NISM Exam Revision: Technical Analysis & Commodity Fundamentals – Practice Questions & Summary
This is the final post in the NISM Technical Analysis and Commodity Fundamentals short notes series on PassNISM. This revision post consolidates everything covered across the previous six parts — supply-demand dynamics, dollar index, hedging, chart types, Dow Theory, candlestick patterns, support/resistance, and technical indicators — into one complete exam-ready reference with practice questions.
Use this as your last-mile revision before attempting the NISM Series VIII Equity Derivatives certification exam or the NISM Research Analyst exam.
Section A: Commodity Fundamental Analysis — Complete Revision Chapter 11 Key Concepts at a Glance
| Topic | Core Exam Point |
|---|---|
| Fundamental analysis of commodities | Based on supply and demand dynamics — NOT financial statements |
| Supply-side drivers | Production levels, weather, geopolitics, technology, government policy, input costs |
| Demand-side drivers | GDP growth, industrialisation, population growth, consumer preferences, seasonality |
| Dollar Index (DXY) | Measures USD vs 6 currencies: EUR, JPY, GBP, CAD, SEK, CHF |
| Dollar-commodity relationship | Strong dollar = lower commodity prices; Weak dollar = higher commodity prices |
| Global commodity benchmarks | CBOT = agri; COMEX = bullion; NYMEX = energy; LME = base metals |
| Crop reports | Higher-than-expected production = prices fall; Lower output = prices rise |
| Inventory data | High inventory = oversupply (prices down); Low inventory = scarcity (prices up) |
| Macroeconomic indicators | GDP, inflation, interest rates, trade balances, employment data |
| Government policies | Export bans, tariffs, subsidies, environmental regulations affect commodity supply and price |
| Geopolitical risk | Middle East conflicts, trade wars, OPEC decisions, shipping route disruptions |
| Hedging goal | Price stability — NOT profit generation |
| Hedge Ratio formula | Correlation × (SD Spot ÷ SD Futures) |
Section B: Technical Analysis — Complete Revision Chapter 15 Key Concepts at a Glance
| Topic | Core Exam Point |
|---|---|
| Core assumption of TA | All information is already priced in — price discounts everything |
| Chart types | Line, Bar (OHLC), Candlestick, Point & Figure, Renko, Heikin-Ashi |
| Dow Theory tenets | 6 tenets: discounts everything, three trends, three phases, index confirmation, volume, trend persistence |
| Primary trend | 1 year+ (bull, bear, or sideways); three phases: accumulation, public participation, distribution |
| Secondary trend | Weeks to months; retraces 1/3 to 2/3 of primary move |
| Tertiary trend | Days to weeks; noise for long-term investors, opportunity for swing/day traders |
| Hammer vs Hanging Man | Same shape — Hammer after downtrend (bullish); Hanging Man after uptrend (bearish) |
| Engulfing patterns | Bullish: large green engulfs small red; Bearish: large red engulfs small green |
| Morning Star / Evening Star | Three-candle patterns: Morning Star = bullish reversal; Evening Star = bearish reversal |
| Dark Cloud Cover / Piercing | Two-candle patterns: Dark Cloud = bearish at top; Piercing = bullish at bottom |
| Triangle patterns | Symmetrical (neutral), Ascending (bullish), Descending (bearish) |
| Flags and Pennants | Continuation patterns — flag = rectangle; pennant = small triangle |
| Support and Resistance | Support = demand floor; Resistance = supply ceiling; Broken S becomes R and vice versa |
| Moving Averages | Lagging indicator; uptrend: Price > 13 EMA > 21 EMA > 34 EMA |
| MACD | Fast = 26 EMA minus 12 EMA; Slow = 9 EMA of fast line; shows momentum, not price |
| RSI | 0–100 scale; overbought >70, oversold <30; divergences give early signals |
| ADX | Measures trend strength (not direction); <25 = no trend; buy when +DMI crosses above -DMI with rising ADX |
| RSC | Ratio of stock vs benchmark; >100 = outperforming; buy when RSC crosses above 100 |
| OBV | Volume precedes price; OBV 1 crossing OBV 20 gives buy/sell signals |
Section C: NISM Practice Questions — Commodity Fundamentals
Q1: Which of the following factors are on the supply side of commodity analysis?
a) GDP growth and urbanisation
b) Production levels, weather, and geopolitical events
c) Consumer preferences and lifestyle changes
d) Population growth and demand for substitutes
Answer: b)
Q2: The Dollar Index measures the US Dollar against which of the following set of currencies?
a) EUR, JPY, GBP, AUD, CAD, CHF
b) EUR, JPY, GBP, CAD, SEK, CHF
c) EUR, JPY, INR, GBP, CAD, CHF
d) EUR, JPY, GBP, CAD, NOK, CHF
Answer: b) EUR, JPY, GBP, CAD, SEK, CHF
Q3: When the US Dollar strengthens against major currencies, the expected impact on globally traded commodity prices is:
a) Commodity prices rise as demand increases
b) Commodity prices fall as demand from non-dollar buyers decreases
c) Commodity prices are unaffected by dollar movements
d) Commodity prices become more volatile but direction is unclear
Answer: b)
Q4: Which international exchange is the global benchmark for base metals like copper and aluminium?
