Technical Analysis

Research Guide

Technical Analysis Educational Foundation (TAEF)

The Technical Analysis Educational Foundation (TAEF) was established in 1993 as a non-profit organization, by the Market Technicians Association.

The original mission of the TAEF was to create and fund educational programs in the field of Technical Analysis. Throughout the years, this mission has expanded to include the creation and support of a complete Technical Analysis curriculum that is now being taught in colleges and universities for college credit. According to its website, the TAEF “unites industry experts from around the globe to develop comprehensive lectures, course outlines, and study materials designed for students new to technical analysis.”

Technical Analysis vs Fundamental Analysis

A fundamental analyst looks at the assets, profits, and the business trends of a company and derives an estimate of fair value for the stock. If the stock price is lower than this expected value, the stock should be bought. If the stock is trading higher than what the fundamental analyst believes it to be worth, the stock should either not be bought or sold. The problem with focusing only on valuations is that overvalued stocks can get more over-valued and undervalued stocks can stay undervalued.

Very often, technical analysts will skip analyzing the company's prospects and values and assume that the market is doing that for them because the stock price reflects everything already publicly known and expected about the company and its prospects. Technical analysis, instead, seeks to forecast future prices of investments and markets by analyzing past trading action.

In general, a technician believes that people have predictable mental short cuts of reacting to action in the markets (known as heuristics in cognitive psychology). Technicians seek to profit by anticipating the mass psychological biases of buyers and sellers in a broad range of markets.

Source: CMT Association

The TAEF collection at Newman Library, Baruch College

The Technical Analysis Educational Foundation, Inc. (TAEF) has placed its research collection on long-term loan in the Newman Library of Baruch College.  The collection includes nearly 5,000 publications that constitute a significant portion of the body of knowledge of technical analysis, which considers the empirical information derived from the activities of buyers and sellers in an open auction market. The holdings consist of books, historical texts, journals, investment advisory letters, recordings, electronic and digital media, chart books, and photographs. The collection continues to grow through new acquisitions and donations. 

Through its partnership with Baruch College, the TAEF is able to make this collection available to a diverse community of users. The collection will benefit both professionals and new entrants to technical analysis.  In addition to supporting instruction and research at Baruch College, many of the books are available to other institutions through interlibrary loan.  Items published prior to 1930, advisory letters, journals, newspapers, pictures, sound recordings, and unbound books cannot be borrowed, but may be consulted on site in the Newman Library by appointment.

The TAEF collection includes books by the earliest generation of analysts and writers in this country who formulated and expanded the field of technical analysis – William Peter Hamilton and Robert Rhea of Dow Theory; Richard W. Schabacker on the principles of charting; Humphrey B. Neill on contrarian opinion; Harold M. Gartley, a leading stock market analyst of the 1930s; Alexander H. Wheelan on point and figure charting; and William D. Gann, Ralph Nelson Elliott, and Richard D. Wyckoff, who created technical theories that remain in use today. A large number of the Dow Theory letters of the late Richard Russell are part of the collection.  The books of leading modern technicians such as Gerald B. Appel, Constance M. Brown, Alexander Elder, Humphrey E. D. Lloyd, Gregory L. Morris, John J. Murphy, Martin J. Pring, Robert R. Prechter, Victor Sperandeo, and Martin E. Zweig are included. These materials set forth the principles and theories of technical analysis that are of value to both professional investment managers and new members of the field.

The TAEF collection also contains possibly the finest collection of books and writings dealing with the cyclicality of financial markets, physical sciences, human cultural activities, weather, biological rhythms, planetary activity, and natural phenomena. These publications present the findings of extensive research going back decades. The materials were originally compiled by the Foundation for the Study of Cycles established in 1941 and are currently owned by the CMT (Chartered Market Technician) Association.

Additional information is posted on the TAEF collection website ( http://taeducation.org/about/library ).

What is in the TAEF collection?

You can search for books and other materials in the TAEF collection online through the Baruch Library website. Simply go to the cursor at the Search field to begin: TAEF Collection at Newman Library.

 

How do I arrange a visit to the Newman Library at Baruch College?

The TAEF collection is housed in a secure room, separated from the rest of the Newman Library collection, so an appointment is needed to browse the collection. An appointment can be made by contacting the Interlibrary Loan office at illbb@baruch.cuny.edu, in advance.

However, it is best to arrange a visit during normal business hours, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday as Baruch Security has to be notified and a staff member is required for physical access to the library.

Can I Borrow a Book?

Many of the books in the TAEFcollection are available for checkout by members of the Baruch community, academics at universities who participate in the Interlibrary Loan program, and CMT Association members.  However, items published prior to 1930, advisory letters, journals, newspapers, pictures, sound recordings, and unbound books may not be borrowed from the library. A publication may not be eligible for borrowing depending on its replacement value and uniqueness. Special requests will be considered.

How do I borrow a book?

Academics should go through the interlibrary loan process at their home university to borrow items from the TAEF library collection.  CMT Association members may borrow books for six weeks, with one renewal, by notifying the CMT Association office, which will make the arrangements with Baruch. Shipping costs outside the US are very high and it is most likely more cost effective for you to obtain the book directly from a local bookstore, Amazon or a local library.

The books will be shipped by UPS; members are expected to pay for shipping. 

Contact the CMT Association office at 646-652-3300 with any questions.

What is Technical Analysis?

Technical analysis is a method of evaluating securities by analyzing statistics generated by market activity. If you have ever bought a stock, bond, or mutual fund only to watch it go down and then vowed to sell it once you "broke even," you might benefit from learning more about how technical analysts evaluate the markets.

A technician looks to take the emotion out of investing by applying rules that usually apply to almost every investment that fluctuates in price in a free market.

Source: CMT Association

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