Gann Analysis Guide
Gann Analysis Guide
Gann Analysis Guide
Qiuru Fu
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of
2011
i
Acknowledgement
I sincerely thank Professor Edward Tsang and Soroush Ghanbari, for their encouragement,
guidance and support all through this study.
ii
Abstract
Gann trading rules are widely applied in the technical analysis of the financial market. As the
WD GANN predicted, the rules lead to a successful way to make profits in the past.
Nowadays, traders prefer to use algorithm trading to make money in an efficient and fast
way. Do Gann trading rules still work in algorithm trading? The article introduces the Gann
Swing trading rules in mathematic ways and applies it with computerized algorithms to
verify the efficiency and accuracy. Except for the traditional Gann Swing trading rules, the
combinations of the traditional Gann Swing trading rules creates the extension rules. The
task is to evaluate the extension of Gann Swing trading rules and compare them with the
traditional rules.
Key words: technical analysis, Gann Swing trading rules, efficiency of rules, extension of
Gann Swing trading rules
iii
Contents
Acknowledgement ...................................................................................................................... i
Abstract ...................................................................................................................................... ii
1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 1
2.1Technical analysis.......................................................................................................... 3
3.4.2 Performance of Gann Swing trading rules over past 10 years ....................... 26
5. Discussion............................................................................................................................. 33
6. Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 35
Appendix 1: .............................................................................................................................. 37
Appendix 2: .............................................................................................................................. 40
Appendix 3: .............................................................................................................................. 43
Appendix 4: .............................................................................................................................. 46
Appendix 5: .............................................................................................................................. 47
Appendix 6: .............................................................................................................................. 48
Appendix 7: .............................................................................................................................. 49
Appendix 8: .............................................................................................................................. 50
Appendix 9: .............................................................................................................................. 51
Reference ................................................................................................................................. 52
1
1. Introduction
Nowadays, in the financial market, different traders have different trading rules, conservative or
aggressive. Traders have their own objects in mind, forming their own trading style. As the
computer science developed, the traditional trading and analysis transformed to computerized
trading. The computerized trading is called automated trading. Programmers transfer the
trading rules into codes, according to different requests from different traders. Automated
trading helps traders to make fast and rational decisions to make money. It will determine the
timing of entrance and exit of the positions automatically. It will judge and weigh the
appropriate amount of capitals to invest a certain stock. It is all based on the trading rules which
the trader follows and creates. The computer program makes decisions autonomously which
The stock analysis is divided into two primary analysis methods, the fundamental analysis and
the technical analysis. In the technical analysis section, Gann theory was treated as the pioneer
analysis method. “Gann was a trader who was noted both for his success in trading stocks and
commodities as well as for his record in forecasting significant events, mostly reversals, in the
stock market.” (Chen, 2010) It is known that the Gann theory is still in use due to its high
accuracy and profitability. Traders continue to explore its inner secret, hoping to handle the
abstruse method and win tremendous profits. Since the automated trading is widely used in
technical trading, can it still be applied for the amazing Gann trading? Does Gann trading rules
have a good performance in automated trading? If so, the computerized Gann trading rules will
be enhanced to produce higher profitability. Taking into account these factors, we aim to
implement the Gann trading rules in computerized algorithms. During the experiment process
2
with empirical data, we hope to evaluate the efficiency and profitability of with each of the
In this paper, we select one of the famous Gann theories, the Gann Swing trading rules. In the
Gann Swing trading rules, there are three entry rules, suitable for long or short positions. The
objective is to evaluate the efficiency and return of each three entry rules with the empirical
data from different sectors. Besides, we combine the three trading rules with each other,
extending the Gann Swing trading. It is the newly created Gann Swing trading rules which
combine the superiority of each rule. Still, the evaluation process for the extension of rules is
the same. The experiment of the extension of the Gann Swing trading rules will be compared
with the traditional Gann Swing trading rules, and it will hope to find a better trading strategy
In Section 2, we will introduce the specific definition of the Gann Swing trading rules. The Gann
Swing trading rules set a couple of indicators, and keeps on watching the current price
movement. There are three entry rules in Gann Swing trading, suitable for long or short
positions. Besides, the corresponding profit protection rules will be outlined. In Section 3, we
will discuss the evaluation process of traditional Gann Swing trading and analyze the
experiment results. In Section 4, we will introduce the extension of the Gann Swing trading
rules. Using the same evaluation process, we will check the experiment of the extension rules
and analyze the experiment results. Section 5 and 6 is the discussion and conclusions. And in
2. Literature Survey
2.1Technical analysis
Technical analysis is one of the most important methods which traders use, aiming to predict
the trend of the financial market. Technical analysis, which involves making investment
decisions using past prices or other past statistics. “Much of technical analysis involves pattern
recognition using specific frequency (intraday, daily, weekly) charts that display opening, high,
low, and closing prices, as well as trading volume in some form.” (Kavajecz, 2004)
Technical analysis is very popular with the investment and financial markets, all major
brokerage firms publish technical commentary on the market and many of the advisory services
are based on technical analysis. Nowadays, the many excellent traders and fund managers
make profits according to technical analysis. “In its simplest form, technical analysis uses
information about historical price movements, summarized in the form of price charts, to
forecast future price trends. This approach to forecasting originated with the work of Charles
Dow in the late 1800s, and is now widely used by investment professionals as input for trading
In fact, technical analysis has been doubted by the traders, because the technical analysis aims
to grasp the trading opportunities when the price patterns appear again. However, it is too late
to take an action when observing the similar price patterns. “Besides, the basic elements of
technical analysis widely used in everyday work do not behave the same way as they were
described in textbooks and publications. Difficulties arise when technical analysis is used in daily
short-term trading because of minor market fluctuations that, in essence, are just the market
noise. This noise can be compared with radio interference hindering clear reception.
