Letters To S&C  |  MAR 2000

Letters

The editors of S&C invite readers to submit their opinions and information on subjects relating to technical analysis and this magazine. This column is our means of communication with our readers. Is there something you would like to know more (or less) about? Tell us about it. Without a source of new ideas and subjects coming from our readers, this magazine would not exist. Address your correspondence to: Editor, STOCKS & COMMODITIES, 4757 California Ave. SW, Seattle, WA 98116-4499, or E-mail to editor@traders.com. Letter-writers must include their full name and address for verification. Letters may be edited for length or clarity. All letters become the property of Technical Analysis of STOCKS & COMMODITIES, The Traders’ Magazine. The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily represent those of the magazine. —Editor VOLATILITY IS KEY Editor, One of the joys of having created an analytical approach such as Bollinger Bands is seeing what others do with it. Thus, it was with pleasure that I read Stéphane Reverre’s ""Are Two Channels Better Than One?"" in the January 2000 issue of Technical Analysis of STOCKS & COMMODITIES, The Traders’ Magazine. Reverre, using relatively short and narrow Bollinger Bands, looked at what is essentially a volatility breakout system. This reminds me of the late Bruce Babcock, publisher of Commodity Consumer Traders Report, who, after exhaustive research into trading systems, concluded that his favorite approach was the volatility breakout. It is interesting how the same ideas resurface again and again. I remain convinced that volatility is the central issue in investing.Recent academic research suggests that while price is neither cyclical nor forecastable, volatility is both. Maybe they are on to something! JOHN BOLLINGER, via E-mail www.BollingerBands.com Thanks for writing, John. —Editor

by Technical Analysis, Inc.