Hi ChrisIts quite interesting you brought up Bollingers they...

Hi Chris

Its quite interesting you brought up Bollingers they have been a weakness and nagging point with me for some time.
I read some time back that when comparing results for one single oscillator they offered the best TA outcomes.
I think it was in this link
http://www.technicalanalysis.org.uk/taxonomy.html

As you may know Bollingers are measures of volatility within Moving average envelopes, generally using a 20 period Standard Moving average as a midline,There is plenty of scope to adjust the time delay and midline ma by back testing each stocks volatility. So they may be tuned for best fit.
I take the point a monthly narrowing means a big break is eventually imminent.
As for breakout direction
You can also see on the weekly chart below ,when you combine them with a Relative strength index direction for confirmation they have been pretty efficacious, whatever that means....

What I would like to ask you, Is how one reads them as trading triggers, there seems to be quite a number of interpetations,
Some traders buy when price touches the lower Bollinger Band and exit when price touches the moving average in the center of the bands. Other traders buy when price breaks above the upper Bollinger Band or sell when price falls below the lower Bollinger Band.

An amusing side to the TA vs FA is
that Bollinger himself factored favourable fundamentals into his candidates as the "logical" factor

a bit of both worlds.....lol