Mengubah Paradigma Kekerasan

Akhiril Fajri

Humas DPD I Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia Lampung

Untuk kesekian kali umat Islam di Indonesia merasakan satu tekanan psikologis maha dahsyat. Di satu sisi ikut empati dan simpati terhadap aksi-aksi kekerasan yang kini marak terjadi. Di sisi lain dirinya seakan menjadi tertuduh.

Semua "mata sinis", dunia tertuju pada komunitas Muslim di sini. Dan, opini publik pun tertuju pada satu pandangan yang mengatakan kekerasan ekuivalen dengan ajaran Islam.

Ketersudutan ini telah menimbulkan respons beragam umat Islam. Namun, posisi politik umat Islam, baik sebagai negara maupun warga negara, khususnya di Indonesia juga tidak begitu signifikan dalam mengubah pendapat publik ini. Terasa ada arus kuat sedemikian besar yang tidak dapat dibendung dalam sekejap. Mengapa demikian?

Mencermati fenomena yang kini terjadi, Thomas Kuhn dalam bukunya The Structure of Scientific Revolution mengungkapkan betapa banyak manusia kini dipengaruhi apa yang Kuhn sebut sebagai paradigma. Sedikit manusia yang dapat melepaskan diri dari kungkungan paradigma. Para ilmuwan-manusia yang dinobatkan sebagai paling objektif dan rasional pun tidak terlepas dari kungkungan paradigma yang berlaku.

Per definisi, paradigma adalah pola atau cara pandang terhadap suatu objek yang diterima secara luas, sehingga menjadi fondasi bagi eksplorasi objek tersebut lebih jauh.

Kuhn menegaskan revolusi ilmu pengetahuan terjadi karena munculnya paradigma. Lahirnya teori-teori besar ilmu pengetahuan selalu diawali munculnya berbagai pandangan yang menjelaskan objek ilmu tertentu (fenomena alam). Secara alamiah akan muncul pandangan yang paling mampu menjelaskan perilaku objek ini. Yang kemudian menjadi "normal sains".

Sebab keajekannya menjelaskan banyak masalah, sains normal ini berubah menjadi paradigma. Para ilmuwan muda berikutnya, setiap menjelaskan fenomena yang melibatkan objek ilmu tadi, selalu berangkat dari paradigma ini.

Kuhn tidak menjelaskan pengaruh paradigma terhadap para ilmuwan berikutnya negatif, justru sebaliknya. Sebab, sebuah paradigma selalu menyisakan ruang-ruang terbuka untuk pembuktian empiris lebih lanjut.

Masalahnya, untuk sebagian besar ilmuwan, kerja-kerja mereka menjadi semacam usaha pemaksaan fenomena alam ke dalam suatu kotak yang sudah disediakan paradigma. Akibatnya, terjadi pemilihan dan pemilahan fakta dan fenomena. Sehingga yang tidak cocok dengan kotak tadi sering menjadi tidak tampak atau memang sengaja diabaikan.

Padahal, jelas sekali banyak fakta dan fenomena itu yang melenceng dari paradigma atau perilakunya sulit dijelaskan dengan paradigma. Tapi, hanya sedikit ilmuwan yang memahami hal ini.

Walaupun begitu, ilmuwan yang sedikit ini tetap rajin dan terus mengumpulkan berbagai kemelencengan (anomali). Makin banyak anomali, makin berkurang validitas paradigma tadi. Lama-kelamaan paradigma itu luluh dan digantikan pandangan lain yang kemudian berkembang menjadi paradigma baru. Begitulah seterusnya revolusi ilmu terjadi.

Stereotip bahwa ajaran Islam identik dengan kekerasan, mungkin pada awalnya sekadar salah satu dari sekian sudut pandang terhadap Islam. Entah karena makin banyak bukti perilaku umat Islam yang mendukung pandangan itu atau direkayasa, stereotip itu kini sudah menjadi paradigma yang menguasai pemikiran banyak orang.

Dalam kondisi seperti ini, setiap ada kejadian berbau kekerasan, dalam benak siapa pun-pengamat, jurnalis, ilmuwan, awam, dan sebagainya-akan dengan segera muncul asosiasi terhadap ajaran Islam. Sekalipun ditemukan ada keganjilan-keganjil an, mereka tetap mencocok-cocokkan sesuai dengan kotak yang sudah disediakan paradigma tadi. Apalagi, paradigma tersebut merupakan pesan sponsor dari sebuah negara adidaya, yang hampir setiap media dan informasi mereka kuasai.

Sebab itu, dalam konteks ini, mengubah paradigma bahwa kekerasan identik dengan Islam sangat bergantung pada posisi politik umat Islam itu sendiri. Jelas, itu adalah jalan sulit, terjal dan panjang.

Namun, hal itu tak harus membuat pesimistis. Kita yakin, pasti ada segelintir manusia yang "tercerahkan" . Mereka orang-orang yang rajin mengumpulkan berbagai keganjilan (anomali) yang sulit diterangkan dengan paradigma bahwa kekerasan identik dengan ajaran Islam.

Mereka inventarisasi kejadian secara objektif sehingga akan menemukan bahwa kekerasan tidak kongruen dengan Islam. Apalagi, ditambah dengan dukungan setiap individu muslim, ormas Islam, bahkan negara--yang mayoritas muslim ini--untuk mau memberikan pencerahan dan menerapkan wajah Islam yang sesungguhnya, sesuai dengan spirit Islam. Yang pada akhirnya paradigma tadi akan luluh. Wallahualam bissawab.
__



Pelihara Kura-kura Tidak Aman bagi Anak

Pelihara Kura-kura Tidak Aman bagi Anak
Washington (ANTARA News) - Kura-kura agaknya bukan hewan peliharaan yang aman buat anak-anak, setelah seorang bayi usia empat minggu meninggal tahun ini,
demikian dikatakan oleh Pusat Pencegahan dan Penanggulangan Penyakit Menular AS (CDC) Jumat.
CDC menyampaikan kekhawatirannya bahwa hewan kura-kura yang diperjualbelikan sebagai hewan peliharaan, meningkat akhir-akhir ini walaupun adanya larangan untuk
menjual kura-kura dengan diamater kulit punggungnya melebihi 4 inci (10 cm).
Bayi kura-kura merupakan hewan populer untuk dijadikan hewan peliharaan di Amerika Serikat sampai Badan pengawas Obat dan Makanan AS, FDA mengeluarkan
larangan karena hewan tersebut meimbulkan banyak kasus berbagai penyakit serius bagi anak-anak.
"Salmonella yang terdapat pada kotoran kura-kura dapat berpindah kepada manusia melalui kontak fisik baik secara langsung atau pun tak langsung. Tak ada metoda yang
dapat menjamin bahwa seekor kura-kura bebas dari salmonella dan bakteri tersebut dapat dihilangkan dari kotoran hewan tersebut.
Umumnya hampir semua kura-kura mengandung bakteri salmonella," demikiam dikatakan oleh CDC dalam laporan kematian bayi empat minggu .
Penyakit yang diakibatkan salmonella tetap merupakan masalah kesehatan di AS, dengan perkiraan 1,4 juta nonthypoidal salmonella (salmonella bukan penyebab penyakit
typhoid) menjadi penyebab infeksi pada manusia setiap tahunnya yang mengharuskan 15 ribu orang harus dirawat di rumah sakit dan 400 diantaranya berakhir dengan
kematian.
Bayi yang terkena salmonella tersebut dibawa ke ruang UGD sebuah rumah sakit di dengan gejala demam tinggi dan kejang, meninggal pada 1 Maret lalu walaupun sudah
menerima pengobatan anti-biotika.
Tes terhadap bakteri yang diambil dari si bayi cocok dengan yang ditemukan pada kura-kura peliharaan yang merupakan hadiah pemberian seorang kenalan keluarga si bayi.
Hewan yang mengandung salmonella tidak sakit namun ia membawa microba tersebut.
CDC telah menelusuri 15 orang lainnya yag juga terinfeksi dengan rangkaian bakteri yang sama pada tahun 2006 dan 2007 dan menenumkan 80 persen diantara mereka
melakukan kontak fisik langsung maupun tak langsung dengan seekor kura-kura sepekan sebelum jatuh sakit.
"Kasus-kasus tersebut memperlihatkan bahwa kura-kura kecil tetap menjadi sumber infeksi salmonella bagi manusia," kata CDC.
"Walaupun pemberian pengetahuan kepada masyarakat yang bertujuan untuk mencegah infeksi yang disebabkan salmonella sudah sangat memadai, agaknya larangan untuk
memelihara kura-kura adalah cara yang paling efektif untuk mencegah kasus infeksi akibat salmonella."
Apabila bakteri itu menyebar dalam darah dapat menyebabkan sejumlah penyakit yang amat berbahaya yang mengancam keselamatan nyawa balita, lansia dan mereka yang
tak memiliki sistem kekebalan yaitu orang yang hidup dengan AIDs atau pasien kanker, demikian Reuters.



