| ATAA Blast! Newsletter #191 – June 2026 | Dear ~~first_name~~
Here's the latest edition of the ATAA Blast! Newsletter, with the very latest new ATAA news. We do hope you find the content useful, and interesting. Each month I plan to send this to you within the first few days of the month - and we usually achieve that. | In this Blast! edition you can see the following, with links for an easy and speedy go-to to the relevant section below, including a couple of extra snippets such as the Finance Industry Snippet (from Richard Dale), and the update on a new web page in our ATAA website:
- ATAA National President's Update for this month, and an Executive Summary from the recent board meeting, to help keep members informed of what the board has been talking about.
- The latest ATAA Website Resource Library updates for the latest month, including uploaded speaker presentation slide decks, and video recording of the presentation.
- Update from the national board - on the ATAA Value Proposition Statement.
- Trading Expert Series update (formerly known as the National Speaker Series) of online presentations - we've already had four over the last year, and recordings are up in the ATAA Resource Library. The last one was held in early April and was advertised in focused emails - hopefully you saw them. See more details below.
- ATAA Conference - The latest update on the upcoming ATAA 2026 online conference in August, and registrations are now open!
- Updates from the ATAA Chapters and SIGs: Included below are updates for some Chapters and SIGs. Information below also includes the RealTest Coders Online Workshop, and some chapters.
- IFTA 2026 Conference (London) and IFTA information update: The IFTA 2026 conference will be in London in October (see details below). In case you missed it recently last, the latest information from IFTA including details about the IFTA Journal that is available to download - a monster edition jam packed with a lot of useful information.
- TECHNICAL ANALYSIS article - A brief discussion this month asking you if you really know what it is you are trading / investing in, and if you are aware of all the risks.
- And another thing - About ATAA emails and to beware the spam emails.
- Detailed benefits for ATAA members. Just in case you are missing something with your membership.
| I do hope you find this Blast! newsletter useful and interesting reading; but do feel free to tell us what you really think, and how we can improve it.
Robert B Brain
Blast! Newsletter Editor
ATAA Marketing Director
(and ATAA Life Member)
| Our Tag Line:
The ATAA is the knowledge network
for successful financial market
trading and investing
|
From the President's Desk – June 2026
Where are our members located? A recent review of member location data highlighted the national reach of the ATAA. While many members are based in our major metropolitan areas, around 20% reside in regional Australia. It is a reminder that the ATAA is more than a collection of local chapters – we are a diverse, national community of traders and investors connected by a shared interest in learning, markets and technical analysis.
ATAA 2026 Conference - This national reach makes our online activities increasingly important, and attention is now turning to one of the highlights of our 2026 calendar – the ATAA Online Conference on the 22nd of August. Under the theme “The Trading Edge: Where Mindset, Strategy and Analysis Combine”, this conference will bring together a strong line-up of presenters covering a range of topics relevant to both traders and investors. The speaker program has now been finalised and registrations are open. I encourage members to visit the ATAA website for further details and to secure their place at what will be an informative and engaging event.
Membership campaign - The Board continues to work on a range of initiatives aimed at strengthening the Association and enhancing the value we provide to members. During the month we also commenced a new Reddit-based membership campaign designed to introduce the ATAA to a broader audience and increase awareness of what we offer.
Chapters and SIGs - As always, none of this would be possible without the efforts of our volunteers across the Board, Chapters and Special Interest Groups. Their contribution continues to be one of the Association’s greatest strengths.
I look forward to keeping you updated as the year progresses and hope many of you will join us for the Online Conference in August.
Jim Haralambidis
ATAA National President
| Executive Summary – ATAA Board Meeting (June 2026)
The ATAA Board met online on Tuesday the 2nd of June to review current activities and discuss a range of strategic and operational matters.
- The Board reviewed recent membership and marketing initiatives, including the commencement of the new Reddit membership campaign during May. Membership numbers remained relatively steady over recent months, and the Association continues to maintain a sound financial position.
- The Board also reviewed an analysis of member location across Australia. The results indicated that approximately 20% of ATAA members reside in regional areas, highlighting the importance of continuing to provide high-quality online education and events for members regardless of location.