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Unfortunately, the amplitude of this interference is too high to be ignored in short-term trading,
WD. Gann was the most famous investor in the securities and futures industry. “The name of
WD. Gann has become legendary among traders and market technicians today. Tales of his
phenomenal success in trading and his arcane, yet highly accurate, technical theories are widely
known.” (Droke, 2001). Due to the high accuracy and profitability, the subsequent traders are
eager to reveal the secrets underneath the Gann trading rules. “To this day, William D. Gann is
an enigma. Much has been written about his success, or the lack of it. Questions remain about
how great his techniques were, or how poor. Did he make fortunes or lose them? Most
important, can any of his concepts stand up in today's fast-moving computer-driven markets?”
(Krausz, The New Gann Swing Chartist , 1998).That is why people are still interested in
discovering and applying with the Gann trading rules in technical analysis.
In the nature, people are familiar with waves, such as the sea waves, and voice waves. Actually
in actual swing trading, the ideas of waves are applied in the trading system to expose the inner
secret underneath the stock price. “A wave alternates from positive to negative, then to
positive and negative, and so on. Waves are found in nature – you see waves when you throw a
rock into a lake. Sound is transmitted in waves. And when stock prices change, they follow a
wave-like pattern. The wave is rarely as orderly a sine wave, but they are waves nevertheless,
Gann Swing trading is the application of pattern, price and time to discover the price
movement in real time. “Gann Theory looks at pattern, price, and time as the key important
5
elements in forecasting the future movement of the market. While each element has its own
Figure 1: Price structure at time t-1 and time t in Gann Swing trading rules
The Gann Swing trading rules requires four price elements, the open price, the close price, the
intraday high price and the intraday low price. The Figure 1 shows the price bar at a certain time.
The left price shows the open price which is noted as at time t. The right price presents the
close price which is noted as at time t. The above of the price bar is the intraday high price,
which is noted as at time t. And the price below the bar is the intraday low price, which is
noted as at time t. The price bar with four important prices is vital factor to determine the
“Beyond charting are various market indicators-calculations using the primary information of
open, high, low, or close. Indicators can also be charted or graphed. Buy and sell signals and
complete systems can be generated from a battery of indicators.” (Archer, 2010) The swing
indicator is divided into two parts, the upswing and the downswing. As the name suggests,
swing seems like the wave up and down, changing the directions. In finance, the price pattern
Upswing is defined as the price trend from down to up. The swing direction changes to upswing
when the following two consecutive prices are higher than the low price. Figure 2(a) shows the
change of the tendency to from downswing to upswing. At the price 1 and price 2, these two
consecutive prices are higher than the price L. Bar 1 is the first consecutive higher, and Bar 2 is
the second consecutive higher. Under the condition, the process is defined as the upswing.
Condition of Upswing:
Downswing is similar to the definition of upswing. When the prices tend to go down with two
consecutive lower prices, the swing direction enters the downswing process. In the figure 2(b),
the prices tend to change from the upswing to downswing. At the price 1 and price 2, these two
consecutive prices are lower than the price H. Bar 1 is the first consecutive lower, and Bar 2 is
the second consecutive lower. Under the condition, the process is defined as the downswing.
Condition of Downswing:
Besides, the mini-swing can form to the broad swing. The Figure 3 shows the comparison. The
broad swing can be better presented as the general movement of the price. “In the figure, the
trading process appears multiple swing direction changes. In the broad field of vision, the swing
directions can be divided to the broad swing, which improving the understanding and
manipulating the whole market trend. The broad swings are defined as down from point A to
point B. From point B to point C, the broad swings are defined as up. Each of the swings offers
the overview of the changes of short-term trend of the market. In this way, swing traders make
In finance, valley is defined as the lowest point of a specific trading process. Figure 4(a) shows
the valley and support line. The valley is always updated according to the change of the trading.
