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Trading Glossary

Take a look at our list of the financial terms associated with trading and the markets. From beginners starting their trading journey to experts with decades of experience, all traders need to clearly understand a huge number of terms.

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Bearish Markets

What is a Bearish Market?

A bearish market is a condition in the stock market where prices are on a downward trend, characterized by widespread pessimism and investor fear. This often results in a decline in the value of securities, leading to a decline in the overall market.

How long do bear markets last?
The duration of a bear market can vary and can last anywhere from a few months to several years. It depends on a number of factors, including the underlying cause of the market downturn, the state of the overall economy, and government or central bank interventions.

How do you know if a market is bearish?
A market is considered bearish if there is a persistent downward trend in the prices of securities, typically accompanied by increased selling pressure and declining market indices such as the S&P 500. This can be indicated by technical analysis, such as chart patterns showing lower highs and lower lows, or by broader economic indicators such as declining gross domestic product (GDP) and rising unemployment.

What is the longest bear market in history?
The longest bear market in history is the Great Depression, which lasted from 1929 to 1939. During this time, the stock market experienced a severe decline, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average losing 89% of its value. The Great Depression was a global economic downturn that had far-reaching impacts and was marked by high levels of unemployment, homelessness, and economic hardship.

FAZ

The Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3 (FAZ) Shares ETF tracks the inverse performance of the Russell 1000 Financial Services Index by 300%. It is the opposite of the The Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares ETF (FAS). Traders benefit when the underlying stocks fall, rather than rise. It is leveraged in the same way, so comes with high levels of volatility and risk. 

This ETF allows traders to take a bearish view on the performance of commercial banks, a reduction in lending is what FAZ traders will be looking for.

Reversal

What is a Reversal?

A Reversal is when the direction of a financial market or asset moves in the opposite direction from its current trend. Reversals can occur over a period of time and can be either bullish (price increasing) or bearish (price decreasing). Being aware of these trends can help traders maximize their profits.

What is an example of reversal?
If the stock market has been rising for several weeks and then begins to fall, that's considered a reversal. Reversals are an important concept for investors to understand as they can indicate a change in sentiment that could lead to further movement in the same direction.
 

GER 10Y Bond

Euro Bonds (FBGL) or German Government Bonds, are issued with original maturities of 10 and 30 years. Bunds are a highly liquid debt security as they are eligible to be used as insurance reserves for trusts and are accepted as collateral by the ECB.

Bunds are often used to determine the strength of the Eurozone is doing relative to Germany: Investors who are bearish about Germany’s obligations to the Eurozone may demand higher returns, pushing bond yields higher. However, those seeking a safe haven may accept lower yields. Bunds are influenced by interest rates and ECB monetary policy. The Germany 10Y Bond reached a high of 10.80% in September 1981 and a record low of -0.19% in July 2016.

Bullish Market

What is a Bullish Market?

A bullish market is a financial market condition where prices are rising or are expected to rise, characterized by optimism and investor confidence. It is the opposite of a bearish market, where prices are falling or expected to fall.

How long do bull markets last?
Bull markets can last anywhere from a few months to several years. The average bull market lasts about 3 years. However, the length of a bull market can vary greatly depending on various economic, political, and market factors.

How do you know if a market is bullish?
A market is considered bullish if stock prices are rising and investors are optimistic about future market performance. This is typically indicated by a sustained increase in market indexes such as the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average over a period of time. Additionally, high trading volume and strong investor confidence can also be indicators of a bullish market.

What is the longest bull market in history?
The longest bull market in history was the 1990-2000 bull market, which lasted for 113 months.

Resistance Level

What is Resistance Level?

In trading, resistance level is a price point at which the price of a security or financial instrument tends to encounter selling pressure, making it difficult for the price to rise above that level. The resistance level is seen as a ceiling, as the price has a hard time going above it. Traders use resistance levels to identify areas where they expect the price to stall or reverse direction. This can be determined by observing the historical price movement of a security or financial instrument, looking for areas where the price has consistently failed to break above. Resistance levels are also used in combination with support levels to identify potential price ranges and trade entry or exit points.

What happens when a stock hits resistance?
If a stock hits a resistance level it can cause the stock to stall, move sideways, or even reverse direction. At resistance level traders that have taken a long position might decide to take profits, while traders that have not yet taken a position might decide to wait for a break above the resistance before buying.

