Jump to content

Welcome to the new Traders Laboratory! Please bear with us as we finish the migration over the next few days. If you find any issues, want to leave feedback, get in touch with us, or offer suggestions please post to the Support forum here.

  • Welcome Guests

    Welcome. You are currently viewing the forum as a guest which does not give you access to all the great features at Traders Laboratory such as interacting with members, access to all forums, downloading attachments, and eligibility to win free giveaways. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free. Create a FREE Traders Laboratory account here.

Adamned

Beleifs about Trading

Recommended Posts

I have been trading nearly three years. I am making a living at this business but defintily not a super living by monetary standards. I do extract great fun from trading but I definitly can't call it a great success. I have been preparing a year end evaluation this past month to propel me forward into the coming new year. My mind seems to be gravitating to a new direction in my trading. I would really apreciate it someone could share with me their thoughts about this.

 

I basically can call my self a scalper. Thats pretty much all I do, scalp the ES or Nq. To get to the point I'm thinking about changing my approach to the market. My current approach to the markets its best summed up by the quote in the market wizards book about how the cheetha hunts. Waiting and waiting for the perfect kill and striking in and out fast. But after doing this for years this type of game isn't cutting it for me. My mind is moving to more of an approach that Mark Dougals calls Trading like a Casino. This means having a much larger sample size and letting the edge play out. Another good metaphor is I currently trade like swiss watch maker, a man that takes his craft very seriously and aims for pure perfection. But the question is? Is this best path? Maybe it would be much better for me to become a quartz watch maker.

 

Finally this is what I think I want to do to move forward. I want to put an end for the most part to my scalping. Implement a mean reversion strategy that aims to extract more points with ofcourse much more money behind each trade, to make it worthwhile doing this type of method. The serious cons of this method is waiting for the edge to come to succesful completion and the requirement of a much larger stop. In my mind this seems much more like a real business rather than a tactical game which scalping is. I've been around the markets long enough to realize that large sums of money is there for the taking in the market but not possible in scalping at least not for me. If anyone can assist me with this serious decison I would really appreciate any advice. Thank you very much and good trading to all.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

There is more than one way to skin a cat.

Why can't you make big money from scalping ? The key is really consistency.

If you can consistenly make one ES point day after day, you simply raise the number of contracts ten-fold. Before embarking on a new swinging type of strategy, I recommend you analyze every single one of your scalp trades in the past year in reference to different factor as: time of day, type of day, breakout, trending vs congestion, degree of volatility , or any other factors that you can come up with. I believe this process will benefit you greatly.

Surely mean-reversion strategies may be nice. Like anything else, it takes time to achieve a degree of mastery.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

And don't fall into the "Grass is Greener On the Other Side" sydrome.

People that say you can't are people that don't know how.

Hey Reaver, how can you tell which way the market is going by reading a bunch of letters ?:haha:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

They could be smiley faces instead of letters for all I care, you follow the distribution. Among other things. Didn't say scalping couldn't be done...but I personally am not going to compete with pit traders while sitting many miles away on a computer..simply my opinion...I also offered my respect to anyone who does that and succeeds!

 

I also use standard TA of course....more than one way to skin a cat, remember?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
  Adamned said:
If anyone can assist me with this serious decison I would really appreciate any advice. Thank you very much and good trading to all.

 

Hi Adamned... I understand somehow your experience as I think we all did go thru that type of situations at some stage...

 

The casino thing... my advice is to drop it... martingale type of money managment do not work at a professional level, it may be a fun game for some time but eventually you will not succeed with it...

 

Being profesional on this game first means having decided where your arena will be... this decision principally its related to instrument and time frame... will you play futures, forex, stocks, options etc... then will you scalp, daytrade or play long term...

 

Any of this decisions DO NOT give you an edge... you may loose or win on any product, any time frame... changing them does not create any true edge...

 

Where is the edge ? your setups in relation to the market conditions... if you get to the point of "understanding" market conditions, and you have the apropiate setups for each of them... plus a superb clean timing tool.... most probably you are more near to be in bussiness...

