PxP,

Excellent post. As you are very aware, TA is mathmatical and "scientific" but there is also a good measure of art involved in it's effective use. I haven't gotten much into candlesticks. To me, that is like using celestial navagation in an era of GPS. I have found stochastics to be the best short term indicator and DMI to be the best indicator of trend. As you pointed out, we got a buy signal on Jan. 24 and "kissed" overbought on 2/23. The uptrend has remained intact. Most of us have become skeptical of a renewed uptrend because of S/L selling and MM manipulation. It does look, in retrospect, that this has all been orchestrated. As people gain renewed confidence that this trend is real, we will see less selling on the news and an acceleration of the uptrend. Right now we are very close to another buy signal on stochastics. If we do get upward movement in the next three to six days I will have renewed confidence in the utility of TA with PTSC. All in my opinion, I've been dead wrong before.

Walt