Great stuff. Not so for dummies, 05 Aug 2008
Despite this being for "Dummies" it's incredibly detailed and covers just about everything that one needs to start trading with Technical Analysis.

It begins with market basics and I came off reading this with no previous knowledge of technical analysis besides what I had been told by a friend of mine who trades.

It follows through to cover dynamic and momentum indicators in as much detail as you'll need. It doesnt pay to go too into things since indicators INDICATE and do not REVEAL. They give the most likely possibility of what will happen but that's where stop losses come in.

It teaches you early on that money management and long term survival are key. For the price, this is the best technical Analysis book out there. You mat not understand something at first but if you soldier on, things will start to become clear.

SUGGESTION: Read the entire book BEFORE you begin to trade. Read it twice to re-affirm all the knowledge but careful with following it TOO closely. Especially if spreadbetting where the candle formations are created artifically and do not show TRUE market sentiment at the time. Very sueful for CFD and real Share Trading though. You may want to get INVESTING IN SHARES for Dummies too and for a whole trading system to start off with, buy COME INTO MY TRADING ROOM by Alexander Elder. very inspirational for the novice trader.

One year TA users view, 04 Dec 2006
Uses the normal `Dummies' layout.

Although clearly it was written for US readers (examples are all US companies and amounts in Dollars) it is relevant to analysis of all stock markets including UK. The techniques relate to charts of all kinds of shares, currencies and commodities. The suggested websites are only useful to a US reader. Reading other books as well will help UK users.

Try "Pocket Guide to Trading Online" by Alpesh Patel - also available on Amazon. This is much more focused for the UK market and gives UK websites.

I have been trading for the past year using TA and found that I learnt quite a bit more on techniques and indicators that I had not tried.

This will now be one of my Reference books to help me improve my share trades.

Recommended


A "must have", however long you've been trading., 19 Mar 2006
What is it they say? "If you could have only one book ...?" Well this should be it. A thin book (only 350 pages) for such a broad subject. Barbara Rockefeller gets right down to the core issues with absolute clarity and simplicity. She rapidly exposes flawed thinking and weak logic, debunking (very decisively) false optimism. This book shows you how to grow as a trader, and the book grows with you. Revisit it again and again over the years. I'd been trading for years before I found this book. I own (and have read) the major works (Murphy, Link, Masonson, Nison, etc). Like many experienced traders I was getting buried in the analysis and begun to lose sight of the basics. Rockefeller rips away the crap. On the front cover she claims you will be able to Identify Trends, Improve Timing, Never Make A Big Loss, Trade As A Business. That's a tall order for one book. This one does what it says on the tin. Get it. You won't need anything else to become profitable. If you've got other books, or are thinking of getting some, then look at them through Rockefeller's eyes and you'll never get bogged down again.

Great stuff. Not so for dummies, 05 Aug 2008
Despite this being for "Dummies" it's incredibly detailed and covers just about everything that one needs to start trading with Technical Analysis.

It begins with market basics and I came off reading this with no previous knowledge of technical analysis besides what I had been told by a friend of mine who trades.

It follows through to cover dynamic and momentum indicators in as much detail as you'll need. It doesnt pay to go too into things since indicators INDICATE and do not REVEAL. They give the most likely possibility of what will happen but that's where stop losses come in.

It teaches you early on that money management and long term survival are key. For the price, this is the best technical Analysis book out there. You mat not understand something at first but if you soldier on, things will start to become clear.

SUGGESTION: Read the entire book BEFORE you begin to trade. Read it twice to re-affirm all the knowledge but careful with following it TOO closely. Especially if spreadbetting where the candle formations are created artifically and do not show TRUE market sentiment at the time. Very sueful for CFD and real Share Trading though. You may want to get INVESTING IN SHARES for Dummies too and for a whole trading system to start off with, buy COME INTO MY TRADING ROOM by Alexander Elder. very inspirational for the novice trader.

One year TA users view, 04 Dec 2006
Uses the normal `Dummies' layout.

Although clearly it was written for US readers (examples are all US companies and amounts in Dollars) it is relevant to analysis of all stock markets including UK. The techniques relate to charts of all kinds of shares, currencies and commodities. The suggested websites are only useful to a US reader. Reading other books as well will help UK users.

Try "Pocket Guide to Trading Online" by Alpesh Patel - also available on Amazon. This is much more focused for the UK market and gives UK websites.

I have been trading for the past year using TA and found that I learnt quite a bit more on techniques and indicators that I had not tried.

This will now be one of my Reference books to help me improve my share trades.

Recommended


A "must have", however long you've been trading., 19 Mar 2006
What is it they say? "If you could have only one book ...?" Well this should be it. A thin book (only 350 pages) for such a broad subject. Barbara Rockefeller gets right down to the core issues with absolute clarity and simplicity. She rapidly exposes flawed thinking and weak logic, debunking (very decisively) false optimism. This book shows you how to grow as a trader, and the book grows with you. Revisit it again and again over the years. I'd been trading for years before I found this book. I own (and have read) the major works (Murphy, Link, Masonson, Nison, etc). Like many experienced traders I was getting buried in the analysis and begun to lose sight of the basics. Rockefeller rips away the crap. On the front cover she claims you will be able to Identify Trends, Improve Timing, Never Make A Big Loss, Trade As A Business. That's a tall order for one book. This one does what it says on the tin. Get it. You won't need anything else to become profitable. If you've got other books, or are thinking of getting some, then look at them through Rockefeller's eyes and you'll never get bogged down again.

Easy to read. Sensible advice., 01 Sep 2008
I'm about half-way through as I write this review but I am already very impressed with this book. Few has an easy-to-read style that's not full of fluff or pompous nonsense, and he provides sensible advise for producing effective designs.

The book begins by defining the term "information dashboard": the definition is suitably broad that you may realise that solutions you've build before would fit in and would therefore have benefited from the design advice given in the book. To make his points about poor design, Few then uses a selection of examples found on the web. Many of these are eye catching and graphically pleasing - but the commentary makes you appreciate the problems each exhibits. In the middle of the book, Few describes accepted scientific theories about human vision, perception and cognition that we should take into account in our designs - and these generally support the arguments that the example dashboards used earlier in the book were poor designs in one way or another. Later in the book (and I have not read these chapters yet), Few provides practical advice that can be applied in dashboard design. I am expecting these to be almost self-evident by the time I get there thanks to the Background Few has provided me with. But I am still looking forward to reading them nonetheless.

This book is in no way biased towards any display technology, user interface technology or programming technology and is therefore applicable whether you are producing a single-user desktop application, a multi-user, multi-screen information wall (as you've seen in pictures of the stock exchange) or even if you are producing printed reports. The advice given is about the design thought process rather than any particular notation so is applicable regardless of the software design methodology you may use.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the topic and would say it's a "must-have" if you are practically involved in the specification, analysis, design and even implementation of Information Dashboards.

Great insights, 29 Mar 2008
This is an excellent book and will change the way you look at how data is presented. I have struggled in the past trying to understand reports presented to me because of their poor design. The author offers a good mix of theory and practical examples, giving examples of poorly designed reports, pointing out their deficiencies and suggesting a better way of doing it. Overall it is a quick to read book that provides valuable insight.

Well Written, Well Presented, 04 Jan 2008
Stephen Few nods more than a little to Edward Tufte when it comes to approaches to visual and information design, and this book is both a highly informative and pleasant read for that. While not quite in the same league as one of Tufte's works, Information Dashboard Design is refreshingly devoid of waffle and mere personal opinion. The design principles he identifies are not hard to grasp, and the theory and rationale for them is very well argued and presented. Few's invention of the "bullet graph" also ensures his place alongside Tufte in the field of information design.

We can only hope that his ideas will now catch on, and that the awful drek that infests the vast majority of dashboard designs by even the largest of vendors will be swept away forever. If I never see another big shiny gauge again, it will be too soon.