 

here at TL there is lots of diferent aproaches, we got market profile, market statistics, candles, vma`s, price action formed setups... you name it... all of them are succesfull techniques if applied on the right market condition and keeping things as clean as possible...

 

hope you find here something of usefull aplication... we are here to help... cheers The Chimp.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
  walterw said:
Hi Adamned... I understand somehow your experience as I think we all did go thru that type of situations at some stage...

 

The casino thing... my advice is to drop it... martingale type of money managment do not work at a professional level, it may be a fun game for some time but eventually you will not succeed with it...

 

Being profesional on this game first means having decided where your arena will be... this decision principally its related to instrument and time frame... will you play futures, forex, stocks, options etc... then will you scalp, daytrade or play long term...

 

Any of this decisions DO NOT give you an edge... you may loose or win on any product, any time frame... changing them does not create any true edge...

 

Where is the edge ? your setups in relation to the market conditions... if you get to the point of "understanding" market conditions, and you have the apropiate setups for each of them... plus a superb clean timing tool.... most probably you are more near to be in bussiness...

 

here at TL there is lots of diferent aproaches, we got market profile, market statistics, candles, vma`s, price action formed setups... you name it... all of them are succesfull techniques if applied on the right market condition and keeping things as clean as possible...

 

hope you find here something of usefull aplication... we are here to help... cheers The Chimp.

 

That should be a sticky.

 

Outstanding post Walter!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Adamned,

 

Enhancing Trader Performance: Proven Strategies From the Cutting Edge of Trading Psychology

 

Helped me figure out who I was and what types of trading style best fit me. Since doing that self analysis trading has become easier.

 

Good Luck

Rajiv

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
  OAC said:
Walter, what do you mean by "superbclean timingtools" exactly ?

Adamnet said that he is like a cheetah, isn't that good enough ?

 

 

there is a set of tools that help to time your trades with less noise and at the same time leading... not suitable for everybody... but helps left brained people like me.. :) cheers Walter.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Who says Michael Douglas lesson doesn't apply to any style and timeframe...

 

Scalping is for scalpers. You need to love it. Otherwise it will wear you out. Finding one's timeframe - plus what Walter said - is the key factor.

 

J.Carter said everybody below 10 years experience is a... - I don't remember the word something like a novice anyway - in this game and I can say you can't really state your problem yet. Good luck.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
  Jakew said:
Who says Michael Douglas lesson doesn't apply to any style and timeframe...

 

Scalping is for scalpers. You need to love it. Otherwise it will wear you out. Finding one's timeframe - plus what Walter said - is the key factor.

 

J.Carter said everybody below 10 years experience is a... - I don't remember the word something like a novice anyway - in this game and I can say you can't really state your problem yet. Good luck.

 

If you have 10 years to be novice at scalping...then you just have too much money..plain and simple...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
  walterw said:
there is a set of tools that help to time your trades with less noise and at the same time leading... not suitable for everybody... but helps left brained people like me.. :) cheers Walter.

 

 

I agree, the VMA info is excellent.....

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
  Reaver said:
If you have 10 years to be novice at scalping...then you just have too much money..plain and simple...

 

 

 

Reaver, belive me not every trader is as lucky as you to start and end the search for his timeframe in the proper timeframe, e.g. the scalping one:))

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

LOL no man I didn't mean it like that. ha ha

 

I just meant that from my understanding scalping the wrong way is a quick way to lose tons of money...then having enough capital to learn that method for 10 years, means you're filthy rich!

 

ha ha

 

I'm definitely not lucky, I am still learning my butt off. I am always experimenting with different things and timeframes. Sorry to come off sounding crazy.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
  Jakew said:
Who says Michael Douglas lesson doesn't apply to any style and timeframe...

 

Scalping is for scalpers. You need to love it. Otherwise it will wear you out. Finding one's timeframe - plus what Walter said - is the key factor.

