it’s been a challenging market this year, and making trading decisions has never been easy. Which direction the market is likely to move plays a huge part in stock trading decisions.
The Expert Rating system on the market with its combination of 400 rules on the Dow 30 index and the NYSE internals has always provided us an early indication of direction changes.
No system is infallible, and when the Expert System on the market was created, we noticed that ratings of 95 or higher to the upside or downside (maximum rating is 100 btw) were significant. We also noticed a marked improvement in the accuracy of the ratings if we used a confirmation technique with a momentum indicator.
After much research, we discovered that the Phase Indicator (a version of a MACD histogram) was the most accurate tool to confirm high ratings.
*** Here’s how we use Phase to confirm a high Expert Rating. ***
When a rating of 95 up or 95 down is triggered on the market, we look for the Phase histogram to change direction. The change in direction must be to the direction of the rating. This change does not have to happen on the day of the rating, but it must occur within 2 to 3 days on either side of the rating day.
If the Phase does not change direction, the rating is considered not confirmed.
This short video analysis of the last 4 ratings shows this process in action.
The WinWay TradingExpert Pro Market Timing signals are not a perfect system. If they were no doubt the founders would have kept it secret and traded the signals themselves.
The signals that give us early waring of a change in direction of the market are proprietary. The 400 rules that are used by the Artificial Intelligence inference engine to determine change of market direction use many of the widely known technical tools, read review here.
The rating calculation and the indicators contributing to the ratings have not been changed for many years. A decision was made some years ago to avoid constantly moving the goalposts as the constant optimizing or back fitting erodes the validity of the system.
High ratings to the upside or downside of notice have to be 95 or greater (the maximum is 100). the ratings are considered confirmed when the Phase indicator that is outside of the AI system, changes in the direction of the high rating.
So ratings have fired in the last few months how do we confirm them?
We look for the Phase indicator ( a derivative of MACD) to change in the direction of the signal. This needs to occur within a 3 day window before or after the rating.
The last 2 market timing signals illustrate this nicely.
August 18, 2022 97-2 up signal on the market
The up signal occurred during a a 3 day down period on the uptrend, however the Phase indicator did not change direction (it would need to turn up after going down) within the window for confirmation. This signal is therefore unconfirmed by Phase.
August 22, 2022 down signal on the market
The down signal occurred on 8-22-22. 100 down is the strongest signal the market timing generates. In this case the Phase turned down after a prolonged upward move, on the day before the signal. This is considered a confirmed down signal on the market.
The rules that contributed to 0-100 down on the market
The 100 down signal is the strongest signal the AI system generates. Here are the major technical events that contribute to this rating.
Trend Status has changed to a strong down trend. This indicates that a downward trend has started that may continue in this direction. This is a moderate bearish signal.
The 21 day stochastic has declined below the 80% line and the price phase indicator is decreasing. In this strongly downtrending market this is an indication that the downtrend will continue.
Volume accumulation percentage is decreasing and the 21 day stochastic has moved below the 80% line. In this strongly down market, this is taken as a very strong bearish signal that could be followed by a downward price movement.
The exponentially smoothed advance/decline line has turned negative when the up/down volume oscillator and the advance/decline oscillator are already negative. In this market, this is viewed as a bearish signal that could precede a downward price movement.
The up/down volume oscillator has turned negative when the exponentially smoothed advance/decline line and the advance/decline oscillator are already negative. In this market, this is viewed as a bearish signal that could precede a downward price movement.
The new high/new low indicator has reversed to the downside. This is a reliable bearish signal that is often followed by an downward price movement. In this market a continued strong downtrend can be expected.
This video on the Market Timing signals in AIQ is also applicable for our WinWayCharts TradingExpert Market Timing. Check it out.
Market volatility continues. In this update we’ll take a look at the current AI signals on the Dow Jones. For folks less familiar with our AI engine here’s a recap of what we do.
TradingExpert Pro uses two AI knowledge bases, one specifically designed to issue market timing signals and the other designed to issue stock timing signals.
Each contains approximately 400 rules, but only a few “fire” on any given day. In the language of expert systems, those rules that are found to be valid on a particular day are described as having “fired”.
Rules can fire in opposite directions. When this happens, the bullish and bearish rules fight it out. It’s only when bullish rules dominate that the Expert Rating signal is bullish, or when bearish rules dominate that the Expert Rating signal is bearish.
The Expert Rating consists of two values.
