Would you buy a house without ever seeing it? Probably not. Investing in stocks without thorough research is just as risky (relatively speaking). Fortunately, using the Socrates Platform as part of your toolkit can to help you research stocks and gain the insights you need to maximize returns and mitigate risks.
As a research tool, the Socrates Platform offers unique advantages, including access to proprietary computer models that can be used to help identify stock market patterns and trends. To understand the value of using Socrates, let’s first explore the type of research our platform is best suited for.
What Research Approach Is Socrates Best For?
The Socrates Platform is designed to offer a window into global financial market trends, patterns, and cycles. By analyzing years of historical data, our proprietary computer models provide an unbiased perspective so user can conduct objective analysis of global stock markets they are most interested in.
Our emphasis on the importance historical market data is grounded in the principles of technical analysis, which uses market history to understand how stocks move in trend, and often have patterns that repeat themselves over time. As a technical analysis tool, the Socrates Platform provides indicators and charts to help users identify potential turning points and long-term stock market trends. This approach is particularly beneficial for those who want to understand how different stocks perform across various economic cycles and under different market conditions.
Additionally, the Socrates Platform enables users to research the performance of a stock across different currencies — helping you understand how various global economic factors, such as exchange rates, inflation, and geopolitical events, impact stock performance. By providing a broader perspective, you’re in a better position to identify opportunities or risks that are not apparent when focusing solely on a single currency or geographic market.
What Stock Markets Does Socrates Cover?
The Socrates Platform has over 1,000 financial instruments available to research from around the world. We call these "covered markets", and currently Socrates covers close to 500 global stocks, including all major global stock indices like the DOW Jones Industrial Average, the S&P 500, the NASDAQ 100, NASDAQ Composite, STOXX Europe 600, the DAX, CAC-40, FTSE 100, and the NIKKEI among many others from around the world. Major sector leaders, key individual stocks, and leading tech companies like Apple, Microsoft, and Nvidia are also covered.
Why Does Socrates Cover These Specific Markets?
To ensure reliability and depth of analysis from the computer models, the covered markets on the Socrates Platform typically have at least three years of historical data available. Companies recently undergoing IPO, for instance, aren’t available to research on Socrates (yet). By excluding markets that lack historical data, we ensure computer analysis and indicators factor in some level of historical performance. The more history a market has, the more data for our proprietary models.
What Technical Analysis Tools Does Socrates Provide to Research the Stock Market?
The Socrates Platform equips users with a unique suite tools - based on technical analysis and cyclical analysis methodologies - for researching stock trends, patterns and market price behavior. Explore our membership plans for a list of features and information available at each tier.
For an idea of what to expect, here are examples of three tools available within Socrates:
1. Global Market Watch (GMW)
Available to all users, the Global Market Watch (GMW) uses pattern recognition algorithms to analyze the price movement of every stock available to research within the Socrates Platform. The GMW identifies repeating historical patterns and emerging trends, providing users with a ‘cheat sheet’ highlighting potential sharp moves or turning points in the market. As a starting point for research, the GMW helps you spot opportunities that warrant further investigation..png?width=720&height=365&name=1%20-%20Global%20Market%20Watch%20(GMW).png)
2. The Reversal System
Available to Pro and Enterprise members, the Reversal System helps users research the question: "At what price level might the current price trend reverse direction?" The system identifies pressure points in market price that can be studied as areas of possible technical support (bearish reversals) or technical resistance (bullish reversals). These Reversal points can help you follow a market's price activity while also anticipating potential shifts from downtrends to uptrends, or vice versa.
3. Timing Arrays
Another tool available to Pro and Enterprise members, the Timing Arrays highlight potential timing of cyclical peaks and troughs the computer models are picking up on that may be worth further research. Socrates users can study the Timing Arrays to help prepare for possible market turning points, changes in trends, and volatility.
Cross-referencing the Timing Arrays and the Reversal System can be a powerful combination when researching stocks. Reversal points offer insight into possible pressure points in market price, while Arrays offer timing considerations — giving you an idea of where market movements might occur from a technical perspective, and when they may happen from a cyclical perspective, as you study market behavior and develop your own strategies.
Using the Socrates Platform to Research the Stock Market
The Socrates Platform excels as a tool for researching the stock market. Whether you are a passive investor, a stock broker, an active trader, a financial professional, or an investment banker who trades stocks and stock futures, you can use the proprietary computer models, indicators, cyclical and technical analysis features found in Socrates to research global financial market trends, patterns and cycles for stocks and stock indices, as well as ETFs, bonds, commodities and currencies (foreign exchange).
While there may be an initial learning curve for novice users to understanding the Socrates' computer models, the platform should prove to be relatively easy to use over time. As you become more familiar with our features and tools, you should find it increasingly easy to tap into the full potential of the platform, making it a valuable tool to research global financial markets.
Is the Socrates Platform right for you?
To learn more about our offering, explore our Membership Plans to find a version of Socrates that works for you.
