It is a cliche to say that ‘a picture is worth a thousand words.’  Charts help illustrate trends, obvious or not, in the financial markets.  They do this by allowing us to digest a great deal of data quickly. The best charts clarify a situation, oftentimes without any further explanation.  Indeed one could argue that the financial blogosphere is built on charts and graphs.  The point being that one need not be a technician to capture value from charts.  In today’s screencast we take a look at some charts that illustrate the state of the markets.

Items mentioned in the above screencast:

“The adage “A picture is worth a thousand words” refers to the idea that a complex idea can be conveyed with just a single still image. It also aptly characterizes one of the main goals of visualization, namely making it possible to absorb large amounts of data quickly.”  (Wikipedia)

How the bond market rally has fizzled.  (Global Macro Monitor)

A good example of a sector review.  (Dragonfly Capital)

The top 10 technical developments of 2010.  (StockCharts via TRB)