FI

352: Technical Analysis of Securities

Martin Pring
Adjunct Professor
Ageno School of Business
GOLDEN GATE UNIVERSITY

Email: mjp@pring.com
Telephone: 941‐926‐9664

Brett Villaume, CMT, CAIA
Adjunct Professor
Ageno School of Business
GOLDEN GATE UNIVERSITY

Email: bvillaume@gmail.com
Telephone: 404‐644‐2990

Description: This course serves to introduce the student to the field of Technical Analysis through an
examination of basic concepts. The course material includes a broad overview of the subject, including
the discounting mechanism of markets, trend recognition, technical analysis tools and indicators, and the
business cycle. Moreover, the course content is designed to provide you with a thorough understanding
of Technical Analysis as it is commonly defined by trade organizations and industry professionals. A
working knowledge of the various methodologies used to decipher price patters will be taught, as well as
a cursory review of the more advanced approaches. The course is also intended to provide proficiency in
the Level 1 curriculum of the Chartered Market Technician examination offered by the Market
Technicians Association.

Objectives:

1. To sensitize the student to the underlying power and flow of Mass Psychology and the principles
underlying Technical Analysis.
2. To enable the student to recognize and comprehend a broad range of technical analysis concepts,
procedures and uses.
3. To develop within the student an elementary capacity to apply the theories and methods of
technical analysis to actual market situations.
4. To have the student begin to develop a repertoire of technical tools, concepts, and procedures
which are best suited to their particular investment/money management goals and their own
personality.
5. Prepare the student for Chartered Market Technicians (CMT) Examination Level 1.

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Materials:

Pring, Martin J.: Technical Analysis Explained, 5th Edition, McGraw Hill Book Company, New York,
NY, c. 2001, ISBN 0‐07‐138193‐7 (Required)

Kirkpatrick, Charles D. and Dahlquist, Julie R.: Technical Analysis: The Complete Resource for Financial
Market Technicians, 2nd Edition, Pearson Education, Inc., c. 2011, ISBN‐10: 0‐13‐705944‐2; ISBN‐13:
978‐0‐13‐705944‐7 (Optional)

Edwards, Robert D., Magee, John, and Bassetti, W.H.C., Technical Analysis of Stock Trends, 9th Edition,
CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, Boca Raton, Florida, c. 2007, ISBN 0‐8493‐3772‐0 (Optional)

Pruden, Hank: The Three Skills of Top Trading: Behavioral Systems Building, Pattern Recognition, and
Mental State Management, Wiley Trading, New York, NY, c. 2007, ISBN: 978‐0‐470‐05063‐7 (Optional)

Schedule:

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Course Requirements:

Classes include lectures and discussions and extensive use of visual aids. Stock market analysis rests
upon a series of logical and empirical principles: therefore, the student shall demonstrate a detailed
knowledge of text and lecture materials through quizzes and examinations. Market analysis requires
continual practice in decision making under uncertainty. Active participation in class discussion groups
is required. Although the class is taught entirely online, students are expected to show their involvement.
There will be plenty of opportunities to do so.

Course Procedure:

Each class session will commence with lecture material, including video lectures and online webinars, as
well as assigned textbook readings and supplementary handouts that will support that week’s session.
There will also be quizzes every other week that will be composed of ten objective questions based upon
the material assigned for the prior two sessions. Typically the assigned materials will be from the text or
from other various sources, including journal and magazine articles.

During the preceding week, the student is encouraged to read the assigned chapters in the text that
correspond to the following week’s lecture material. A list of assigned readings will be provided.

Due to the fact that there will be five quizzes given throughout the course, there will NOT be a mid‐term
exam. Instead, there will be a take‐home assignment for you to complete. The quizzes will be composed
of objective, definitional questions designed to test your knowledge of the subject material, entirely
multiple choice, and also likely to be found on the final examination. All quizzes are taken online and
scores will be made available through the website.

The final examination is scheduled for the last session of the course. Comprehensive of the entire subject
matter of the course, the final exam will be 30 questions in length. Students earning a grade of "B" or
better on the Final Examination and a grade of "B" or better for the entire course should be adequately
prepared to take the CMT Level 1 examination.

Grading Policy:

Your final grade will be based upon your performance in the following areas.

There will be an extra credit assignment given later in the course worth 5 points.