What Makes Technical Analysis Popular?

Abstract

According to the Efficient Market Hypothesis, investors cannot achieve above-average returns by using technical analysis tools. This paper attempts to answer the question as to what makes technical analysis popular, regardless of the efficiency of capital markets. The objective is to verify whether investors have certain cognitive inclinations that make them more likely to believe in the efficiency of technical analysis models. We postulate a positive relationship between different forms of overconfidence and faith in the effectiveness of technical analysis methods. This relationship was confirmed only in the case of the “better than average” effect. The two other examined forms of overconfidence, namely, overprecision and illusion of control, did not yield statistically significant results. However, the lack of confirmation by all three forms of overconfidence is in line with the results presented in the literature, namely, that there are no significant relationships between different forms of overconfidence.