This year, it was preceded by a special signing ceremony cementing our new industry collaboration with ACI UK and a talk by Murray Gunn MSTA, Elliott Wave International. Click below to see gallery.

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Technical analysis has proven to be an invaluable method for trading or investing. But is it more than that? Rather than searching for new ways to slice and dice price into ever more complex indicators, should our focus not be on promoting the theoretical underpinnings of technical analysis to the wider investment community? Murray will explore the history of technical analysis and uncover why conventional, “fundamental” analysis actually followed it. He will highlight how the developing social science of Socionomics was born out of technical analysis and why it deserves to be front and centre in the debate over rethinking macroeconomics. Murray will bring it all together with a look at current market charts and forecasts.

Kevin will look to demonstrate what it is he looks for when placing a trade. This includes market entry point, stop and target calculations. There are only 4 trades that are ever placed. In addition, this will include the frustrations experienced by the format that traditional charting packages use. This is always a series of open, high, low and closing price data, traditionally bar charts and or candlesticks.

Kevin has a view that many aspects of Technical Analysis remain in their “infancy”. Market movement understanding is not common. Kevin is also of the belief that markets do not reflect “mass psychology”. That markets are mathematical, not psychological.

Kevin has the viewpoint that the format that price data is viewed in is simply incorrect. Data becomes a by-product of your chosen time frame. Time frame does not change market position. Time would need to align to your chosen time frame to be relevant, which it does not.

Determine which market is leading and how to examine it. How to define and handle timing differences in revolving markets. Understand how European markets are positioned relative to global indexes for timing and price projection. This presentation covers many different methods but in a tight package for the purpose of building intermarket relationships to improve probability and timing.

In this talk, leading trader performance coach Steven Goldstein shares powerful insights from almost a decade of coaching traders, portfolio managers and asset managers inside leading investment banks, hedge funds, commodity & energy trading businesses, asset management firms and private traders.

The talk will focus mostly on matters related to performance and behaviour, but will also veer into practical aspects of working in financial markets.

Richard will discuss how he overcomes the problem of markets continuing trends, even though traditional momentum tools suggest overbought or oversold conditions. He will also highlight an approach he has developed within G10 FX, using a number of indicators to establish ‘technical relative value’ of each individual currency and what this means for G10 crosses.

The meeting will take place at our new meetings venue – One Moorgate Place, Chartered Accountants Hall, 1 Moorgate Place, London, EC2R 6EA. Click here for a map.

As is traditional, we start the 2019 speaker programme with a Market Outlook panel for the year.
Chaired by Tom Hicks MSTA, panellists include Avramis Despotis, Robin Griffiths and Clement Thibault.

The STA Christmas Party will be preceded by the STA AGM. Only Full members may vote at the AGM, though all members welcome. AGM papers will be sent to all members nearer the time.

November’s meeting will be a special MiFID II Panel.

On Thursday 11 October, we are delighted that our guest speaker will be Dr Van Tharp. Please note that the event is taking place at One America Square rather than the usual CISI offices, and that it is being held on a THURSDAY rather than the usual Tuesday.

Jointly organised with the Chartered Alterntive Investment Analyst (CAIA) Association, come join our exclusive live interview about “Trading Beyond the Matrix” with the world’s top trading pschologist, Dr Tharp.  Key topics include Dr Tharp’s ‘road to transformation’ and what he learned from modelling over 5,000 traders and investors.

The interview will be hosted by Ron William who serves as board member to the International Federation of Technical Analysts (IFTA).

All too often a Technician’s first foray into being quantitative is performing a back test. Statistically, this is one of the worst places to start a quantitative process. A back test that is performed too early is based on many false assumptions and compounds many errors into the process. The result is that the back test returns are rarely repeatable in real life. In this presentation, Mathew will be explaining what these errors are, how we can avoid them (regardless of what tools you use), and reveal a new Monte Carlo method he developed which allows us to review a valid p-score for our models no matter if they are long term trend following or short term mean reversion strategies. Mathew will go on to explain how as Technicians there is a process that we can follow to rigorously test quantitative ideas.

For any Analyst who wants to research new ideas, or be able to present ideas that can stand up to rigorous quantitative scrutiny, this presentation will help you to see that not only is a quantitative approach is achievable, but as Technical Analysts, we are in the best position to drive advanced quantitative models.

The July meeting will see STA Fellow, Tony Plummer FSTA, talk on his new book The Life Cycle Hypothesis, which builds on the findings of Tony’s previous book, The Law of Vibration.

In 2007, the Chairwoman of Qantas, Mrs Margaret Jackson, was supportive of a takeover bid for Qantas at $5.45 per share. With acceptances of the offer waning, Mrs Jackson told the Australian Financial Review regarding the impending withdrawal of the bid, “If anyone thinks this will happen without affecting the (share) price then they have a mental problem with how the market works.” She received sharp criticism for her comments, especially from the mental health community. In addition, she was accused of underestimating the abilities of the shareholder, many of which were retail investors, to make a rational decision. By late 2013, Qantas (QAN) shares hit a record low of 96 cents.

Had Mrs Jackson suggested that those shareholders who failed to accept the takeover offer were subject to several cognitive biases including the Status Quo Bias, and the Endowment Effect, she may have escaped the criticism, even if few people understood what she was referring to.

Sadly, the term “Mental” has been hijacked in popular parlance to represent a slur on a person’s character, and is short for mentally ill. However, its original meaning refers to things of the mind, specifically intellectual (cognitive) and emotional.

During this session, Paul will demonstrate that all aspects of trading can be affected by cognitive biases in two key parts.

• How we trade; including mechanical versus discretionary trading, decision making and risk management.
• Why and what markets we trade, which trading platform / software we use, which instruments we trade with, which broker we use, and our approach to financial education and training.

Key to the presentation will be an attempt to model the cognitive biases together to demonstrate those we are susceptible to at each stage of the trade, rather than viewing them as distinct phenomenon as is typically the case.

Of course, options trading will be a key part of the discussion. Paul will suggest that the first trade any new trader should make is a long call.

Paul will demonstrate to the audience that trading is completely mental! Be prepared for a fun, interactive and informative session.