Application of Technical Analysis to the Stock Market
Money drives the world and in times of crisis, money is more important than ever. Most political, economic and, as we have seen recently, health crises are accompanied by pressure on the economy. With such pressure, ordinary citizens are worried about their money, which is at risk either from inflation or from an uncertain economic outlook. In such times, some people resort to appreciating their money by investing. It is wise investments that can protect savings from inflation, or at least mitigate the effects of inflation. Investing in the stock market is among the most popular ways of investing. During the global coronavirus crisis, the number of small investors more than doubled (Galik and Brody [2022]), and in 2021, Covid (new) investors accounted for 15 % of investors in the U.S. market (Schwab [2021]). It is this phenomenon that inspired the author to write this paper. Investing in the stock market is one of the riskiest forms of investment, which means that there is a high probability of losing the originally invested capital. Some companies that allow retail investors to invest state that more than 90 % of their users lose their capital when investing in the stock market. On the other hand, investing in the stock market has one of the greatest potentials for profit. In the case of a long-term investment in index funds, for example, an average annual appreciation of between 8 % and 12 % can be expected (the average appreciation of the S&P 500, the most famous US index). However, it is necessary to wait several years for stable results. To see appreciation in a long-term portfolio, it is recommended to wait at least 12 years. This is because if a recession or a simple market correction comes, said portfolio can lose up to 50 % of its value in a year. But as history shows, markets do rise over the long term, and that is what long-term investors bet on, waiting for their capital to appreciate over time. But the market does not grow all the time. The market often changes price trends, and in some rare cases a long-term trend can reverse for up to several tens of months. This phenomenon, volatility, is attempted to be exploited by so-called speculators. A speculator is an investor who sells and buys in short periods of time and thus speculates on price movements. The speculator therefore needs a way to determine the likely behaviour of the price in the foreseeable future in order to make their trades profitable. The two main ways of analysing price behaviour are fundamental and technical analysis. And since fundamental analysis incorporates a large amount of diverse information into its predictions, this paper concentrates on working with technical analysis.
Designing a LiDAR topographic navigation system: A novel approach to aid the visually impaired
The WHO reports 2.2 billion people internationally have a form of visual impairment, with Perkins School of Blind adding that 4 to 8 percent (8.8 - 17.6 million people) solely rely on a white cane for navigation. In an interview by Stephen Yin for NPR, visually impaired interviewees claimed that a white cane was ineffective as it failed to detect moving obstacles (ex. bikes), aerial obstacles (ex. falling objects), and it became physically demanding after a prolonged period. This problem can be solved with a headset that integrates LiDAR technology and haptic feedback to provide a real-time assessment of their environment. Theoretically, the device will determine how far an object is from the user and place it into one of three conditionals based on distance (0- 290mm, 310-500mm, 510-1200mm). As the user gets closer to the object, the haptic will vibrate more frequently. The device has 11 LIDAR sensors, beetle processors, and ERM motors so that when the LiDAR detects an object, the device will send a haptic signal in that area. It not only identifies the existence of an object but it tells the user its relative position with a latency period of approximately 2 milliseconds. When testing the device, a simulated walking environment was made. Ten obstacles were included: five below the waist (72”, 28”, 35” and 8.5” tall sticks) and five above the waist (paper suspended 6”, 10”, 48” and 28” from the ceiling). The white cane detected 4.1 obstacles, whereas the device detected 7.3 on average. The LiDAR navigation system is 178% more effective at detecting objects comparatively. Visually impaired individuals no longer must rely on the white cane; rather, using this device, they can detect small, moving, and aerial objects at a much faster, and more accurate speed.
Evaluation of a fiber optic distributed temperature measurement system for a geothermal energy
As part of the European project GEOTHERMICA - ERA NET and in order to assess the capacity of heat storage in Switzerland, the Centre d'Hydrogéologie et de Géothermie de l'Université de Neuchâtel (CHYN) is taking part in the HEATSTORE project, launched in 2018. The latter is expected to lead to commercial heat storage projects in the near future in Geneva and Bern, in fractured aquifers. The evaluation of the geological characteristics of these aquifers is essential to understand the thermal energy transport processes of fractured aquifers. For this, it is necessary to be able to measure the temperature distribution along boreholes. Thus, the study focuses on the evaluation of a distributed temperature system (DTS) and its optical fiber in order to determine its operation, limits and potential for use in geothermal energy. Laboratory and field tests have been carried out that the water temperature deviation measurements, with a scan time of 30 s, are reliable at less than 0.5°C at +/-5 m over 500 m of fiber. For absolute temperature values, however, a bath and a reference probe must be used to recalculate the absolute temperature to within 0.5°C. The acquired data are essential for a broader understanding of the locations of fractured and karstified aquifers at Concise, allowing the system to be used to better understand the potential for water storage at a depth of 45°C at 35 m.