Great book - a must for designing dashboards, 08 Oct 2007
I agree with the two other reviews that I read prior to posting. This is a great book that is well written. The example screen shots really show you the difference that can be made by using good design principles as suggested. If you are doing any dashboard design you need to read this book. Also what was really good was at the end there was just one page acknowledgeing other major authors in the area and suggesting their texts as well. This was really useful as rather than wade through all the references it gave you a snapshot of who Mr. Few thought were the best in his field. Brilliant. Can't recommend it enough.

Spins your whole understanding of dashboards and charting on its head, 21 Aug 2007
If you're currently using pie charts or graphs with lots of colours, you need this book.

If you've developed (or are developing) a digital dashboard that shares at least a few design ideas with a real in-car dashboard, you need this book.

If your users first reaction to your dashboard is 'wow, that looks cool' you need this book.

In fact, just buy this book. Your reporting and dashboards will benefit. The author really knows his stuff.

Great stuff. Not so for dummies, 05 Aug 2008
Despite this being for "Dummies" it's incredibly detailed and covers just about everything that one needs to start trading with Technical Analysis.

It begins with market basics and I came off reading this with no previous knowledge of technical analysis besides what I had been told by a friend of mine who trades.

It follows through to cover dynamic and momentum indicators in as much detail as you'll need. It doesnt pay to go too into things since indicators INDICATE and do not REVEAL. They give the most likely possibility of what will happen but that's where stop losses come in.

It teaches you early on that money management and long term survival are key. For the price, this is the best technical Analysis book out there. You mat not understand something at first but if you soldier on, things will start to become clear.

SUGGESTION: Read the entire book BEFORE you begin to trade. Read it twice to re-affirm all the knowledge but careful with following it TOO closely. Especially if spreadbetting where the candle formations are created artifically and do not show TRUE market sentiment at the time. Very sueful for CFD and real Share Trading though. You may want to get INVESTING IN SHARES for Dummies too and for a whole trading system to start off with, buy COME INTO MY TRADING ROOM by Alexander Elder. very inspirational for the novice trader.

One year TA users view, 04 Dec 2006
Uses the normal `Dummies' layout.

Although clearly it was written for US readers (examples are all US companies and amounts in Dollars) it is relevant to analysis of all stock markets including UK. The techniques relate to charts of all kinds of shares, currencies and commodities. The suggested websites are only useful to a US reader. Reading other books as well will help UK users.

Try "Pocket Guide to Trading Online" by Alpesh Patel - also available on Amazon. This is much more focused for the UK market and gives UK websites.

I have been trading for the past year using TA and found that I learnt quite a bit more on techniques and indicators that I had not tried.

This will now be one of my Reference books to help me improve my share trades.

Recommended


A "must have", however long you've been trading., 19 Mar 2006
What is it they say? "If you could have only one book ...?" Well this should be it. A thin book (only 350 pages) for such a broad subject. Barbara Rockefeller gets right down to the core issues with absolute clarity and simplicity. She rapidly exposes flawed thinking and weak logic, debunking (very decisively) false optimism. This book shows you how to grow as a trader, and the book grows with you. Revisit it again and again over the years. I'd been trading for years before I found this book. I own (and have read) the major works (Murphy, Link, Masonson, Nison, etc). Like many experienced traders I was getting buried in the analysis and begun to lose sight of the basics. Rockefeller rips away the crap. On the front cover she claims you will be able to Identify Trends, Improve Timing, Never Make A Big Loss, Trade As A Business. That's a tall order for one book. This one does what it says on the tin. Get it. You won't need anything else to become profitable. If you've got other books, or are thinking of getting some, then look at them through Rockefeller's eyes and you'll never get bogged down again.

Easy to read. Sensible advice., 01 Sep 2008
I'm about half-way through as I write this review but I am already very impressed with this book. Few has an easy-to-read style that's not full of fluff or pompous nonsense, and he provides sensible advise for producing effective designs.

The book begins by defining the term "information dashboard": the definition is suitably broad that you may realise that solutions you've build before would fit in and would therefore have benefited from the design advice given in the book. To make his points about poor design, Few then uses a selection of examples found on the web. Many of these are eye catching and graphically pleasing - but the commentary makes you appreciate the problems each exhibits. In the middle of the book, Few describes accepted scientific theories about human vision, perception and cognition that we should take into account in our designs - and these generally support the arguments that the example dashboards used earlier in the book were poor designs in one way or another. Later in the book (and I have not read these chapters yet), Few provides practical advice that can be applied in dashboard design. I am expecting these to be almost self-evident by the time I get there thanks to the Background Few has provided me with. But I am still looking forward to reading them nonetheless.

This book is in no way biased towards any display technology, user interface technology or programming technology and is therefore applicable whether you are producing a single-user desktop application, a multi-user, multi-screen information wall (as you've seen in pictures of the stock exchange) or even if you are producing printed reports. The advice given is about the design thought process rather than any particular notation so is applicable regardless of the software design methodology you may use.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the topic and would say it's a "must-have" if you are practically involved in the specification, analysis, design and even implementation of Information Dashboards.

Great insights, 29 Mar 2008
This is an excellent book and will change the way you look at how data is presented. I have struggled in the past trying to understand reports presented to me because of their poor design. The author offers a good mix of theory and practical examples, giving examples of poorly designed reports, pointing out their deficiencies and suggesting a better way of doing it. Overall it is a quick to read book that provides valuable insight.

Well Written, Well Presented, 04 Jan 2008
Stephen Few nods more than a little to Edward Tufte when it comes to approaches to visual and information design, and this book is both a highly informative and pleasant read for that. While not quite in the same league as one of Tufte's works, Information Dashboard Design is refreshingly devoid of waffle and mere personal opinion. The design principles he identifies are not hard to grasp, and the theory and rationale for them is very well argued and presented. Few's invention of the "bullet graph" also ensures his place alongside Tufte in the field of information design.

We can only hope that his ideas will now catch on, and that the awful drek that infests the vast majority of dashboard designs by even the largest of vendors will be swept away forever. If I never see another big shiny gauge again, it will be too soon.



Great book - a must for designing dashboards, 08 Oct 2007
I agree with the two other reviews that I read prior to posting. This is a great book that is well written. The example screen shots really show you the difference that can be made by using good design principles as suggested. If you are doing any dashboard design you need to read this book. Also what was really good was at the end there was just one page acknowledgeing other major authors in the area and suggesting their texts as well. This was really useful as rather than wade through all the references it gave you a snapshot of who Mr. Few thought were the best in his field. Brilliant. Can't recommend it enough.

Spins your whole understanding of dashboards and charting on its head, 21 Aug 2007
If you're currently using pie charts or graphs with lots of colours, you need this book.

If you've developed (or are developing) a digital dashboard that shares at least a few design ideas with a real in-car dashboard, you need this book.

If your users first reaction to your dashboard is 'wow, that looks cool' you need this book.

In fact, just buy this book. Your reporting and dashboards will benefit. The author really knows his stuff.

A must purchase for anyone starting out in technical analysis, 14 Apr 2008
Of all the books on TA that I've bought, and there's been loads, this is by far the most comprehensive and informative. If you're a newbie to TA and don't really know where to start, then this book is a must purchase. It takes you through all the leading technical analysis techniques you'll ever want to learn from Dow theory, to momentum indicators, oscillators, moving averages, candlesticks, very little is left out. It is an extremely extensive guide to TA and the sort of book you can read cover to cover, as well as use as a general reference. If you're a trader, make sure this book is in your trading library.

An invaluable self-study manual in Technical Analysis, 28 Jun 2000
This self-study manual with "Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets" is the best way to starting studying the technical analysis. This is, without doubt, the Bible!

It's easy-to-follow, step-by-step method leads you through each of the book's chapters and provides objectives that give your reading focus.

Great stuff. Not so for dummies, 05 Aug 2008
Despite this being for "Dummies" it's incredibly detailed and covers just about everything that one needs to start trading with Technical Analysis.

It begins with market basics and I came off reading this with no previous knowledge of technical analysis besides what I had been told by a friend of mine who trades.

It follows through to cover dynamic and momentum indicators in as much detail as you'll need. It doesnt pay to go too into things since indicators INDICATE and do not REVEAL. They give the most likely possibility of what will happen but that's where stop losses come in.

