4EverMaAT

Here is an updated version of the spreadsheet, but in google sheets format. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13i6z-jzz9gMzo9dDlxbazS58-wDOPQ-8xYBscO8ZRds/edit?usp=sharing You can copy it to your own google account or download as ods / xlsx to use it as needed. If a moderator can read this, hoping they can edit the OP and insert the above into the bottom of the post.

So what do you propose as an alternate? You mention So you care to share a synopsis of your theory (or theorem) and why it may be superior?

I keep getting a "connection refused" error when I try to use https with any link on your site. but http works ok. Is there any reason for this? I also have two other tickets here and here that never got any replies. Can you see them?

It's been over a year? Wow. I've been gone a long time. But the update is for the better I guess. do you have a blog post detailing the reasons/advantages for the new look?

Is there anyway to add a tag to an existing forum thread?

There were several tools that were here on traders laboratory and I was wondering if it were possible for non-members to be able to download an attachment to a post without having to be a forum member.

I agree with @marty_trader unless you are trading binary options on a regulated exchange (there is only one that is worth anything: Nadex), you might as well treat your deposit as a donation (the receiving broker certainly is looking at it this way 😂)

i'm in. but didnt see anyone else

The key to using cost averaging and 2x[+] martingale is to have reasonable limits to work within the equity stops and not over optimize the take profit. That is the only way for the speculator on the sell side to get in and out [and back in] timely. If you keep going for the big win on each tradecycle (basket), you will eventually hit stop on a larger trend; you can't have too many of those. Take the smaller [tiny] wins as the market retraces, but do so consistently. Those people are likely trading with too much risk.It is rare that people who implement martingale use complete mechanical systems for the entry detection, entry and exits, which is indeed quite reckless. In addition, they are implementing it in an "all or nothing" approach. How can you be surprised if the "or nothing" comes up at some point?

I thought I replied here. Perhaps you should also post in the other longer contest thread. I would like to participate as well.

Where is the contest signup link?

The main challenge with zulutrade is that most 'investors' sort by highest roi. Many of the traders trade to make their stats look good long enough to entice investors. Then finally the blowup happens. The investor has no idea what happened. Even with some kind of equity stop loss, you are still trying to figure out if you should continue with the same signal or just find a new signal. What is even worse is that the investor may be copying several signals at once, trying to "diversify". But without an understanding of the underlying strategy used in EACH signal, how can you even begin to manage the risk? I like the concept of zulutrade, but unfortunately they are mainly for show. Many blind-leading-the-blind there. I've seen situations where the zulutrade bridge went offline with mt4. I do understand that MQ and ZT had a falling out. But social copy bridges do have some serious flaws and the bridge providers rarely take it seriously enough. Once they have their commissions (which they get on every trade), they tend to ignore any technological deficiencies unless they are major. The commission model also needs work, where at least myfxbook's autotrade only pays out on profitable trades. The current model encourages signal providers to churn out as many trades as possible, not necessarily profitable. I was speaking to a funds manager about social networks, and he admitted that licensed fund managers and others with serious hedge funds do not use these services; way too much counterpary risk.

To assist in letting go, I recommend The 5 Levels of Attatchment: Toltec Wisdom for a Modern World by Don Miguel Ruiz Jr. It was just as good as The Four Agreements by his father.

Is swimming a good idea? All derivative contracts follow the same basic buy/sell principle of a market. The difference is liquidity and volatility of the contract; both are affected by various things. But it is the movement in price we are looking to speculate on. now lets see if I can make up for lost time on this contest.

Buying a dedicated server or hosting your own server near the broker's trading server. But seriously, can you explain why a quality VPS service is not adequate. HFT is probably discouraged on their retail platforms. you would have to go it alone if you desire sub-millisecond HFT.

- 12-15% per week, month, quarter, year? - Did these retirees mention the size of the capital they were trading? 1:10 leverage with $1-10 mil is probably a different expectation than 1:10 leverage with $1-10k. The institutional mindset on leverage does tend to be much more conservative than the retail side. I suspect the large part is the starting capital. Another part is how retail sales reps advertise vs how institutional traders are recruited.

Across two separate demo accounts, GBPUSD, AUDUSD, and EURAUD. Based on this, I concluded with customer service that these fake ticks were occurring across multiple instruments. The Oanda representative acknowledged several other people reported the same incident. Customer service claims the problem has been fixed. We will see. I wonder if they can fix the trade prices. They probably aren't too concerned as it is a demo account.

Actually, I doubled my equity as well. and another account with oanda mysteriously trippled the equity. I did some research and found out that there were some fake ticks that caused sell orders to be closed out at 0.00000 price. So the profit will be very large on those trades where the fake tick occurred. Oanda customer service is aware of the issue and will advise when it is fixed.

The main challenge with the approach of using multiple indicators is that the trader lacks the basic understand of exactly what the indicator is supposed to indicate (a mathmatical or numerical measurement of [whatever] Even with this knowledge, it is even more difficult to trade because the trader does not have the confidence to enter trades due to the lack of consistency in the indicator's signal. In this case, the trader is using the indicator as a prediction tool, and is unlikely to wrap around any type of money management to control the risk, let alone understand the entry and exit process. Is it a consistent set of entries and exits? Or does it change with each setup? Are all the exceptions known before entering? These are just some of the more important aspects of real trading to consider. Multiple indicators usually add to the confusion of predicting market direction, not remove it.