It will change according to the new upswing. Valley is constantly updated to the minimum of the
“Support is the Valley of the Previous Clearly defined Swing.” (Krausz, W.d. Gann Treasure
Discovered, 2005) In other words, the support line aims to make sure the price is up and not
beyond the lowest current price. “As long as prices do not penetrate below the ‘valley’ point
then support is holding. This ‘valley’ point is actually the low of the previous swing.” (Krausz,
(a) Valley and Support line (b) Peak and Resistance line
Peak is the opposite to the valley. In finance, peak represents the highest current price during
the process of trading.It is shown in Figure 4(b). “This peak point is the high of the previous
completed upswing, and followed by a downswing.” (Krausz, W.d. Gann Treasure Discovered,
2005) It keeps on updating to the highest point, is this meant to be new downswing.
The role of resistance is similar to the support line. The resistance line aims to make sure the
price is down and not beyond the highest current price. “Resistance is the ‘peak’ of the
previous clearly defined swing. As long as prices do not rise above the ‘peak’point then
resistance is holding. This ‘peak’ point is actually the high of the previous swing.” (Krausz, W.d.
“Most traders are trend followers. They accept the widespread belief that the trend is a trader’s
friend.” (Keller, 2010) Generally speaking, trading strategies are usually classified into three
important strategies. One important strategy is called trend following strategy. Another is
contra-trend strategy. “Gann price and time analysis often seems very complicated but for the
most part, it boils down to a simple concept: Most highs and lows are made in proportion to
one or more previous sections of the trend or countertrend.” (Miner, 2009) According to the
trend indicators, investors can apply the stop loss techniques to make the profits and control
the market’s movement. Actually, in swing trading, the trend indicator which is well defined
strength is the power of the investor’s analysis. When the pattern of the prices is recognized,
the investors are able to adjust to the trading strategies to lock the profits. In Gann Swing
trading, there are two trend indicators, the uptrend indicator and downtrend indicator. Uptrend
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indicator presents the rising market in certain period of time. And downtrend indicator gives
“The trend indicator is based simply on the relationship between daily highs and lows.”
(MacLean, 2005) Uptrend represents the trend from down to up. When the current price
beyond the nearest peak price, meanwhile the previous trend was downtrend, the trend is
transferring to the uptrend. Uptrend process gives the good signal that the general price
movement will go up, which encourages the investors to apply with the trend-following strategy.
Condition of Uptrend:
Figure 5(a) shows the specific charts of prices which satisfies the uptrend’s conditions. (Uptrend
Downtrend is similar to the uptrend. Downtrend represents the trend from up to down. When
the current price takes out the nearest valley price, meanwhile the previous trend was uptrend;
the trend is transferring to the downtrend. Downtrend process gives a bad signal that the
general price movement will go down, which suggests the investors are applying with the
contra-trend strategy. Figure 5(b) shows the specific charts of prices which satisfies the
Condition of Downtrend:
<Valley at time t
In swing trading, there is a special threshold which aims to consummate the swing trading
theory. It is called as Gann HiLo activator. The Gann HiLo activator was first introduced by
Robert Krausz in the Feb. 1998 issue of Stocks and Commodities Magazine. Further information
about this indicator was gathered from Robert Krausz Fibonacci Trader Journal (Volume 1, Issue
2). The Gann HiLo Activator combines the Gann Swing and Gann Trend indicators, creating a
new trading strategy which is called "New Gann Swing Chartist Plan". The signals from Gann
HiLo activator determines the entry trigger and stop loss point in the real-time trading.
“The HiLo Activator is a simple moving average of the highs or lows plotted in an unusual
manner. The sell stop is calculated by adding the lows of the last three periods together, and
then dividing the sum by three. The result is then plotted in step formation, that is, once the
calculation is found it is plotted as a horizontal line below the market. If the market closes
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below the HiLo Activator sell stop then the horizontal plot will switch to a buy stop, based on
the three period averages of the highs, and follows the market down. With practice you will see
that the HiLo Activator will indicate that the market is in a trend, following the market higher or
lower in the step formation.” (Krausz, New Gann Swing Chartist-Dynamic Fibonacci Channels)
The Gann HiLo activator is the previous three periods’ simple moving average. It can be applied
with daily data, monthly data, yearly data, even in the high frequency trading. The Gann HiLo
activator consists of two activators. One is called the HiLo-High activator, which is the simple
moving average of past three periods’ high prices. The other one is called the HiLo-Low
activator, which is the simple moving average of the past three periods’ low prices. The specific
=( + + ) /3 (1)
=( + + )/3 (2)
Figure 6 shows that the two activators are plotted as crossed stairs. When the current close
price is above the HiLo-Low activators, the market has the potential to continue increasing.
