Man, 6 technical indicators experts rely on have legit saved my butt more times than I care to admit, especially sitting here in my cramped Denver apartment with snow piling up outside the window again. It’s December 2025, the heater’s clunking like it’s about to die, and I’m nursing this lukewarm coffee while staring at charts because, honestly, I still don’t fully trust my gut after that one time I YOLO’d into a meme stock in 2022 and watched 40% vanish overnight. Like, seriously – I was that guy refreshing Robinhood every 30 seconds, heart pounding, convinced I was a genius. Spoiler: I wasn’t. Anyway, these technical indicators became my training wheels, then my seatbelt, and now… kinda my copilot?
Why I Finally Started Using the 6 Technical Indicators Experts Rely On
Look, I resisted technical analysis for years. Thought it was all voodoo and lines drawn by people who just wanted to feel smart. But after getting rekt enough times – we’re talking waking up at 3 AM in a cold sweat checking premarket gaps – I caved. Started paper trading with these 6 technical indicators everyone keeps mentioning in Discord groups and YouTube comments. And you know what? They don’t make you psychic, but they do stop you from doing the dumbest stuff. At least most of the time.
#1: The RSI – My First Love/Hate With Technical Indicators
The Relative Strength Index was the first of the 6 technical indicators experts rely on that actually clicked for me. I remember this one trade – it was NVDA back in early 2024, stock was ripping higher, everyone on FinTwit screaming “to the moon,” and I was ready to FOMO in hard. But RSI was sitting at like 82, screaming overbought. I ignored it the first time, bought anyway, watched it dump 15% in two days. Felt like an idiot.
Second time the exact setup happened? I waited. Stock pulled back, consolidated, then blasted higher. Made way more than I would’ve chasing. Now I check RSI on pretty much every timeframe – daily, 4-hour, even 15-minute when I’m feeling spicy. Overbought/oversold levels plus divergences? Chef’s kiss. Still oversimplifies sometimes, but way better than my “vibes” trading.
#2: Moving Averages – Simple But Stupidly Effective
Everyone uses moving averages. Like, literally everyone. The 50-day and 200-day simple moving averages are basically the boomer technical indicators, but damn if that golden cross/death cross stuff doesn’t work more often than it should.
I got burned ignoring a death cross on Tesla once – thought Elon would tweet his way out of it like always. Nope. Stock bled for months. Now when price is respecting the 20 EMA on the daily? I’m paying attention. When it’s chopping around above the 200 SMA during a bull market? That’s my “everything’s probably fine” signal. Simple, boring, but one of the 6 technical indicators experts rely on for good reason.
#3: MACD – The Momentum King That Actually Works
MACD (Moving Average Convergence Divergence – yeah I had to Google that acronym for months) is probably my favorite of the 6 technical indicators right now. That histogram shrinking while price makes higher highs? Hidden bearish divergence = get the hell out.
Had this crypto trade – some altcoin pumping hard last summer – MACD was showing massive divergence while price kept grinding up. I sold half my position into strength instead of holding for “moooon.” Coin dumped 70% two weeks later. Felt like a wizard. Still use the default 12,26,9 settings because I’m lazy and they work fine.
#4: Bollinger Bands – My Volatility Best Friend
Bollinger Bands are weirdly comforting. When the bands squeeze tight? Something’s coming. When price hugs the upper band? Trend is strong, maybe ride it. When it closes outside and reverses? Probably exhaustion.
I use them mostly for mean reversion plays on stuff like SPY. The “Bollinger Band squeeze” setup has printed money for me on 2-3 day trades. Though I did get chopped to death during that sideways summer market in 2023… learned the hard way that “squeeze” doesn’t mean “breakout tomorrow.”
#5: Volume – The One Everyone Forgets But Shouldn’t
Volume is kinda the redheaded stepchild of technical indicators, but it’s honestly crucial. Price moving up on weak volume? Sketchy. Breaking resistance on 3x average volume? Okay, I’m listening.
My biggest win ever was spotting insane volume on a biotech stock after FDA news – combined with a MACD crossover and RSI not overbought yet. Turned a small position into rent money for six months. Volume confirms everything else. Ignore it and you’re basically gambling blind.
#6: Fibonacci Retracement – The Woo-Woo One That Somehow Works
Fib levels feel like astrology for traders. Like, why 61.8%? Magic number? But holy crap do markets respect them. I draw Fibs from swing low to swing high on pretty much every chart now.
That 0.618 retracement has been my “add to winners” level so many times it’s stupid. Price pulls back there, bounces, and continues the trend? Beautiful. Even when I’m wrong, the stops are clean. It’s probably self-fulfilling prophecy because every trader on earth uses the same levels, but who cares if it works?
Putting These 6 Technical Indicators Together (Without Losing Your Mind)
The real magic isn’t using one – it’s when multiple of these 6 technical indicators experts rely on line up. RSI showing divergence + MACD crossover + price hitting Fib resistance + volume drying up = high probability something’s changing.
I still overtrade sometimes. Still take screenshots of perfect setups and then don’t pull the trigger because I’m scared. Still have nights where I stare at the ceiling wondering why I do this to myself. But these indicators? They’ve turned me from a consistent loser to… inconsistently profitable? Which is huge progress, trust me.
Anyway, if you’re still trading purely on hope and Twitter hype (been there), try actually using these 6 technical indicators experts rely on for a month. Paper trade them first if you’re scared. Backtest a little. See what clicks for your style.
What’s your favorite indicator? The one you can’t live without? Drop it in the comments – I legit read them all while drinking terrible coffee at 2 AM. Might save me from my next dumb trade.
(References: Check out Investopedia’s guide to technical indicators for cleaner explanations than my rambling, and TradingView’s indicator docs for actual settings. I use Thinkorswim mostly but these work everywhere.)
