Point & Figure Charting - Book Review

Point & Figure Charting: The Essential Application for Forecasting and Tracking Market Prices (Wiley Trading)




What Is It About?


This book covers the Point and Figure method of stock charting. Based on the theory that stock prices are simply a reflection of supply and demand the book explains to the reader what Point and Figure charting is and how to utilize Point and Figure Charts. Easy to understand explanations and the included CD with tutorial provide the reader with an easy to grasp understanding of the subject.


What Did I Get Out Of It As A New Investor?

The subject of stock charting is anathema to many investors. I am of the opinion that stock charting, like every mode of investing, has its place and value to each individual. Point and Figure charting may be the best example of stock charting for the new investor. Straight forward without many complicated patterns to learn and study, Point and Figure charting simply seeks to divine supply and demand with respect to the stock, ETF, or mutual fund studied. Coupled with fundamental analysis, Point and Figure charting may provide the investor with an additional tool in making investing and trading decisions. This book does a fine job of explaining how.


The Good News

For the new investor and trader looking to explore stock charting this book and the method it covers provides a simple straight forward explanation on how to do so.


The Bad News

Those who reject the idea of stock charts as a useful process will not find much value here.


The Bottom Line

Stock charting exists. New investors and traders are a curious lot. This book helps such individuals determine whether stock charting appeals to them as a useful tool or is nothing more than a distraction.


Other Related Reading:

The 15 Most Important Investing Blogs For New Investors or Traders

As I mentioned in my last post I had a good year and have done well in my first two years investing. While it may be luck I would like to think that at least part of my success the past two yeas is due to skill. Not my own of course but rather the skills I have appropriated from reading various blogs.

In what has become a semi-annual feature I like to recognize the blogs that I feel have contributed most to my education as an investor and trader. At the end of my first year I posted on the top five blogs I read my first year investing. I followed up with an another top five blogs for the first half of 2007. To recap the first ten are:

1. Gannon On Investing

One of the few bloggers I would actually pay to read.

2. Nodoodahs Investing

Smartest blogger I read.

3. Capital Markets & Social Equity

Best all around site to learn about every aspect of investing.

4. Trader Mike

Short term, long term, chart analysis, book reviews, educational links, reviews of trading tools; you name it Mike seems to provide it.

5. Howard Lindzon: Trends - Find Them, Ride Them, and Get Off

Part Groucho Marx and J.P. Morgan, Howard Lindzon does a great job of discussing, with humor, the underlying businesses represented by stocks.

6. Traderfeed

Read this site and you just may unleash the inner power of your mind to increase market performance while at the same time controlling the destructive mental tendencies we all have that decrease investing performance.

7. Daily Options Report

Great resource for an investor or trader looking to utilize options as a means to enhance market performance.

8. Maoxian

Think of him as the Bo Jackson of blogging. Can do it all and do it well. Insightful market commentary on all time frames and every style of investing and trading.

9. Cheap Stocks

Perhaps the best blog to read on applying the teachings of Benjamin Graham.

10. Abnormal Returns

Provides a comprehensive review, with links, to some of the best investment and economic related posts on the Internet.

Adding to the above ten are the following five blogs that I have found worthwhile reading during the second half of 2007:

11. Chris Perruna's Successful Education Through Investing

Great site that mixes different styles of investing and trading. One of the best things about this blog is that the blog does a good job of explaining why and how to have buy and sell discipline in selecting stocks.

12. Fat Pitch Financials

Great resource for the new value investor looking to learn more about value investing and how it is practiced.

13. Covered Call Writer Blog

The blog is a trading journal of an individual who has a system for writing covered calls. The blog details that system as well as the trades made using the aforementioned system. Good starting point for those interested in options.

14. Reflections on Value Investing

Best site that provides links to the best articles, blog posts, and resources for the value investor.

15. Rising Dividend Investing

Solid site that provides worthwhile market insight from a professional money management firm.

While I read a lot of great blogs, the above fifteen are those that I feel have done the most to advance my understanding of investing and trading.

Value Blog Review Year End Results 2008

As long time readers of this blog will remember my first year of investing in 2006 resulted in a 19.62% return. 2007 was my second full year investing and I am quite pleased that I was able to achieve a return for the year of 29.75%.

While I am obviously pleased with the absolute return, I am obviously satisfied with the relative return when compared to the various indexes, i.e., DOW, S&P, etc. Moreover, I have also achieved my stated goal from a relative point of view by earning a greater return than the risk free rate on what I would earn paying off my mortgage.

Overall my first two years have produced an annualized return of 26.82%. While I hope, and will try, to continue this blistering pace for the next 25 years, my expectation is that it won't. That is because two good years could be entirely the result of good fortune as opposed to any skill on my part. With that said, for those interested, in my next couple of posts I will discuss those things that I believe contributed to my success.