- This article, written by Alan Collins is taken from the FX Trader Magazine (JAN/MARCH 2013 issue).
The Relative Strength Indicator, created by Welles Wilder, has long been used by many market participants in their analysis. For the most part this application has been applied via daily charts, or longer periods, primarily as a means to identify trend. But there are a number of methods that RSI can be used for;
- As a measure of an overbought/oversold situation.
- An indicator of the underlying trend & of trend breaks.
- A buy/sell signal when the 50% line is crossed.
- An indicator of possible Divergence
For the investor or proprietary trader these methods are without doubt tools that, taken in context with other technical indicators, will prove useful. But do they work, and can they be successfully employed, in shorter intraday time frames? In this article I will use the same hourly GBPUSD chart, and the same 8 period RSI, and apply the four methods above to illustrate how to use them and assess whether they’re likely to be beneficial. Lastly I’ll add a lesser known but powerful number of other situations were only warnings of what turns out to be minor profit taking rallies inside the more pronounced trend.
Editors’ Picks
EUR/USD refocuses on 1.1000 amid tariffs jitters
EUR/USD reversed two daily pullbacks in a row an d managed to advance to the boundaries of the 1.1000 barrier on the back of fresh weakness hurting the US Dollar and persistent tariff fears.
GBP/USD challenges daily tops around 1.2800
GBP/USD maintains its renewed bullish stance on Tuesday, trading at shouting distance from the key resistance at 1.2800 the figure on the back of the marked losses in the Greenback.
USD/JPY keeps the red near 147.50 amid renewed US Dollar downside
USD/JPY is battling 147.50 in Tuesday's Asian session, returning to the red zone. A recovery in risk sentiment along with receding bets that the BoJ would raise the policy rate at a faster pace underpin the pair. However, resurgent US Dollar supply acts as a headwind to the USD/JPY turnaround.
Editors’ Picks
AUD/USD weighed down by China, tariffs
AUD/USD remained on the back foot, slipping back to the area of multi-year lows around 0.5950 on the back of mounting fears surrounding tariffs and their impact on the Chinese economy.
EUR/USD refocuses on 1.1000 amid tariffs jitters
EUR/USD reversed two daily pullbacks in a row an d managed to advance to the boundaries of the 1.1000 barrier on the back of fresh weakness hurting the US Dollar and persistent tariff fears.
Gold erases gains, back to the $2,980 zone
Gold prices now lose extra ground and slip back to the area of daily troughs near $2,980 mark per troy ounce following an unsuccesful attempt to maintain the trade above the critical $3,000 level earlier in the day.
RBNZ set for another interest rate cut amid trade tariff uncertainty
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand is on track to deliver a 25 basis point cut to the Official Cash Rate, bringing down the key policy rate from 3.75% to 3.50% following its April monetary policy meeting on Wednesday.
The Fed is looking at a hefty price level
We are still in thrall to tariffs, the faux-macro “data” driving markets. The WSJ editorial board advised other countries to take their tariffs to zero so that Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs will have to be zero, too. Cute, but no cigar.
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