Gaps have attracted the attention of market technicians from the earliest days of charting. They're not merely conspicuous: they represent price jumps that could signal profitable trading opportunities. Until now, however, "folklore" about gap trading has been common, and tested, research-based knowledge virtually nonexistent. In Technical Analysis of Gaps, renowned technical analysis researchers Julie Dahlquist and Richard Bauer change all that. Drawing on 60 years of comprehensive data, they demonstrate how to sort "strategic" gaps from trivial ones, and successfully trade on gaps identified as significant. Building on work that recently earned them the Market Technicians Association's 2011 Charles H. Dow Award for creativity and innovation in technical analysis, Dahlquist and Bauer offer specific gap-related trading tips for stocks, futures, and options. They consider a wide variety of market conditions, including gap size, volume and previous price movement, illuminating their findings with easy-to-understand diagrams. Coverage includes: understanding what gaps are and how they arise; recognizing windows on candlestick charts; identifying gaps with superior profit potential; combining gaps with other technical techniques for a more complete and effective analysis; and putting it all together with real trading strategies. For stock, commodity, and currency traders in the U.S. and worldwide, and for active individual investors seeking new ways to maximize returns.

Julie R. Dahlquist, Ph.D., CMT is a senior lecturer, Department of Finance, at the University of Texas at San Antonio College of Business. She is the recipient of the 2011 Charles H. Dow Award for excellence and creativity in technical analysis. She is the coauthor (with Charles Kirkpatrick) of Technical Analysis: The Complete Resource for Financial Market Technicians and coauthor (with Richard Bauer) of Technical Market Indicators: Analysis and Performance. Her research has appeared in a number of publications, including Financial Analysts Journal, Journal of Technical Analysis, Active Trader, Working Money, Managerial Finance, Financial Practices and Education, and the Journal of Financial Education. She serves on the board of the Market Technicians Association Educational Foundation and is a frequent presenter at national and international conferences. She earned her B.B.A. and Ph.D. in economics from University of Louisiana at Monroe and Texas A&M, respectively, and her M.A. in Theology from St. Mary’s University.

 

Richard J. Bauer, Jr., Ph.D., CFA, CMT is Professor of Finance at the Bill Greehey School of Business at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas. His degrees include a B.S. in Physics, M.S. in Physics, M.S. in Economics, and a Ph.D. in Finance. He is the author of Genetic Algorithms and Investment Strategies and Technical Market Indicators (with J. Dahlquist), both published by John Wiley and Sons. He is the recipient of the 2011 Charles H. Dow Award for excellence and creativity in technical analysis. His research has appeared in a number of publications, including Financial Analysts Journal¸ Journal of Business Research, Managerial Finance, and Korean Financial Management Journal. He became a CFA charterholder in 1990 and a CMT charterholder in 2010. He is a past president of the CFA Society of San Antonio.