Cloud Charts : Trading Successful with the Ichimoku Technique by David Linton

Cloud Charts : Trading Successful with the Ichimoku Technique by David Linton

David Linton, the author of Cloud Charts, had his interest in Ichimoku charts `sparked' during a presentation by Rick Bensignor at the 2004 IFTA conference in Madrid. David had heard of the method prior to the conference but credits Rick with presenting it in an `understable' way. David set out on a quest for Ichimoku knowledge. He researched the internet, questioned Japanese delegates at subsequent IFTA conferences, sought out Rick Bensignor at conferences and meetings and even flew to Tokyo. The fruit of that quest is the book, Cloud Charts.

The Ichimoku method is now fast becoming popular in Western trading rooms and is available on almost all technical analysis software. David must take some credit for turning what seemed to be an exotic and complicated method into an easily understandable and robust trading and analysis tool for non-Japanese speaking technical analysts.

So, what is Ichimoku? The full name of the method is Ichimoku Kinko Hyo which means 'at one glance balance bar chart'. Ichimoku charts were devised by Goichi Hosoda , a Tokyo journalist, who believed that once the method was fully understood, one could comprehend the exact state of a market at a glance. Most of the Ichimoku indicators represent equilibrium in one time frame or another and price action is generally analysed with regard to whether the market is in equilibrium, moving away from it or reverting back to it. By their nature, the various indicators also offer dynamic areas of support or resistance.

Cloud Charts is divided into three parts. The first is for the novice technical analyst and is designed to give them an understanding of many basic technical analysis concepts involved with not only Ichimoku analysis but also traditional techniques. More experienced technical analysts may wish to skip this part.

Part two introduces the reader to the basic indicators used in Ichimoku charts (David calls them cloud charts). This section deals with the derivation and interpretation of:
1. The Turning Line (also called the Conversion Line)
2. The Standard Line ( also called the Base Line)
3. The Cloud Span A ( also called the Cloud Span 1)
4. The Cloud Span B (also called the Cloud Span 2)
5. The Lagging Line ( also called the Lagging Span)

Part two offers a guide to applying Ichimoku charts in a multiple time frame sense, as well as the often overlooked Wave Principle, Price Targets and Time Span Principle. However, the application of Ichimoku charts to price and time projection is very subjective and for that reason alone the projections are quite often not utilised by even experienced analysts.

Looking at an Ichimoku chart, it's no surprise that analysts are sometimes turned off by the busyness of the chart. It can look like chaos to the uninitiated but the key to getting past that is understanding the formula to each indicator, how they combine with each other, how they represent a consensus of price action in different time frames and colour-coding. In part two David explains construction and interpretation of the charts in a manner that is easy for any newcomer to technical analysis let alone a professional on a trading desk.

Part three, is where we are encouraged to think outside of the box. Here, the use of Ichimoku charts are combined with other technical analysis techniques, alternative time inputs into the indicators are suggested and the application to market breadth analysis is considered. There is also a chapter on back testing for the quantitative traders to consume.

Overall, this book, in an easily read manner, brings together the body of knowledge of a Japanese technical analysis method which was once thought of as exotic and over-complicated. It has potential to become the definitive English language text on the Ichimoku Kinko Hyo technical analysis method.