The upside rating is the value on the left and the downside rating is on the right. Expert Ratings are based on a scale of 0 to 100. An Expert Rating of 95 to 100 is considered a strong signal that the Stock or market may change direction.
An Expert Rating below 90 is considered meaningless. A low rating means that there is not enough consistency in the rules that fired to translate to a signal. The expert system has not found enough evidence to warrant a change from the last strong signal.
When AIQ released StockExpert in 1987, the Expert Ratings were the foundation of the system. This release represented the first software product developed for personal computers that used Artificial Intelligence to signal equity movement. AIQ’s founder and knowledge engineer, Dr. J.D. Smith, chose to use expert system technology that was developed at Stanford University in the late 60’s. An expert system uses a knowledge based rule driven structure.
Dr. Smith tested hundreds of technical rules that had been published by respected analysts.Those rules that tested well were placed into a knowledge base of rules. Rules were weighted based on their effectiveness. When a series of bullish rules was triggered, an Expert Rating buy signal was generated. A series of bearish rules generated an Expert Rating sell signal.The sell signal that the AI system issued on April 18, 2019 presaged a 2000 point move down. Things changed on June 4, 2019 the AI system issued a buy signal the market is up over 2000 points.
In this video Steve Hill explains the internal rules of the Expert System that generated the signal
WinWay Charts AI issued a market down signal of 99 on April 18, 2019. Price Phase, our custom indicator that we use to confirm ratings turned down 4 days after the rating. Usually we like to see this indicator turn down closer to the rating, but the AI Expert system is often a little early.
The two significant rules rules that fired on this 99 down are below
“Intraday high prices of the market have increased to a 21 day high. Never the less, the advance/decline oscillator is negative. This unusual event is read as a very strong bearish signal that is often followed by an downward price movement. “
“Intraday high prices of the market have increased to a 21 day high. But the up/down volume oscillator if negative. In this uptrending market, this is taken as a very strong bearish signal that is often followed by downward price movements. “
The prior AI rating on the market was a 100 up on March 11, 2019 the market moved up over 850 points to the April down signal. Here are the AI rules that fired for this rating
“The market closing average has exceeded the 21 day exponentially smoothed average price. At the same time, accumulation is increasing in a strong down market. This is taken as a bullish signal that could be followed by a reverse in trend direction. “ “The Money Flow Indicator has reversed and is now advancing. In this downtrending market, this is taken as a weak bullish signal that could indicate an upward movement in the market averages. “ “Analysis of the rate of change of the exponentially smoothed average price suggests that in this strongly downtrending market an uptrend is starting to form. This is taken as a strong bullish signal that is usually followed by an upward movement in prices. “ “The new high/new low indicator has reversed to the upside. This is a reliable bullish signal that is often followed by an upward movement in prices. In this strong downtrending market a reverse in trend could start shortly. “
Ultimately any AI down signal is a note of caution in this market.
The AI in TradingExpert Pro is programmed with the knowledge and insight of many stock market professionals, and is capable of making market recommendations based on this knowledge and insight; recommendations are made on a scientific basis free of bias, emotion, or hidden motives.
The AI or expert systems are programmed with rules that combine sound principles of technical analysis with the knowledge and experience of market professionals. Technical analysis, as used by AIQ, is based on the logic that price is the result of supply and demand. An AIQ timing signal, therefore, reflects all available knowledge and opinions such as news of the day, earnings, product reports, and company forecasts.
Technical analysis recognizes price and volume movement as the voice of the market itself and hence the only data necessary to determine what the market is likely to do next.
The AIQ Expert System
As an expert system, TradingExpert Pro is comprised of two knowledge bases – one for market timing and a second for stock selection – and an inference engine. Knowledge, in the form of rules, is stored in the knowledge bases. The inference engine is the thinking component of an expert system.
Each of the two knowledge bases within TradingExpert Pro has its own unique rules. The rules operate on facts which are values of the technical indicators. The indicators are computed from daily price, volume, and breadth data.
The rules employed in ATQ TradingExpert Pro are derived from the knowledge of many experts of market action and market timing. The reliability of these rules is maximized by combining them into a higher level of Expert Rules. Market analysts have found that no single rule or indicator works all the time. In AIQ, the Expert Rules and technical indicators work together to generate upside and downside signals.
Different knowledge bases for different market cycles
Continuing research at AIQ has shown that a single knowledge base can be improved if it is split into several knowledge bases, one for each phase of the market cycle. This advancement has been incorporated in the market timing knowledge base. The crest, trough, up slope, and down slope are each addressed by a specific set of rules specialized and weighted for that specific phase of the market cycle.
