Bollinger on Bollinger Bands

Rating:
Summary: Good bk about BB, but nothing extra wrt other TA books
Review: It's nearly impossible for any technical analyst to neglect BB with its assessibility, and it's so logical to learn the tool or expect to get the most of it from the inventor himself. With regard to this book, the good things are: The author did not promote his tool as something invincible. He talked about the limitations of and warned readers of the need for continuous revision. Very smooth writing and an easy read. The bad things are: BB is not really a sophisticated tool at all. So the author had "filled" it up with some stuff that seemed light or marginally helpful to readers who had read over five trading books. I am afraid that comprises of most of the potential buyers coz I think it's hard for novices to spend over thirty bucks for a book that talks only of one single TA tool. Furthermore, I really cant acquire extra knowledge of BB from this book that distinguishes it from other TA books I read before.

Anyway, I still think this is a good read. Afterall, it costs less than one pip in the IMM market and you can definitely save a lot more in case you can use BB to enhance your trading system as the author suggests.

Rating:
Summary: Who Better to Explain Bollinger Bands...
Review: Of all the main stream technical indicators, it is safe to say that Bollinger Bands are perhaps the least understood. But they can become part of an arsenal of highly useful technical tools for those who have learned how to properly apply them and one good way to get a running start is to read his latest book, Bollinger on Bollinger Bands. Not only does the book provide some very useful background information on how they came to be, it is an opportunity to hear from the master himself how he uses the bands to best effect. According to Bollinger, one pattern that he calls the Squeeze (a topic on which he spends a whole chapter) draws more questions than any other aspect of Bollinger Bands. As he describes it, his bands "are driven by volatility, and The Squeeze is a pure reflection of that volatility." (Excerpt from Investopedia.com with permission.)

After reading the book, I developed a scan to find stocks that are getting the Squeeze and it works pretty well. Sure enough, a stock that has shown a period of declining volatility, generally breaks out with a bang shortly after reaching a low extreme. The trick is then trying to determine which way. Bollinger includes a number of tips and indicators in the book to help the trader figure that out too.

This book is for anyone who has ever looked at Bollinger bands and tried to understand how to use them as well as those who do use them now but want to get some more great ideas. It is not a difficult read and is actually very well written (I am always surprised by traders who have been steeped in mathematics and technicals like John B. who can also write well.) He is obviously an excellent communicator and this fact comes through loud and clear in his book.

Bollinger on Bollinger Bands is well worth the money. It is also a chance to hear the master who we see on CNBC and in the Wall Street Journal express his ideas and views on markets and how to profit from them. That alone, makes this book worth reading.

Matt Blackman - Technical Writer/Reviewer Email: [e-mail]
---------------------------------------------------------------
Contributor to Stocks & Commodities Magazine, Working Money, Traders.com Advantage, Active Trader, Traders Mag (Europe) and SFO Magazine

Rating:
Summary: Who Better to Explain Bollinger Bands...
Review: Of all the main stream technical indicators, it is safe to say that Bollinger Bands are perhaps the least understood. But they can become part of an arsenal of highly useful technical tools for those who have learned how to properly apply them and one good way to get a running start is to read his latest book, Bollinger on Bollinger Bands. Not only does the book provide some very useful background information on how they came to be, it is an opportunity to hear from the master himself how he uses the bands to best effect. According to Bollinger, one pattern that he calls the Squeeze (a topic on which he spends a whole chapter) draws more questions than any other aspect of Bollinger Bands. As he describes it, his bands "are driven by volatility, and The Squeeze is a pure reflection of that volatility." (Excerpt from Investopedia.com with permission.)

After reading the book, I developed a scan to find stocks that are getting the Squeeze and it works pretty well. Sure enough, a stock that has shown a period of declining volatility, generally breaks out with a bang shortly after reaching a low extreme. The trick is then trying to determine which way. Bollinger includes a number of tips and indicators in the book to help the trader figure that out too.

This book is for anyone who has ever looked at Bollinger bands and tried to understand how to use them as well as those who do use them now but want to get some more great ideas. It is not a difficult read and is actually very well written (I am always surprised by traders who have been steeped in mathematics and technicals like John B. who can also write well.) He is obviously an excellent communicator and this fact comes through loud and clear in his book.

Bollinger on Bollinger Bands is well worth the money. It is also a chance to hear the master who we see on CNBC and in the Wall Street Journal express his ideas and views on markets and how to profit from them. That alone, makes this book worth reading.

Matt Blackman - Technical Writer/Reviewer Email: [e-mail]
---------------------------------------------------------------
Contributor to Stocks & Commodities Magazine, Working Money, Traders.com Advantage, Active Trader, Traders Mag (Europe) and SFO Magazine

Rating:
Summary: Very Good But Not Great Book
Review: This book gives the reader a completely thorough explanation of Bollinger Bands. In fact, you will learn about the history of bands, how they are created, and how they can be used for trading. To that end, I enjoyed the book as it greatly expanded my knowledge of the topic. However, I was somewhat discouraged by the lack of actual trading examples. I found little in the book that would lead me to use BOllinger Bands in my trading. This book is good because of its theoretical underpinnings, but if you are looking for something to help your trading, look elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: Good book for beginners
Review: This is an interesting and easy to read book. It provides the reader with an in-depth explanation of Bollinger Bands and its interpretation and application. The book expands a bit more on how to apply the bands to trading strategies, but it falls short on a more detailed trading system with the bands. For instance, stop-loss, entry, exit, ect. It is a book about the study of an indicator, and that's about it. Nonetheless, it is worth reading!

Unfortunately, the book fails to provide a more detailed explanation on the most interesting aspects of the bands: The squeeze. The squeeze of the bands itself does not tell the trader too much, except that the price action is bound for a strong move. However, it is possible to combine other indicators so to have a solid idea which way the move is going to occur.

Rating:
Summary: Below average, disappointed
Review: Was looking forward to this book since I found some systems using BBs. However, was less than impressed. Nothing new, especially for someone that the indicator is named after. Lots of references to his websites too. Squeeze play-expect a move after period of low volatility, yep, nothing new. But, no good discussion on how to implement strategy to capitilize on squeeze. You'll learn more from the following tips than this book,

1. If price touches a rising lower Bollinger Bands (long) or a falling upper Bollinger Bands (short) in the traded time frame, that is a safe entry point.

2. If price touches a lateral (flat) Bollinger Bands and is also touching (or nearly touching) a lateral Bollinger Bands in a higher time frame, that is safe entry for trade in opposite direction.

3. If price touches lateral lower Bollinger Bands (for long) and lower Bollinger Bands on higher time frame is distinctly rising, that is a safe long entry (reverse for short).

4. If price touches lower Bollinger Bands and MACD and/or stochastic on higher time frame is showing long, that is safe long entry.