" Berkembang Menembus Batasan "

Bila kita melihat keadaan di sekitar kita hari-hari ini, kita akan melihat betapa cepatnya jaman ini berkembang. Bahkan perubahan tersebut seringkali terjadi tanpa kita sadari. Sebagai contoh, teknologi yang berkembang begitu pesat, intelektual yang semakin meningkat, penemuan-penemuan baru di bidang kesehatan dan obat-obatan, dsb. Perubahan tersebut tidak dapat kita hindari, sebagaimana ada pepatah yang mengatakan, "Satu-satunya hal yang tidak akan pernah berubah, adalah perubahan itu sendiri."

Bila kita terlena sedikit saja, besar sekali kemungkinan untuk kita akan kehilangan kesempatan kita untuk berkembang, atau setidak-tidaknya kita akan tertinggal dengan semua kolega kita. Maka dari itu kita harus belajar untuk membiasakan diri dengan perubahan tersebut, sehingga kita akan menjadi pribadi yang mudah untuk beradaptasi dengan situasi yang ada, ta! npa meniadakan norma, prinsip dan nilai yang sudah kita pegang dari mulanya.

1. Miliki tujuan yang jelas - kembangkan!.
Orang yang tidak memiliki tujuan di dalam hidupnya tidak akan pernah bisa berkembang dengan maksimal. Mengapa? Karena dia tidak akan tahu ke mana dia harus melangkah, dan ini akan berdampak pada keputusan-keputusan yang diambilnya. Tetapi untuk menjadi berkembang tanpa batas, seseorang juga harus memiliki kemampuan untuk memperluas tujuannya. Walt Disney dapat berkembang begitu luas sampai ke seluruh dunia hanya dimulai dari mimpi seorang Walter Elias Disney yang miskin untuk berusaha membahagiakan semua anak di seluruh dunia. Dan sampai sekarang, meskipun Mr. Disney sudah meninggal, tetapi mimpi itu masih terus berlanjut.

2. Miliki inisiatif untuk berkembang tanpa batas.
Saat Christopher Columbus ingin berlayar mengelilingi dunia, semua orang menganggapnya gila karena mereka percaya bahwa bumi itu data! r, bukan bulat. Tetapi karena keberaniannya untuk berinisiatif! 'gila' tersebutlah kita dapat mengetahui fakta bahwa bumi memang bulat, bukan datar. Saat kita ingin berkembang, jangan menunggu perubahan terjadi pada orang lain baru kita dapat berkembang. Miliki mental bahwa perubahan itu harus dimulai dari diri kita, bukan orang lain.

3. Berpikirlah selangkah lebih maju.
Thomas John Watson, pendiri perusahaan komputer raksasa IBM suatu hari memaparkan kunci dari keberhasilan IBM, dan berkata, "Setiap kali kami memperoleh kemajuan dalam IBM, itu adalah karena ada orang yang mau untuk mengambil kesempatan, memikirkannya dengan keras, dan mencoba sesuatu yang baru." Di dalam hidup ini, kita memiliki pilihan untuk menjadi orang seperti apakah kita. Apakah kita ingin menjadi orang yang gagal, ataukah biasa-biasa saja, ataukah kita ingin menjadi orang yang unggul? Orang yang ingin menjadi orang yang unggul, ia harus melatih cara berpikirnya untuk selalu mengeluarkan ide-ide yang mungkin bahkan belum terpikirkan oleh orang-o! rang di sekitarnya.

4. Kembangkan rasa ingin tahu yang positif.
Semua penemuan bersejarah di seluruh dunia ini pasti didasari dari keingintahuan dari para penemunya. Tidak selamanya rasa ingin tahu itu adalah sesuatu yang negatif, karena selama kita dapat memanfaatkan rasa ingin tahu kita untuk sesuatu yang positif dan berguna bagi banyak orang, rasa ingin tahu tersebut akan menjadi sesuatu yang menguntungkan. Seorang Albert Einstein tidak akan pernah menjadi penemu dari teori relativitas yang sangat terkenal itu bila dia tidak memiliki rasa ingin tahu yang besar akan bagaimana energi dapat memiliki hubungan yang erat dengan massa sebuah benda dan kecepatan cahaya.

5. Rajin-rajinlah membaca.
Setiap orang yang tidak memiliki wawasan yang luas pasti akan mengalami masalah dalam berkomunikasi dengan berbagai macam tipe orang. Dan salah satu cara yang baik untuk memiliki wawasan yang luas adalah dengan meningkatkan minat bac! a. Thomas Jefferson, presiden ketiga Amerika Serikat, adalah s! eorang y ang sangat dikenal lewat kinerjanya dalam menuliskan Deklarasi Kemerdekaan Amerika Serikat. Tetapi mungkin tidak semua orang menyadari bahwa Thomas Jefferson adalah seorang kolektor buku, yang membuatnya menjadi seorang yang sangat berwawasan luas dalam berbicara berbagai aspek, mulai dari pertanian, arsitektur, bahkan sampai penelitian fosil-fosil purbakala.


Ayo, Terus Bergerak!

Ayo, Terus Bergerak!
Air, jika dibiarkan terus menggenang, tanpa aliran, lama-lama akan menjadisarang penyakit. Demikian juga udara, jika dibiarkan berhenti, takberhembus, akan menimbulkan kepengapan dan akhirnya merusak pernapasan.Semua harus bergerak. Tidak boleh ada yang diam.
Adalah kenyataan bahwa segala ciptaan Allah selalu bergerak. Bumi, matahari,bulan, bintang, dan semua tata surya berotasi tiada henti. Sekali terhentiakan terjadi kerusakan dan bencana yang luar biasa. Bahkan makhluk-makhlukmikr o seperti bakteri dan virus pun bergerak.
Hukum Tuhan yang terjadi pada alam raya itu sesungguhnya terjadi juga padadiri manusia. Secara fisik, jika manusia berhenti, diam, dan tidak melakukanaktifitas, maka dalam kurun waktu tertentu kesehatannya pasti terganggu.Selain mudah lelah, berbagai penyakit akan mulai berdatangan.

Demikian pula halnya dengan pikiran.
Seseorang yang membiarkan otaknya berhenti berpikir, maka dalam jangka waktutertentu pikirannya akan terganggu. Sulit berpikir logis dan sistematis.Berpikir nya meloncat-loncat, sulit mengingat, dan mudah lupa. Menurutpenelitian ilmiah, orang yang kurang terbiasa menggunakan pikirannya, padausia tuanya akan menjadi pikun.
Jika rumus pergerakan itu terjadi pada alam dan individu manusia, maka halyang sama juga pasti berlaku pada sebuah masyarakat dan organisasi.
Jangan sekali-kali berhenti, diam, atau stagnan. Karena diam itu berartimati. Diam itu bisa membawa penyakit. Diam itu tidak sehat. Jangan takutperubahan, perbaikan, dan pembaruan. Sebab semua ciptaan-Nya ditakdirkanselalu bergerak dalam sebuah rotasi yang telah ditentukan.





Successful Leadership Coaching

There are many types of leadership and supervision training. Obtaining a personal coach is an important option being discovered by many of today’s leaders.

You’ve tried many other leadership and supervision training options, but now you’ve decided that you are going to take the leap and hire a professional coach to help you realize your goals.

Terrific, but now you’re faced with the daunting task of picking one.

One resource you may consider is located at www.coachfederation .org, which is the web site for The International Coach Federation (IFC), a professional organization for coaches.

IFC has countless resources; a member directory and they offer the following advice when searching for a coach:

* Educate yourself about coaching. Hundreds of articles have been written about it in the last 3-5 years.
* Know your objectives for working with a coach.
* Interview three coaches before you decide on one. Ask them about their experience, qualifications, skills, and ask for at least two references.
* Remember, coaching is an important relationship. There should be a connection between you and the coach that "feels" right to you.

Look for a leadership and supervision training coach that specializes in your field of expertise but remember that a coach isn’t there to run your life or solve all of your problems – he/she is a guide, a sounding board and an advisor.

You may not always like what your coach has to say but you must remember that they are not there to be your best friend. You will need to keep an open mind to any feedback they provide. You always have the choice of taking what they say to heart or simply discarding any advice that you don’t buy into.

If you’re asking yourself “How will I know if it’s working?” – don’t worry,
you’ll know. You should have measurable results. You should be making progress towards your goals and you should feel positive about your future.

A good leadership and supervision training coach will facilitate growth and dynamic change. You’ll improve performance and the quality of your life will be enhanced.

Through mutual trust, collaboration and respectful communication – “your state of mind” and “state of being” will be positively impacted.

