Neutral Short Term Pattern on HCP

Published on Wednesday, 23 November 2011 04:33 Written by TradersHuddle Staff

New York, November 23rd (TradersHuddle.com) - Shares of HCP, Inc. (NYSE:HCP) closed the trading day higher by $0.09 or 0.25% from its previous close. HCP's shares price action formed what is considered to be a doji close, where the open and close prices are very close to each other, mainly signaling an indecision between buyers and sellers.

HCP, Inc. (NYSE:HCP) is a real estate investment trust. The Trust invests in health care related real estate throughout the United States. HCP's properties include senior housing, life sciences, medical offices, hospitals, and skilled nursing homes.

HCP's current stock range is defined by a trough, which marks calculated support at $37.26 and by a peak that marked the resistance point at $40.87. These levels are closely watched by traders managing their positions.

Traders wanting to establish a position in HCP or traders that are already holding the stock can use the doji close to their advantage, since the pattern present a short term pause in the stock's price action. This pause results in an entry point for traders depending of which way the stock resolves this short term indecision.

Doji are important candlesticks that provide information on their own and as components in a number of important patterns. Doji form when a security's open and close are virtually equal. The length of the upper and lower shadows can vary and the resulting candlestick looks like a cross, inverted cross or plus sign. Alone, doji are neutral patterns.

Any bullish or bearish bias is based on preceding price action and future confirmation. In the case of HCP, given that the stock finished the session higher, bulls should monitor their positions for confirmation that stock will continue higher by taking today's intraday high. Below a Doji illustration: