In normal market conditions, traders expect indicators to move in line with price movements. However, there are specific conditions where indicators actually move in the opposite direction to market prices. Contrarian traders leverage this phenomenon as a filter to sift through market noise and counteract majority sentiment. Before opening trading positions, traders typically conduct analyses using various indicators on charts with the aim of obtaining signals for the direction of price movements. Generally, these indicators will follow the direction of price movements. However, there are situations where indicators move opposite to current prices.
Divergence, an Effective Filter to Sift Through Price Volatility
Indicators are generally designed to reflect price movements, so they should ideally move in tandem with prices. However, in some cases, indicators do not always follow price movements accurately. For example, when prices rise sharply, indicators may only move sideways or even decline slowly. This occurs because indicators, especially Leading Indicators like RSI, MACD, and Stochastic, have the ability to project price movements. Leading Indicators can identify overbought and oversold points, which can be used to determine resistance and support levels.
The Importance of Divergence in Trading
Divergence is closely related to unique trading signals. Contrarian traders use Divergence as a tool to counteract the majority market sentiment. For instance, when prices break resistance and the majority of traders tend to be bullish, a Contrarian trader might observe Divergence in MACD or RSI indicators. This indicates that bullish sentiment has lost momentum, and the Contrarian trader can place short (sell) positions to anticipate price reversals. Similarly, when the majority sentiment is bearish, but there are Divergence signals indicating potential price reversals, Contrarian traders can place long (buy) positions to capitalize on these reversals.
By understanding the concept of Divergence, Contrarian traders can use this signal as a filter to sift through market noise and identify trading opportunities that go against majority sentiment. Although prices may be influenced by market sentiment, ultimately, prices will return to their intrinsic value as indicated by Divergence in indicators. This allows Contrarian traders to capitalize on trading opportunities arising from unexpected price reversals.