Mapping the Markets

Book excerpt: The global financial markets turn over billions of dollars daily. An array of different instruments is available to trade in these markets, ranging from simple stocks and shares to exotic creatures such as butterfly spreads. Participation at any level involves taking a view as to which way the market in question will move. There are essentially only two methods for analysing the future direction of the markets in equities, currencies, interest rates or commodities: one involves fundamental analysis, the other technical analysis. The two camps of investment analysts are separated by a wide gulf of distrust and suspicion. This book seeks to bridge the gap between the two disciplines and show how you can benefit from both, highlighting: • The tools you can use for mapping the markets—to understand what causes shifts in the trend and underlying forces that affect the economy and therefore the financial markets • The long-term cyclical drivers—how economic change is triggered by technological change, and the technological changes that will drive the markets in the future • Downward phases of the cycle—and the factors that cause them • The markets and sectors that will prosper in the future. As the world of investment gets ever more complicated and faster, Mapping the Markets will provide an invaluable route to improving your chances of investment success and avoiding investment distress, whether you are a long-term investor or a short-term trader.