Fibonacci Trading

Leonardo Pisano, better known by his nickname, Fibonacci, was an Italian mathematician born in Pisa in the 12th century. He is known to have discovered the Fibonacci numbers, said to be based upon observations of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh in Egypt. Fibonacci Numbers are a sequence of numbers where each successive number is the sum of the two previous numbers.

e.g. 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, etc.

It is the ratio of the Fibonacci sequence that is significant, rather than the actual numbers in the sequence. The quotient of the adjacent terms in the series possesses an amazing proportion, roughly 1.618, or its inverse 0.618. This proportion is known by many names: the golden ratio, the golden mean, PHI, and the divine proportion. The dimensional properties that adhere to the ratio of 1.618 occur repeatedly in nature. Examples are as various as mollusk shells and the shapes of gallaxies containing billions of stars.

When used in technical analysis, the golden ratio is most often translated into three percentages: – 38.2%, 50%, and 61.8%. However, other multiples can be used, such as 23.6%, 161.8%, 423%, and so on. The Fibonacci sequence is applied to finance in several ways: retracements, extensions, arcs, fans, and time zones.

See also: Fibonacci Biography, Elliott Wave, R.N. Elliott, W.D. Gann