- Updated Speaker Guidelines were adopted during the meeting. These include additional guidance relating to AFSL requirements and the distinction between general educational content and personal financial advice, helping to ensure that ATAA presentations continue to meet appropriate compliance standards.
- Conference and event planning activities were reviewed, and the date for the 2026 Annual General Meeting was confirmed as 18 November 2026.
- The next Board meeting will be held on Tuesday 7th July.
| ATAA 2026 AGM - Wednesday 18 November 2026, online. The 3-year term for some directors will be up, requiring them to retire or re-nominate. Even so, there are some vacancies on the national board. If you have some ideas, or would like to help steer the ATAA for the next year or two, then look out for the Director Nomination forms which will be due to be submitted about a month before the AGM. Stay tuned for more details.
Robert B Brain (ATAA director)
| Finance Industry Snippet - TMX Group, the Canadian owner of the Toronto Stock Exchange and other domestic exchanges, has agreed to acquire Cboe Australia and Cboe Canada from Cboe Global Markets for US$300 million, subject to regulatory approval.
With more than twice as many Canadian listings as the Australian Securities Exchange has Australian listings, TMX Group’s expansion into Australia is likely to have a meaningful impact on how we trade over the medium term.
Richard Dale (ATAA director) | The ATAA Meetings - Chapters and SIGs - For anybody visiting our ATAA website and looking for information about our regular in-person and online meetings, we now have a dedicated web page. It is brand new, and we are hopeful that the information is current. But if it isn't, please let us know and we will update it. You can see the new web page from the ATAA website main menu: Meetings > Chapter & SIG info.
It might be useful for you to know that for the Melbourne chapter meetings we use Eventbrite to get our event information out into the public arena. I use some standard text and setup, and each month I just change the event date details. All you need to do is set up an Eventbrite account - it's free - and then set up a simple event. Here is the latest Melbourne one from which you can do a copy and paste of the text and details for your own event: https://ataa-2026-june.eventbrite.com.au
Robert B Brain (ATAA Marketing and Member Services director) | ATAA Website Resource Library Updates - recordings April-May 2026
HUGE and FANTASTIC RESOURCE for members – Our ATAA Resource Library now has many presentations and recordings going back to 2008, as well as hundreds of technical journal articles in the ATAA Journals. You can drill down on these using the website menu: Resources > Presentations by Date.
An alternative way to find something specific on a particular topic is to search the library using the menu option: Resources > Search Resource Library.
The materials recently added to the Resource Library include chapter presentations and the latest Trading Expert Series speaker:
- Thursday 14 May - Melbourne Chapter (hybrid) meeting
- Robert Brain (short notice substitute for the scheduled speaker) - "How to avoid odd or unexpected price movements"
- Richard Dale - "It's different this time, right?"
- Thursday 9 April - Melbourne Chapter (hybrid) meeting
- Alan Clement - "Global Markets Quarterly Technical Outlook".
- Robert Brain (short notice substitute for the scheduled speaker) - "How good are you at picking stocks? Should I have bought this stock?"
- April Trading Expert Series:
- Sat 11 April: Marsten Parker (RealTest) - "Systematic Strategy Development in the Age of AI".
All of these items can be found from the ATAA website menu: Resources > Presentations by Date. Make sure to browse the earlier recordings in the Resource Library, because you never know what you've been missing. And you can also search the Resource Library by keyword. If your local chapter or SIG has a video recording, or a (PowerPoint) slide deck of a recent session, then it can also be added to our library collection. |
ATAA National Board updates
| | | ATAA Value Proposition: In case you missed this last month, one of the topics that you might have heard about from time to time is that of the Value Proposition for an organisation. This has come up in recent discussions in our own Marketing Working Group, and after doing some research, and having a lot of discussion, the recent ATAA Board meeting agreed on an interim Value Proposition statement. It is now posted into the ATAA website home page, in the block "Welcome to the Australian Technical Analysts Association".
But why have a Value Proposition statement? - There are several reasons why, as follows:
- Recruitment and Retention – It provides a clear, compelling reason for prospects to join the ATAA, and it reminds existing members of why their member fees are worthwhile.
- Operational Compass – It guides internal decision-making, ensuring that new programs and services align with what members actually value.
