. Figures, facts, rules, laws...it's all here. Don't expect the wisdom to come easily though. This is seriously hard stuff to absorb. If you do absorb it however, you'll KNOW the markets you follow and what they're doing intimately.

Actually I gave this book only four stars only because I subtracted a penalty star for bogus reviews. Really now...did whoever (the author?)think we wouldn't catch on? And in the future maybe they could at least put in something other than the endorsements on the back of the book.

I read many writings and books about Elliott Wave Theory, but this book is different. It gives you all information for applying it not the basic theory and waves. If you say "I cannot see the waves on graphs" read this book, and then start to use EW on your trades...

If you are looking for a general introduction to Elliott Wave theory and practice this book is not for you. I would suggest starting with Prechter's "Elliott Wave Principle" from 1979. If you are prepared to spend a lot of time working through the minutiae of the rules and conditions contained within this book, however, (especially using your own data) you will find this a most rewarding endeavour. Wave theory is not for the faint-hearted, it requires a lot of time and application to give you the building blocks to come up with a view of the market.