It teaches you early on that money management and long term survival are key. For the price, this is the best technical Analysis book out there. You mat not understand something at first but if you soldier on, things will start to become clear.

SUGGESTION: Read the entire book BEFORE you begin to trade. Read it twice to re-affirm all the knowledge but careful with following it TOO closely. Especially if spreadbetting where the candle formations are created artifically and do not show TRUE market sentiment at the time. Very sueful for CFD and real Share Trading though. You may want to get INVESTING IN SHARES for Dummies too and for a whole trading system to start off with, buy COME INTO MY TRADING ROOM by Alexander Elder. very inspirational for the novice trader.

One year TA users view, 04 Dec 2006
Uses the normal `Dummies' layout.

Although clearly it was written for US readers (examples are all US companies and amounts in Dollars) it is relevant to analysis of all stock markets including UK. The techniques relate to charts of all kinds of shares, currencies and commodities. The suggested websites are only useful to a US reader. Reading other books as well will help UK users.

Try "Pocket Guide to Trading Online" by Alpesh Patel - also available on Amazon. This is much more focused for the UK market and gives UK websites.

I have been trading for the past year using TA and found that I learnt quite a bit more on techniques and indicators that I had not tried.

This will now be one of my Reference books to help me improve my share trades.

Recommended


A "must have", however long you've been trading., 19 Mar 2006
What is it they say? "If you could have only one book ...?" Well this should be it. A thin book (only 350 pages) for such a broad subject. Barbara Rockefeller gets right down to the core issues with absolute clarity and simplicity. She rapidly exposes flawed thinking and weak logic, debunking (very decisively) false optimism. This book shows you how to grow as a trader, and the book grows with you. Revisit it again and again over the years. I'd been trading for years before I found this book. I own (and have read) the major works (Murphy, Link, Masonson, Nison, etc). Like many experienced traders I was getting buried in the analysis and begun to lose sight of the basics. Rockefeller rips away the crap. On the front cover she claims you will be able to Identify Trends, Improve Timing, Never Make A Big Loss, Trade As A Business. That's a tall order for one book. This one does what it says on the tin. Get it. You won't need anything else to become profitable. If you've got other books, or are thinking of getting some, then look at them through Rockefeller's eyes and you'll never get bogged down again.

Easy to read. Sensible advice., 01 Sep 2008
I'm about half-way through as I write this review but I am already very impressed with this book. Few has an easy-to-read style that's not full of fluff or pompous nonsense, and he provides sensible advise for producing effective designs.

The book begins by defining the term "information dashboard": the definition is suitably broad that you may realise that solutions you've build before would fit in and would therefore have benefited from the design advice given in the book. To make his points about poor design, Few then uses a selection of examples found on the web. Many of these are eye catching and graphically pleasing - but the commentary makes you appreciate the problems each exhibits. In the middle of the book, Few describes accepted scientific theories about human vision, perception and cognition that we should take into account in our designs - and these generally support the arguments that the example dashboards used earlier in the book were poor designs in one way or another. Later in the book (and I have not read these chapters yet), Few provides practical advice that can be applied in dashboard design. I am expecting these to be almost self-evident by the time I get there thanks to the Background Few has provided me with. But I am still looking forward to reading them nonetheless.

This book is in no way biased towards any display technology, user interface technology or programming technology and is therefore applicable whether you are producing a single-user desktop application, a multi-user, multi-screen information wall (as you've seen in pictures of the stock exchange) or even if you are producing printed reports. The advice given is about the design thought process rather than any particular notation so is applicable regardless of the software design methodology you may use.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the topic and would say it's a "must-have" if you are practically involved in the specification, analysis, design and even implementation of Information Dashboards.

Great insights, 29 Mar 2008
This is an excellent book and will change the way you look at how data is presented. I have struggled in the past trying to understand reports presented to me because of their poor design. The author offers a good mix of theory and practical examples, giving examples of poorly designed reports, pointing out their deficiencies and suggesting a better way of doing it. Overall it is a quick to read book that provides valuable insight.

Well Written, Well Presented, 04 Jan 2008
Stephen Few nods more than a little to Edward Tufte when it comes to approaches to visual and information design, and this book is both a highly informative and pleasant read for that. While not quite in the same league as one of Tufte's works, Information Dashboard Design is refreshingly devoid of waffle and mere personal opinion. The design principles he identifies are not hard to grasp, and the theory and rationale for them is very well argued and presented. Few's invention of the "bullet graph" also ensures his place alongside Tufte in the field of information design.

We can only hope that his ideas will now catch on, and that the awful drek that infests the vast majority of dashboard designs by even the largest of vendors will be swept away forever. If I never see another big shiny gauge again, it will be too soon.



Great book - a must for designing dashboards, 08 Oct 2007
I agree with the two other reviews that I read prior to posting. This is a great book that is well written. The example screen shots really show you the difference that can be made by using good design principles as suggested. If you are doing any dashboard design you need to read this book. Also what was really good was at the end there was just one page acknowledgeing other major authors in the area and suggesting their texts as well. This was really useful as rather than wade through all the references it gave you a snapshot of who Mr. Few thought were the best in his field. Brilliant. Can't recommend it enough.

Spins your whole understanding of dashboards and charting on its head, 21 Aug 2007
If you're currently using pie charts or graphs with lots of colours, you need this book.

If you've developed (or are developing) a digital dashboard that shares at least a few design ideas with a real in-car dashboard, you need this book.

If your users first reaction to your dashboard is 'wow, that looks cool' you need this book.

In fact, just buy this book. Your reporting and dashboards will benefit. The author really knows his stuff.

A must purchase for anyone starting out in technical analysis, 14 Apr 2008
Of all the books on TA that I've bought, and there's been loads, this is by far the most comprehensive and informative. If you're a newbie to TA and don't really know where to start, then this book is a must purchase. It takes you through all the leading technical analysis techniques you'll ever want to learn from Dow theory, to momentum indicators, oscillators, moving averages, candlesticks, very little is left out. It is an extremely extensive guide to TA and the sort of book you can read cover to cover, as well as use as a general reference. If you're a trader, make sure this book is in your trading library.

An invaluable self-study manual in Technical Analysis, 28 Jun 2000
This self-study manual with "Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets" is the best way to starting studying the technical analysis. This is, without doubt, the Bible!

It's easy-to-follow, step-by-step method leads you through each of the book's chapters and provides objectives that give your reading focus.

This is the definative work on this subject, 09 Oct 2008
This book is the best on the market in my view, the author Constance Brown clearly knows her business. Once I had started the book I could not put it down until I had read it from cover to cover. An easy to read work the style is excellent, the content is first rate. Indeed may people will be very surprised to learn they are actually using Fibonacci incorectly and have been doing so for many years.

Well worth the money as this book is a classic.

John

Great stuff. Not so for dummies, 05 Aug 2008
Despite this being for "Dummies" it's incredibly detailed and covers just about everything that one needs to start trading with Technical Analysis.

It begins with market basics and I came off reading this with no previous knowledge of technical analysis besides what I had been told by a friend of mine who trades.

It follows through to cover dynamic and momentum indicators in as much detail as you'll need. It doesnt pay to go too into things since indicators INDICATE and do not REVEAL. They give the most likely possibility of what will happen but that's where stop losses come in.

It teaches you early on that money management and long term survival are key. For the price, this is the best technical Analysis book out there. You mat not understand something at first but if you soldier on, things will start to become clear.

SUGGESTION: Read the entire book BEFORE you begin to trade. Read it twice to re-affirm all the knowledge but careful with following it TOO closely. Especially if spreadbetting where the candle formations are created artifically and do not show TRUE market sentiment at the time. Very sueful for CFD and real Share Trading though. You may want to get INVESTING IN SHARES for Dummies too and for a whole trading system to start off with, buy COME INTO MY TRADING ROOM by Alexander Elder. very inspirational for the novice trader.

One year TA users view, 04 Dec 2006
Uses the normal `Dummies' layout.