When a stock hits resistance, traders will typically observe the stock's behavior at that level to determine if the resistance level is likely to hold or if the stock is likely to break through it. If the stock breaks through resistance, it can be considered a bullish sign, indicating that the stock is likely to continue to rise. On the other hand, if the stock fails to break through resistance, it can be considered a bearish sign, indicating that the stock is likely to stall or reverse direction.


 

MACD

What is MACD (moving average convergence/divergence) or X indicator?

Moving Average Convergence/Divergence, also known as MACD , is an analytical trading indicator. Its function is to show changes in the strength, direction, momentum, and duration of a trend in a share’s price. The MACD indicator is comprised of three time series charts based on historical price data. For example, closing price.

How can you tell if MACD is bullish?
If the MACD line (the blue line) is above the signal line (the red line), it is considered to be bullish and suggests that the security's price is likely to rise. This is because the MACD line is calculated by subtracting the 26-day exponential moving average (EMA) from the 12-day EMA, and when the 12-day EMA is above the 26-day EMA, it indicates that short-term momentum is bullish and the stock is likely to rise.

Is MACD a good indicator?
MACD is a widely used technical indicator that can be a useful tool for identifying trends and potential buy or sell signals in the market. However, like any indicator, it has its limitations and should be used in conjunction with other technical analysis tools and fundamental analysis to make informed trading decisions.

Which is better MACD or RSI?
Both the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) and the Relative Strength Index (RSI) are popular technical indicators used in trading. They are both useful tools for identifying trends and potential buy or sell signals, but they are based on different calculations and are used for different purposes. 

The MACD is a momentum indicator that is calculated by subtracting the 26-day exponential moving average (EMA) from the 12-day EMA. It is used to identify bullish or bearish trends and potential changes in momentum. 

The RSI, on the other hand, is a momentum oscillator that compares the magnitude of recent gains to recent losses in an attempt to determine overbought and oversold conditions of an asset. 

Both indicators can be useful, but they can also give different signals, so once again, it's important to use them in conjunction with other indicators and analysis techniques to make informed trading decisions.

A-D

Bearish Markets

What is a Bearish Market?

A bearish market is a condition in the stock market where prices are on a downward trend, characterized by widespread pessimism and investor fear. This often results in a decline in the value of securities, leading to a decline in the overall market.

How long do bear markets last?
The duration of a bear market can vary and can last anywhere from a few months to several years. It depends on a number of factors, including the underlying cause of the market downturn, the state of the overall economy, and government or central bank interventions.

How do you know if a market is bearish?
A market is considered bearish if there is a persistent downward trend in the prices of securities, typically accompanied by increased selling pressure and declining market indices such as the S&P 500. This can be indicated by technical analysis, such as chart patterns showing lower highs and lower lows, or by broader economic indicators such as declining gross domestic product (GDP) and rising unemployment.

What is the longest bear market in history?
The longest bear market in history is the Great Depression, which lasted from 1929 to 1939. During this time, the stock market experienced a severe decline, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average losing 89% of its value. The Great Depression was a global economic downturn that had far-reaching impacts and was marked by high levels of unemployment, homelessness, and economic hardship.

Bullish Market

What is a Bullish Market?

A bullish market is a financial market condition where prices are rising or are expected to rise, characterized by optimism and investor confidence. It is the opposite of a bearish market, where prices are falling or expected to fall.

How long do bull markets last?
Bull markets can last anywhere from a few months to several years. The average bull market lasts about 3 years. However, the length of a bull market can vary greatly depending on various economic, political, and market factors.

How do you know if a market is bullish?
A market is considered bullish if stock prices are rising and investors are optimistic about future market performance. This is typically indicated by a sustained increase in market indexes such as the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average over a period of time. Additionally, high trading volume and strong investor confidence can also be indicators of a bullish market.

What is the longest bull market in history?
The longest bull market in history was the 1990-2000 bull market, which lasted for 113 months.

E-H

FAZ

The Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3 (FAZ) Shares ETF tracks the inverse performance of the Russell 1000 Financial Services Index by 300%. It is the opposite of the The Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares ETF (FAS). Traders benefit when the underlying stocks fall, rather than rise. It is leveraged in the same way, so comes with high levels of volatility and risk. 

