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Friday, December 4, 2009

Getting A Handle On ETF Trading Strategies

By Patrick Deaton

As an investment vehicle that can promise a consistent -- and sometimes exceptional -- rate of return on investment (ROI), exchange traded funds can really deliver. Getting a handle on ETF trading strategies will be necessary, though, before jumping into investing in ETF's in any meaningful way. There are a few things to know, first of all, about exchange traded funds.

In a way, an ETF is similar to a mutual fund in the way it is constituted and run by a fund manager. Usually, though, almost every exchange traded fund limits its membership to what are known as institutional investors. This means large investors capable of buying and selling big blocks of stocks known as creation units. There are ways, though, for small investors to get in on the action through a trading system.

Think of an ETF, also, as a corporate stock in how it is sold or traded and bought. This will give you a good idea of how ETFs can be tracked in a market. Additionally, it is even easier to do so because all ETFs track one of the major market indexes. For purposes of discussion, assume that a particular ETF will track the Standard & Poor's 500. This makes it very easy to follow trends.

There are more strategies out there that can probably be counted, though they usually fall into a couple of major categories; fundamental and technical. For those with the savvy, or patience, to sit down and learn technical strategies, the rewards can be quite lucrative. Most traders using technical indices believe they can discern patterns or shapes in a stock chart, basically.

For those with the ability to pick out shapes and patterns in market movements -- by analyzing a stock chart -- the possibility of good income is very real. These movements can signal upward and downward movement in markets that can be timed through technical analysis, with the correct buy and sell orders put in at the right times.

One of the most common technical trading strategies used by many traders is what is called a "moving average cross." Moving average crosses try to match up a short-term evolution in the price of the stock and superimpose that over a long-term trend in that same stock or market. By tracking a short-term up-and-down movement over-- to 25 days, it may be possible to establish a moving average line.

After that moving average line has been created, most traders will superimpose that over an analysis of the short-term movements in an attempt to discern the actual movement the price of the stock or stock held in the ETF will take once it crosses the moving average line. Long-term trendline analysis, which is the second element, takes a 50 day moving average, which can damp the short-term trend.

Employing this strategy, traders can look at trends in the long-term and develop the moving support line. Those who are skilled at this strategy can pick out the right time to buy a stock at the bottom of its upward climb or at the point when the stock has touched or lightly penetrated the 50 day average. One can also use it to sell the stock short in an effective manner. Money is usually made on the margins. - 23212

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