When the current close price is below the HiLo-High activators, the market is more likely to
continue decreasing. At the important point which the current close price is below the HiLo-Low
activator, it means the current price is below the past average low prices. In other words, the
price curve will fall soon. This point is the action point for the investors to enter or exit the
positions. Meanwhile, the HiLo activator will transfer from HiLo-Low activator to HiLo-High
activator, keeping watch on the price movement. The same principle is applied when the
current close price is above the HiLo-High activator. At this point, the current close price is
beyond the past average high prices. The price curve will bounce back. It is the precious time for
13
investors to take actions. At the same time, the HiLo activator will transfer from HiLo-High
activator to HiLo-Low activator, keeping watch on the price movement. Due to the HiLo
activator, investors are equipped by a more efficient tool to observe the changes and grasp the
If < && =
If > && =
After constructing the indicators above, such as like the swing indicators, the trend indicators,
the peak and valley indicators, and the HiLo activators, it is easier for traders to commence their
initial trading. With the combination of different indicators, the price pattern is formed as the
trading pattern. When the price pattern satisfies the predefined conditions, the Gann trading
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system will suggest to the traders to take the action of buying or selling. The Gann trading rules
give the signals of when to enter or exit the market, with the different indicators.
The basic Gann trading rules are firstly published by Robert Krausz in his book W. D. Gann
Treasure Discovered (2005). In his book, the author demonstrated the trading rules with
detailed charts:
There is an example of each of the long or short entry rules, and the specific rule is presented
below the example. This plan trades only with the trend. That is, for long positions the Gann
Swing Chartist must show an uptrend (solid line) and for short positions the Gann Swing Chartist
must show a downtrend (dashed line). There are three sets of entry rules for longs or shorts,
and two sets of exit rules. In this plan you use whichever rule is activated first. Occasionally,
more than one rule applies. (Krausz, W.d. Gann Treasure Discovered, 2005)
In the Gann trading rules, there are three entry rules for traders to determine the entrance of
trading. We called it Entry Rule #1, Entry Rule #2, and Entry Rule #3. All the three rules are
suitable for the different positions, long or short positions, deciding the entrance point. For the
exit of trading, there are two rules for traders to take profits. One is called the Profit Protection
Rule #1. The other is the Profit Protection Rule #2. Similarly, the profit protection rules are
Entry Rules give the signals to initial a trading, no matter long a position or short a position.
The Figure 7 shows the specific entry rule of a long position. It is called the Buy Rule #1. The Buy
Rule #1 set a prerequisite which the trend indicator must show uptrend. In the Figure 7, it is
clearly that the trend is uptrend (shown as a solid line). Besides, in this rule, the HiLo Activator is
the tool to offer the information about the action point. When the current close price is above
the HiLo Activator, as the chart shows at the point A, the buy signal occurs. In other words, the
Buy Rule #1 tells traders that the price is more likely to increase after the point A. It is a good
= →
The Figure 8 shows the specific entry rule of a short position. It is called the Sell Rule #1. The Sell
Rule #1 set a prerequisite which the trend indicator must show downtrend. Figure 8 shows that
the trend is downtrend (shown as a dash line). Besides, in this rule, the HiLo Activator
determines the action points to short a position. When the current close price is below the HiLo
Activator, as the chart shows at the point A, the sell signal occurs. In other words, the Sell Rule
#1 tells traders that the price has the trend to go down after the point A. It is the good
= →
For the long position, the Buy Rule #2 is shown as the chart below. The Figure 9 shows the
specific entry rule of a long position. The Buy Rule #2 set a prerequisite which the previous
trend should be downtrend (shown as the dash line). At point A, the current close price beyond
the previous peak, which means the trend changes from downtrend to uptrend.(shown as the
solid line) Meanwhile, the Buy Rule #2 set another condition that the HiLo Activator must below
the Bar A, as the chart shows. It is the point A which the Buy Rule #2 gives the buying signal to
the traders. In other words, the Buy Rule #1 tells traders that the price is more likely to increase
after the point A. It is a good opportunity to enter a long position and buy the stocks.
(2) >
=
For the short position, the Sell Rule #2 is similar. The Figure 10 shows the specific entry rule of a
short position. The Sell Rule #2 set a prerequisite which the previous trend should be uptrend
(shown as the solid line). At point A, the current close price is below the previous valley, which
means the trend changes from uptrend to downtrend.(shown as the dash line) Meanwhile, the
Sell Rule #2 set another condition that the HiLo Activator must above the Bar A, as the chart
shows. It is the point A which the Sell Rule #2 gives the selling signal to the traders. In other
words, the Sell Rule #2 tells traders that the price is more likely to decrease after the point A. It
Uptrend→Downtrend at Point A
(2) <
=
For the long position, the writer of W. D. Gann Treasure Discovered, Robert Krausz
demonstrated the rule as shown in Figure 11. “The Trend is up (swing line is solid). You can buy
when prices surpass the previous peak providing the HiLo Activator sell stop is below the bars.