 

J.Carter said everybody below 10 years experience is a... - I don't remember the word something like a novice anyway - in this game and I can say you can't really state your problem yet. Good luck.

 

"Fresh Meat" is what J Carter calls people with below 10 years experience.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thank you MCichocki

 

Reaver you are still missing the point, but no problem.

 

As far as experience is concerned, I suppose up to 3 years is the begining in trading, not necessarily the scalping technique (when - by the way - most challengers will quit), and above 10 years is the time when you reap really rich rewards. Between 3 and 10 there is - more often than not - the so called consistent profitability.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
  mcichocki_ said:
"Fresh Meat" is what J Carter calls people with below 10 years experience.

 

John Carter has a few questionable things in his trading background as well......at least from my knowledge.

 

I do not believe it takes 10 years to be an excellent trader.

 

It really depends on who you are,

 

There are some musicians who pick up guitar and within a couple years have a record deal and are famous...look at Kenney Chesney, he didn't start playing until he was in college and shortly after was a world famous musician....other people play their whole lives and are mediocre.

 

There is no specific time period.

 

A soldier is made in a few months, yes, it takes a little longer to truly become a meat eater....but I guarantee you, if you stick a greenhorn in Iraq straight out of bootcamp, he will be eating concertina wire and pissing napalm within a few months...or he'll be dead.

 

An extreme example, but the point is...the speed at which you learn depends on how seriously you take it. There is no final and ultimate mastery or omniscience in the markets....one will always be increasing their knowledge, but the point where one is a bad ass in trading will be reached relatively quickly if you take it serious enough.....ie when you run the risk of dying you generally take something seriously, whereas if it's winning or losing a few bucks, people generally have to force themselves to take it as seriously as possible.

 

It boils down to discipline. Treat your finances as if it were your life.

 

A quote that has stuck with me:

 

"When you relate to things in your life as though your life were at stake, you will experience a sense of certainty, calmness, freedom and peace of mind IN THE FACE OF chaos, no security and no guarantees in life! Life becomes rich."

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
  Reaver said:
John Carter has a few questionable things in his trading background as well......at least from my knowledge.

 

I do not believe it takes 10 years to be an excellent trader.

 

....other people play their whole lives and are mediocre.

 

There is no specific time period.

 

What like selling code for big bucks that TL has for free? ;) (Thank you guys a ton that program those indicators for us:))

 

I couldn't agree more with the above. I think 10 years is a milestone but by no means do you need 10 years in to be a "pro". In fact I'd say if it takes you 10 years to get the concept of the market you might not be cut out for it and certainly a slow learner. ;)

 

The sooner you learn how to play like the 10+ year "pros" the quicker you might join the ranks as a pro. There can be no time frame as we are all different and learn at different paces. It's been proven that genetics and upbringing play a role in how well some manage risk/reward ratios. I believe it was 60 minutes that did a special on how successful people (not pro gamblers just successful business people) smashed average Joes at the casino on straight gambling with poker for example. Success is more a mindset than a skill it seems. If you can't mimic those brainwaves and emulate success by changing your emotions, odds are against you.

 

Great conversation here guys. :cool:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Reaver; A quote that has stuck with me:

 

"When you relate to things in your life as though your life were at stake, you will experience a sense of certainty, calmness, freedom and peace of mind IN THE FACE OF chaos, no security and no guarantees in life! Life becomes rich."

 

 

Yes, and we all love it. As far as years...there are Mozarts of trading, of course

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
  mcichocki_ said:
What like selling code for big bucks that TL has for free? ;) (Thank you guys a ton that program those indicators for us:))

 

I couldn't agree more with the above. I think 10 years is a milestone but by no means do you need 10 years in to be a "pro". In fact I'd say if it takes you 10 years to get the concept of the market you might not be cut out for it and certainly a slow learner. ;)

 

The sooner you learn how to play like the 10+ year "pros" the quicker you might join the ranks as a pro. There can be no time frame as we are all different and learn at different paces. It's been proven that genetics and upbringing play a role in how well some manage risk/reward ratios. I believe it was 60 minutes that did a special on how successful people (not pro gamblers just successful business people) smashed average Joes at the casino on straight gambling with poker for example. Success is more a mindset than a skill it seems. If you can't mimic those brainwaves and emulate success by changing your emotions, odds are against you.