- Cuts Through "Noise" – In a crowded market with many alternative sources for news and networking (eg. LinkedIn, YouTube), it highlights what only the ATAA can uniquely provide, such as trusted professional standards and the availability of accredited certification.
- Focuses on Member Needs – It shifts the perspective from internal goals (what the association does) to member outcomes (what members want and achieve).
- Ensures Consistent Messaging – It aligns board members, staff and volunteers around a single, clear message, building credibility and trust across all communication channels.
- ROI Clarity – It helps members see a tangible "Return on Investment" for their time and fees.
- Differentiates from Competitors – It identifies a "sweet spot" where the association’s unique strengths meet the unmet needs of its specific community.
Robert Brain (ATAA Marketing Director) | ATAA Trading Expert Series – Markets, Models and Mindsets | ATAA's Trading Expert Series presented Marsten Parker in April
"Systematic Strategy Development in the Age of AI"
Our most recent event in the “Trading Expert Series” was held on 11th April with Marsten Parker of RealTest, exploring the use of agentic AI to supercharge trading strategy development productivity. The live event was very well attended by both members and non-members, and the recording of the session on YouTube has received over 1.4K views – our best performing recording in this series to date. Following this event, the NSWG will make way for the ATAA Online Conference in August. We then plan to run another Trading Expert even in November.
About the Speaker – Marsten Parker has traded his own account for a living since 1998, following a 14-year career as a software engineer. He initially trained as a concert violinist before switching to computer programming, founding and selling a software company before turning to trading full-time. Parker is the only purely systematic trader featured in Jack Schwager's Unknown Market Wizards — the fifth book in the iconic Market Wizards series — where his long-term track record is documented in detail. A defining characteristic of Marsten's approach is what he calls his "Spirit of Experimentation" — a persistent willingness to question, iterate, and improve. RealTest has evolved alongside his trading practice over more than two decades as his primary strategy research tool, and today serves a growing community of systematic traders worldwide as a purpose-built backtesting and portfolio simulation platform.
| ATAA Conference Working Group Update |  | ATAA Online Conference Saturday 22nd August
I am excited to announce that the ATAA 2026 National Online Conference is locked in for Saturday 22nd August, and I want you there.
The Trading Edge: Where Mindset, Strategy & Analysis Converge
This is a full-day livestream event (10am – 6pm AEST) built around the idea that a real trading edge doesn't come from one skill in isolation – it comes from the intersection of technical analysis, strategy design, and trading psychology.
We're bringing together a great line-up of experts including: Tom Basso, David Bush, Keith Glennan, Mandi Rajsendjani, Colin Simson – delivering practical, actionable sessions you can apply to your very next trade.
Your registration will give you:
- Online access to every session, live from your home.
- Full video recordings of all presentations after the event.
- ATAA non-members will receive up to 6 months complimentary ATAA membership.
Whether you've been trading for decades or you're still building your approach, this conference is designed to sharpen your edge.
Registration is open now.
ATAA Members: $99
Non-members: $199
More speaker and session details coming soon. For now, secure your spot – I'll be in touch as the program takes shape.
Looking forward to seeing you on the 22nd of August!
Alan Clement
ATAA Director | Why join the ATAA? (our value proposition)
The ATAA is Australia’s leading independent community
for people who want to learn how to
trade and invest using market analysis.
Whether you’re just starting out or building confidence,
the ATAA gives you clear education, real-world insights,
and a supportive community,
helping you understand the markets, avoid common mistakes,
and make better trading decisions.
| CHAPTER and Special Interest Group (SIG) news and updates
| ATAA Chapters, SIGs and Network groups
For the benefit of ATAA members everywhere, the ATAA has a number of: Chapters, and Special Interest Groups, and Network Groups. Current financial members are free and welcome to participate in any of these. We are hopeful that all of these groups will submit some information for publication in the Blast! News from time to time, to help our hundreds of readers understand more about the opportunities and benefits for ATAA members.