Action is taken intraday. The buy signal occurs on Bar B. Use two ticks pass the previous peak
for the Treasury Bonds.” (Krausz, W.d. Gann Treasure Discovered, 2005) . The Buy Rule #3
requires that the trading swing should be uptrend (shown as the solid line). At point B, the
current close price beyond the previous peak. Besides, the Buy Rule #3 sets another condition
18
that the HiLo Activator must below the Bar B, as the chart shows. For traders, it is wise to enter
(3) >
=
For the short position, the rule is similar. Figure 12 shows the specific price pattern of Sell Rule
#3. The Sell Rule #3 requires that the trading swing should be downtrend (shown as the dash
line). At point B, the current close price is below the previous valley. Besides, the Sell Rule #3
sets another condition that the HiLo Activator must above the Bar B, as the chart shows. For
traders, it is wise to enter the market and short a stock at the point B.
(3) >
=
Profit Protection Rules aim to take profits at the relatively exact time when the traders are in
the long or short positions. Due to the Profit Protection Rules, traders are more likely to
optimize the profits in a certain periods of time. For different position holdings, the Mr. Gann
established the different Profit Protection Rules. In the first profit protection rule, the HiLo
Activator is applied for exiting the positions and for the second set of profit protection rule, we
add a percentage retracement factor. The two sets of profit protection rules are demonstrated
as follows.
When the traders are in the long positions, trend indicator will show uptrend. For the exit point,
the HiLo activator is crucial indicator to remind traders closing the position. When the current
close price is below the HiLo Activator, the HiLo Activator will transfer from the HiLo-Low
activator to the HiLo-High activator. It means the price is in the trend of decreasing. At the
moment when the changes of HiLo activator happen, the profit protection moment occurs. It is
the time to sell the stock and close out all long positions to lock the profits.
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(2) Trend=Uptrend
= →
When the traders are in the short positions, the trend indicator will show downtrend. For the
exit point, the HiLo activator is a crucial indicator to remind traders closing the position. When
the current close price is above the HiLo Activator, the HiLo Activator will transfer from the
HiLo-High activator to the HiLo-Low activator. It means the price is in the trend of increasing. At
the moment when the changes of the HiLo activator occurs the profit protection moment
occurs. It is the time to buy the stock back and close out all short positions to lock the
profits.
(2) Trend=Downtrend
= →
“If prices retrace 38% of the upswing A to B then close out all existing positions at point C. The
price must be below the HiLo Activator Sell Stop by two ticks. Do not wait for the close of the
day.” (Krausz, W.d. Gann Treasure Discovered, 2005). Figure 15 shows that the trend keeps the
uptrend (shown as solid line). The current close price of point C is below the HiLo Activator.
When the retracement of B and C is equal to 38% of the upswing A to B, it is the action point
that traders are advised to close out the positions and take profits.
The similar rule is suitable for taking profits at the short positions. “If prices retrace 38% of the
downswing A to B then close out all existing positions at point C. The price must be above the
HiLo Activator Buy Stop by two ticks. Do not wait for the close of the day.” (Krausz, W.d. Gann
Treasure Discovered, 2005) In the Figure 16, it is clear that the trend keeps the uptrend (shown
as solid line). The current close price of point C is above the HiLo Activator. When the
retracement of B and C is equal to 38% of the downswing A to B, it is the action point that
traders are advised to close out the positions and take profits.
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The focus of this paper is to verify the efficiency of the Gann Swing trading rules and compare
the profitability of each rule. Moreover, the newly created trading rules based on Gann Swing
trading rules will be experimented, judging and comparing the accuracy and profitability with
the traditional Gann Swing trading rules. This section will include the experimental setup, the
evaluation process and experimental results analysis. This section emphasizes the experiment
3.1 Data
The experimental data is extracted from the DataStream system. We choose the most famous
and representative companies from three different sectors, the banking sector, the oil sector,
the FTSE 100. In this way, it will more directly to represent the trend and movement of different
sectors. Moreover, it can verify that whether the Gann Swing trading rules can be applied in
different sectors. The data of the banking sector covers the Barclays Bank. The data of the oil
sector contains the BP oil and gas company. The last sector is the FTSE 100, giving the general
The Gann Swing trading rules require the price movement of equity. Therefore, the information
of data which we collect should contains the Open Price, the Close Price, the Intraday High Price
The experiment aims to test the price series over the past ten years. The time period of the
experimental data is from 2001 to 2010. We set the time threshold as one year. In other words,
the experiment will run the each year’s historical data to check and compare the profit of each
year.
The purpose of the experiment is to simulate the Gann Swing trading in the virtual market.