If you don’t see progress, or aren’t impressed with the speed at which you are realizing small successes, you always have the option of getting a new coach – but don’t give up on coaching completely. Simply keep looking for the coach that you will learn the most from.

An experienced and professional coach can help you get where you want to be, you just have to be willing to work hard, listen, and be open to new ideas and experiences. Let your coach lead you to some place you’ve never been.

Coaching is an important leadership and supervision training tool being used by successful people all over the world and it’s one option that should be in your personal toolbox if you’re truly dedicated to growing your skill-set as a leader.

Tagore's Poem
« on: Yesterday at 11:25:50 PM »

This is Tagore's poem expressing his goals for international education. Rabindranath Tagore, the Nobel laureate poet, writer, philosopher was the ambassador of Indian culture to the rest of the world.

Where the mind is without fear
and the head is held high,

Where knowledge is free;

Where the world has not been broken
up into fragments by narrow domestic
walls;

Where words come out from the
depth of truth;

Where tireless striving
stretches its arms towards
perfection;

Where the clear stream of reason
has not lost its way into the
dreary desert sand of dead habit;

Where the mind is led forward
by thee into ever-widening
thought and action–
into that heaven of freedom,
my Father,

Let my country awake.

Shah's article about Tagore can be viewed at this link:
http://lovebeats.org/forums/index.php/topic,9026.0.html








Indicators Descriptions
Average True Range

The Average True Range is a moving average of the True Range, which is the difference between the True Range High and the True Range Low.

The current True Range High is the current high or the previous close, whichever is greater. The current True Range Low is the current low or previous close, whichever is lower. These values take into account price changes during off-hours trading.

The Average True Range at the beginning of the data series is not defined until there are enough values to fill the given period.

The Average True Range measures the volatility of a given forex trading market. High values indicate that currency trading prices are changing a large amount during the day. Low values indicate that prices are staying relatively constant. Both trending and level prices can have high or low volatility.

High volatility levels in forex can sometimes be used to time trend reversals, such as forex market tops and bottoms. Low volatility levels can sometimes be used to time the beginning of new upward currency trading price trends following periods of consolidation.

top
Bollinger Bands

Bollinger Bands are a pair of values placed as an "envelope" around a data field. The values are calculated by taking the moving average of the data for the given period and adding or subtracting the specified number of standard deviations for the same period from the moving average.

Bollinger Bands use a moving average; therefore, the value at the beginning of a data series is not defined until there are enough values to fill the given period.

Bollinger Bands are useful for determining whether current values of a data field are behaving normally or breaking out in a new direction. For example, when the closing price of a forex market increases above its upper Bollinger Band, it will typically increase in that direction.

Bollinger Bands can also be used for identifying when trend reversals may occur. A reversal is typically indicated by new highs or lows outside of the bands followed by another high/low inside the bands.

Since the standard deviation can be used as a forex volatility indicator, the current width of the envelope can also be used for trend information. A narrow envelope indicates a lower amount of volatility while a wide envelope indicates a higher amount. High volatility levels can sometimes be used to time trend reversals, such as market tops and bottoms and low volatility levels are sometimes used to time the beginning of new upward price trends following periods of consolidation.

A useful forecasting tool shows that moves that begin at one band tend to go all the way to the other band.

Bollinger Bands are similar to Trading Bands and share many of their characteristics, except trading bands do not vary in width based on volatility.

top
Dynamic Momentum

The Dynamic Momentum Index (DMI) is quite similar to the Relative Strength Index. The difference is that the DMI uses variable time periods (from 3 to 30) versus the RSI's fixed periods.

The variability of the time periods used in the DMI is controlled by the recent volatility of currency trading prices. The more volatile the forex prices, the more sensitive the DMI is to price changes. During quiet forex market conditions, the DMI will use more time periods while less are used during more active forex trading markets. As a result, the DMI is more sensitive to fluctuations in the forex market and displays changes more rapidly than the RSI can.

top
Linear Regression

The Linear Regression indicator is calculated by fitting a linear regression line over the values for the given period, and then determining the current value for that line. A linear regression line is a straight line which is as close to all of the given values as possible.

The linear regression indicator at the beginning of a data series is not defined until there are enough values to fill the given period.
This function is the same as the Time Series Moving Average. It is also the same as the Time Series Forecast with an offset of zero.

top
MACD

The Moving Average Convergence/Divergence (MACD) is calculated by subtracting the value of a 26-day exponential moving average from the value of a 12-day exponential moving average.

The value of the MACD at the beginning of a data series is considered to be zero. Because the MACD uses exponential moving averages, its initial values will include the zero value in its calculation. Therefore, you may want to ignore the values before the 26th value, when the effect on the longer moving average is no longer significant.

The MACD is a specific instance of a Value Oscillator and is typically used on the closing price of a forex market to detect price trends. When the MACD increases, the prices are trending higher, and the prices are trending lower when the MACD is decreasing.

The MACD is traditionally traded against a 9-day exponential average of its value, called its signal line. The MACD Signal Line function is provided to generate this value. When the MACD increases above its signal line, a buy signal is generated. When the MACD decreases below its signal line, a sell signal is generated.

top
Accumulation Swing

The Accumulation Swing indicator is an oscillator-based on the swing index (S"). A currency trading price buying signal is generated when the daily high exceeds the previous SI significant high, and a currency trading price selling signal occurs when the daily low dips under the significant SI low.

With the Accumulation Swing Index attempting to show the real forex trading market, it closely resembles actual prices. This allows usage of classic support/resistance analysis on the Index. Typical analysis involves looking for breakouts, new highs and lows, and divergences.

Try our Forex Trading Platform RISK FREE for 30 days. With a demo account and our DealBook®360 software, you can practice currency trading at your own pace, using the same real-time data and quotes available to Live Account holders.

top
Aroon

The Aroon indicator is used to determine if a currency trading price is moving in a trend or sideways as well as how strong the trend is. If the price of a currency trading price is rising, the close for the period will be closer to the end of the period, and vice versa. The Aroon indicator shows how much time passed between the highest (up) or lowest (down) close since the beginning of a period (in percents).

When Aroon (up) and Aroon (down) are moving together, there is no clear trend (the price is moving sideways, or about to move sideways). When the Aroon (up) is below 50, it is an indication that the uptrend is losing its momentum, while when the Aroon (down) is below 50; it is an indication that the downtrend is losing its momentum. When the Aroon (up) or Aroon (down) are above 70, it indicate a strong trend in the same direction, while when the value is below 30, it indicates a trend coming in an opposite direction.
inally, for the Aroon Oscillator, the positive value indicates an upward trend (or coming trend), and the negative value indicates a downward trend. The higher the absolute value of an oscillator, the stronger is an indication of a trend.

top
Chande Momentum

The Chande Momentum indicator is a momentum oscillator. There are two different ways this oscillator is used as a trading signal. The first is to measure overbought or oversold levels for a given currency. The second method is to buy when the oscillator crosses above its moving average line and to sell when the oscillator crosses below its moving average line.

The Chande Momentum indicator is constructed using the sum over a given period of price changes on up days, sum (high-low) up, and the sum over the same period of prices on down days, sum (high-low), down. An exponential moving average of this line is then overlaid upon the oscillator as a signal line. The oscillator requires two parameters: the period over which the price ranges will be summed, and the period for the moving average.

top
Chinkou Span

Please see Ichimoku.
Commodity Channel Index

The Commodity Channel Index (CCI) determines how far the current price has been from the recent average. High values indicate multiple days with higher than average prices, while low values indicate multiple days with lower than average prices. The CCI is not defined until there are enough values to fill the given period.

The CCI can be used as an overbought/oversold indicator or for detecting divergences from the price trend.

When watching the CCI in relation to the current price, it is useful to watch for new highs and lows. If the price of the forex trading market is reaching new highs and the CCI is not reaching new highs, a price correction may be coming.

The CCI typically ranges in value-100 to +100. Values above this range indicate that the particular forex market may be becoming overbought; values below this range indicate it may be becoming oversold. As with other overbought/oversold indicators, this can often mean the price will correct to more typical levels.

top
Commodity Selection Index

The Commodity Selection Index ("CSI") is a momentum indicator which helps to select commodities suitable for short-term trading.
A high CSI rating indicates that the commodity has strong trending and volatility characteristics. The trending characteristics are brought out by the Directional Movement factor in the calculation, and the volatility characteristics are brought out by the Average True Range factor.

top
DEMA

Double Exponential Moving Average ("DEMA") is a unique composite of a single exponential moving average and a double exponential moving average that provides less lag than either of the two components individually. DEMA can be used in place of trading traditional moving averages.

top
Detrended Price Oscillator

The Detrended Price Oscillator ("DPO") attempts to eliminate the trend in prices. Detrended prices allow you to more easily identify cycles and overbought/oversold levels.

