      One final aspect of technical analysis to consider is the "self-fulfilling prophecy effect." Because technical analysis is so widely usedby market participants, there is a "herd" of traders looking for the samepatterns. A perfect example is a sideways price movement that exhibits aconcave volume matrix. The volume traded in the stock subsides when thesideways price pattern begins, continues to decline during the sidewaysprice movement, and then picks up. When the volume picks up, technicians(traders who base trading strategies on technical analysis of chartpatterns) see a widely known pattern called a "saucer formation." Typicallythe price chart will show a slight upward or downward movement concurrentwith the rise in average daily trading volume. When the saucer forms,technicians view the upward or downward price bias as the beginning of abreakout. While there is some "truth" to the origin of this technical tool,it has been further compounded by the fact that so many people are aware ofthis pattern and position themselves accordingly. This in turn sometimesbecomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.