Sometimes there's nowhere to go but down. When you reach the summit of Mt. Everest, for example, you'll want to take a few moments to enjoy the view. But soon enough, the oxygen-poor atmosphere and air temperature remind you that it's time to head back down. You can't climb any higher anyway.

But why didn't that same reminder come 100 feet before you got to the mountaintop? Well, it probably did. You knew the peak was coming but were determined to finish the climb anyway.

Markets work the same way. Mountaineering and trading each require risk management: the climb can be risky, and you won't know exactly what the peak looks like until you get there. When it comes to trading, technical analysis can help you assess the risk at a given juncture, just like the thinning of air tells you you're near the top of Mt. Everest.

Experienced mountaineers use grappling hooks, skis, harnesses, ice picks, hammers and belay lines – together these tools serve a common purpose but are far less effective if used alone. The technical analyst's tools include methods and techniques that identify the size and duration of market trends. And just like the mountain climber, tools used in tandem are that much more effective.

A case in point is unfolding right now in lean hogs, according to Futures Junctures editor Jeffrey Kennedy. By using technical analysis tools that include Fibonacci ratios, Base Price Channeling, Corrective Price Channeling, market low memory and corresponding length of the previous climb, Jeffrey's analysis looked at lean hogs from five different angles. Each tool argues that the lean hog market is ready to begin its next leg in the price trend.

Near the end of yesterday's session, prices reached a crucial juncture. How will Jeffrey know that the next leg really is underway? Well, Jeffrey's tools also identified a level of resistance that will confirm the trend – once prices go through that level, the lean hog trend should continue.