Long-term cycles are made up of a series of short-term cycles. Analyzing these shorter term components of the long-term cycles can be helpful in identifying major turning points in the longer term cycle. The DPO helps you remove these longer-term cycles from prices.

To calculate the DPO, create an n-period simple moving average (where "n" is the number of periods in the moving average). Then, subtract the moving average "(n / 2) + 1" days ago from the closing price. The result is the DPO.

Try our Forex Trading Platform RISK FREE for 30 days. With a demo account and our DealBook®360 software, you can practice currency trading at your own pace, using the same real-time data and quotes available to Live Account holders.

top
Directional Movement - ADXR

The ADXR takes the ADX value of a bar and averages it with the ADX value of a recent, trailing bar. This has the effect of smoothing the ADX values. As with the ADX, a rising ADXR might indicate a strong underlying trend while a falling ADXR suggests a weakening trend subject to a reversal. ADXR can also identify non-trending markets or the deterioration of an ongoing trend. Although forex market direction is important in its calculation, the ADXR is not a directional indicator.

The ADXR differs from ADX in that it is less sensitive to short, quick reversals because it results in a 'smoother' calculation. It was developed to compensate for the variance of excessive tops and bottoms and is especially helpful when used in conjunction with trend-following strategies. Strategies that rely on volatility as an indication of movement may not take into account that movement does not necessarily indicate volatility. ADXR provides information pertaining to the strength of a trend, helping you to manage the risk of trading in volatile markets that fluctuate between trending and non-trending.

top
Directional Movement - DX

The Directional Movement Index ("DMI") is designed to highlight the strength of any upward or downward trend in the forex trading market. It is composed of DI+ and DI- which show the strength of the increasing and decreasing prices respectively and Average Directional Index ("ADX"), which determines the strength of the trend. ADX is a moving average of Directional Index ("DX") with a smoothing constant double the size of the time period selected for measuring upward and downward movements.

In a trading system based on DMI, a buy signal is given when the DI+ value becomes greater than the DI -. For a sell signal, look for the point where DI becomes greater than DI+. In both cases, FX trading signals are only generated if the presence of a relatively strong trend is detected, for example, in the case that the value of ADX is higher than 25%.

top
Envelope

Envelopes are used to indicate the fx trading range of a given forex trading market above and below an average price. In this case, an exponential moving average is taken against the forex market, and then a trading band is applied by adding and subtracting a fixed percentage of the average on that day. This will calculate the price 5% above and 5% below the average.

top
Fast Stochastics

The Fast Stochastic indicator calculates the location of a current price in relation to its range over a period of bars. The default settings are to use the most recent 14 bars (input Length), the high and low of that period to establish a range (input HighValue and LowValue) and the close as the current price (input CloseValue). This calculation is then indexed and plotted as FastK. A smoothed average of FastK, known as FastD, is also plotted. FastK and FastD plot as oscillators with values from 0 to 100. The direction of the Stochastics should confirm price movement. For example, rising Stochastics confirm rising prices.

Stochastics can also help identify turning points when there are non-confirmations or divergences. For example, a new high in price without a new high in Stochastics may indicate a false breakout. Stochastics are also used to identify overbought and oversold conditions when the Stochastics reach extreme highs or lows. Additionally, FastK crossing above the smoother FastD can be a buy signal and vice versa.

top
Forecast Oscillator

The Forecast Oscillator is an extension of the linear regression-based indicators. It is a percentage comparison of the price of an issue and the price as indicated by the Time Series Forecast Oscillator.

The oscillator is above zero when the forecast price is greater than the actual price. Conversely, it's less than zero if it's below. When the forecast price and the actual price are the same, the oscillator would plot as zero. Prices that are persistently below the forecast price suggest lower prices ahead. Actual prices that are persistently above the forecast price suggest higher prices ahead.

top
Inertia

The Inertia indicator is used to measure the momentum of a currency trading price based on its volatility. An outgrowth of the Relative Volatility Index, Inertia is simply a smoothed RVI.

Inertia is measured on a scale from 0 to 100. Negative Inertia is seen if the indicator is below 50. If the indicator is above 50, it is said to have positive Inertia. Signs of positive Inertia are indicative of a long-term upward trend. Signs of negative Inertia illustrate long-term downtrends.

top
Intraday Momentum

The Intraday Momentum Index ("IMI") is a combination of the Relative Strength Index and Candlestick Analysis.

The IMI is calculated like the RSI but uses the relationship between the intraday opening and closing prices to determine whether the day is up or down. When the close is above the open, it is an up day. If the close is below the open, it is a down day. White candlesticks signify an up day, black candlesticks used for down days.

As with the RSI, overbought conditions (and lower prices ahead) are indicated when the index rises above 70. Values below 30 indicate a potential oversold situation and higher price ahead. Remember, as with all overbought/oversold indicators, you should first quantify the trendiness of the forex market before acting on any signals.

Try our Forex Trading Platform RISK FREE for 30 days. With a demo account and our DealBook®360 software, you can practice currency trading at your own pace, using the same real-time data and quotes available to Live Account holders.

top
Ichimoku

The Ichimoku Kingo Hyo indicator determines forex market trends, levels of support and resistance, and generates buy and sell signals. This indicator works best on the week and day time forex charts.

When assigning a dimension of parameters, four time frames of different extent are used. The significances of the separate lines that make up this indicator are based on these intervals:

*

Tenkan-sen - displays the average value of the price for the first period of time; defined as the sum of a maximum and the minimum for this time frame, divided by two.
*

Kijun-sen - displays the average value of the price for the second time frame.
*

Senkou Span A - displays the midpoint between the previous two lines, shifted forward on value of the second time frame.
*

Senkou Span B - displays the average value of the price for the third time frame, shifted forward on value of the second time frame.
*

Chinkou Span displays the closing price of the current candle, shifted back on value of the second time frame. The distance between the lines, Senkou, is shaded on the schedule with other color and is named as 'cloud'. If the price is found between these lines, the market is considered without a trend and the edges of a cloud will derivate levels of support and resistance.

If the price is found above a cloud, its upper line will derivate the first level of support, and second - second level of support. If the price is found under a cloud, the lower line will derivate the first level of resistance, in upper - second.

If the line, Chinkou Span, intersects the chart of the price bottom-up, it is a signal to buy. If it intersects top-down, it is a signal to sell.
Kijun-sen is used as a parameter of movement in the forex market. If the price is higher than the Kijun-sen, the price will most likely rise. When the price intersects this line, changes in the trend are likely.

An alternative version of usage for the Kijun-sen is the submission of signals. The buy signal is generated when the line Tenkan-sen intersects Kijun-sen bottom-up and a sell signal is generated when the Tenkan-sen intersects Kijun-sen top-down. Tenkan-sen is used as the indicator of a forex market trend. If this line grows or drops, the trend exists. When it goes horizontally, the forex market has come into the channel.

top
Kairi

The Kairi indicator charts the percentage difference between the current closing value and its simple moving average. It can be used either as a trend indicator or as an overbought/oversold signal.

top
Keltner Channel

The Keltner Channel is based on the Average True Range and is sensitive to volatility. It may be used in place of standard deviation (Bollinger) bands or percentage envelopes.

The Keltner Channel is made up of two bands plotted around an Exponential Moving Average ("EMA") usually the 20-day EMA. Price breaking through the bands often produce buy and sell signals.

As with all envelope or band systems, the probability is that price will remain within the envelope and that if the price breaks through the envelope, it can be taken as a signal to buy or sell.

When prices close above the top band, this often means a breakout in upward volatility to be followed by higher prices. When prices close below the bottom band, prices are expected to move lower.

In a rising forex market, the middle line, or 20-day EMA, should provide support. Conversely, in a falling forex market, it tends to provide resistance.

As with all trend-following systems, the Keltner Channel works well in up trends or down trends, but does not work well in a sideways channel. It is not meant to catch tops or bottoms.

Keltner Channels should be used in combination with other indicators, such as RSI or MACD, to provide confirmation of the strength of a forex market. An exit strategy utilizing trendlines and other indicators can be particularly important. Waiting for the price to close below the lower band often erodes much of the potential profits from a good move.

The calculation for the Keltner Channel, based on ATR, is as follows:

For the top, or plus, band, the ATR is calculated over 10 periods, doubled, then added to a 20 period exponential moving average.
For the bottom, or minus, band, the ATR is calculated over 10 periods, doubled, then subtracted from a 20 period exponential moving average.

When the prices close above the plus band, it is a signal of strength and rising prices. When the prices close below the minus band, a signal that prices will drop is indicated. Signals stay in effect until the prices close across the opposite band.

top
Kijun Sen

Please see Ichimoku.
Linear Regression Slope

Linear regression is a statistical tool used to predict future forex market values relative to their past values, and is normally plotted on a price chart as a straight line like a trend line. The Linear Regression indicator, however, does not plot a straight line - when it is plotted, it curves through price activity. Its curve is a result of plotting a line through each end point of invisible linear regression trend lines. Each invisible trend line plots the minimal distance between closing prices, using the 'least squares' method, over the number of bars defined in the input, LENGTH.