 

Great conversation here guys. :cool:

 

Exactly, that is pretty much what I am trying to say....

 

In all seriousness, there are those who are born with the genetics to be ripped and have a six pack without even working out, and then there are those that no matter how hard they try, they have a mediocre physique...

 

Logically, the same thing would apply to mentality as well...some can just "get it" while others cannot, or at least it takes a much more concentrated effort.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


  • Topics

  • Posts

    • Thx for reminding us... I don't bang that drum often enough anymore Another part for consideration is who that money initially went to...
    • TDUP ThredUp stock, watch for a top of range breakout above 2.94 at https://stockconsultant.com/?TDUP
    • How long does it take to receive HFM's withdrawal via Skrill? less than 24H?
    • My wife Robin just wanted some groceries.   Simple enough.   She parked the car for fifteen minutes, and returned to find a huge scratch on the side.   Someone keyed her car.   To be clear, this isn’t just any car.   It’s a Cybertruck—Elon Musk's stainless-steel spaceship on wheels. She bought it back in 2021, before Musk became everyone's favorite villain or savior.   Someone saw it parked in a grocery lot and felt compelled to carve their hatred directly into the metal.   That's what happens when you stand out.   Nobody keys a beige minivan.   When you're polarizing, you're impossible to ignore. But the irony is: the more attention something has, the harder it is to find the truth about it.   What’s Elon Musk really thinking? What are his plans? What will happen with DOGE? Is he deserving of all of this adoration and hate? Hard to say.   Ideas work the same way.   Take tariffs, for example.   Tariffs have become the Cybertrucks of economic policy. People either love them or hate them. Even if they don’t understand what they are and how they work. (Most don’t.)   That’s why, in my latest podcast (link below), I wanted to explore the “in-between” truth about tariffs.   And like Cybertrucks, I guess my thoughts on tariffs are polarizing.   Greg Gutfield mentioned me on Fox News. Harvard professors hate me now. (I wonder if they also key Cybertrucks?)   But before I show you what I think about tariffs… I have to mention something.   We’re Headed to Austin, Texas This weekend, my team and I are headed to Austin. By now, you should probably know why.   Yes, SXSW is happening. But my team and I are doing something I think is even better.   We’re putting on a FREE event on “Tech’s Turning Point.”   AI, quantum, biotech, crypto, and more—it’s all on the table.   Just now, we posted a special webpage with the agenda.   Click here to check it out and add it to your calendar.   The Truth About Tariffs People love to panic about tariffs causing inflation.   They wave around the ghost of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff from the Great Depression like it’s Exhibit A proving tariffs equal economic collapse.   But let me pop this myth:   Tariffs don’t cause inflation. And no, I'm not crazy (despite what angry professors from Harvard or Stanford might tweet at me).   Here's the deal.   Inflation isn’t when just a couple of things become pricier. It’s when your entire shopping basket—eggs, shirts, Netflix subscriptions, bananas, everything—starts costing more because your money’s worth less.   Inflation means your dollars aren’t stretching as far as they used to.   Take the 1800s.   For nearly a century, 97% of America’s revenue came from tariffs. Income tax? Didn’t exist. And guess what inflation was? Basically zero. Maybe 1% a year.   The economy was booming, and tariffs funded nearly everything. So, why do people suddenly think tariffs cause inflation today?   Tariffs are taxes on imports, yes, but prices are set by supply and demand—not tariffs.   Let me give you a simple example.   Imagine fancy potato chips from Canada cost $10, and a 20% tariff pushes that to $12. Everyone panics—prices rose! Inflation!   Nope.   If I only have $100 to spend and the price of my favorite chips goes up, I either stop buying chips or I buy, say, fewer newspapers.   If everyone stops buying newspapers because they’re overspending on chips, newspapers lower their prices or go out of business.   Overall spending stays the same, and inflation doesn’t budge.   