The best way to get started with these lessons is to begin by reading the resource links to the left of the page - History, Anecdotes, etc. Then begin with Lesson 01 and work your way through the remaining lessons.

While the Lessons are designed to go in sequence, this website is an excellent resource for refining your skills in a particular area so feel free to go back and review lessons out of order.

The Resource section is designed to highlight just some of the Point & Figure tools available at www.dorseywright.com that were covered in the particular lesson.

The exercise portion is designed to not only test your knowledge about the principles taught in the lesson but also to be a continued educational source. Please feel free to reference the exercises numerous times as the answers provide insightful tidbits of information into the methodology.

Education is a mainstay of Dorsey, Wright & Associates so we offer a number of other educational resources for free or nominal charges. You can take more extensive lessons in a number of different facets in the methodology by going to www.dwaglobaluniversity.com and enrolling as a student. Through a self study format, you will learn more about the Point & Figure methodology through a variety of mediums from video lectures to online exercises to the ability to e-mail a teacher with questions. Also with a three week free trial at www.dorseywright.com you can watch a 8 part video series to learn more about the methodology.

We try and stick to the KISS principle of keeping it simple. With respect to volume, if that volume is buying pressure it will force the price of the stock up and this will be reflected in the chart. Conversely, if the high volume is selling pressure, it will force the price of the stock downward and once again will be reflected in the price. And the Point & Figure chart is simply a logical way of recording price.

On the Point & Figure chart, you will sometimes notice different color X's and O's. The red O's represent action that occurred on the previous day while the green X's indicate action that occurred on the previous as well. Also, lower case blue X's and O's indicate intraday chart activity.

The general rule of thumb that I tend to use for stocks, with relation to changing box size, is to only do it "when necessary". For example, if you have a stock that has spiked straight up numerous boxes without a pullback, it can be helpful to lower the box size to .50 (or in half) in order to see where there may be nearer term support or resistance. This helps for shorter term profit-taking/stop loss points. But as a general rule, if the main default chart is orderly with discernible support and resistance and good back and forth action, I rely on that chart first. I will say to get a longer term view of support and resistance; it is also helpful to use the 2 pt per box chart in order to get greater perspective. Again, for general purchase and sell decisions, use the main default chart with stocks unless the chart shows big swings in X's or O's, unless you want to be very short term trading oriented, then bumping the box size down can help with that too. But generally speaking, the default chart tells you plenty.

No one pattern is necessarily more important than another. Each pattern should be taken in the context of the overall chart. For instance, if Stock A breaks a triple top but that breakout occurs below the bearish resistance line and the relative strength chart is negative, and another stock, Stock B, breaks a third consecutive double top, has positive relative strength, and is trading above the bullish support line, we'd say the breakout in Stock B was stronger than that of Stock A. It is all a matter of stacking as many odds of success in your favor as possible.

Yes. In fact, our website, www.dorseywright.comfollows the Point & Figure charts on over 35 different markets and continues to expand. The same principles of relative strength and bullish percents are also applied.

The relative strength chart is a measure of how a stock is performing versus an index. The Point & Figure chart is a measure of absolute price movement. In a situation like this, what is happening is that the market in general is experiencing a nice upmove carrying all stocks with it, much like a rising tide will carry all boats. However, a relative comparison of the stock to the base index can show that the stock isn't keeping pace with the overall market. Let's say that the market rallies 20% over a period of time and our stock with negative relative strength rallies 12%. The Point & Figure chart could well be positive but the relative strength would have correctly pointed us in the direction of other stocks that were likely to outperform the market.

The NYSE market indicators, such as the NYSE Bullish Percent, does not include closed end funds.

This question really involves risk and the management of risk. Risk cannot be eliminated or even minimized. It can only be managed or shifted. If one tries to eliminate the risk of a drawdown, the risk of not generating enough profits to meet one's financial goals is the result. The fear of drawdowns should be secondary to the fear of not following a proven strategy. Of course, any strategy must take into consideration the effect the volatility will have on the investor. A balance must be struck between a strategy that generates high returns and a strategy that allows the investor to stay in long enough to reap the benefits. A proper evaluation of risk involves weighing the probabilities of the various outcomes. It also involves the realization that where there is no risk, there is no reward. Adhering to a proven trend-following approach gives the investor a very high probability of positive outcomes over time. Our goal is to manage risk, and allow volatility to work in our favor over time.

When a sector bullish percent reverses up from low levels but the sector relative strength is negative, it presents a trading opportunity. The sweet spot with respect to sectors, and therefore more for investment purposes, are those sectors that see their bullish percent reverse up from low levels and also have Favored status or strong relative strength. With sectors that reverse up from oversold conditions and don't have strong relative strength or Favored status, we would start out with a trading posture, until we see whether the Favored status improves. But you still want to gain exposure to these areas, just more in an underweighted condition vis a vis Favored sectors.

As the ETF universe continues to explode, so do the possibilities with respect to commodity based ETFs. At publication, there are a number of commodity based ETFs available. Besides the specific commodity ETF's -- IAU, SLV, GLD, and USO, there are three (so far) that allow you to play commodities as a basket based on an underlying index.
They are as follows:

• DBC (Deutsche Bank Commodity ETF, based on DBLCIX commodity index)
  
• DJP (iPath exchange traded notes from Barclays, based on DJAIG commodity index
  
• GSP (iPath exchange traded notes from Barclays, based on GN/X commodity index)
  

As far as which one to choose, you have to take into effect how much energy exposure you are trying to gain through the use of the ETF or ETN. In the case of the GSP, the Goldman Sachs Commodity index, which it is based on, has a weighting of roughly 75% energy futures. So it is a big play on Crude, etc. The DJP, based on the Dow Jones AIG Commodity index, has less exposure in energy, more around 33%, so it is a little better diversified. Lastly, the new DBC is made up of only 6 underlying commodities, so it is narrower in scope, and still heavily weighted in energy. The six commodities are Crude, Heating Oil, Gold, Aluminum, Corn and Wheat. And the Crude and Heating Oil exposure amounts to roughly a 55% weighting.

Yes, we do offer a technical charting service along with research reports. You can sign up for a free three-week trial by going to www.dorseywright.com. There is a choice of either signing up as an individual or a professional. Choose the one that applies to you.

Dorsey, Wright & Associates offers a variety of different vehicles to take advantage of our management services.

• Mutual Funds:
  • Arrow DWA Balanced Func (DWAFX)
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• Exchange Traded Funds:
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  • PowerShares DWA Smallcap Leaders (DWAS)
  
  
• UNit Investment Trusts withg First Trust
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• Separately Managed Accounts
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Point & Figure Charting, 4th Edition
Tom Dorsey's Trading Tips
Thriving As a Stockbroker in the 21st Century
Keep Pedaling Zen Farmer: Dorsey, Wright Essays on Investing
Finding Religion Among the Rapids: Dorsey, Wright Essays on Investing
Back to the Futures
Commodity Strategies, High Profit Techniques for Investors & Traders