The indicator helps to determine where a forex market's price might be in the near future using current and past price history. If prices are trending up, linear regression attempts to logically determine what the upward bias of the price may be relative to the current price. If prices are trending down, it will attempt to determine the downward bias of the price. Some analysts believe that when prices rise above or fall below the linear regression line; they are overextended and will begin to move back towards the line. Thus, the line is used to monitor when a price move may change direction.

Try our Forex Trading Platform RISK FREE for 30 days. With a demo account and our DealBook®360 software, you can practice currency trading at your own pace, using the same real-time data and quotes available to Live Account holders.

top
Mass Index

The Mass Index uses the range of the bars to calculate several values, including exponential averages of the ranges. It then calculates and plots an index of these calculations. The Mass Index is used in trending markets to monitor direction and warn of potential changes in forex market direction.

The Mass Index signals a possible price reversal when the Mass Index line crosses above the setup line and subsequently falls below the trigger line. This is known as a reversal bulge. The Mass Index does not identify the trend direction, but rather warns of possible reversals.

top
Median Price

The Median Price function calculates the midpoint between the high and low prices for the day. Sometimes it is also referred to as the mean or average price.

The median price provides a simplified view of the currency trading prices for the day. It can be used to smooth out some of the volatility of the closing price since it includes information for the entire trading day rather than specifically the end of the day.
The median price can be used anywhere a closing price or other single price field would be used.

top
Momentum

The Momentum indicator calculates and plots the net change, expressed in points, between each bar's price, as specified by the input Price, and that price the number of bars ago specified in the input Length. The default settings calculate and plot the net change between the close of a bar and the close ten bars earlier. Measuring current prices versus earlier prices sheds light on the pace of a trend and possible trend reversals. It may also be useful in identifying overbought and oversold conditions when the Momentum becomes extremely strong or weak.

top
Moving Average Exponential

An exponential moving average is calculated by combining a certain percentage of the current value with an inverse percentage of the previous value of the exponential moving average. For example, if 25% weight is being given to the current value, 25% of the current value is added to 75% of the previous moving average to get the current moving average.

The period is used to determine the relative weight which previous values should be given. The formula 2/ (period+1) is used to determine the percentage. For example, a period of 7 would cause 25% (2/ (7+1)) of the current value and 75% of the previous exponential moving average value to be used.

NOTE: All previous values are used to make up a current exponential moving average, even values from before the period. The period is used as a rough estimate of how long new values will remain significant in calculation.

The value at the beginning of a data series is considered to be zero. Therefore, you may want to ignore the values before the period has completed.

Moving Averages are useful for smoothing raw, noisy data, such as daily prices. Price data can vary greatly from day-to-day, obscuring whether the price is going up or down over time. By looking at the moving average of the price, a more general picture of the underlying trends can be seen.

Since moving averages can be used to see trends, they can also be used to see whether data is bucking the trend. Entry/exit systems often compare data to a moving average to determine whether it is supporting a trend or starting a new one.

top
Moving Average Modified

The Modified Moving Average ("MMA") is an algebraic technique which makes averages more responsive to price movements. The average includes a sloping factor to help it catch up with the rising or falling value of the currency trading price. Modified moving Averages are similar to simple moving averages. The first point of the modified moving average is calculated the same way the first point of the simple moving average is calculated. However, all subsequent points are calculated by first adding the new price and then subtracting the last average from the resulting sum. The difference is the new point, or MMA.

top
Moving Average Simple

The Simple Moving Average ("SMA") indicator is calculated by summing the closing prices of the currency for a period of time and then dividing this total by the number of time periods. Sometimes called an arithmetic moving average, the SMA is basically the average price over a period of time.

Because the Simple Moving Average gives equal weight to each daily price, the longer the time period studied, the greater the smoothing out of recent forex market volatility. Long-term moving averages smooth out all the minor fluctuations showing only longer-term trends. Shorter-term moving averages will show shorter term trends but at the expense of the long term.

Most of the time, prices are on one side or the other of the moving average. As trends develop, the moving average will slope in the direction of the trend, showing the trend direction and some indication of its strength based on the steepness of the slope.

top
Moving Average Triangular

The Moving Average Triangular indicator calculates a simple arithmetic average of prices, specified by the input Price. It then calculates and plots a simple arithmetic average of this average. The length of each of these averages is one more than half the value specified in the input Length, rounded to a whole number. This uses all the price data from the most recent number of bars specified by the input Length, but with the smoothing effect of 'averaging the average'.

A moving average is generally used for trend identification. Attention is given to the direction in which the average is moving and to the relative position of prices and the moving average. Rising moving average values (direction) and prices above the moving average (position) would indicate an uptrend. Declining moving average values and prices below the moving average would indicate a downtrend. A displaced moving average plots the moving average value of a previous bar or later bar on the current bar.

top
Moving Average Weighted

The weighted moving average is calculated by averaging together the previous values over the given period, including the current value. These values are weighted linearly, with the oldest value receiving a weight of 1, the next value receiving a weight of 2, and so on up to the current value, which receives a weight equal to the period.

The moving average at the beginning of a data series is not defined until there are enough values to fill the given period.

NOTE: For more exaggerated weighting on the current values, you may want to use an exponential moving average. You could also average two or more weighted moving averages together.

Moving Averages are useful for smoothing raw, noisy data, such as daily prices. Price data can vary greatly from day-to-day, obscuring whether the price is going up or down over time. By looking at the moving average of the price, a more general picture of the underlying trends can be seen.

Since moving averages can be used to see trends, they can also be used to see whether data is bucking the trend. Entry/exit systems often compare data to a moving average to determine whether it is supporting a trend or starting a new one.

top
Parabolic SAR

The Parabolic SAR ("PSAR") indicator is based on the relationship between a forex market's price and time. It is used to determine when to stop and reverse ("SAR") a position utilizing time/price based stops.

Once a Parabolic SAR is reached, the current position is exited and a new position in the opposite direction is taken. It is primarily used in trending markets and is based on always having a position in the forex market. The indicator may also be used to determine stop points and estimating when you would reverse a position and take a trade the opposite direction. The indicator derives its name from the fact that when charted, the pattern resembles a parabola or French curve.

top
Percent Change

The Percent Change indicator calculates and plots the net change, expressed as a percent, between a bar's price, as specified by the input Price, and that price the number of bars ago specified in the input Length. The default settings plot the percent change for the close of each bar compared to the bar before it. This indicator is a quick and easy method of viewing price swings on a bar-by-bar basis illustrating price volatility. The default settings will automatically plot the indicator in dark green when the Percent Change is positive and in red when the Percent Change is negative.

top
Percent of Resistance

The Percent of Resistance ("PCR") indicator is an oscillator that compares a currency's closing price to its price range over a given time period.

top
Percent R

The Percent R indicator is an overbought / oversold oscillator that is best applied to choppy markets and markets locked in a sideways price pattern or trading range. It can also be used to indicate when to buy on troughs in bull markets and sell on rallies in bear markets. In general, this indicator can help you take advantage of shorter-term countertrend moves occurring within longer-term trends as well as indicate the best time to exit or enter a particular forex market.

An oversold market is believed to occur when the Percent R line is less than the buy zone line. Conversely, an overbought market is believed to occur when the Percent R line is greater than the sell zone line.

top
Price Channel

The Price Channel indicator calculates the highest high and lowest low of the trailing number of bars specified by the input Length. Lines representing the trailing highs and the trailing lows are then plotted. When a forex market moves above the upper band, it is a sign of forex market strength. Conversely, when a forex market moves below the lower band, it is a sign of forex market weakness. A sustained move above or below the channel lines may indicate a significant breakout.

This indicator is NOT displaced by default. Changing the input Displace to a positive number displaces the plot to the left. Changing the input Displace to a negative number displaces the plot to the right.

top
Price Oscillator

The Price Oscillator indicator calculates a fast, or short, moving average and a long, or slow, moving average. The difference between these two values is then plotted. The moving averages are not plotted. One approach to analyzing moving averages is to note the relative position of the 2 averages: the short moving average above the long moving average would yield a positive Price Oscillator value and be bullish; the short moving average below the long moving average would yield a negative Price Oscillator value and be bearish.

Calculating the difference between the two averages and plotting this as an oscillator makes extreme positive and negative values stand out as possible overbought and oversold conditions.

top
Relative Strength Index

The Relative Strength Index ("RSI") is based on a ratio of the average upward changes to the average downward changes over a given period of time. It has a range of 0 to 100, with values typically remaining between 30 and 70. Lower values indicate oversold conditions while higher values indicate overbought conditions.

