Both Timing and Ticker strategies are important. These two strategies work well together in producing solid returns over a number of years. Perfect timing means biggest profits. Reading the stock ticker means understthe price movement of the particular stock. The combined effort requires a step back from the buy-and-hold mindset that characterizes modern investing and adding technical principles that assist entry timing, position management, and if needed, early profit taking. Just remember to do all the due diligence before each trade.