Although clearly it was written for US readers (examples are all US companies and amounts in Dollars) it is relevant to analysis of all stock markets including UK. The techniques relate to charts of all kinds of shares, currencies and commodities. The suggested websites are only useful to a US reader. Reading other books as well will help UK users.

Try "Pocket Guide to Trading Online" by Alpesh Patel - also available on Amazon. This is much more focused for the UK market and gives UK websites.

I have been trading for the past year using TA and found that I learnt quite a bit more on techniques and indicators that I had not tried.

This will now be one of my Reference books to help me improve my share trades.

Recommended


A "must have", however long you've been trading., 19 Mar 2006
What is it they say? "If you could have only one book ...?" Well this should be it. A thin book (only 350 pages) for such a broad subject. Barbara Rockefeller gets right down to the core issues with absolute clarity and simplicity. She rapidly exposes flawed thinking and weak logic, debunking (very decisively) false optimism. This book shows you how to grow as a trader, and the book grows with you. Revisit it again and again over the years. I'd been trading for years before I found this book. I own (and have read) the major works (Murphy, Link, Masonson, Nison, etc). Like many experienced traders I was getting buried in the analysis and begun to lose sight of the basics. Rockefeller rips away the crap. On the front cover she claims you will be able to Identify Trends, Improve Timing, Never Make A Big Loss, Trade As A Business. That's a tall order for one book. This one does what it says on the tin. Get it. You won't need anything else to become profitable. If you've got other books, or are thinking of getting some, then look at them through Rockefeller's eyes and you'll never get bogged down again.

Easy to read. Sensible advice., 01 Sep 2008
I'm about half-way through as I write this review but I am already very impressed with this book. Few has an easy-to-read style that's not full of fluff or pompous nonsense, and he provides sensible advise for producing effective designs.

The book begins by defining the term "information dashboard": the definition is suitably broad that you may realise that solutions you've build before would fit in and would therefore have benefited from the design advice given in the book. To make his points about poor design, Few then uses a selection of examples found on the web. Many of these are eye catching and graphically pleasing - but the commentary makes you appreciate the problems each exhibits. In the middle of the book, Few describes accepted scientific theories about human vision, perception and cognition that we should take into account in our designs - and these generally support the arguments that the example dashboards used earlier in the book were poor designs in one way or another. Later in the book (and I have not read these chapters yet), Few provides practical advice that can be applied in dashboard design. I am expecting these to be almost self-evident by the time I get there thanks to the Background Few has provided me with. But I am still looking forward to reading them nonetheless.

This book is in no way biased towards any display technology, user interface technology or programming technology and is therefore applicable whether you are producing a single-user desktop application, a multi-user, multi-screen information wall (as you've seen in pictures of the stock exchange) or even if you are producing printed reports. The advice given is about the design thought process rather than any particular notation so is applicable regardless of the software design methodology you may use.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the topic and would say it's a "must-have" if you are practically involved in the specification, analysis, design and even implementation of Information Dashboards.

Great insights, 29 Mar 2008
This is an excellent book and will change the way you look at how data is presented. I have struggled in the past trying to understand reports presented to me because of their poor design. The author offers a good mix of theory and practical examples, giving examples of poorly designed reports, pointing out their deficiencies and suggesting a better way of doing it. Overall it is a quick to read book that provides valuable insight.

Well Written, Well Presented, 04 Jan 2008
Stephen Few nods more than a little to Edward Tufte when it comes to approaches to visual and information design, and this book is both a highly informative and pleasant read for that. While not quite in the same league as one of Tufte's works, Information Dashboard Design is refreshingly devoid of waffle and mere personal opinion. The design principles he identifies are not hard to grasp, and the theory and rationale for them is very well argued and presented. Few's invention of the "bullet graph" also ensures his place alongside Tufte in the field of information design.

We can only hope that his ideas will now catch on, and that the awful drek that infests the vast majority of dashboard designs by even the largest of vendors will be swept away forever. If I never see another big shiny gauge again, it will be too soon.



Great book - a must for designing dashboards, 08 Oct 2007
I agree with the two other reviews that I read prior to posting. This is a great book that is well written. The example screen shots really show you the difference that can be made by using good design principles as suggested. If you are doing any dashboard design you need to read this book. Also what was really good was at the end there was just one page acknowledgeing other major authors in the area and suggesting their texts as well. This was really useful as rather than wade through all the references it gave you a snapshot of who Mr. Few thought were the best in his field. Brilliant. Can't recommend it enough.

Spins your whole understanding of dashboards and charting on its head, 21 Aug 2007
If you're currently using pie charts or graphs with lots of colours, you need this book.

If you've developed (or are developing) a digital dashboard that shares at least a few design ideas with a real in-car dashboard, you need this book.

If your users first reaction to your dashboard is 'wow, that looks cool' you need this book.

In fact, just buy this book. Your reporting and dashboards will benefit. The author really knows his stuff.

A must purchase for anyone starting out in technical analysis, 14 Apr 2008
Of all the books on TA that I've bought, and there's been loads, this is by far the most comprehensive and informative. If you're a newbie to TA and don't really know where to start, then this book is a must purchase. It takes you through all the leading technical analysis techniques you'll ever want to learn from Dow theory, to momentum indicators, oscillators, moving averages, candlesticks, very little is left out. It is an extremely extensive guide to TA and the sort of book you can read cover to cover, as well as use as a general reference. If you're a trader, make sure this book is in your trading library.

An invaluable self-study manual in Technical Analysis, 28 Jun 2000
This self-study manual with "Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets" is the best way to starting studying the technical analysis. This is, without doubt, the Bible!

It's easy-to-follow, step-by-step method leads you through each of the book's chapters and provides objectives that give your reading focus.

This is the definative work on this subject, 09 Oct 2008
This book is the best on the market in my view, the author Constance Brown clearly knows her business. Once I had started the book I could not put it down until I had read it from cover to cover. An easy to read work the style is excellent, the content is first rate. Indeed may people will be very surprised to learn they are actually using Fibonacci incorectly and have been doing so for many years.

Well worth the money as this book is a classic.

John


Not Great, 01 Aug 2008
I guess it is oaky for beginners, but if youre looking for something with a little more depth try something else, talks about indicators vary vaguely and does not give you enough meat about the studies, in conclusion brilliant for beginners not so great if you got a firm understanding of the the basics

Does exactly what it says on the cover!, 09 Jan 2007
An excellent book! Starting with a background to charting, explaining the different chart patterns, through to the various things that accompany price on the charts (such as, momentum, accumulation/distribution, RSI, sentiment etc.). I bought it as an introduction to technical analysis & found it well written & easy to understand. I still use it for reference today.


Essential addition to any trading library, 12 Aug 2006
Excellent book on technical analysis covering all the main points. Price is everything because other people usually have more knowledge on a particular share than you do. Following the price action is THE WAY to make money on the stock market.

Great stuff. Not so for dummies, 05 Aug 2008
Despite this being for "Dummies" it's incredibly detailed and covers just about everything that one needs to start trading with Technical Analysis.

It begins with market basics and I came off reading this with no previous knowledge of technical analysis besides what I had been told by a friend of mine who trades.

It follows through to cover dynamic and momentum indicators in as much detail as you'll need. It doesnt pay to go too into things since indicators INDICATE and do not REVEAL. They give the most likely possibility of what will happen but that's where stop losses come in.

It teaches you early on that money management and long term survival are key. For the price, this is the best technical Analysis book out there. You mat not understand something at first but if you soldier on, things will start to become clear.

SUGGESTION: Read the entire book BEFORE you begin to trade. Read it twice to re-affirm all the knowledge but careful with following it TOO closely. Especially if spreadbetting where the candle formations are created artifically and do not show TRUE market sentiment at the time. Very sueful for CFD and real Share Trading though. You may want to get INVESTING IN SHARES for Dummies too and for a whole trading system to start off with, buy COME INTO MY TRADING ROOM by Alexander Elder. very inspirational for the novice trader.

One year TA users view, 04 Dec 2006
Uses the normal `Dummies' layout.

