Get a Head Start on Your Technical Analysis Education with the Best Books.

The best books for technical analysis.

In this fifth in my series of Intro to Technical Analysis articles I am going to talk about some of the books that I have found invaluable. These are the type of books that you will refer to over and over again throughout the years, and each time glean some deeper understanding of technical analysis.

They are presented in no particular order and for the readers convenience I have linked each title to Amazon, though I receive no compensation or benefit from doing so.

Technical Analysis Using Multiple Timeframes: Full disclosure right off the bat, the author, Brian Shannon is a friend of mine — but even if he was my mortal enemy I would still recommend his book as it is that good.

Brian talks at length about the Four Stages of a stock’s life — Accumulation, Markup, Distribution, and Decline as well as discussing how to use multiple timeframes to trade effectively.

Trading Options: Using Technical Analysis to Design Winning Trades: Okay, I admit it, Greg Harmon is a friend as well, but this may be one of the most comprehensive and well written books on how to use options in conjunction with technical analysis. This is also the only options book that I recommend to pure stock traders as a must read. I did a more in-depth review of this book here.

The Trading Book: A Complete Solution to Mastering Technical Systems and Trading Psychology: Anne-Marie Baiynd, the author of this book is — yes, you guessed it — also a friend of mine. Nonetheless, her book expertly covers a wide range of technical analysis concepts and all in a very easy to read and relatable way.

A nice aspect of this book is that it has a companion course where you can test yourself to see how well you have absorbed the material.

Side Note: While it might seems as if I am name dropping when I tell you certain authors are my friends, what I am in fact doing is telling you that I have personal and first hand knowledge of these authors and their expertise in the area of technical analysis.

Far from being ivory tower traders, these author/friends are in the trenches every day, practicing what they preach, and making a living using technical analysis.

The StockTwits Edge: 40 Actionable Trade Set-Ups from Real Market Pros: Though I would be loath to admit it in public, Howard Linzon, the CEO and Co-Founder of StockTwits, is a friend of mine as well. In addition to creating the only fully currated trading and investing social community he has put together one hell of a book in the StockTwits Edge.

Each chapter is chock full of investing and trading advice from some of the best market participants out there today, about 75% of whom use technical analysis as their exclusive methodology.

Japanese Candlestick Charting Techniques, Second Edition: Finally, an author I don’t know personally. In fact I don’t even know what Steve Nison looks like, but I do know that there has never been a more definitive book written about candlestick charting, the de facto charting style used by most technical based traders and investors.

Steve goes into great depth on the various types of candlestick patterns, the mechanics behind them, when to use them, as well as their reliability. The bible for candlestick charting.

These are just a sample of the great books out there that will help you to learn and perfect your technical analysis. For an even more comprehensive list check out 20 Books That Every Trader Should Know About on my personal blog, The bclund blog.

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