Hello again everyone!
Since the announcement of the DecisionPoint/StockCharts merger, I have had numerous questions and concerns from DP members about when and how DP features and charts will be transitioned to the StockCharts.com platform.
First and foremost, please remember that DP features will be added to StockCharts incremently over the next month, instead of in a rushed manner. Also remember that although the DecisionPoint.com homepage will eventually be closed, you will have access to it throughout the entire transition process. This way you will be able to experiment, tinker and learn how to access DecisionPoint content on the StockCharts.com website, however you will still have complete access to the charts you are used to.
Learning How to Create Charts on StockCharts
"But wait Erin, how do I create charts with StockCharts in the first place?" I'm so glad you asked!
The main bar/candlestick charts on StockCharts.com are called "SharpCharts." To create them, you just enter a ticker symbol into the "Create a Chart" box at the top of any page, then press "Go". As you probably noticed, there are many, many options on the SharpCharts workbench - that's what makes them so powerful. I know that it is easy to get overwhelmed at first, but hang in there! Everything will make sense with a little practice.
Fortunately, StockCharts has a video to help you get started learning about all of the options on the charting workbench. To see it, click on the "Educational Videos" link on the StockCharts home page (or just click here) then click on the "SharpCharts Basics" video.
I also strongly encourage everyone to review the "Getting Started with StockCharts" video located on that same "Educational Videos" page.
Where are the DecisionPoint Charts on StockCharts.com?
"But wait Erin, I don't want to have to do all this work myself. DecisionPoint was so much easier." Good point! And we are working very hard right now to bring much of that ease-of-use to StockCharts too. As I mentioned above, this process will happen incrementally over the next month or so. For example, we've made our 1300+ ticker symbols available for charting inside SharpCharts now because it was easy to do that quickly, but that doesn't mean we're done. Not by a long shot...
Later this week, we will be rolling out the DecisionPoint Market Analysis Chart Gallery. The DP Gallery is a single page that includes all of our "Greatest Hits" charts in one place. These are the charts that we have frequently featured in the blog I write on DecisionPoint.com only, on StockCharts, they are bigger and better. It will be wonderful to finally have them all on one page! Look for us to make an announcement about the DP Gallery in the next day or two.
What about the non-"Greatest Hits" Charts?
One of the cornerstone features of DecisionPoint has been the "ready-made" indicator charts, charts that were updated daily and were easy to find and flip through. Several people have expressed concern that they will have to recreate their favorite DecisionPoint charts in order to enjoy the same convenience and they simply do not have time to do that. They think that would be terrible and we totally agree!
Take heart however. In a couple of weeks, we'll be releasing something called the DecisionPoint "ChartPacks" that will solve this problem. ChartPacks are precreated collections of charts that you can install into your StockCharts account with one simple click. Once they are installed, you will have your own personal copies of all the charts on the DecisionPoint.com.
While you may choose to just look at the charts, the beauty of a ChartPack is that you can adjust it and make it your own. For example, if you find some of the included indicators distracting, you can remove them. You can also draw your own trendlines and add your own comments to your DecisionPoint charts for later review. These capabilities are very powerful additions to what we offered before!
In conclusion, this transition process will take some time, but it will be well thought out and not rushed. We would definitely welcome your feedback at [email protected] We will read and take into consideration all of your questions and concerns. I cannot wait to start introducing you to some of the new charting features in future blogs. In the meantime, experiment with the PMO and DecisionPoint datasets using the SharpCharts workbench. Click here to see an example I created to help you get started!
Happy charting and investing!
Erin
