If you're thinking about getting involved in the stock market, the chances are that you are interested in the opportunities it presents for increasing on your money without having to do much more than make sure you put it in the right hands. Although the principles that drive the market are relatively simply, it can be quite complicated to figure out which stocks are worth your time and money, as well as how to best weather the up and down price movements that are so inherent to the market. The ability to see into the future would be a great asset to an investor, however until that has been devised, we'll have to settle for stock market forecasting.

In much the same way that weather forecasters use their knowledge of meteorology and weather patterns to make educated guesses about what the weather is likely to be next Tuesday, the technical analyst uses information about the natural movements of the market in combination with past performance records of certain stocks, and the knowledge that certain stock chart patterns will repeat themselves over and over again in the same way throughout time. When executed properly, technical analysis allows traders to "see" into the future and determine whether a certain stock is likely to grow or decline.

Technical analysis isn't the only method of stock market forecasting, but it has become one of the more popular techniques. Many traders also depend on or at least incorporate fundamental analysis into their stock market strategy as well. Instead of spending their time scrutinizing stock charts in search of trends and patterns, fundamental analysts delve into the quantitative research, focusing on company history, past financial performance, public perception and market demand for products. Through this research they formulate a picture of the value of a certain stock in the long term.

It's important for each and every investor not to place too much confidence in either of these methods of stock market forecasting, as both can be fallible at times. All market prediction techniques should be kept within the bounds of common sense and a realistic expectation of what the stock market can provide in terms of profits. If you're coming into the game hoping to become the next overnight millionaire, chances are that you're going to make hasty decisions, which almost always turn out to be costly mistakes. Invest cautiously and always err on the side of too much information.