Plain Investor
9 guides

Trading & Technical Analysis

The chart-reading tools active traders use to time entries and exits.

Trading & Technical Analysis

How AI Is Changing the Way Markets Trade

Computers have been trading markets for decades. Here's what's genuinely new about AI in finance, what isn't, and why it matters less than you'd think for a long-term investor.

Sep 21, 2026 · 6 min read
Trading & Technical Analysis

How Hedge Funds and Quant Investors Use AI

Machine learning has given quantitative funds new tools for finding patterns in data, but the core lesson for long-term individual investors — don't try to compete with this — hasn't changed.

Sep 21, 2026 · 6 min read
Trading & Technical Analysis

The VIX Explained: What the 'Fear Index' Actually Measures

The VIX is quoted constantly and understood rarely. It measures how much movement the options market is pricing in — not which direction prices are heading.

Sep 21, 2026 · 7 min read
Trading & Technical Analysis

Covered Call Strategies and the Income Trade-Off

Option-income funds advertise yields that look extraordinary next to bonds. The mechanics are straightforward, and so is the catch: you are selling something to get that cash.

Sep 21, 2026 · 7 min read
Trading & Technical Analysis

The RSI Indicator: How to Spot Overbought and Oversold Stocks

The Relative Strength Index condenses a stock's recent momentum into a single number between 0 and 100. Here's how to read it correctly.

Jun 23, 2026 · 5 min read
Trading & Technical Analysis

What Is Day Trading, and Is It Worth the Risk?

Buying and selling within the same session sounds simple, but the numbers on who actually profits from it tell a more sobering story.

Jun 15, 2026 · 6 min read
Trading & Technical Analysis

Moving Averages Explained: SMA vs. EMA

Two of the most common lines on any stock chart, SMA and EMA look similar but react to new prices very differently. Here's the distinction.

Jun 7, 2026 · 5 min read
Trading & Technical Analysis

Understanding Support and Resistance Levels

Two of the most-used words in trading describe a simple idea: prices tend to pause at levels where buyers or sellers have shown up before.

May 30, 2026 · 5 min read
Trading & Technical Analysis

What Is Technical Analysis? A Beginner's Introduction

Technical analysis studies price and volume patterns instead of company fundamentals. Here's the core logic behind it, and its real limitations.

May 22, 2026 · 6 min read