Anyone who treats trading as a business would want to multiply their efforts as quickly as possible. There is no other liquid business in the world that allows the amount of leverage that stocks/futures/forex/etc derivatives offer. So with a successful trading strategy, I wouldn't see a reason NOT to use the extra buying power to scale as much as the mechanical limits allow. Sure you can just run one restaurant all the time. But why not have two restaurants? 4? 10? etc if you could afford it?

the best thing to do is find a smaller lot size series that works out well for you; then you can simply increase the lot size across the board. This is more systematic and requires testing. You don't just increase the lot size based on fear/greed alone.

That's about $7.50-8 USD per round turn trade per 100,000 units of currency traded (1.00 standard lot size). Not terrible, but you could request a discount as your volume increases. A broker dealer isn't necessarily a bad thing; as long as they are getting you filled in a Straight-Through Processing (STP) fashion, you should be fine. What is the name of your broker btw?

My understanding of the markets is mainly that there are buyers and sellers constantly coming together to agree on a price. The various market participants vote with their feet (hard cash) their purchasing decisions at all times of the day while the market is open. The change in price simply represents a change in agreement. This change in price can be measured objectively. I do agree that the loser trader is in a near perpetual state of trying to find that which can never be lost. And the classic "blind leading the blind" scenario perpetuates the losing, until the adequate discontent sets in which causes the loser to look more honestly at the situation, including any fears that are in the way. Well said. It is difficult to put the truth into words. Using one set of symbols to describe another set of symbols that we see. But symbols aren't so bad when they are used as a tool for communication :helloooo: The reason why I advocate systems is because of the ability to put repetition in action. Ramit Sethi put it this way in his Big Wins Manifesto: Following exact steps to produce a certain concrete result is transparent and measurable. Then the user can focus on the fun stuff (exploring the possibilities of the system), rather than being bogged down with repetitive tasks. We only have so much attention and so it should be focused on measurable results, not chasing some exotic indicator. You hinted earlier about how a basic understanding of market price action is needed, but rarely if ever actually sought after. "We pick our teachers and we get what we want" (Jed McKenna). So perhaps the student has implemented a trading method/system 100% to the best of their ability and have not received the results they are looking for. Wouldn't any honest seeker would go through the steps of the system to see where the problem lies? Maybe only minor adjustments need to be made like position sizing. Maybe the whole system needs to be tossed out or replaced for a new system that can give you the reproducible results you desire. But there is only one way to find out. And it doesn't take years and years of stalling; its mostly a matter of having the courage to insist on those reproducible results. The same way you would insist on it for a car, boat, airplane, blender, or other mechanical systems you are surrounded by and/or use nearly everyday. Death awareness can be life affirming, and it doesn't necessarily require a major accident. Large drawdowns or "blown accounts" would be the death equivalent to losing it all or significant enough amount for you to begin the process of more objective system/self analysis. One of the most interesting aspects of death awareness was really the fear of being alive.

I also agree. We never think about controlling everything when we drive a car, fly a plane, or ride a boat. We only focus on the 1/2 that we do have control over (avoiding collision, understanding lift, staying afloat, etc). BUT.... If you have a fear of heights, no amount of safety records or even personal assurances from the pilot can force you into that aircraft. If you have a fear of water, no amount of proof of adequate flotation from the captain himself+ safety rafts will get you to go on that boat and sail. If you have a fear of losing money, no amount of proof that a complete [transparent] trading system has the potential to prevent losses and simultaneously increase equity will allow you to fund your trading account, take the risk, and follow through 100% on the system. . The irony of it is that the clients Randy was referring to in the OP were business minded people for the most part who enjoyed success in other business ventures. So one would at least assume that they have some basic understanding about taking risks and that losses may be necessary in order to achieve the larger goal. I think it is a combination of the subtle "get rich quick / mlm" mindset that many new traders or system followers come in with, combined with the masked fear of losing. I think that the article "Trading as a Religion" sums it up nicely: It's good to see that we are acknowledging this problem and (hopefully) taking concrete steps to overcome it. I've always recommended practicing "The Four Agreements" to at least begin the process of seeing things (including the market) for as they really are, and not necessarily force our opinion on it. Too bad fear seems to grip people in very powerful ways, but the unlearning process always starts with "what do you really want"?

The whole point of implementing systems, is to focus the mind only on those inputs which the system is designed to give a certain output, and ignore the rest. With a complete trading system, the confidence to trade it consistently will come because you observe over numerous repetitions that the system is profitable. Most traders do not have a complete trading system. Instead, some aspect of it is left up to the trader (discretion) after the trade[cycle] has begun. This can result in panic and either over-leveraging or errors in following the system. edit: i agree about the avoiding losses thing. Just like if you have a fear of heights, no amount of safety records and numerous other logical arguments justifying how safe it is to fly will get you to board an aircraft. So if you have a fear of losing money, no amount of logic describing a complete trading system will enable you to trade that system consistently. Your fear will find a way to change the rules to justify your fear and self-sabotage. It's kind of amazing how the ego (and more specifically the parasite) works to direct the mind.