Although clearly it was written for US readers (examples are all US companies and amounts in Dollars) it is relevant to analysis of all stock markets including UK. The techniques relate to charts of all kinds of shares, currencies and commodities. The suggested websites are only useful to a US reader. Reading other books as well will help UK users.

Try "Pocket Guide to Trading Online" by Alpesh Patel - also available on Amazon. This is much more focused for the UK market and gives UK websites.

I have been trading for the past year using TA and found that I learnt quite a bit more on techniques and indicators that I had not tried.

This will now be one of my Reference books to help me improve my share trades.

Recommended


A "must have", however long you've been trading., 19 Mar 2006
What is it they say? "If you could have only one book ...?" Well this should be it. A thin book (only 350 pages) for such a broad subject. Barbara Rockefeller gets right down to the core issues with absolute clarity and simplicity. She rapidly exposes flawed thinking and weak logic, debunking (very decisively) false optimism. This book shows you how to grow as a trader, and the book grows with you. Revisit it again and again over the years. I'd been trading for years before I found this book. I own (and have read) the major works (Murphy, Link, Masonson, Nison, etc). Like many experienced traders I was getting buried in the analysis and begun to lose sight of the basics. Rockefeller rips away the crap. On the front cover she claims you will be able to Identify Trends, Improve Timing, Never Make A Big Loss, Trade As A Business. That's a tall order for one book. This one does what it says on the tin. Get it. You won't need anything else to become profitable. If you've got other books, or are thinking of getting some, then look at them through Rockefeller's eyes and you'll never get bogged down again.

Easy to read. Sensible advice., 01 Sep 2008
I'm about half-way through as I write this review but I am already very impressed with this book. Few has an easy-to-read style that's not full of fluff or pompous nonsense, and he provides sensible advise for producing effective designs.

The book begins by defining the term "information dashboard": the definition is suitably broad that you may realise that solutions you've build before would fit in and would therefore have benefited from the design advice given in the book. To make his points about poor design, Few then uses a selection of examples found on the web. Many of these are eye catching and graphically pleasing - but the commentary makes you appreciate the problems each exhibits. In the middle of the book, Few describes accepted scientific theories about human vision, perception and cognition that we should take into account in our designs - and these generally support the arguments that the example dashboards used earlier in the book were poor designs in one way or another. Later in the book (and I have not read these chapters yet), Few provides practical advice that can be applied in dashboard design. I am expecting these to be almost self-evident by the time I get there thanks to the Background Few has provided me with. But I am still looking forward to reading them nonetheless.

This book is in no way biased towards any display technology, user interface technology or programming technology and is therefore applicable whether you are producing a single-user desktop application, a multi-user, multi-screen information wall (as you've seen in pictures of the stock exchange) or even if you are producing printed reports. The advice given is about the design thought process rather than any particular notation so is applicable regardless of the software design methodology you may use.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the topic and would say it's a "must-have" if you are practically involved in the specification, analysis, design and even implementation of Information Dashboards.

Great insights, 29 Mar 2008
This is an excellent book and will change the way you look at how data is presented. I have struggled in the past trying to understand reports presented to me because of their poor design. The author offers a good mix of theory and practical examples, giving examples of poorly designed reports, pointing out their deficiencies and suggesting a better way of doing it. Overall it is a quick to read book that provides valuable insight.

Well Written, Well Presented, 04 Jan 2008
Stephen Few nods more than a little to Edward Tufte when it comes to approaches to visual and information design, and this book is both a highly informative and pleasant read for that. While not quite in the same league as one of Tufte's works, Information Dashboard Design is refreshingly devoid of waffle and mere personal opinion. The design principles he identifies are not hard to grasp, and the theory and rationale for them is very well argued and presented. Few's invention of the "bullet graph" also ensures his place alongside Tufte in the field of information design.

We can only hope that his ideas will now catch on, and that the awful drek that infests the vast majority of dashboard designs by even the largest of vendors will be swept away forever. If I never see another big shiny gauge again, it will be too soon.



Great book - a must for designing dashboards, 08 Oct 2007
I agree with the two other reviews that I read prior to posting. This is a great book that is well written. The example screen shots really show you the difference that can be made by using good design principles as suggested. If you are doing any dashboard design you need to read this book. Also what was really good was at the end there was just one page acknowledgeing other major authors in the area and suggesting their texts as well. This was really useful as rather than wade through all the references it gave you a snapshot of who Mr. Few thought were the best in his field. Brilliant. Can't recommend it enough.

Spins your whole understanding of dashboards and charting on its head, 21 Aug 2007
If you're currently using pie charts or graphs with lots of colours, you need this book.

If you've developed (or are developing) a digital dashboard that shares at least a few design ideas with a real in-car dashboard, you need this book.

If your users first reaction to your dashboard is 'wow, that looks cool' you need this book.

In fact, just buy this book. Your reporting and dashboards will benefit. The author really knows his stuff.

A must purchase for anyone starting out in technical analysis, 14 Apr 2008
Of all the books on TA that I've bought, and there's been loads, this is by far the most comprehensive and informative. If you're a newbie to TA and don't really know where to start, then this book is a must purchase. It takes you through all the leading technical analysis techniques you'll ever want to learn from Dow theory, to momentum indicators, oscillators, moving averages, candlesticks, very little is left out. It is an extremely extensive guide to TA and the sort of book you can read cover to cover, as well as use as a general reference. If you're a trader, make sure this book is in your trading library.

An invaluable self-study manual in Technical Analysis, 28 Jun 2000
This self-study manual with "Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets" is the best way to starting studying the technical analysis. This is, without doubt, the Bible!

It's easy-to-follow, step-by-step method leads you through each of the book's chapters and provides objectives that give your reading focus.

This is the definative work on this subject, 09 Oct 2008
This book is the best on the market in my view, the author Constance Brown clearly knows her business. Once I had started the book I could not put it down until I had read it from cover to cover. An easy to read work the style is excellent, the content is first rate. Indeed may people will be very surprised to learn they are actually using Fibonacci incorectly and have been doing so for many years.

Well worth the money as this book is a classic.

John


Not Great, 01 Aug 2008
I guess it is oaky for beginners, but if youre looking for something with a little more depth try something else, talks about indicators vary vaguely and does not give you enough meat about the studies, in conclusion brilliant for beginners not so great if you got a firm understanding of the the basics

Does exactly what it says on the cover!, 09 Jan 2007
An excellent book! Starting with a background to charting, explaining the different chart patterns, through to the various things that accompany price on the charts (such as, momentum, accumulation/distribution, RSI, sentiment etc.). I bought it as an introduction to technical analysis & found it well written & easy to understand. I still use it for reference today.


Essential addition to any trading library, 12 Aug 2006
Excellent book on technical analysis covering all the main points. Price is everything because other people usually have more knowledge on a particular share than you do. Following the price action is THE WAY to make money on the stock market.

One/Two Bar Pattern information alone makes it worthwhile, 26 Apr 2003
I would recommend this book for Chapters 1,3,4,5,6,7,8,15,22,27 and 28 (!!),since the basic and crucial concepts Support 'n Resistance,Volume and Pattern Formations are nicely covered(plus a nice discussion on crowd psycology) .

In particular,his chapter on Two-Bar Patterns was worth the book in itself,it is not something i have found discussed anywhere else to such a helpful degree.

(His lack of enthusiasm for "Triangles" was a suprise.)

You may like the more complex Chapters yourself,but i just wanted to learn the basic principles of Charting in order to better time my investing,yet not from a cheaper Primer,but from a leading player/book in the field.

The aforementioned chapters gave me that insight.

Great stuff. Not so for dummies, 05 Aug 2008
Despite this being for "Dummies" it's incredibly detailed and covers just about everything that one needs to start trading with Technical Analysis.

It begins with market basics and I came off reading this with no previous knowledge of technical analysis besides what I had been told by a friend of mine who trades.

It follows through to cover dynamic and momentum indicators in as much detail as you'll need. It doesnt pay to go too into things since indicators INDICATE and do not REVEAL. They give the most likely possibility of what will happen but that's where stop losses come in.

