"What is the Wave Principle?
The Wave Principle is a detailed description of how groups of people
behave. It reveals that mass psychology swings from pessimism to
optimism and back in a natural sequence, creating specific and
measurable patterns.
One of the easiest places to see this phenomenon at work is in the
financial markets, where changing investor psychology is recorded
in the form of price movements. If you can identify repeating
patterns in prices, and figure out where in those repeating patterns
we are today, then you can predict where we are going in the future.
The Elliott Wave Principle is named for its discoverer,
Ralph Nelson Elliott. Mr. Elliott completed the bulk of his work
on the Principle in the 1930s and 1940s.
" ... With proper study, and a good trading plan, you will know
very quickly how correct your wave count is, and be able to adjust
your position to maximize your trading rewards.
How will it help me invest?
Using Elliott waves is an exercise in probability. An Elliottician is
someone who is able to identify the market structure and anticipate the
most likely next move based on our position within the structure. By
knowing the wave patterns, you’ll know what the market is likely to do
next and (sometimes most importantly) what it will not do next. By
using the Wave Principle, you can be sure of the highest probable moves
with the least risk.
Applying Elliott Wave Theory Profitably
by Steven W. Poser (Author)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0471420077/ref=sip_pdp_dp_0/102-0153392-0068935
Conclusion :
Elliott wave theory is a common type of technical analysis used by investors.
Technical analysis involves searching for predictable and recurring trends in
stock prices; being able to predict a stock trend would lead to profits. Other
commonly used methods of technical analysis are the Dow Theory and Kondratieff waves.
The basic idea behind Elliott waves is that stock prices can be described by a
series of long-term and short-term cycles. Ralph Nelson Elliott contended in the
1930s that the sociological behavior of investors could be used to model stock
prices. Each pattern consists of 8 total waves (5 'impulse' waves which move with
the general trend and 3 'corrective' waves which move against the general trend).
Within each of these waves lies another set of 8 waves (again, 5 impulsive,
3 corrective). Within these smaller waves lies another set of 8 waves
(kind of miniature versions of the larger set). Basically, the waves are superimposed
on top of each other, following a Fibonacci sequence. For most analysts, the smallest
waves are of little importance (since they generally do not affect price as much),
so the focus becomes identifying the larger waves (which have the
names Grand Supercycle, Supercycle, etc).
The practical goal of wave theory (or any financial theory) is to make money.
No matter if you believe in efficient markets, chart analysis or waves, the idea
is the same: buy low and sell high. Elliott Wave analysis tries to identify market
lows (for buying) and highs (for selling).
Here's my two cents (take this with a caveat since I am from the bastion of
efficient markets & Counter-Trend). If wave theory was indeed correct,
why isn't everyone doing it? and why isn't everyone exploiting these patterns
(are we all stupid or irrational?) Additionally, hindsight is 20-20:
it's difficult to predict when the next wave will occur (this is where money is made),
but easy to spot a wave after it has happened.
EW & Fractals:
http://www.lbma.org.uk/publications/alchemist/alch40_elliott.pdf"