The RSI at the beginning of a data series is not defined until there are enough values to fill the given period. In addition, the value is defined as 100 when no downward changes occur during the given period.

The RSI is typically used with a 9, 14, or 25 calendar day (7, 10, or 20 trading day) period against the closing price of a forex market or commodity. The more days that are included in the calculation, the less volatile the value. The Relative Momentum Index ("RMI") is an extension of the RSI which provides an additional smoothing parameter.

The RSI usually leads the price by forming peaks and valleys before the price data, especially around the values of 30 and 70. In addition, when the RSI diverges from the price, the price will eventually correct to the direction of the index.

top
Relative Volatility

The Relative Volatility Index ("RVI") is the RSI, only with the standard deviation over the past 10 days used in place of daily price change. Use the RVI as a confirming indicator, as it makes use of a measurement other than price as a means to interpret forex market strength.

The RVI measures the direction of volatility on a scale from zero to 100. Readings greater than 50 indicate that the volatility is more to the upside. Readings less than 50 indicate that the direction of volatility is to the downside.

top
Rate of Change

The Rate of Change indicator is technically the same as the Change in Value function or the Percent Change in Value function, depending on whether the As Percent parameter is selected. In either case, the function returns the amount by which the data has changed over the given period. The Percent Rate of Change value is traditionally multiplied by 100 for easier graphing.

The Rate of Change indicator at the beginning of a data series is not defined until there are enough values to fill the given period.

top
Senkou Span

Please see Ichimoku.
Slow Stochastic

The Slow Stochastic indicator calculates the location of a current price in relation to its range over a period of bars. The default settings are to use the most recent 14 bars (input Length), the high and low of that period to establish a range (input HighValue and LowValue) and the close as the current price (input CloseValue).

This calculation is then indexed, smoothed and plotted as SlowK. A smoothed average of SlowK, known as SlowD, is also plotted. SlowK and SlowD plot as oscillators with values from 0 to 100. The direction of the Stochastics should confirm price movement. For example, rising Stochastics confirm rising prices.

Stochastics can also help identify turning points when there are non-confirmations or divergences. For example, a new high in price without a new high in Stochastics may indicate a false breakout. Stochastics are also used to identify overbought and oversold conditions when the Stochastics reach extreme highs or lows. Additionally, SlowK crossing above the smoother SlowD can be a buy signal and vice versa.

top
Standard Deviation

The Standard Deviation indicator provides a good indication of volatility. It measures how widely values are dispersed from the average. Dispersion is the difference between the actual value and the average value. The larger the difference between the actual and average prices, the higher the standard deviation will be and the higher the volatility. The closer the actual value is to the average value, the lower the standard deviation and the lower the volatility.

Try our Forex Trading Platform RISK FREE for 30 days. With a demo account and our DealBook®360 software, you can practice currency trading at your own pace, using the same real-time data and quotes available to Live Account holders.

top
Standard Error Bands

The Standard Error Bands indicator is an attempt to show the trend and the volatility around the trend. Three plots are produced by this indicator. The middle plot is the ending value of a 21-period linear regression line. The upper plot, the upper standard error band, is the result of adding two standard errors to the ending value of the regression line. The lower plot, the lower standard error band, is a result of subtracting two standard errors from the end value of the linear regression line. Since large changes in the closing price can greatly affect the values of the line and error bands, a three period (bar) simple moving average of the ending value of the regression line and the standard errors are plotted.

Although the Standard Error Bands are similar to Bollinger bands they are interpreted differently. Standard Error Bands show the direction of the current trend and the volatility around it. Bollinger bands show the volatility around the average of the plotted price.
One method of using the Standard Error Bands is to look for the bands to tighten as price starts to move (upward or downward). When this occurs it is said that price tends to trend easily. The bands will often remain tight as long as the trend is strong. At the same time, the Linear Regression line will likely keep rising or falling depending on the direction of the trend. Once the Bands start to widen, it is indicative of the price slowing down. This may be followed by the Linear Regression line leveling off and possibly reversing, a signal that the trend may be nearing its end.

top
STARC Bands

Stoller Average Range Channels ("STARC") Bands create a channel surrounding a simple moving average. The width of the created channel varies with a period of the average range. The width of the created channel varies with a period of the average range; thus the name ("ST" for Stoller, plus "ARC" for Average Range Channel). STARC Bands, in a fashion similar to Bollinger Bands, will tighten in steady markets and loosen in volatile markets. However, rather than being based on closes, the STARC Bands are based on the average true range, thus giving a more in-depth picture of forex market volatility. While the penetration of a Bollinger Band may indicate a continuation of a price move, the STARC Bands define upper and lower limits for normal price action.

top
Swing Index

The Swing Index indicator assigns a Swing Index value from 0 to 100 for an up bar and 0 to -100 for a down bar. This indicator uses the current bar's Open, High, Low, and Close as well as the previous bar's Open and Close to calculate the Swing Index values. If the Swing Index crosses over 0, a short-term price increase is likely. Conversely, a cross below 0 suggests a decline in forex market price. A larger or smaller swing index value indicates the severity of the forex market's increase or decline in price.

top
TEMA

The Triple Exponential Moving Average ("TEMA") is a bit misleading in that it is not simply a moving average of a moving average of a moving average. It is a unique composite of a single exponential moving average, a double exponential moving average, and a triple exponential moving average that provides less lag than any of the three components individually. TEMA can be used in place of traditional moving averages and can be used to smooth price data or other indicators.

top
Tenkan Sen

Please see Ichimoku.
Time Series Forecast

The Time Series Forecast ("TSF") indicator is based on linear regression calculations using the Least Squares method. Linear regression is a statistical tool used to predict future forex market values relative to past values. TSF attempts to 'predict' the future value of a forex market by determining the upward or downward bias of a trend and extending that calculation into the future. For example, if prices are trending up, TSF attempts to logically determine the upward bias of the price relative to the current price and extend that calculation forward. When the forex market price is above the indicator, the trend is considered up. When the forex market price is below the indicator, the trend is considered down. Additionally, many analysts believe when prices rise above or fall below the indicator line; prices will likely pull back to the line. The TSF indicator also monitors the current trend to determine if a change in direction occurred.

The Time Series Forecast indicator is similar to the Linear Regression indicator with the exception of two significant differences. The first difference is that TSF plots its line forward (to the right of the chart) by the number of bars specified by the BarsPlus input. The second difference is the default Length input value used for the TSF is much shorter because the plot line is extended forward. A larger Length input would create a grossly exaggerated plot and would not be as reliable as a shorter-term length when analyzing trends and price activity.

top
TRIX

The TRIX indicator is an oscillator used to identify oversold and overbought forex markets and it can also be used as a momentum indicator. As is common with many oscillators, TRIX oscillates around a zero line. When used as an oscillator, a positive value indicates an overbought forex market while a negative value indicates an oversold forex market. As a momentum indicator, a positive value suggests momentum is increasing while a negative value suggests momentum is decreasing. Many analysts believe the TRIX crossing above the zero line is a buy signal while closing below the zero line is a sell signal. Also, divergences between price and TRIX can indicate significant turning points in the forex market.

TRIX calculates a triple exponential moving average of the log of the Price input over the period of time specified by the Length input for the current bar. The current bar's value is subtracted by the previous bar's value. This prevents cycles shorter than the period defined by Length input from being considered by the indicator.

Two main advantages of TRIX compared to other trend-following indicators are its excellent filtration of forex market noise as well as its tendency to be a leading rather than a lagging indicator. It filters out forex market noise using the triple exponential average calculation thus eliminating minor short term cycles that may otherwise signal a change in forex market direction. Its ability to lead a forex market stems from its measurement of the difference between each bar's smoothed versions of the price information. When interpreted as a leading indicator, TRIX is best used in conjunction with another forex market timing indicator to minimize the effect of false indications.


Typical Price

The Typical Price for each bar is calculated as an average of 3 values: high, low and close. This value is then plotted on the chart. An average of the Typical Price from the most recent number of bars specified by the input Length is also plotted. Using the Typical Price instead of the close in calculating and plotting, say, a moving average weighs the high and low into the calculation.

Try our Forex Trading Platform RISK FREE for 30 days. With a demo account and our DealBook®360 software, you can practice currency trading at your own pace, using the same real-time data and quotes available to Live Account holders.


Ultimate Oscillator

The Ultimate Oscillator indicator calculates the sums of the True Ranges of the number of bars specified by the inputs Avg1Len, Avg2Len and Avg3Len. These sums are divided into the sums of the distance from the close to the low. This value is weighted for the three lengths and plotted on the chart.