It teaches you early on that money management and long term survival are key. For the price, this is the best technical Analysis book out there. You mat not understand something at first but if you soldier on, things will start to become clear.

SUGGESTION: Read the entire book BEFORE you begin to trade. Read it twice to re-affirm all the knowledge but careful with following it TOO closely. Especially if spreadbetting where the candle formations are created artifically and do not show TRUE market sentiment at the time. Very sueful for CFD and real Share Trading though. You may want to get INVESTING IN SHARES for Dummies too and for a whole trading system to start off with, buy COME INTO MY TRADING ROOM by Alexander Elder. very inspirational for the novice trader.

One year TA users view, 04 Dec 2006
Uses the normal `Dummies' layout.

Although clearly it was written for US readers (examples are all US companies and amounts in Dollars) it is relevant to analysis of all stock markets including UK. The techniques relate to charts of all kinds of shares, currencies and commodities. The suggested websites are only useful to a US reader. Reading other books as well will help UK users.

Try "Pocket Guide to Trading Online" by Alpesh Patel - also available on Amazon. This is much more focused for the UK market and gives UK websites.

I have been trading for the past year using TA and found that I learnt quite a bit more on techniques and indicators that I had not tried.

This will now be one of my Reference books to help me improve my share trades.

Recommended


A "must have", however long you've been trading., 19 Mar 2006
What is it they say? "If you could have only one book ...?" Well this should be it. A thin book (only 350 pages) for such a broad subject. Barbara Rockefeller gets right down to the core issues with absolute clarity and simplicity. She rapidly exposes flawed thinking and weak logic, debunking (very decisively) false optimism. This book shows you how to grow as a trader, and the book grows with you. Revisit it again and again over the years. I'd been trading for years before I found this book. I own (and have read) the major works (Murphy, Link, Masonson, Nison, etc). Like many experienced traders I was getting buried in the analysis and begun to lose sight of the basics. Rockefeller rips away the crap. On the front cover she claims you will be able to Identify Trends, Improve Timing, Never Make A Big Loss, Trade As A Business. That's a tall order for one book. This one does what it says on the tin. Get it. You won't need anything else to become profitable. If you've got other books, or are thinking of getting some, then look at them through Rockefeller's eyes and you'll never get bogged down again.

Easy to read. Sensible advice., 01 Sep 2008
I'm about half-way through as I write this review but I am already very impressed with this book. Few has an easy-to-read style that's not full of fluff or pompous nonsense, and he provides sensible advise for producing effective designs.

The book begins by defining the term "information dashboard": the definition is suitably broad that you may realise that solutions you've build before would fit in and would therefore have benefited from the design advice given in the book. To make his points about poor design, Few then uses a selection of examples found on the web. Many of these are eye catching and graphically pleasing - but the commentary makes you appreciate the problems each exhibits. In the middle of the book, Few describes accepted scientific theories about human vision, perception and cognition that we should take into account in our designs - and these generally support the arguments that the example dashboards used earlier in the book were poor designs in one way or another. Later in the book (and I have not read these chapters yet), Few provides practical advice that can be applied in dashboard design. I am expecting these to be almost self-evident by the time I get there thanks to the Background Few has provided me with. But I am still looking forward to reading them nonetheless.

This book is in no way biased towards any display technology, user interface technology or programming technology and is therefore applicable whether you are producing a single-user desktop application, a multi-user, multi-screen information wall (as you've seen in pictures of the stock exchange) or even if you are producing printed reports. The advice given is about the design thought process rather than any particular notation so is applicable regardless of the software design methodology you may use.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the topic and would say it's a "must-have" if you are practically involved in the specification, analysis, design and even implementation of Information Dashboards.

Great insights, 29 Mar 2008
This is an excellent book and will change the way you look at how data is presented. I have struggled in the past trying to understand reports presented to me because of their poor design. The author offers a good mix of theory and practical examples, giving examples of poorly designed reports, pointing out their deficiencies and suggesting a better way of doing it. Overall it is a quick to read book that provides valuable insight.

Well Written, Well Presented, 04 Jan 2008
Stephen Few nods more than a little to Edward Tufte when it comes to approaches to visual and information design, and this book is both a highly informative and pleasant read for that. While not quite in the same league as one of Tufte's works, Information Dashboard Design is refreshingly devoid of waffle and mere personal opinion. The design principles he identifies are not hard to grasp, and the theory and rationale for them is very well argued and presented. Few's invention of the "bullet graph" also ensures his place alongside Tufte in the field of information design.

We can only hope that his ideas will now catch on, and that the awful drek that infests the vast majority of dashboard designs by even the largest of vendors will be swept away forever. If I never see another big shiny gauge again, it will be too soon.



Great book - a must for designing dashboards, 08 Oct 2007
I agree with the two other reviews that I read prior to posting. This is a great book that is well written. The example screen shots really show you the difference that can be made by using good design principles as suggested. If you are doing any dashboard design you need to read this book. Also what was really good was at the end there was just one page acknowledgeing other major authors in the area and suggesting their texts as well. This was really useful as rather than wade through all the references it gave you a snapshot of who Mr. Few thought were the best in his field. Brilliant. Can't recommend it enough.

Spins your whole understanding of dashboards and charting on its head, 21 Aug 2007
If you're currently using pie charts or graphs with lots of colours, you need this book.

If you've developed (or are developing) a digital dashboard that shares at least a few design ideas with a real in-car dashboard, you need this book.

If your users first reaction to your dashboard is 'wow, that looks cool' you need this book.

In fact, just buy this book. Your reporting and dashboards will benefit. The author really knows his stuff.

A must purchase for anyone starting out in technical analysis, 14 Apr 2008
Of all the books on TA that I've bought, and there's been loads, this is by far the most comprehensive and informative. If you're a newbie to TA and don't really know where to start, then this book is a must purchase. It takes you through all the leading technical analysis techniques you'll ever want to learn from Dow theory, to momentum indicators, oscillators, moving averages, candlesticks, very little is left out. It is an extremely extensive guide to TA and the sort of book you can read cover to cover, as well as use as a general reference. If you're a trader, make sure this book is in your trading library.

An invaluable self-study manual in Technical Analysis, 28 Jun 2000
This self-study manual with "Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets" is the best way to starting studying the technical analysis. This is, without doubt, the Bible!

It's easy-to-follow, step-by-step method leads you through each of the book's chapters and provides objectives that give your reading focus.

This is the definative work on this subject, 09 Oct 2008
This book is the best on the market in my view, the author Constance Brown clearly knows her business. Once I had started the book I could not put it down until I had read it from cover to cover. An easy to read work the style is excellent, the content is first rate. Indeed may people will be very surprised to learn they are actually using Fibonacci incorectly and have been doing so for many years.

Well worth the money as this book is a classic.

John


Not Great, 01 Aug 2008
I guess it is oaky for beginners, but if youre looking for something with a little more depth try something else, talks about indicators vary vaguely and does not give you enough meat about the studies, in conclusion brilliant for beginners not so great if you got a firm understanding of the the basics

Does exactly what it says on the cover!, 09 Jan 2007
An excellent book! Starting with a background to charting, explaining the different chart patterns, through to the various things that accompany price on the charts (such as, momentum, accumulation/distribution, RSI, sentiment etc.). I bought it as an introduction to technical analysis & found it well written & easy to understand. I still use it for reference today.


Essential addition to any trading library, 12 Aug 2006
Excellent book on technical analysis covering all the main points. Price is everything because other people usually have more knowledge on a particular share than you do. Following the price action is THE WAY to make money on the stock market.

One/Two Bar Pattern information alone makes it worthwhile, 26 Apr 2003
I would recommend this book for Chapters 1,3,4,5,6,7,8,15,22,27 and 28 (!!),since the basic and crucial concepts Support 'n Resistance,Volume and Pattern Formations are nicely covered(plus a nice discussion on crowd psycology) .

In particular,his chapter on Two-Bar Patterns was worth the book in itself,it is not something i have found discussed anywhere else to such a helpful degree.

