The importance of technical analysis in trading cannot be denied. Technical analysis depends on the price action in the market. Price action is purely driven by the mass psychology. But depending too much on technical analysis without going into the fundamentals that are driving the price action in the market can be short sighted. Good traders always understand the importance of fundamental analysis and how it drives the long term trends in the market. You need to combine technical analysis with fundamental analysis!
For example, heating oil demand tends to rise in the fall and winter. Now a novice trader will think that it is a good strategy to go long on heating oil futures December contract without thinking that professional traders are already aware of this seasonality in the heating oil futures and factored this fact into the December contract prices.
Always keep yourself informed of the economic report release calendar. These reports can sometimes have significant impact on the markets. Try to learn about the reports that can have a significant impact on the market you plan to trade. For example, as a currency trader, you should always know that NFP Report release can move the market at the time of its release significantly. If you are trading T-Bonds, don’t enter into a position before the release of the US Employment Report.
Always try to follow the media. Read the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times or the Bloomberg website regularly. This will give you a good idea of the fundamentals that are moving different markets. In case, you are trading agricultural commodities like coffee, cocoa, soybean etc., it may be difficult to find information on these websites. In such a case subscribe to a specialized newsletter that can keep you abreast of the changing fundamentals in these markets.
Always remember that markets are interrelated and often influence each other. What starts in one market may eventually spread to other markets. Remember the subprime mortgage crisis that started in 2006-07 and eventually spread to the stock market as well as other markets bringing down many big financial behemoths.
So never think in terms of only one market. Always think in terms of multiple markets. Crudeoil, US Dollar and gold can significantly impact other markets. Rising crude oil prices can increase inflation in the economy forcing the central banks to raise interest rates. Similarly, strong US Dollar can mean cheap foreign goods.
As a trader, you need to develop the practice of keeping a trading journal and developing your own checklist. In this trading journal, you should enter each trade. Try to analyse the market before entering that trade. After closing the trade, there should be a post analysis. In your checklist, always use multiple timeframe analysis. A trend might appear different on different timeframes. So you should check that the trend on the daily chart is in confirmity with the long term trend on the weekly as well as monthly charts.