Each market day, then, the system determines the strength and direction of the phase, or trend. If there is no trend, it is first determined if the cycle is at a crest prior to a downtrend, or in a trough before the next uptrend. A more specialized knowledge base is used for each of these conditions, increasing the overall market timing effectiveness.
The inference engine
The knowledge base fuels the second part of the AIQ expert system, the inference engine. The inference engine is the thinking component of an expert system, and mimics the way humans think.
To understand how the AIQ inference engine works, picture a decision tree. The procedure starts from the tree’s trunk, where the major rules are located. Each rule is represented as a node, or fork, where the tree splits into three branches-representing a yes, a no, or a maybe. If the expert system determines that the premise of a rule is true, then the rule is considered to have fired, giving one of those three answers.
As each rule is evaluated, the process moves on to the next node and subsequent branches and continues to move on through the tree. Each rule node has an assigned value. That value is added to a node total that is accumulated as the inference engine passes through the tree. When all the rules have been evaluated, the resulting node total is normalized and becomes an AIQ Expert Rating.
Finally
The Expert Ratings are based on a scale of 0 to l00. The higher the Expert Rating, the stronger the signal. An Expert Rating of 95 or higher is considered a strong signal, meaning that there is a strong possibility that the price trend is about to change direction.
Confirmation of Expert Ratings
Research has shown that a change in direction of the Phase indicator (changing up for up ER, changing down for down ER) at or close to the high Expert Rating date provides a higher degree of confidence in the rating. Phase is not part of the Expert System.
So let us examine the last 7 weeks market action.
2-98 down signal 9/18/2018, 9/18/18 and 9/20/18 all with these primary riles firing confirmed by phase
Intraday high prices of the market have increased to a 21 day high. Never the less, the advance/decline oscillator is negative. This unusual event is read as a very strong bearish signal that is often followed by an downward price movement.
Closing prices on the market have increased to a 21 day high but market breadth as measured by advances and declines is declining. This non-confirmation in a trading market is a weak bearish signal indicating a possible downward price movement.
DJIA with the 3 successive down signals
Confirmed down signal 4-96 on 10/05/18 these primary rules fires
Trend Status has changed to a strong down trend. This indicates that a downward trend has started that may continue in this direction. This is a moderate bearish signal.
The 21 day stochastic has declined below the 80% line and the price phase indicator is decreasing. In this strongly downtrending market this is an indication that the downtrend will continue.
Confirmed down signal 5-95 on 10/18/2018 these primary rules fires
The market closing average has dropped below the 21 day exponentially smoothed average price. At the same time, accumulation is decreasing. In this down trending market, this is taken as a very bearish signal that could be followed by further decreases in price.
The price phase indicator is positive but volume distribution has started to advance. This is a nonconformation that, regardless of the type of market, is a bearish signal which usually results in an downward movement of the market.
DJIA with 2 more down signals confirmed by phase
Unconfirmed up signal on 10/16/18 – phase did not change direction
Volume accumulation percentage is increasing and the 21 day stochastic has moved above the 20% line. In this downtrending market, this is taken as a strong bullish signal that could be followed by an upward price movement.
The price phase indicator is negative but volume accumulation has started to advance. This is a non-conformation that, regardless of the type of market, is a bullish signal which usually results in an upward movement of the market.
The new high/new low indicator has reversed to the upside. This is a reliable bullish signal that is often followed by an upward movement in prices. In this weak downtrending market an uptrend could start shortly.
DJIA on 10/16/18 97-3 up no phase confirmation
Confirmed up signal 10/31/18 98-2
The 21 day stochastic has advanced and crossed the 20% line and the price phase indicator is also in- creasing. In this weakly downtrending market this is taken as a strong bullish signal suggesting an increase in prices.
Volume accumulation percentage is increasing and the 21 day stochastic has moved above the 20% line. In this downtrending market, this is taken as a strong bullish signal that could be followed by an upward price movement.
The new high/new low indicator has reversed to the upside. This is a reliable bullish signal that is often followed by an upward movement in prices. In this weak downtrending market an uptrend could start shortly.
DJIA on 10/31/18 with confirmed up signal 98-2
While never perfect, the Expert rating provides a formidable advantage to the trader looking for signs of direction changes in the market. As of 11/7/18 close the DJIA was at 26180
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