(His lack of enthusiasm for "Triangles" was a suprise.)

You may like the more complex Chapters yourself,but i just wanted to learn the basic principles of Charting in order to better time my investing,yet not from a cheaper Primer,but from a leading player/book in the field.

The aforementioned chapters gave me that insight.

Charting's MAGNUM OPUS ., 04 Jan 2004
Thou i consider it a 'reference' book,it is not something to refer to casually : the quantity and quality of pertinent information (in SPECIFIC chapters) is almost overwhelming - thou the authors use plain everyday language,it is so rich in content that it has to be savoured - repeatedly.

Some key sections :

* Chapters 20,21,22 on a stock's 'habit/character/power' - absolute gems of insight.
* Chapters 6,7,8,12 on 'gaps','ascending/descending triangles' and 'head 'n shoulder' patterns.Where standard explanations of these pivotal formations finish,these guys are just warming up !

Favourite chapters (of mine) which i feel are of major benefit to anyone who sets foot in the stockmarket :

* TA philosophy and summary (chapters 1 and 17 respectively),plus the 7th edition preface(included in 8th edition) come to a grand total of around twelve pages - collectively,they sum up the merits of charting with such eloquence that no one could sensibly deny the benefits of PRAGMATIC chart observation.
* Chapter 3's concise version of Dow Theory is excellent,putting its relevance into perspective with added insight that explains the ways of the stock market extremely well.
* Chapter 13's discussion of support and resistance is superb : readers are given the ultimate tutorial,on what is arguably the most essential psycological concept to grasp.This (to me) is the NUCLEUS of the book - to call it outstandingly informative would be putting it much too mildly - if knowledge is power,this chapter is as strong as it gets !

By virtue of having written the book in simpler times,the authors had the (fortuitous) luxury/advantage of feeling no compulsion to curtail and dilute discussion of primary matters purely for the sake of giving space to complex and esoteric add-on tactics.

Consequently,their UNIQUELY THOROUGH explanation of the UNCHANGING laws of supply and demand (as displayed in price 'n volume charts) in my view makes 'Technical Analysis of Stock Trends' the most USEFUL,PRACTICAL and INSTRUCTIVE book in its field - period !

The most orthdox princples in technical analysis, 03 Sep 2001
This is a painstaking research written by academics from New York Institute of Finance. The techniques discussed are objective, scientific and reliable provided that you are aware of the limitations. Unlike other books in this field, this book is more suitable for medium term investors, at least a few months.

daytrading bible, 31 Aug 1999
The simple indicators that TAST presents can easily be applied to intraday movements, indicators powerful enough that, with an understanding of the story behind the stock and the market environment, are all one needs to trade. Yes, it takes awhile to read this book, as any dense textbook or reference work would. It's worth every minute and penny to study this manual.

Tech Analysis is a bunch of BUNK, 02 Jul 1999
This book along with all other books and seminars on tech analysis are mere ploys to make the authors wealthy.

Too little coverage on technical indicators, 31 May 1999
This is a book good for beginners, but for intermediate level traders this is definitely not a good choice. This book cover too little on moving average, RSI and other indicators. Also, the graph in this book is almost all hand drawn, make it very hard to read.

Great stuff. Not so for dummies, 05 Aug 2008
Despite this being for "Dummies" it's incredibly detailed and covers just about everything that one needs to start trading with Technical Analysis.

It begins with market basics and I came off reading this with no previous knowledge of technical analysis besides what I had been told by a friend of mine who trades.

It follows through to cover dynamic and momentum indicators in as much detail as you'll need. It doesnt pay to go too into things since indicators INDICATE and do not REVEAL. They give the most likely possibility of what will happen but that's where stop losses come in.

It teaches you early on that money management and long term survival are key. For the price, this is the best technical Analysis book out there. You mat not understand something at first but if you soldier on, things will start to become clear.

SUGGESTION: Read the entire book BEFORE you begin to trade. Read it twice to re-affirm all the knowledge but careful with following it TOO closely. Especially if spreadbetting where the candle formations are created artifically and do not show TRUE market sentiment at the time. Very sueful for CFD and real Share Trading though. You may want to get INVESTING IN SHARES for Dummies too and for a whole trading system to start off with, buy COME INTO MY TRADING ROOM by Alexander Elder. very inspirational for the novice trader.

One year TA users view, 04 Dec 2006
Uses the normal `Dummies' layout.

Although clearly it was written for US readers (examples are all US companies and amounts in Dollars) it is relevant to analysis of all stock markets including UK. The techniques relate to charts of all kinds of shares, currencies and commodities. The suggested websites are only useful to a US reader. Reading other books as well will help UK users.

Try "Pocket Guide to Trading Online" by Alpesh Patel - also available on Amazon. This is much more focused for the UK market and gives UK websites.

I have been trading for the past year using TA and found that I learnt quite a bit more on techniques and indicators that I had not tried.

This will now be one of my Reference books to help me improve my share trades.

Recommended


A "must have", however long you've been trading., 19 Mar 2006
What is it they say? "If you could have only one book ...?" Well this should be it. A thin book (only 350 pages) for such a broad subject. Barbara Rockefeller gets right down to the core issues with absolute clarity and simplicity. She rapidly exposes flawed thinking and weak logic, debunking (very decisively) false optimism. This book shows you how to grow as a trader, and the book grows with you. Revisit it again and again over the years. I'd been trading for years before I found this book. I own (and have read) the major works (Murphy, Link, Masonson, Nison, etc). Like many experienced traders I was getting buried in the analysis and begun to lose sight of the basics. Rockefeller rips away the crap. On the front cover she claims you will be able to Identify Trends, Improve Timing, Never Make A Big Loss, Trade As A Business. That's a tall order for one book. This one does what it says on the tin. Get it. You won't need anything else to become profitable. If you've got other books, or are thinking of getting some, then look at them through Rockefeller's eyes and you'll never get bogged down again.

Easy to read. Sensible advice., 01 Sep 2008
I'm about half-way through as I write this review but I am already very impressed with this book. Few has an easy-to-read style that's not full of fluff or pompous nonsense, and he provides sensible advise for producing effective designs.

The book begins by defining the term "information dashboard": the definition is suitably broad that you may realise that solutions you've build before would fit in and would therefore have benefited from the design advice given in the book. To make his points about poor design, Few then uses a selection of examples found on the web. Many of these are eye catching and graphically pleasing - but the commentary makes you appreciate the problems each exhibits. In the middle of the book, Few describes accepted scientific theories about human vision, perception and cognition that we should take into account in our designs - and these generally support the arguments that the example dashboards used earlier in the book were poor designs in one way or another. Later in the book (and I have not read these chapters yet), Few provides practical advice that can be applied in dashboard design. I am expecting these to be almost self-evident by the time I get there thanks to the Background Few has provided me with. But I am still looking forward to reading them nonetheless.

This book is in no way biased towards any display technology, user interface technology or programming technology and is therefore applicable whether you are producing a single-user desktop application, a multi-user, multi-screen information wall (as you've seen in pictures of the stock exchange) or even if you are producing printed reports. The advice given is about the design thought process rather than any particular notation so is applicable regardless of the software design methodology you may use.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the topic and would say it's a "must-have" if you are practically involved in the specification, analysis, design and even implementation of Information Dashboards.

Great insights, 29 Mar 2008
This is an excellent book and will change the way you look at how data is presented. I have struggled in the past trying to understand reports presented to me because of their poor design. The author offers a good mix of theory and practical examples, giving examples of poorly designed reports, pointing out their deficiencies and suggesting a better way of doing it. Overall it is a quick to read book that provides valuable insight.

Well Written, Well Presented, 04 Jan 2008
Stephen Few nods more than a little to Edward Tufte when it comes to approaches to visual and information design, and this book is both a highly informative and pleasant read for that. While not quite in the same league as one of Tufte's works, Information Dashboard Design is refreshingly devoid of waffle and mere personal opinion. The design principles he identifies are not hard to grasp, and the theory and rationale for them is very well argued and presented. Few's invention of the "bullet graph" also ensures his place alongside Tufte in the field of information design.

