While complex strategies and systems may work for some traders, understanding price action is all you really need to succeed in this arena. Price action analysis is an effective approach to trading today's markets whether you're involved in stocks, futures, or options. It allows you to focus on the process of trading without being overwhelmed by a complicated collection of trading techniques. And while this method may appear elementary, it can enhance returns as well as minimize downside risk. One way to apply price action analysis to your trading endeavors is with chart patterns.

John J. Murphy has updated his landmark bestseller Technical Analysis of the Futures Markets, to include all of the financial markets. This outstanding reference has already taught thousands of traders the concepts of technical analysis and their application in the futures and stock markets...

What do Charles Dow, Jesse Livermore, and Richard Ney have in common? They used volume and price to anticipate where the market was heading and built their vast fortunes. For them, it was the ticker tape; for us, it is the trading screen. The results are the same and can be for you, too. I make no bones about believing I was lucky to start my trading journey using volume. To me, it just made sense. The logic was inescapable. And for me, the most powerful reason is very simple.

The Art and Science of Technical Analysis is a groundbreaking work that bridges the gaps between the academic view of markets, technical analysis, and profitable trading. The book explores why randomness prevails in markets most, but not all, of the time and how technical analysis can be used to capture statistically validated patterns in certain types of market conditions. The belief of the book is that buying and selling pressure causes patterns in prices, but that these technical patterns are only effective in the presence of true buying/selling imbalance.

From Larry Williams—one of the most popular and respected technical analysts of the past four decades—Long-Term Secrets to Short-Term Trading, Second Edition provides the blueprint necessary for sound and profitable short-term trading in a post-market meltdown economy. In this updated edition of the evergreen trading book, Williams shares his years of experience as a highly successful short-term trader, while highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of what can be a very fruitful yet potentially dangerous endeavor.