According to the empirical data, the experiments show the performance of Gann Swing trading
rules. Considering the fact that the Gann Swing trading contains three entry rules, the
experimental section is divided into three parts, representing the different entry rules
performance. In each part of the section, we will run all the three sectors data to check the
feasibility for the equities from different sectors. Besides, the performance of each trading rules
will be presented in different years, from 2001 to 2010. In a relatively long period of time, the
In Gann Swing trading, the default of each trading is 1000 shares no matter whether it is in the
long position or short position. In other ways, the trading start with 1000 shares and initial
After finishing the parameter setup, we will execute the program with the data. First, the 10
years data in three sectors will be executed in the Entry Rule #1 (contains the Buy Rule #1 and
Sell Rule #1). The Entry Rule #1 will report the signal to enter the market. And the two of the
24
Profit Protection Rules will report the signal to exit the market and take profits. The gross return
and accumulative capital and the details of each trading will be present as a chart. The same
experimental process is for the Entry Rule #2 (Buy Rule #2 and Sell Rule #2) and Entry Rule #3
(Buy Rule #3 and Sell Rule #3). Finally, the simulated trading from three sectors will be shown in
3.3 Evaluation
The evaluation on the Gann Swing trading is based on the trading profits. Each transaction’s
profit or loss can be computed with the entry price and exit price. To evaluate the trading rules,
the most important parameter is the rate of return. The rate of return is the ratio of profit or
lost on an investment relative to the amount of money invested. It is all known that the rate of
return is widely used in the financial analysis. It is one of the simple but most direct ways to
measure the profits. The formula to compute the rate of return is shown as follows.
(3)
In the experiment, we can get the profits or loss of each transaction. Therefore, the net profits
or loss can be computed by the sum of each transaction profits or loss. The initial capital is
determined at beginning according to the price and shares. To obtain the rate of return, it is
The trading details of the three different equities in 2010 are clearly shown in Appendix 1, 2,
and 3.The Tables show the performance of the application of the three entry rules. The first
25
column of the Table shows the trading date of each transaction. The second column represents
the trading statue of each trading. If traders enter a long position and they will close the
position and take profits at the statue of short position. The third column of the table presents
the current trading price of each transaction. The fourth column is the indicator of profits. It will
be shown according to the trading price of each transaction. The fifth column is the number of
shares in the position. The Gann Swing trading set the default number of share as 1000. The
sixth column is the accumulating profits of each transaction. The Column Capital is the capital in
the trading account which updates according to the profits. The last column shows the rate of
return, and this aims to check the performance of the rule in a certain year.
Appendix 1, it clearly shows the trading details of the three different equities with Entry Rule #1.
For example, Table 3 gives the specific overview of the performance and trading details of the
Barclays Bank using the Entry Rule #1 in 2001. On Feb 4th, 2010, the traders entry the market
and short a position at the price of 272.2. On Feb 10 th, 2010, the traders close the position and
take the profits at the price of 277.85. However, this trading leads to loss of -5650. In the
trading account, the capital remains 494350. Through the 15 trades, the overall profit is 27400.
Table 4 and Table 5 show the performance of the BP Oil Company and FTSE 100 in Entry Rule #1
in 2010 respectively. The traders complete 8 trades in BP Oil Company and 10 trades in FTSE
100 in 2010. The trading of the BP Oil Company leads to the loss of -26150 in total during 2010.
The rate of return in Entry Rule #1 is -5.23%. The trading of FTSE100 takes profit of 103420, and
Appendix 2 presents these three equities’ trading situation, as applied with the Entry Rule #2 in
2010. These three Tables provide the specific trading date, price, and volume of each
transaction. The way of presenting the result is the same as the Entry Rule #1. Table 6 shows
that the profit is 86450 and the rate of return is 17.29% for the Barclays Bank. In Table 7, the
profit of BP Oil Company is 81000, the rate of return is 16.2%. And the FTSE 100 make profits of
In Appendix 3, the three Tables give the specific overview of the different equities’ trading
details with the Entry Rule #3. As the same as Appendix 1 and 2, the three Tables display the
trading date, price and volume. Besides, the profits, accumulating profits and capital are shown
respectively. Table 9 displays the 9 transactions details of Barclays Bank with the Entry Rule #3.
This trading leads to the loss of 7200 and the rate of return is -1.44%. Table 10 shows the
performance of BP Oil Company with Entry Rule #3. The profit is 118600, and the rate of return
is 23.72%. In Table 11, the profit of FTSE100 is 353570, and the return is 3.54%.
For the performance of the Barclays Bank (See Table 12(a), Appendix 5) over the past 10 years,
Table 12(a) displays the yearly profit or loss and rate of return. For the average return of past 10
years is -7.247%. Five years’ return is negative and five years’ return is positive. In 2009, the
Barclays Bank made the best profits. The return of 2009 is 24.43%. In 2001, the worst return is -
27
34.688%. The performance of BP Oil Company (See Table 12(b), Appendix 5) shows the average
return is -9.537%. Eight of the returns are negative. The performance of FTSE100 (See Table
The performance of the Barclays Bank (See Table 13(a), Appendix 6) over the pas t 10 years with
the Entry Rule #2. The average return is 8.017%. Seven years’ return is positive. The
performance of the BP oil company (See Table 13(b), Appendix 6) shows the average return as
10.001%. Eight years’ return is positive. The performance of FTSE100 (See Table 13(c), Appendix
The performance of the Barclays Bank, the BP oil company and the FTSE100 are shown in the
Table 14(a), Table 14(b), Table 14(c), and Appendix 7 respectively. The average return of the
Barclays Bank is -2.75%. The average return of the BP Oil Company is 21.89% and the FTSE 100
is 7.398%.
