Technical Analysis: Modern Perspectives (CFA Institute Research Foundation Literature Reviews)

Supply and demand are cornerstones of economics and the interaction of these forces is believed to explain price changes in all freely traded markets. Scarcity tends to result in increased prices and abundance generally leads to lower prices. In financial markets, technical analysis provides a framework for informing investment management decisions by applying a supply and demand methodology to market prices. Technical analysts employ a disciplined, systematic approach that seeks to minimize the impact of behavioral biases and emotions that could adversely affect investment performance. Analysts employ ratio analysis, comparative analysis and other techniques that are similar to the tools developed to analyze financial statements.