a) CBOT b) COMEX c) NYMEX d) LME
Answer: d) LME (London Metal Exchange)
Q5: A farmer sells wheat futures contracts before harvest. If wheat prices fall by harvest time, what happens?
a) The farmer loses in both the cash market and the futures market
b) The farmer's cash market loss is offset by futures market gains
c) The farmer gains in both markets
d) Hedging eliminates the farmer's ability to sell wheat
Answer: b)
Q6: Given Correlation = 0.95, SD of Spot = 8.5, SD of Futures = 9.2, what is the Hedge Ratio?
a) 0.875 b) 0.923 c) 1.026 d) 0.877
Answer: d) 0.877 (0.95 × 8.5 ÷ 9.2 = 0.95 × 0.924 = 0.877)
Section D: NISM Practice Questions — Technical Analysis
Q7: Which of the following is NOT a tenet of Dow Theory?
a) The market discounts everything
b) The market has four trends
c) The averages must confirm each other
d) Trends persist until a clear reversal
Answer: b) The market has four trends — Dow Theory identifies three trends
Q8: In a Hammer candlestick pattern, which of the following is correct?
a) It is bearish and occurs after an uptrend
b) The tail should be at least two times the height of the real body
c) It has a long upper shadow and a small lower shadow
d) It should be confirmed by a red candle the next day
Answer: b) The tail should be at least two times the height of the real body
Q9: The Piercing Pattern is most accurately described as:
a) A two-candlestick pattern at the top of a congestion area
b) A three-candlestick pattern at the bottom of a congestion area
c) A two-candlestick pattern at the bottom of a congestion area
d) A three-candlestick pattern at the top of a congestion area
Answer: c)
Q10: Regarding RSI, which of the following is most likely true?
a) When the stock makes a new low and RSI doesn't — bearish divergence
b) When the stock makes a new low and RSI doesn't — bullish divergence
c) RSI performs best in strongly trending markets
d) RSI can take values above 100 in a very strong bull market
Answer: b) Bullish divergence — an early buy signal
Q11: What does an ADX value below 25 indicate?
a) Strong uptrend in place
b) Strong downtrend in place
c) Weak trend or no trend — avoid directional trades
d) Market is about to reverse
Answer: c)
Q12: The MACD slow line is generated from:
a) 9-period EMA of the 26-period EMA
b) 9-period EMA of the MACD fast line
c) 12-period EMA of the MACD fast line
d) 26-period EMA of the price
Answer: b) 9-period EMA of the MACD fast line
Q13: In a strongly trending bull market (Dec 2023 to Sep 2024), which RSI observation is most likely?
a) RSI shows a bullish divergence
b) RSI continues to remain overbought for extended periods
c) RSI value falls below 30 frequently
d) RSI cannot exceed 70 during a bull run
Answer: b)
Q14: When price makes a new high in September 2024 but MACD does not confirm it, this is called:
a) Bullish divergence
b) A MACD crossover signal
c) Negative divergence (bearish divergence)
d) A zero-line crossover
Answer: c) Negative divergence (bearish divergence)
Q15: An Ascending Triangle pattern is characterised by:
a) Lower highs and flat lower support — bearish
b) Higher lows and flat resistance — bullish continuation
c) Equal highs and equal lows — neutral
d) Lower highs and higher lows — neutral breakout
Answer: b) Higher lows and flat resistance — bullish continuation
Final Study Tips for NISM Exam
- Focus on concepts, not rote memorisation. NISM exam questions test your understanding of how things work — not just definitions.
- Master divergence signals for RSI and MACD. These are among the most frequently tested indicator concepts.
- Know your candlestick patterns cold. Hammer vs Hanging Man, Morning Star vs Evening Star, Dark Cloud Cover vs Piercing Pattern — these come up regularly.
- Understand the Hedge Ratio formula and be comfortable with numerical calculations.
- Remember the Dollar Index basket (EUR, JPY, GBP, CAD, SEK, CHF) and the inverse dollar-commodity relationship.
- Attempt free mock tests on PassNISM regularly to test your understanding before the actual exam.
Complete Series Index
- Part 13: Fundamental Analysis of Commodities – Supply & Demand Dynamics
- Part 14: Dollar Index, Crop Reports & Inventory Data
- Part 15: Macroeconomic Indicators, Government Policies & Hedging
- Part 16: Technical Analysis – Chart Types, Dow Theory & Market Trends
- Part 17: Candlestick Patterns, Support & Resistance, Trendlines
- Part 18: Technical Indicators – Moving Averages, MACD, RSI, ADX & OBV
- Part 19: Full Revision & Practice Questions (This Post)