3.5 Verdicts
From Table 1, it is clear that the Entry Rule #2 plays a better performance in the three equities
from different sectors. All the equities with Entry Rule #2 get both positive and a considerable
return. It suggests that the Entry Rule #2 is more suitable for application to the real stock
market. In theory, the Entry Rule #2 will produce higher and stable profits and traders can
invest more capital on this rule. However, not all the Gann Swing trading rules make sense. The
Entry Rule #1 shows a poor performance in the different sectors. All the return is negative,
showing the instability and unreliability. For traders, they must be cautious when investing the
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money with this rule. For the Entry Rule #3, two equities get a positive return. Only in the bank
sector, this rule has a poor performance. In that case, the Entry Rule #3 has a limitation for
traders to apply. In some sectors, this rule can lead to incredible profits. However in some
On the whole, the performance of traditional Gann Swing trading rules is mainly satisfactory. In
the right sectors, the Gann Swing trading rules are more likely to have a better impact on the
rate of return.
Table 1: The rate of Return of different equities using different Gann Swing trading rules
The extension of the Gann Swing trading rules have some slight changes based on the
traditional trading rules. The extension of the Gann Swing trading rules chooses two of the
three entry rules and combines them into a new rule respectively. We call the new extension
rules as The Entry Rule #1, The Entry Rule #2, and The Entry Rule #1. Due to the
combination of entry rules, hopefully the opportunities to gain profits will increase. In that case,
the profits of the new combination rules will exceed the original corresponding rules in theory.
The experiment section aims to verify the new extension rules’ efficiency. Applying the same
29
price series (Barclays, BP and FTSE 100), the experiment will compute the return of each
( = →
Long the position
Downtrend→Uptrend at Point A
(2)
Condition >of the Entry Rule #1
= (Short Position):
= →
Short the position
Uptrend→Downtrend at Point A
(2) Entry
4.1.2 < =
Rule #2
Downtrend→Uptrend at Point A
Uptrend→Downtrend at Point A
(2) > =
4.1.3 Entry Rule #1
= →
Short the position
(2) > =
31
4.2 Evaluation
The evaluation method for the extension of Gann Swing trading rules is the same as the
traditional Gann Swing trading rules. To compute the rate of return of trading in different rules
is the key to present the performance of extension rules. In this experiment section, the data
still uses the three sectors. In that case, the evaluation of the extension of the Gann Swing
trading rules will compare with the traditional rules based on these three sectors during the
The performance of Entry Rule #1 can be presented through the result of three sectors over
the past 10 years. The performance of the Barclays Bank (See Table 15(a), Appendix) shows that
the average return with the new rule is 5.076%. Maximum return rate is 33.88% in 2007. The
performance of the BP (See Table 15(b)) displays the average return as 5.721%. Seven years’
return is positive. The performance of the FTSE100 (See Table 15(c), Appendix) shows the return
Table 16(a), Table 16(b), Table 16(c), Appendix 7 displays the performance of the three sectors
with Entry Rule #2 from 2001 to 2010. The return of Barclays Bank is 6.72%. Maximum
return is 32.04% in 2007. The return of BP is 9.41%. Maximum return is 44.15% in 2008. The
Table 18(a), Table 18(b), Table 18(c), Appendix 8 displays the performance of the three sectors
with Entry Rule #1 from 2001 to 2010. The return of Barclays Bank is 3.49%. The return of
BP is 7.03%. Maximum return is 19.43% in 2010. The return of FTSE100 is 8.95%.The maximum
4.3.4 Comparison
Table 2 compares the performance of extension with the traditional rules, using the average
rate of return. From the Table, the return of extension rules is quite satisfying. All the return of
extension rules in different sectors is positive. Besides, the return of the extension rules is
higher than the risk free rate. The return of Rule#1 is 5.08%, 5.72% and 6.45% in the three
sectors. The return of Rule#1 is 3.49%, 7.34% and 8.95% respectively. And the return of
Rule#2 is 6.72%, 9.41% and 14.35%. However, considering the traditional rules, several
return rates are negative. Only with the Rule #2, traders can get the higher return rate. The
maximum average return is 17.29%. It is the best performance of Barclays Bank with Rule #2.
Table 2: The rate of return of three equities using traditional and extensional Gann rules
33
4.4 Verdicts
From the results of the experiment, the performance of the extension of the Gann Swing
trading rules is better than the traditional Gann Swing trading rules. The return of the extension
rules is all positive and higher than the risk free rate in theory. Comparing with the traditional
Gann Swing trading, the extension rules are more stable and profitable. No matter which sector
of equity, the extension rules always perform noticeably well. Due to the combinations of the
traditional Gann Swing trading rules, the extension rules abstract the good features of each
traditional rule and discard the disadvantages of traditional rules. In that case, traders are more
likely to make profits with the extension of Gann Swing trading rules.