For the latest meeting information, check the ATAA website for details, and also scroll down the website home page to see the latest announcements, presentations and updates to the resource library.
| | ATAA Chapters (alpha order) meeting monthly
- Adelaide
- Brisbane
- Canberra
- Melbourne
- Perth
- Sydney
| | SIGs and Networks (and contact names)
- Melbourne Quant SIG (Mohamed Nasher)
- RealTest Coders (online) Workshop (Chris Meakin, Robert Grigg)
- MetaStock Users SIG (Jerry Bongard)
| | | | Perth Chapter News
Special Workshop | | |  | Special Perth Chapter Workshop
Technical Analysis Workshop hosted by Gary Burton CFTe
Saturday 20th June 2026 10.00am - 3.30pm
VENUE: State Library of Western Australia, Great Southern Room, 25 Francis St, Perth
A Workshop for all levels of experience.
It is often observed everyone wants to be the winning race driver, but winning races really depends on the level of skill from the mechanic. Behind the scenes preparation long before the race starts. This analogy is no different from the private investor wanting Trading and Investing success, but in our world, we must be our own mechanics.
This workshop will focus on those base principles from which a sound strategy can be developed. Although many trading programs have over 2500 separate indicators it's only the simple underlying price action that a market operator must understand and incorporate into a Daily or Weekly routine, like a mechanic with a strict workflow of assembly. The workshop will help everyone develop a self-proving workflow from basic Trend analysis to the intimate Daily Bar and Candles as they show repeating patterns that any level of trader or investor can develop into a simple self-proven trading strategy. There will be some hands-on chart work during the session the participant can take home. The day will be a Q&A event though out the workshop.
Time will be made available during the day for morning tea and lunch.
All ATAA and non-ATAA members are welcome to attend this event. A small fee is required for non-ATAA members, consider the membership cost options at the present time.
On Line registration is essential for attendance (available soon).
Registrations close Wednesday 17th June 2026
|
The Canberra Chapter continues to meet on the third Tuesday each month. Remember to bring your portfolio selection to our next meeting. If you would like to enter the portfolio competition and cannot make it to the meeting, send your selection to gabriel.spacca@ataa.asn.au.
Good trading and good health.
Mark Gleeson
ATAA Canberra Chapter President
[The Canberra Chapter generally meets on the third Tuesday each month.]
| | RealTest Coders online Workshop
latest news | | |
May’s RealTest Coders workshop (operating under the Melbourne Quant SIG) had 15 registrants and 13 participants. During the meeting:
- Chris Meakin spoke at length about John Bollinger’s custom Equal-Weight Commodity Futures Index, and how it has been used as the basis for creating EW indices and EW index ratios for any universe of instruments.
- There was discussion on what methods participants used to identify “compression” in price data prior to a breakout. Examples included ATR and TTM squeeze (BBands and Keltner channels).
The next meeting (to be held on Monday, the 8th of June), is currently open discussion. Come along with any ideas or critical challenges.
The meetings are aimed at competent users of RealTest, but new users and intending users are more than welcome to join. A number of participants have also formed small ‘coding buddy’ groups (2-4 users) to develop and code up strategies collaboratively.
[Usually meets online on the second Monday of the month.] | After the upsets with petrol prices and availability in April, we reverted to our regular in-person meeting for May with a reasonable attendance in the room, to engage in the invaluable networking while enjoying the finger food, in the lead up to the broadcast segment at 6pm.
As a reminder, the benefits of meeting in-person include:
- Invaluable networking (or "common gossip") from 5.15pm to 6pm (including free finger food),
- The interactions in the room during the broadcast session 6-8pm, and
- Further networking and guest speaker mingling over dinner after 8pm.
Don’t forget that public transport (tram) runs past the hotel front door, the train station is only 700m away, and there is ample car parking around the corner and nearby. And if you see any of our committee/council members below, please thank them for their invaluable contributions in helping to run our hybrid meetings, and make sure that we get a quality video recording to edit and upload to the ATAA Resource Library on the website.
Robert Brain
ATAA Melb Chapter President and interim Secretary
(for the Council team: Paul Ash, Jim Haralambidis, Keith Mundy, Tony Hambling, Tony Leonard, Robert Grigg, Mohamed Nasher). | We have a total of six chapters around Australia, as well as several Special Interest Groups (SIGs) in which members can participate. You can see a list of the six chapters and their office-bearers on the website - use the menu option: ATAA Overview > Current Office-Bearers > Chapter Councillors > Subcommittees. See the ATAA website for latest meeting and event details.
