Marc Chaikin
Marc Chaikin is a stock market analyst, and founder and CEO of Chaikin Analytics, LLC. He attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, in the early 1960s, where he studied Political Science.
However, after university, Chaikin began working as a stock broker in 1965, and in the 1970s, he became head of the options department at Tucker, Anthony & Co. While at Tucker, Anthony & Co, Chaikin obtained a seat on the New York Futures Exchange (NYFE). Soon thereafter, Chaikin began developing his own proprietary indicators and stock selection models.
Chaikin is best known for the development of the Accumulation/Distribution Line (ADL) indicator, which was developed after Chaikin realized that the On Balance Volume (OBV) indicator, while being a good indicator, could be improved upon. He also developed the Chaikin Volume Accumulator (VAC) indicator, the Chaikin Oscillator (CO), and the Chaikin Money Flow (CFM) indicator.
By and large, Chaikin's indicators are volume-based indicators that use volume in an attempt to determine whether price movement of the underlying security is being driven by buying pressure, which would indicate accumulation, or selling pressure, which would indicate distribution. In other words, Chaikin's indicators attempt to quantify buying and selling pressure by using volume and price data.