Many analysts believe divergences between the Ultimate Oscillator as well as a breakout in the trend of the indicator are significant signals. For example, a bullish divergence is said to occur if forex market prices reach a new low but the indicator does not follow. Conversely, a bearish divergence is said to occur if forex market prices reach a new high but the indicator does not follow.


Volatility Chaikin's

The Volatility Chaikin's indicator measures the difference between high and low prices. This formula is used to indicate the top or bottom of the forex market.

There are two ways to interpret this measure of volatility. One method assumes that forex market tops are generally accompanied by increased volatility and that the latter stages of a forex market bottom are generally accompanied by decreased volatility.

Another method assumes that an increase in the volatility indicator over a relatively short time period indicates that a bottom is near and that a decrease in volatility over a longer time period indicates an approaching top.


Weighted Close

The Weighted Close for each bar is calculated as an average of the high, low and close, with the close getting twice the weight of the high and low. This value is then plotted on the chart. An average of the Weighted Close from the most recent number of bars specified by the input Length is also plotted. Using the Weighted Close instead of the close in calculating and plotting, say, a moving average weighs the high and low into the calculation.


Williams Accumulation/Distribution

The Williams' Accumulation/ Distribution indicator is used to determine if the forex forex trading market is controlled by buyers (accumulation) or by sellers (distribution); and trading when there is divergence between price and the A/D indicator.

The Williams A/D indicator recommends buying when prices fall to a new low, yet the A/D indicator fails to reach a new low. Likewise, sell when the price makes a new high and the indicator fails to follow suit.


Zig Zag

The Zig Zag indicator shows past performance trends and only the most significant changes. It does this by filtering out any changes less than a specified amount.

The Zig Zag indicator is used primarily to help you see changes by highlighting the most significant reversals. Understand that the last segment in a Zig Zag chart can change based on changes in the underlying plot, price being only one example. That is, a change in a currency's price can change a previous value of the indicator. Since the Zig Zag indicator adjusts its values based on subsequent changes, it has perfect hindsight into what prices have done.







King Otto Buka Suara
Cerita Indah Tak Berulang

Banyak yang berharap juara bertahan dapat mempertahankan gelarnya. Namun, banyak pula tekanan dari tim-tim pesaing yang ingin merebut gelar juara tersebut. Tanpa penampilan terbaik, sulit tentunya bagi sang juara bertahan untuk mengulang cerita indah itu.

Cerita di atas adalah rangkuman dari nasib Yunani di Euro 2008. Datang sebagai juara bertahan dan status unggulan, skuad asuhan Otto Rehhagel ini justru kurang menunjukkan antusiasme yang tinggi sebagai juara bertahan sejak awal.

“Janganlah memandang kami sebagai kandidat kuat hanya karena kami datang sebagai juara bertahan," ujar Rehhagel di masa-masa awal Euro 2008.

Selain itu, Yunani juga gagal mengantisipasi besarnya keinginan dan motivasi tim-tim lawan untuk dapat mengalahkan sang juara bertahan.

Hal tersebut bisa dilihat dari kekalahan yang harus diterima skuad King Otto dari Swedia dan Rusia di dua partai awal Grup D!

"Penampilan kami sangat buruk ketika menghadapi Swedia, sedikit membaik saat melawan Rusia, tapi ternyata hasil tidak berpihak pada kami," ujar kapten Yunani, Angelos Basinas.

The Pirate Ship kembali memainkan pola defensif yang menjadi kesuksesan mereka di Euro 2004. Namun, strategi defensif tersebut tampaknya sudah diantisipasi Swedia dan Rusia. Yunani juga sulit mengulang permainan terbaik mereka di babak kualifikasi.

"Tim ini tidak dapat memperlihatkan kemampuan dan potensi sesungguhnya, seperti apa yang kami perlihatkan di babak kualifikasi," lanjut Basinas.

"Keajaiban terjadi empat tahun lalu dan mungkin baru akan berulang 30 tahun lagi karena jika hal tersebut sering terjadi, kita tidak bisa menyebutnya keajaiban, bukan?" demikian Rehhagel angkat bicara pada situs resmi Euro 2008.

Begitulah, cerita indah memang jarang berulang.




Kisah Keteguhan Hati

Setahun yang lalu, Ivan Klasnic harus menjalani dua kali operasi tranplantasi ginjal. Dokter ragu apakah ia mampu melanjutkan kariernya. Namun, dengan kemauan hati yang kuat, Klasnic kembali merangkak ke puncak.

Kesempatan yang dinanti akhirnya tiba. Klasnic tampil di putaran final Piala Eropa sekaligus mencetak gol tunggal kemenangan Kroasia atas Polandia (16/6).

Ya, untuk pertama kalinya bomber berusia 28 tahun itu berlaga di turnamen bergengsi setelah menjalani operasi transplantasi ginjal.

“Saya seperti terlahir kembali. Rasanya sangat bangga bisa berada di lapangan,” cetus Klasnic, yang penyabet gelar man of the match dalam pertandingan itu, dalam situs Euro 2008.

Pujian datang dari pelatih Kroasia, Slaven Bilic. “Bisa comeback di turnamen sekelas Euro dan mencetak gol bak sebuah dongeng,” puji Bilic.

Rekan setim Klasnic, Ivan Rakitic, juga turut mengucapkan selamat.

“Gol tadi sangat penting bukan hanya untuk dia, tapi juga seluruh bangsa,” tutur gelandang Kroasia ini.

Dua Kali Cangkok

Klasnic pertama kali divonis menderita gagal ginjal pada Januari 2007. Kondisi ini ditandai meningkatnya kadar cairan dan asam di tubuh striker Werder Bremen tersebut.

Operasi pertama langsung dilakukan dengan menggunakan ginjal sang ibu, Sima. Sayang, upaya itu gagal karena tubuh Klasnic menolak ginjal tersebut.

Dua bulan kemudian, giliran sang ayah yang menyumbangkan ginjalnya. Kali ini, proses transplantasi dinyatakan berhasil.

Klasnic pun bersikeras untuk segera kembali merumput dan keteguhan hatinya terbayar. Klasnic dipercaya masuk skuad Kroasia di Piala Eropa 2008.

Striker yang diincar Wigan Athletic itu membayar kepercayaan Bilic melalui satu gol di matchday 3 babak penyisihan Grup B.




Panggung Ekspresi Pemain

Saya, seperti halnya Anda, pasti tertarik menyaksikan permainan Belanda di turnamen ini. Menurut saya Belanda berhasil membangun kembali kekuatannya secara besar-besaran.

Sekitar empat tahun lamanya Belanda melakukan apa yang sekarang membuat kita kagum pada mereka di Euro 2008. Di Austria dan Swiss, mereka menjadi salah satu hiasan indah kejuaraan.

Tim Belanda relatif muda, namun punya pengalaman internasional dan mereka bermain bersama dalam waktu yang cukup lama. Hasilnya bisa sama-sama kita lihat.

Di Euro 2008, Belanda menampilkan gaya sepakbola asli mereka. Permainan Oranje mengalir dan selalu menyerang. Walau menarik dilihat, terkadang tim Marco van Basten tampak tidak seimbang. Bila menyebut titik lemah, saya pikir itu ada di belakang. Mereka tidak sekuat beberapa tahun lalu.

Namun, Belanda tidak sendirian menyita perhatian. Saya pikir, tim Spanyol saat ini tidak takut pada siapa pun. Mereka menjadi salah satu tim terproduktif di turnamen. Walau mengusung sepakbola menyerang seperti Belanda, pertahanan Spanyol lebih baik. Permainan pun terstruktur rapi.

Menurut saya, tim Spanyol mampu melaju terus hingga partai terakhir. Selama ini kita membicarakan Spanyol yang kurang beruntung dan keputusan wasit menentang mereka. Begitu juga dengan cedera yang menimpa pemain Matador dan hal-hal lain.

Bila Spanyol memiliki keberuntungan--karena Anda butuh hal ini untuk memenangi sebuah turnamen--mereka akan lolos dari perempatfinal dan terus bermain.

Apakah saya mengecilkan peluang Italia? Di Piala Eropa kali ini, Italia dan Prancis sama-sama dihuni banyak pemain senior. Namun, Prancis lebih menderita setelah kegagalan di Piala Dunia 2006, sedangkan Italia kurang mendapat keberuntungan.

Italia mampu membangun dan menciptakan serangan lebih baik dari Prancis. Bahkan mereka bermain cukup baik untuk mendapatkan kemenangan di Grup C. Italia hanya tidak dinaungi keberuntungan.

Namun, Prancis berbeda. Tim ini miskin kreativitas dan ide-ide di lapangan. Sungguh bukan Prancis yang biasa kita kenal. Tim Raymond Domenech bermasalah di semua lini. Pemain besar datang membawa masalahnya.