- Adelaide Chapter - Generally meets in-person on the third Wednesday of the month.
- Perth Chapter - Generally meets on the third Thursday of the month.
- Brisbane Chapter - Generally meets on the second Saturday of the month.
- Sydney chapter - Generally meets on the third Monday of the month.
- MetaStock Users SIG - Contact Jerry Bongard, jerry.bongard@ataa.asn.au
- RealTest Coders Workshop (sub-group of the Quant SIG) - Meets online, generally on the second Monday of each month at 8:00 pm. EST (to give members in western states a better chance of attending). SIG Coordinators: Chris Meakin and Robert Grigg.
| IFTA 2026 Conference in London -
London Calling! The next Wave in TA. The conference expert speakers will share their perspectives on how technical analysis should evolve to respond to the dynamic global trading landscape we are all experiencing. As an international gathering of technical analysis professionals and thinkers, the conference offers extensive networking opportunities. IFTA 2026 is an opportunity to meet our fellow IFTA member association colleagues.
See conference details on the IFTA website: https://www.ifta.org/ifta-2026-conference. | IFTA Update Newsletter - The IFTA Update is a quarterly newsletter, reaching more than 7,000+ IFTA colleagues worldwide. It is a great tool for communicating and advertising to the technical analysis community worldwide. The June issue should be available very soon, but the March 2026 issue (Vol 33 Issue 1) can be downloaded here (this PDF is 13 pages and 6.5MB). In this issue:
- President's Report to Colleagues
- Member News
- IFTA 2026 Conference
- Congratulations New CFTes
- Congratulations New MFTA
- In Memoriam
- IFTA Journal Call for Submissions
- and more
| About IFTA (International Federation of Technical Analysis) - It is the umbrella organisation for Technical Analyst societies around the world. See a list of IFTA member societies in the IFTA Update Newsletter.
IFTA webinars: See the latest information about up-coming and past webinars on the IFTA website. | IFTA Journal (26)
In case you missed it recently, the 2026 IFTA Journal is available for you to download from the IFTA website here. (It's 88 pages and 22 megabytes in size - quite large).
"There is no old or new technical analysis. But there are new ideas that can be adopted without discarding the old, cherished approaches. Perhaps the textbooks need to be thicker, or the body of knowledge broader. Because our world just keeps on turning. But it can also be fun and broaden your own horizons."—Dr. Rolf Wetzer, CFTe, MFTA, Journal Editor
”Markets are never wrong – opinions often are.”—Jesse Livermore
Inside this issue:
- MFTA Papers
- Articles (several, including: Stochastic, Prediction is Difficult, GSR Bands)
- Book Review - "The Intelligent Fund Investor" by Joe Wiggins, reviewed by Regina Meani.
| | | IFTA and ATAA members - ATAA members are automatically affiliate members of the International Federation of Technical Analysts. ATAA membership gives you access to IFTA resources including: certification programs, educational events and networking opportunities, including participation in the IFTA Conferences. The information below is the latest update from IFTA.
IFTA Update (quarterly newsletter) - The IFTA Update is a quarterly newsletter that is available to members of the ATAA. | The ATAA Elevator Pitch:
Join the ATAA to improve your understanding of how to
invest or trade successfully in the financial markets
focusing on the correct use and application of Technical Analysis
(if someone asks you what the ATAA does, simply tell them this) | |
TECHNICAL ANALYSIS
and Trading/Investing Tips
| | | Exactly what are you buying/trading? | Do you know exactly what you are trading / investing in? And do you understand the risks? Many people participate in the markets and actually don’t care about the risks. But it might be important.
These days there are many different types of ‘things’ (investment vehicles) that we can trade or invest in. But which ones are safe versus unsafe? easy or not easy? and which ones can be readily profitable while others perhaps not? And perhaps there are some we should totally avoid? All of the possible investing vehicles include the following (some of which are “stapled”, whatever that means): |
- Securities on the ASX – about 2000++ to choose from.
- ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) on the ASX – There are more than 450 on the ASX. And there are many more in the US.
- LICs – Listed Invested Companies on the ASX (eg. AFI, ARG, BKI, WHF, WAM, WLE, MFF, PGF).
- REITs – Real Estate Investment Trusts (eg. GMG, CIP, DXS, SCG, VCX, RGN, COF, SGP, MGR, GPT).
