About

About Art’s Charts:

Art’s Charts features four analysis areas. First, an SPY Commentary is published every trading day, usually by 7AM ET. The daily focus is on the short-term trading environment for the broader market. The S&P 500 ETF (SPY) is used as the main instrument for analysis. Daily market commentary also includes regular updates on short-term breadth, the Dollar and interest rates (bonds). Keep in mind that this is strictly short-term oriented (1-4 weeks).

Second, Charts of Interest are posted on Tuesday and Thursdays. These are charts, usually individual stocks, with characteristics that might be of interest to traders. After scanning and scrolling, I select 5 to 10 charts that have interesting patterns or setups based on technical analysis. These include classic chart patterns, support tests, support/resistance breaks, reversals, retracements, high volume moves and candlestick patterns. These are not recommendations, but rather food for thought. Users should perform their own due diligence and draw their own conclusions.

Third, an Indicator Summary is posted every Friday, except holidays. This provides a run down of various market indicators. A bullish, bearish or neutral rating is applied to each indicator. Keep in mind that this rating is subjective and based on my interpretation of the indicators. Yours may be different! For example, the AD Line is considered bullish when in an uptrend and an uptrend is defined as higher highs and higher lows. After rating each of these indicator groups, I then assign +1 for bullish, -1 for bearish and 0 for neutral. The sum of these ratings is designed to provide an assessment of current market conditions. Positive readings suggest a bullish environment. Negative readings suggest a bearish environment. In contrast to the daily SPY updates, this summary is more medium-term oriented (1 to 4 months). It is not designed to pick tops or bottoms. Instead, it is simply an assessment of current market conditions, which of course are subject to change.

Fourth, a series of Breadth Charts and Inter-market Charts are updated every Friday. Links to these pages can be found on the right side navigation bar. These pages feature annotated charts. A link for each chart is provided just above the chart. Users can click on these links to see the chart settings and save them to their favorites list.

These commentaries and charts-of-interest are designed to stimulate thinking. This analysis is not a recommendation to buy, sell, hold or sell short any security (stock, ETF or otherwise). We all need to think for ourselves when it comes to our own accounts. First, it is the only way to really learn. Second, we are the only ones responsible for our decisions. Think of these charts as food for further analysis. Before making a trade or investment, it is important to have a plan. Plan the trade and trade the plan. Among other things, this includes setting a trigger level, a profit target area and a stop-loss level. It is also important to plan for three possible price movements: advance, decline or sideways. Have a plan for all three scenarios BEFORE making the trade.

About Arthur Hill:

Arthur Hill has over 25 years experience as a technical analyst, trader and educator. His first experience with technical analysis was drawn from the bear market of the early 80s and subsequent low in August 1982. As an educator, Arthur taught the diploma course for the Society of Technical Analysts in London. He also penned many articles in the Chart School at Stockcharts.com, which is recognized as a leader in online technical analysis education. He has published articles in various trade journals, including Stocks & Commodities Magazine and Traders.com. As an analyst, Arthur covered the financial markets with analysis at TDTrader.com from 1997 until 2009. Arthur joined StockCharts.com full time in 2009 and also writes the Market Message with John Murphy. Video analysis is also provided in the Market Message. 

Arthur received his bachelor of arts in Russian studies and political science from the University of Houston. After a stint working in Russia and the former Soviet Union, Arthur attended City University Business School in London and received a MBA with a specialization in Finance. While in London, he was a member of the Society of Technical Analysts and passed their diploma exam with distinction. Arthur is also a Chartered Financial Technician (CFTe) as recognized by the International Federation of Technical Analysts (IFTA).