Thierry Henry jelas terlihat masih punya masalah personal di luar lapangan dan ia jarang bermain untuk klubnya. Di Chelsea, Florent Malouda masuk dan keluar dari daftar tim utama. Prancis benar-benar tampil tidak konsisten untuk tingkat permainan tim nasional. Kini mereka menderita karenanya.

Secara keseluruhan, turnamen ini berjalan baik. Kita disuguhi permainan menarik dan pemain bisa menampilkan kemampuan mereka dengan cara yang baik pula.

Ekspresi Diri

Bila Anda menyaksikan sepakbola atraktif, tentu pemain lini depan yang ada dalam pikiran. Bagi saya, Wesley Sneijder sangat mengesankan. Saya ingin menyebut nama Ruud van Nistelrooy, tapi tak ada yang perlu dibicarakan lagi dari seorang pemain yang selalu memberikan 100 persen kemampuannya di lapangan.

David Villa, Fernando Torres, dan Cristiano Ronaldo juga menarik perhatian. Inilah pemain yang mampu melepaskan diri dari pengawalan sehingga membuat kompetisi semakin menarik disaksikan.

Terkadang dalam kompetisi seperti Euro 2008, seorang pemain bisa tampil buruk dan gagal mengeluarkan kemampuan terbaik. Namun, turnamen kali ini menjadi spesial karena para pemain berhasil menampilkan bakat-bakat mereka. Euro 2008 membuat pemain mampu mengekspresikan diri mereka sendiri. n

* Jason McAtter, mantan pemain Liverpool asal Skotlandia. Kini menjadi komentator ESPN-STAR SPORT.



Sale dan Mesin Uang

Seperti di negara Eropa lainnya, Swiss mengenal empat musim: gugur, panas, semi, dan dingin. Satu musim tambahan adalah musim sale.

Saat musim sale ini, semua toko dan pusat perbelanjaan memberikan potongan harga untuk menghabiskan persediaan barang mereka. Barang yang dijual adalah koleksi sisa atau barang tahun lalu yang belum laku dijual.

Musim diskon dan belanja ini di Swiss normalnya dimulai pada akhir Juni. Namun, tahun ini musim panas sudah berlangsung di Swiss pada pekan ketiga bulan Juni, lebih cepat dari biasanya.

Akibatnya peminat baju musim panas harus membeli dengan harga normal. Padahal biasanya mereka bisa mendapatkan barang musim panas dengan harga diskon.

Musim sale kali ini juga diramaikan suvenir Euro 2008. Saat ini penjual sudah melepas suvenir resmi dengan harga diskon. Tak hanya 10-20% dari harga normal, diskon yang diberikan mencapai 75%. Hampir tak dapat dipercaya.

Maskot Euro 2008, Trix and Flix, yang di awal turnamen dijual dengan harga 16,95 franc (151 ribu rupiah), kini bisa didapat dengan harga 4,25 franc (38 ribu rupiah).

Empat tahun lalu di Portugal, suvenir resmi sudah habis dalam dua minggu sebelum turnamen usai, tetapi tahun ini di Swiss hampir semua toko masih dipenuhi stok suvenir. Penjual suvenir terpaksa melepas dagangan secepatnya dan memberikan diskon yang besar. Dua minggu lagi turnamen akan selesai. Sulit untuk menjual suvenir jika turnamen sudah selesai.

Namun, ada barang tertentu yang masih dijual dengan harga normal. Tidak ada kostum asli dari tim peserta Euro 2008 yang berharga miring. Harga kostum asli masih berkisar di angka 100-120 franc. Mahal.

Jebakan di Jalan

Di Swiss, uang senilai 120 franc cukup besar nilainya. Tapi, bisa saja uang itu lenyap dalam sekejap jika Anda melaju terlalu cepat saat mengendarai mobil. Saya cukup beruntung ketika pergi ke Zurich melalui jalan bebas hambatan. Saya melewati tiga peralatan untuk mendeteksi kecepatan tanpa tertangkap.

Belum pernah sebelumnya polisi memasang begitu banyak pendeteksi kecepatan yang tersembunyi di terowongan atau di balik pohon di jalan bebas hambatan menuju Zurich. Agaknya polisi ingin mengambil keuntungan dari suporter tamu yang datang ke Swiss. Melanggar batas kecepatan berarti mereka akan kehilangan uang.

Jika melaju lebih cepat 11 km/jam dari batas kecepatan 120 km/jam di jalan bebas hambatan, denda yang harus dibayar sebesar 120 franc. Di jalan dalam kota, 6 km/jam lebih cepat dari batas maksimal 50 km/jam, pengemudi harus membayar denda 120 franc.

Pekan lalu dalam perjalanan dari Jenewa ke Lausanne, mobil saya disusul oleh mobil yang ditumpangi serombongan fan Belanda yang melebihi kecepatan maksimal. Beruntung saya bisa menyusul dan memperingatkan sebelum mereka tertangkap alat pendeteksi kecepatan.

Di jalan Lausanne-Jenewa, yang hanya sepanjang 42 km, polisi memasang 17 alat tersebut. Harga satu alat itu tak murah, sekitar 160 ribu franc. Namun, tiap tahun ribuan pengemudi harus membayar denda yang kalau ditotal nilainya bisa mencapai jutaan franc. Alat pendeteksi kecepatan di jalanan ini adalah mesin uang buat pemerintah Swiss.

Euro 2008 adalah mesin uang juga buat UEFA. Markas UEFA berada di Nyon, sebuah daerah yang berbasis penduduk mayoritas berbahasa Prancis. Status UEFA dianggap sebagai organisasi nonprofit membuat mereka hanya dikenai kewajiban membayar sedikit pajak. Sama halnya dengan klub bulutangkis kecil atau klub senam.

Bedanya, melalui ajang Euro 2008 organisasi UEFA mendapatkan keuntungan lebih dari 2 miliar franc. Hampir tanpa potongan pajak. Di Zurich, lebih banyak tulisan stiker bernada menyindir dengan tulisan “UEFA-Kami Peduli Uang” dibanding “UEFA-Kami Peduli Sepakbola”.

Di Euro 2008, UEFA juga dikritik oleh fans karena mereka dinilai terlalu banyak mengalokasikan tiket untuk tamu VIP, bukan untuk suporter biasa. Padahal tamu VIP tak pernah menyanyi untuk tim mereka.

Menurut fans, tak masalah jika UEFA memberikan tiket untuk tamu VIP, tapi jumlahnya harus dikurangi dan tiket dijual ke suporter umum. Lebih baik menjual tiket ke suporter asli daripada memberikan tiket ke suporter gadungan. (Michael Dickhauser)



Innsbruck
Eksotisme Austria

Seperti sandwich. Itulah letak Innsbruck. Kota yang berpopulasi sekitar 120.000 jiwa itu berada di lembah Sungai Inn. Ia diapit Gunung Nordkette di sebelah utara dan Gunung Patscherkofel serta Serles di selatan.

Innsbruck, mengagungkan sejarah dan olahraga. (Foto: Getty Images)

Selain gunung, kota yang terletak di bagian barat Austria itu juga diapit oleh Jerman di sebelah utara dan Italia di sebelah selatan. Kondisi geografis tersebut menjadikan Innsbruck sebagai kota wisata dengan letak yang strategis dan cuaca yang eksotis selama setahun penuh.

Kota yang menjadikan pariwisata sebagai sumber pendapatan utamanya itu menawarkan pesona khas Eropa berupa wisata bangunan tua yang terawat dan memiliki nilai historis. Salah satunya adalah Goldenes Dachl, yang dibangun pada abad ke-16 oleh Kaisar Maximilian I.

Selain menawarkan objek wisata, kota yang pernah menjadi tuan rumah Olimpiade Musim Dingin 1964 itu juga sangat menaruh perhatian pada olahraga, khususnya ski. Innsbruck Medical University menjadi salah satu klinik ternama di Eropa untuk cedera yang dialami saat sedang berski.

Pada musim panas ini, kota yang pernah dibom Nazi sebanyak 21 kali pada Perang Dunia II itu mengubah fokusnya ke sepakbola. Selama hampir tiga minggu, Innsbruck akan menjadi tuan rumah bagi Grup D. Partai Spanyol, Rusia, dan Swedia digelar di kota ini.

Untuk ukuran kota yang berada di Benua Eropa, Innsbruck memiliki cuaca yang eksotis. Pasalnya ibu kota Tyrol itu menjadi kota pertama yang mendapatkan kehangatan mentari musim panas di seantero Austria. Alhasil, para pendaki kerap berkunjung ke sana ketika salju telah mencair.

Musim dingin di Innsbruck juga tidak kalah menarik. Meski salju menutupi hampir seluruh bagian kota itu, para penduduk tetap dapat merasakan sinar matahari. Bagi para penikmat ski, faktor matahari merupakan nilai plus sehingga mereka lebih memilih Innsbruck ketimbang tempat lain.