Glanced at the market indices this morning and noticed this

Volume in 000's ^TV.N 11:14AM 305859 0 0.00% N/A Composite ^NYA 11:15AM 590.71 -2.08 -0.35% Chart Tick ^TIC.N 11:14AM -139 -436 -146.80% N/A ARMS ^STI.N 11:14AM 0.79 -0.25 -24.44% Chart

This from the NYSE - what is the TICK Index, and how can it go -136? Does that mean they'll pay me to take it off their hands?

I noticed a few minutes later it came back up, but is still down close to 100%

-- C (c@c.com), October 01, 1999

Answers

Computer continuously track that last trade of al the stocks on the NYSE and determine if each stock traded higher or lower (+1 if it traded higher, -1 if it traded lower). Then it adds them up algebraically, and produces a net figure every minute or so. You have to be a market technician to appreciate its value, so don't get 'ticked' at me if you can't figure out what to do with it.

"Money Flow" is another concept that is, related to this type of analysis, but it's a more sophisticated way to track the market. Don't get me started...

-- Dr. Roger Altman (rogaltman@aol.com), October 01, 1999.

Thanks :) That makes sense... I'm not in the market, just watching to see if it tanks...

-- C (c@c.com), October 01, 1999.

BTW you can't create short sales on neg ticks only on plus ticks. Just one of the little hoops......

-- Chuck, a night driver (rienzoo@en.com), October 01, 1999.

THE STOCK MARKET WILL CRASH ON OCTOBER 14,1999. mark it on your calander.

-- nospam (nospam@spam.spam), October 01, 1999.

(1) My dog, Rumrunner, used to get ticks, but TOP SPOT took care of the problem.

(2) The tick (as I use it) is a broad indication of what the market is doing at that instant. The DOW Jones Industrial Average, for example, shows the overall level, but the current doesn't show that it dropped sharply and is rebounding nicely (but the tick might be +, even though the DOW is still "down"). It's a nice tool. When you see it something like -450, watch out.

-- Mad Monk (madmonk@hawaiian.net), October 01, 1999.

Humm, actually Monk I do recall it at -462 for a short while today while I was still scratching my head trying to figure out what exactly it was measuring.... whole thing seems like a yo-yo that's steadily loosing upwards snap, know what I mean... wonder when we'll see it playing "walk the dog" :)

-- C (c@c.com), October 01, 1999.

Dr. Roger Altman,

>"Money Flow" is another concept that is, related to this type of analysis, but it's a more sophisticated way to track the market. Don't get me started...<

Come on Doc, whip it on us Sir. Toss out a little of the money flow, up/down volume, price/dividend, price/earnings, dividend/earnings ratios, and throw in a little candlestick tracking as a kicker, just for the S&G. I'm not in the market, at the moment, but I sure do love to listen in on the reading of the assorted and sundry sheep guts. I used the above ratios and trackers in my diddling in the market, in addition to the offsetting ratios between gold/energy/financials using a very well known mutual fund as a proxy for the indices.

It beat throwing darts at the da*n thing anyway. Actually, these things did help keep me out of the way of several freight trains, and only cost me about 1/4 of the really big barnburners too. Of course, it could have been strictly a coincidence, and I would have made money anyway, but it made me feel better by doing it. That should count for 10 points at least.

Do it to it Sir, things are pretty slow y2k wise at the moment anyway. Hit us with Market Dipping 201.

S.O.B.

-- sweetolebob (buffgun@hotmail.com), October 01, 1999.

C:

Watch what Greenspan does next Tuesday. An unexpectedly higher interest rate increase could prick the stock market bubble.

-- Randolph (dinosaur@williams-net.com), October 01, 1999.

S.O.B.

It's been my experience that many indicators work great...sometimes.

-- Dr. Roger Altman (rogaltman@aol.com), October 02, 1999.