Ted Heller has 15 years of experience in technical and visual analysis of volatile financial markets with risk management techniques. He was educated in statistical and technical analysis of financial charts and has been teaching about stocks, bonds, commodities, and currencies for 10 years. He also offers specialized training on shorting stocks, leveraged indexes, and options with risk management.

What do you find most exciting about being a technical analyst?

The most exciting thing analyzing the financial markets is that it tells you what most fund managers are investing in, where the demand is, and when that changes. New trends in technology and healthcare are revealed in the stock charts and news, which is confirmed by the earnings of these companies. This desire for knowledge and opportunity is what drives all types of traders.

How important is it to perform technical versus fundamental analysis of securities?

Technical analysis is always the priority as it’s a picture of supply-and-demand, momentum, or strength of the price, whereas fundamental analysis is what should happen academically and logically based on textbook theory — it is the consensus and choice of the majority. However technical analysis is the reality of price. It is objective, unbiased, and the bottom line in performance

What are some factors to help mitigate risk in the market?

For advanced traders and fund managers, the use of derivatives, trailing stops, diversification, market timing, and buying quality indexes will work. This combined with inter market, technical, fundamental, statistical, and psychological analysis puts volatility under control. A proactive approach is required as opposed to a buy-and-hold tradition.