Bollinger bands investment & finance definition
A
technical analysis system that plots two standard deviations above and below a
moving average and on the moving average itself. Standard
deviation measures volatility, so these bands will be wider during
increased volatility and
narrower during decreased volatility. Tech-nical analysts believe that a market
that approaches the upper band is overbought, while a market that approaches
the lower band is oversold. Overbought
means that too many buyers have entered the market and prices are likely to
fall. Oversold means that too many
sellers have sold, and the next price direction will likely be upward.
See Bollinger bands in Wall Street Words
The outer limits of the market's price variations that are used by technical analysts to determine if the market is overbought or oversold. The bands are plotted two standard deviations on each side of the moving average. The closer the market average moves to the lower band, the more oversold the market. Conversely, the closer the average to the upper band, the more overbought the market.