This ETF allows traders to take a bearish view on the performance of commercial banks, a reduction in lending is what FAZ traders will be looking for.

GER 10Y Bond

Euro Bonds (FBGL) or German Government Bonds, are issued with original maturities of 10 and 30 years. Bunds are a highly liquid debt security as they are eligible to be used as insurance reserves for trusts and are accepted as collateral by the ECB.

Bunds are often used to determine the strength of the Eurozone is doing relative to Germany: Investors who are bearish about Germany’s obligations to the Eurozone may demand higher returns, pushing bond yields higher. However, those seeking a safe haven may accept lower yields. Bunds are influenced by interest rates and ECB monetary policy. The Germany 10Y Bond reached a high of 10.80% in September 1981 and a record low of -0.19% in July 2016.

I-L

M-P

MACD

What is MACD (moving average convergence/divergence) or X indicator?

Moving Average Convergence/Divergence, also known as MACD , is an analytical trading indicator. Its function is to show changes in the strength, direction, momentum, and duration of a trend in a share’s price. The MACD indicator is comprised of three time series charts based on historical price data. For example, closing price.

How can you tell if MACD is bullish?
If the MACD line (the blue line) is above the signal line (the red line), it is considered to be bullish and suggests that the security's price is likely to rise. This is because the MACD line is calculated by subtracting the 26-day exponential moving average (EMA) from the 12-day EMA, and when the 12-day EMA is above the 26-day EMA, it indicates that short-term momentum is bullish and the stock is likely to rise.

Is MACD a good indicator?
MACD is a widely used technical indicator that can be a useful tool for identifying trends and potential buy or sell signals in the market. However, like any indicator, it has its limitations and should be used in conjunction with other technical analysis tools and fundamental analysis to make informed trading decisions.

Which is better MACD or RSI?
Both the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) and the Relative Strength Index (RSI) are popular technical indicators used in trading. They are both useful tools for identifying trends and potential buy or sell signals, but they are based on different calculations and are used for different purposes. 

The MACD is a momentum indicator that is calculated by subtracting the 26-day exponential moving average (EMA) from the 12-day EMA. It is used to identify bullish or bearish trends and potential changes in momentum. 

The RSI, on the other hand, is a momentum oscillator that compares the magnitude of recent gains to recent losses in an attempt to determine overbought and oversold conditions of an asset. 

Both indicators can be useful, but they can also give different signals, so once again, it's important to use them in conjunction with other indicators and analysis techniques to make informed trading decisions.

Q-T

Reversal

What is a Reversal?

A Reversal is when the direction of a financial market or asset moves in the opposite direction from its current trend. Reversals can occur over a period of time and can be either bullish (price increasing) or bearish (price decreasing). Being aware of these trends can help traders maximize their profits.

What is an example of reversal?
If the stock market has been rising for several weeks and then begins to fall, that's considered a reversal. Reversals are an important concept for investors to understand as they can indicate a change in sentiment that could lead to further movement in the same direction.
 

Resistance Level

What is Resistance Level?

In trading, resistance level is a price point at which the price of a security or financial instrument tends to encounter selling pressure, making it difficult for the price to rise above that level. The resistance level is seen as a ceiling, as the price has a hard time going above it. Traders use resistance levels to identify areas where they expect the price to stall or reverse direction. This can be determined by observing the historical price movement of a security or financial instrument, looking for areas where the price has consistently failed to break above. Resistance levels are also used in combination with support levels to identify potential price ranges and trade entry or exit points.

What happens when a stock hits resistance?
If a stock hits a resistance level it can cause the stock to stall, move sideways, or even reverse direction. At resistance level traders that have taken a long position might decide to take profits, while traders that have not yet taken a position might decide to wait for a break above the resistance before buying.

When a stock hits resistance, traders will typically observe the stock's behavior at that level to determine if the resistance level is likely to hold or if the stock is likely to break through it. If the stock breaks through resistance, it can be considered a bullish sign, indicating that the stock is likely to continue to rise. On the other hand, if the stock fails to break through resistance, it can be considered a bearish sign, indicating that the stock is likely to stall or reverse direction.


 

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