We can only hope that his ideas will now catch on, and that the awful drek that infests the vast majority of dashboard designs by even the largest of vendors will be swept away forever. If I never see another big shiny gauge again, it will be too soon.



Great book - a must for designing dashboards, 08 Oct 2007
I agree with the two other reviews that I read prior to posting. This is a great book that is well written. The example screen shots really show you the difference that can be made by using good design principles as suggested. If you are doing any dashboard design you need to read this book. Also what was really good was at the end there was just one page acknowledgeing other major authors in the area and suggesting their texts as well. This was really useful as rather than wade through all the references it gave you a snapshot of who Mr. Few thought were the best in his field. Brilliant. Can't recommend it enough.

Spins your whole understanding of dashboards and charting on its head, 21 Aug 2007
If you're currently using pie charts or graphs with lots of colours, you need this book.

If you've developed (or are developing) a digital dashboard that shares at least a few design ideas with a real in-car dashboard, you need this book.

If your users first reaction to your dashboard is 'wow, that looks cool' you need this book.

In fact, just buy this book. Your reporting and dashboards will benefit. The author really knows his stuff.

A must purchase for anyone starting out in technical analysis, 14 Apr 2008
Of all the books on TA that I've bought, and there's been loads, this is by far the most comprehensive and informative. If you're a newbie to TA and don't really know where to start, then this book is a must purchase. It takes you through all the leading technical analysis techniques you'll ever want to learn from Dow theory, to momentum indicators, oscillators, moving averages, candlesticks, very little is left out. It is an extremely extensive guide to TA and the sort of book you can read cover to cover, as well as use as a general reference. If you're a trader, make sure this book is in your trading library.

An invaluable self-study manual in Technical Analysis, 28 Jun 2000
This self-study manual with "Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets" is the best way to starting studying the technical analysis. This is, without doubt, the Bible!

It's easy-to-follow, step-by-step method leads you through each of the book's chapters and provides objectives that give your reading focus.

This is the definative work on this subject, 09 Oct 2008
This book is the best on the market in my view, the author Constance Brown clearly knows her business. Once I had started the book I could not put it down until I had read it from cover to cover. An easy to read work the style is excellent, the content is first rate. Indeed may people will be very surprised to learn they are actually using Fibonacci incorectly and have been doing so for many years.

Well worth the money as this book is a classic.

John


Not Great, 01 Aug 2008
I guess it is oaky for beginners, but if youre looking for something with a little more depth try something else, talks about indicators vary vaguely and does not give you enough meat about the studies, in conclusion brilliant for beginners not so great if you got a firm understanding of the the basics

Does exactly what it says on the cover!, 09 Jan 2007
An excellent book! Starting with a background to charting, explaining the different chart patterns, through to the various things that accompany price on the charts (such as, momentum, accumulation/distribution, RSI, sentiment etc.). I bought it as an introduction to technical analysis & found it well written & easy to understand. I still use it for reference today.


Essential addition to any trading library, 12 Aug 2006
Excellent book on technical analysis covering all the main points. Price is everything because other people usually have more knowledge on a particular share than you do. Following the price action is THE WAY to make money on the stock market.

One/Two Bar Pattern information alone makes it worthwhile, 26 Apr 2003
I would recommend this book for Chapters 1,3,4,5,6,7,8,15,22,27 and 28 (!!),since the basic and crucial concepts Support 'n Resistance,Volume and Pattern Formations are nicely covered(plus a nice discussion on crowd psycology) .

In particular,his chapter on Two-Bar Patterns was worth the book in itself,it is not something i have found discussed anywhere else to such a helpful degree.

(His lack of enthusiasm for "Triangles" was a suprise.)

You may like the more complex Chapters yourself,but i just wanted to learn the basic principles of Charting in order to better time my investing,yet not from a cheaper Primer,but from a leading player/book in the field.

The aforementioned chapters gave me that insight.

Charting's MAGNUM OPUS ., 04 Jan 2004
Thou i consider it a 'reference' book,it is not something to refer to casually : the quantity and quality of pertinent information (in SPECIFIC chapters) is almost overwhelming - thou the authors use plain everyday language,it is so rich in content that it has to be savoured - repeatedly.

Some key sections :

* Chapters 20,21,22 on a stock's 'habit/character/power' - absolute gems of insight.
* Chapters 6,7,8,12 on 'gaps','ascending/descending triangles' and 'head 'n shoulder' patterns.Where standard explanations of these pivotal formations finish,these guys are just warming up !

Favourite chapters (of mine) which i feel are of major benefit to anyone who sets foot in the stockmarket :

* TA philosophy and summary (chapters 1 and 17 respectively),plus the 7th edition preface(included in 8th edition) come to a grand total of around twelve pages - collectively,they sum up the merits of charting with such eloquence that no one could sensibly deny the benefits of PRAGMATIC chart observation.
* Chapter 3's concise version of Dow Theory is excellent,putting its relevance into perspective with added insight that explains the ways of the stock market extremely well.
* Chapter 13's discussion of support and resistance is superb : readers are given the ultimate tutorial,on what is arguably the most essential psycological concept to grasp.This (to me) is the NUCLEUS of the book - to call it outstandingly informative would be putting it much too mildly - if knowledge is power,this chapter is as strong as it gets !

By virtue of having written the book in simpler times,the authors had the (fortuitous) luxury/advantage of feeling no compulsion to curtail and dilute discussion of primary matters purely for the sake of giving space to complex and esoteric add-on tactics.

Consequently,their UNIQUELY THOROUGH explanation of the UNCHANGING laws of supply and demand (as displayed in price 'n volume charts) in my view makes 'Technical Analysis of Stock Trends' the most USEFUL,PRACTICAL and INSTRUCTIVE book in its field - period !

The most orthdox princples in technical analysis, 03 Sep 2001
This is a painstaking research written by academics from New York Institute of Finance. The techniques discussed are objective, scientific and reliable provided that you are aware of the limitations. Unlike other books in this field, this book is more suitable for medium term investors, at least a few months.

daytrading bible, 31 Aug 1999
The simple indicators that TAST presents can easily be applied to intraday movements, indicators powerful enough that, with an understanding of the story behind the stock and the market environment, are all one needs to trade. Yes, it takes awhile to read this book, as any dense textbook or reference work would. It's worth every minute and penny to study this manual.

Tech Analysis is a bunch of BUNK, 02 Jul 1999
This book along with all other books and seminars on tech analysis are mere ploys to make the authors wealthy.

Too little coverage on technical indicators, 31 May 1999
This is a book good for beginners, but for intermediate level traders this is definitely not a good choice. This book cover too little on moving average, RSI and other indicators. Also, the graph in this book is almost all hand drawn, make it very hard to read.

Become a professional. Good for short and long term!, 10 Aug 2005
If you have been reading books for beginners and you want to improve your skills, this is the book for you. You must know all the the basics, such as RSI and others oscillators, price patterns and have a general knowledge of economic environment.
All the informations are based on experiences and not just on theory; you will learn to watch the market from a different point view: just like a professional, rather than a part-time incompetent.
I have applied the informations contained in this book to short-term trading and, using others skills i learnt in the past, 75% of the operations i make are in profit!
All the explanations are very clear, so this book is perfect also for people whose mother tongue is not english.

One of the best, 29 Dec 1999
I have been in the business for over fifteen years now and can confidently say that this book has changed the way I approach the markets in my everday trading. Ms. Browns book will open your eyes to new ways to analyze common indicators, while she also reveals some very powerful propietary indicators. The book contains a wealth of new information and is a must read for any serious student of technical analysis..

Excellent contribution to subject of technical analysis, 07 Jun 1999
Technical Analysis for the Trading Professional is a book that I keep close at hand when I am preparing to trade. It's allowed me to look at the use and application of all indicators: oscillators, moving averages, trendlines etc., in entirely new ways. Although the book is advertised as being for the "Trading Profesional" the material is presented in such a thorough way that any serious student will gain much useful knowledge from the p