Texas Instruments Inc. (TXN) shares are showing positive momentum over the past week as the stock has clocked in with gains of 1.80%.  In taking a look at recent performance, we can see that shares have moved 1.67% over the past 4-weeks, 10.11% over the past half year and 29.26% over the past full year.

As we move closer towards the end of the year, investors may be undertaking a portfolio review. Reviewing trades over the past six months, investors should be able to see what has worked and what has not. There might be some stocks that have outperformed the market, and there might be some underperformers as well. Focusing on what has worked so far this year may help provide a clearer picture for future moves. Pinpointing what went wrong can also help the investor see which areas of the portfolio need improvement. If the stock market continues on to reach new heights, investors might be looking to lock in some profits before making the next big trade.   

Traders are keeping a keen eye on shares of Texas Instruments Inc. (TXN). The Average Directional Index or ADX may prove to be an important tool for trading and investing. The ADX is a technical indicator developed by J. Welles Wilder used to determine the strength of a trend. The ADX is often used along with the Plus Directional Indicator (+DI) and Minus Directional Indicator (-DI) to identify the direction of the trend. Presently, the 14-day ADX is resting at 15.99. Generally speaking, an ADX value from 0-25 would indicate an absent or weak trend. A value of 25-50 would indicate a strong trend. A value of 50-75 would signal a very strong trend, and a value of 75-100 would indicate an extremely strong trend.

Some investors may find the Williams Percent Range or Williams %R as a helpful technical indicator. Presently, Texas Instruments Inc. (TXN)’s Williams Percent Range or 14 day Williams %R is resting at -4.07. Values can range from 0 to -100. A reading between -80 to -100 may be typically viewed as strong oversold territory. A value between 0 to -20 would represent a strong overbought condition. As a momentum indicator, the Williams R% may be used with other technicals to help define a specific trend.

When performing stock analysis, investors and traders may opt to view technical levels. Texas Instruments Inc. (TXN) presently has a 14-day Commodity Channel Index (CCI) of 149.92. Investors and traders may use this indicator to help spot price reversals, price extremes, and the strength of a trend. Many investors will use the CCI in conjunction with other indicators when evaluating a trade. The CCI may be used to spot if a stock is entering overbought (+100) and oversold (-100) territory.

Checking in on moving averages, the 200-day is at 116.15, the 50-day is 122.15, and the 7-day is sitting at 120.27. Moving averages may be used by investors and traders to shed some light on trading patterns for a specific stock. Moving averages can be used to help smooth information in order to provide a clearer picture of what is going on with the stock. Technical stock analysts may use a combination of different time periods in order to figure out the history of the equity and where it may be headed in the future. MA’s can be calculated for any time period, but two very popular time frames are the 50-day and 200-day moving averages.

Investing in the stock market has traditionally offered bigger returns than other types of investments. Along with the opportunity for higher returns comes a higher amount of risk. Stocks can be exposed to both market risk and business or financial risk. Market risk may be evident when the overall market takes a nose dive. Investors may hold stock of a company that has been performing great, but due to poor market conditions, the stock decreases in value. Investors may look to offset this risk by investing in other vehicles that don’t tend to move together. The business risk with stocks involves factors that may cause a company to perform poorly. This may include bad management, heightened competition, and declining company profits. Investors may try to limit this risk by creating a diversified portfolio including stocks from different sectors.

Shifting gears to the Relative Strength Index, the 14-day RSI is currently sitting at 57.47, the 7-day is 67.26, and the 3-day is currently at 80.66 for Texas Instruments Inc. (TXN). The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is a highly popular momentum indicator used for technical analysis. The RSI can help display whether the bulls or the bears are currently strongest in the market. The RSI may be used to help spot points of reversals more accurately. The RSI was developed by J. Welles Wilder. As a general rule, an RSI reading over 70 would signal overbought conditions. A reading under 30 would indicate oversold conditions. As always, the values may need to be adjusted based on the specific stock and market. RSI can also be a valuable tool for trying to spot larger market turns.

Investors often hear the saying “buy low, sell high”. This may seem highly obvious to anybody looking to get into the stock market. Even though investors typically know they should do this, novices tend to do just the opposite, buy high and sell low. Often times, amateur investors will get carried away when a stock is trending higher. They may attempt to get in on the stock after a big move with hopes of the stock going higher and an overall thought that relates to the fear of missing out. Often times, investors will find themselves in a precarious situation when this occurs. They might have taken a chance on a stock that maybe was too good to be true. Investors may regret buying after the big move when the price has far exceeded the underlying value. Closely watching the fundamentals may help investors avoid getting into sticky situations such as buying too high.