One of the remarkable things is the performance of Rule #2. When looking at the performance
of Rule #2, it is obvious that the return of Entry Rule #2 is highest among the all trading rules.
And the extension rules, Rule #1, Rule #2 also got the excellent return rates. In the light
of this finding, we conclude that the Rule #2 is crucial in the Gann Swing trading rules. It is the
5. Discussion
From the experimental data, it is clear that Gann Swing trading rules are able to produce profits
in practice. Sometimes, when the traders grasp the golden opportunities, they can obtain an
extremely high return. In this case, we can conclude that the Gann Swing trading rules make
sense and can be applied by the traders to take profits. Although the Gann Swing trading rules
sometimes can get high return, it still has the high volatility. Due to the data, a part of return is
negative, showing the potential dangers in the practical trading. It is advisable that traders
34
should be careful when using the Gann Swing trading rules. Since it is possible to result in a
significant lost. In addition, the data shows that Gann Swing trading rules are not suitable for all
the sectors of equities. According to the data, the bank sector’s performance is obviously
inferior to the oil sector and FTSE 100. In other words, traders should seek for the correct and
suitable sectors to apply the Gann Swing trading rules, hoping to maximize their profits.
According to the data, applying a different set of rules leads to a different performance. The
Entry Rule #2 produces the highest return in comparison to the other two rules. In three sectors’
performance, the return of the Entry Rule #2 is all above 10% without any negative return rate.
It is obvious that the Entry Rule #2 has higher return but lower volatility. However, all the
experimental data in the three sectors shows that the return of this rule is negative. Therefore,
the Entry Rule #1 is not advisable to use due to the low return rate. Also, to some extent, the
The extension of Gann Swing trading rules is the combination of each rule. In other words, it
owns the advantages of each rule. It is more possible to grasp the precious opportunities when
traders operate the trading. Because the extension rules extend the effective entry conditions,
more possible trading opportunities will be included. Therefore, the return rate of the extension
rules is higher than the traditional Gann Swing trading rules. Moreover, the extension rules
extract the characteristics of each rule. The trading process with extension rules will be low
Among the extension rules, the Rule#2 presents the best trading performance. It is known
that the Entry Rule #2 and the Entry Rule #3 are regarded as better rules. The combination of
35
these two rules certainly gives the most satisfying answer. The Rule#1 and the Rule#1
are slightly inferior to the Rule#2. But still, they can be applied by the traders and make
profits.
In all, the Gann Swing trading rules are regarded as a useful tool through the experiment. What
is more, the new extensions of the Gann Swing trading rules are proved to be better rules in
comparison to the traditional rules. In the future, traders can widely use the extension rules to
make profits.
6. Conclusion
In the dissertation, I have already implemented the Gann Swing trading rules through the
computerised trading. The simulation experiments verified the efficiency of each Gann Swing
trading rules. Through the comparison of the experiment, I have found the best performance
rule which can be applied by traders in the trading. Besides, I created new trading rules which
are called the extension of Gann Swing trading rules. It is the combination of each rule. The
experimental data shows that the extension rules have a better performance than the
traditional rules. At this point, it suggests that traders can apply with the extension rules to get
7. Future works
It is known that Gann Swing trading rules is the representative of technical analysis. However,
applying with technical analysis in stock market still has limitations and weaknesses. Therefore,
if we put some fundamental factors into the trading strategies, it will combine the advantages
of both technical analysis and fundamental analysis. In this way, the fundamental analysis gives
the information of trading in a macroscopic view. It can determine the amount of invest capital.
36
If the fundamental part suggests a good trend of market, traders may increase the capital and
take more profits. If in a bad trend of the market, traders may decrease the capital and protect
the profits. Technical analysis also gives specific information of action point in the trading. As
the Gann Swing trading rules, it determines when to enter the position or exit the position.
With the combination, the trading strategies will focus on the macro movement of the whole
market and specific movement of individual stock. Thus, it will produce a higher return than of
Appendix 1:
Appendix 2:
Appendix 3:
Appendix 4:
Table 12: Summarized Performance of Entry Rule #1 from 2001 to 2010 year
Note: Profits (Long) are the profits which the entry rules take in a long position. Profits (short)
are the profits which the entry rules take in a short position. No (Long) and No (Short) are the
number of transactions in the long and short positions respectively.
47
Appendix 5:
Table 13: Summarized Performance of Entry Rule #2 from 2001 to 2010 year
Appendix 6:
Table 14: Summarized Performance of Entry Rule #3 from 2001 to 2010 year
Appendix 7:
Table 15: Summarized Performance of Entry Rule #1 from 2001 to 2010 year
Appendix 8:
Table 16: Summarized Performance of Entry Rule #2 from 2001 to 2010 year
Appendix 9:
Table 17: Summarized Performance of Entry Rule #1 from 2001 to 2010 year
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