- Constituents of major indexes (eg. XJO, XKO, XSO, etc.).
- Liquid versus illiquid securities.
- Company shares on overseas markets (eg. Google, Microsoft etc on the US market).
- Bonds – But how to invest in these?
- Other types of investment vehicles??
| “Shares” versus “Securities” – In this article I am being very careful about the distinction between company “shares”, and the more broad term “securities”. Many people talk about the “shares” as listed on the ASX without realising that the ASX is comprised of many securities, most of which are company shares, but also includes: ETFs, ETPs, LICs, and REITs, which are strictly not classified as “shares”.
Major index constituents – If your “stock universe” is the constituent list from a major index such as the XJO (“Top 200”) or the XAO, or the XKO (“Top 300”), then be careful. If you really want to have the literal “top200” securities as your stock universe, then be aware that the XJO index (S&P/ASX 200, aka “Top 200”), is definitely NOT the top 200 securities by market cap. It is a selective list from about the top 460 securities on the ASX.
Liquidity – Perhaps one of the biggest risks for the not-so-experienced investors and traders is that of liquidity. One way to look at this for the publicly listed securities is the ease with which you could buy, or sell, a parcel of the stock in a very short amount of time during the trading day.
Don’t forget that some of the ASX securities trade only a few times each week, and a sales value of, say, $500,000. If you were to hold a parcel of shares worth $10,000, and you wanted to sell them quickly, you very well might not be able to sell them in one go. For example, with a weekly sales value of $500,000 and your holding worth $10,000, that equates to 2 per cent of the weekly turn over. And securities such as this might trade less than 100 times per week. Not only might you be left holding a parcel of shares that are difficult to sell quickly, but there is a risk that your sell offer in the market might contribute to a fall in the share price because of the shortage of buyers. | So, do take care in the markets, and I do hope this has been useful for you.
Robert Brain | The ATAA Value Proposition Statement:
The ATAA is Australia’s leading independent community for people who want to learn how to trade and invest using market analysis. Whether you’re just starting out or building confidence, ATAA gives you clear education, real-world insights, and a supportive community, helping you understand the markets, avoid common mistakes, and make better trading decisions.
(if someone asks you why they should join the ATAA, then simply tell them this) | And another thing... About Emails | Before you unsubscribe:- Please note that if you ever unsubscribe from any of the ATAA emails, then unfortunately you will be unsubscribing for ALL ATAA emails. So please think carefully before hitting the Unsubscribe button.
Beware Spam emails! - On a different topic, one of our members emailed me recently to advise that he has been receiving more spam emails than usual. We all need to be very careful about the emails we receive these days because many of them are spam (unwanted and unsolicited), and they can contain sometimes hidden links to download suspicious or malicious software for nefarious purposes. The bottom line is to always be on alert to these attempted actions. | ATAA Member Perks and Benefits
| If you're not an ATAA member, and you are considering joining, you might be interested to know there are many good reasons to sign-up, including:
- Learn how to protect your hard-earned capital - using wise stock selection, and money and risk management ideas;
- Invaluable education opportunities (with discounts for members);
- Huge and extensive Resource Library (access for members);
- Networking opportunities - meet with like-minded peers for trading and investing discussions;
- Special Interest Groups (SIGs) (only for members) - there are several;
- News and information;
- Online Forums;
- Annual ATAA Conference (discounted for members).
| In Closing
I do hope you have found this edition of the Blast! Monthly News both interesting and useful. Feel free to send my any feedback - good or bad.
NOTES about this newsletter: The appearance of this email newsletter can be a little different depending on how you view it. In Google's Gmail the Gmail Inbox might show just a portion of this edition. At this stage I am not sure of the best way to work around this issue. And my apologies continue for any odd formatting that you might find which I cannot resolve - font size or line spacing etc - as these seem to be oddities in our CE email editor tool (there are probably odd HTML codes hidden behind the text, which we have not found yet). Every month when I prepare this newsletter, I spend ridiculous amounts of time fiddling around trying to make the line spacing consistent throughout, and the font sizes consistent; but it still turns out less than I would want it to.
Robert B. Brain
Blast! Newsletter Editor
| |