Three quick scenarios:   We buy pricier chips, but fewer other things: Inflation unchanged. Manufacturers shift to the U.S. to avoid tariffs: Inflation unchanged (and more jobs here). We stop buying fancy chips: Prices drop again. Inflation? Still unchanged. The only thing that actually causes inflation is printing money.   Between 2020 and 2022 alone, 40% of all money ever created in history appeared overnight.   That’s why inflation shot up afterward—not because of tariffs.   Back to tariffs today.   Still No Inflation Unlike the infamous Smoot-Hawley blanket tariff (imagine Oprah handing out tariffs: "You get a tariff, and you get a tariff!"), today's tariffs are strategic.   Trump slapped tariffs on chips from Taiwan because we shouldn’t rely on a single foreign supplier for vital tech components—especially if that supplier might get invaded.   Now Taiwan Semiconductor is investing $100 billion in American manufacturing.   Strategic win, no inflation.   Then there’s Canada and Mexico—our friendly neighbors with weirdly huge tariffs on things like milk and butter (299% tariff on butter—really, Canada?).   Trump’s not blanketing everything with tariffs; he’s pressuring trade partners to lower theirs.   If they do, everybody wins. If they don’t, well, then we have a strategic trade chess game—but still no inflation.   In short, tariffs are about strategy, security, and fairness—not inflation.   Yes, blanket tariffs from the Great Depression era were dumb. Obviously. Today's targeted tariffs? Smart.   Listen to the whole podcast to hear why I think this.   And by the way, if you see a Cybertruck, don’t key it. Robin doesn’t care about your politics; she just likes her weird truck.   Maybe read a good book, relax, and leave cars alone.   (And yes, nobody keys Volkswagens, even though they were basically created by Hitler. Strange world we live in.) Source: https://altucherconfidential.com/posts/the-truth-about-tariffs-busting-the-inflation-myth    Profits from free accurate cryptos signals: https://www.predictmag.com/       
    • No, not if you are comparing apples to apples. What we call “poor” is obviously a pretty high bar but if you’re talking about like a total homeless shambling skexie in like San Fran then, no. The U.S.A. in not particularly kind to you. It is not an abuse so much as it is a sad relatively minor consequence of our optimism and industriousness.   What you consider rich changes with circumstances obviously. If you are genuinely poor in the U.S.A., you experience a quirky hodgepodge of unhelpful and/or abstract extreme lavishnesses while also being alienated from your social support network. It’s about the same as being a refugee. For a fraction of the ‘kindness’ available to you in non bio-available form, you could have simply stayed closer to your people and been MUCH better off.   It’s just a quirk of how we run the place and our values; we are more worried about interfering with people’s liberty and natural inclination to do for themselves than we are about no bums left behind. It is a slightly hurtful position and we know it; we are just scared to death of socialism cancer and we’re willing to put our money where our mouth is.   So, if you’re a bum; you got 5G, the ER will spend like $1,000,000 on you over a hangnail but then kick you out as soon as you’re “stabilized”, the logistics are surpremely efficient, you have total unchecked freedom of speech, real-estate, motels, and jobs are all natural healthy markets in perfect competition, you got compulsory three ‘R’’s, your military owns the sky, sea, space, night, information-space, and has the best hairdos, you can fill out paper and get all the stuff up to and including a Ph.D. Pretty much everything a very generous, eager, flawless go-getter with five minutes to spare would think you might need.   It’s worse. Our whole society is competitive and we do NOT value or make any kumbaya exception. The last kumbaya types we had werr the Shakers and they literally went extinct. Pueblo peoples are still around but they kind of don’t count since they were here before us. So basically, if you’re poor in the U.S.A., you are automatically a loser and a deadbeat too. You will be treated as such by anybody not specifically either paid to deal with you or shysters selling bejesus, Amway, and drugs. Plus, it ain’t safe out there. Not everybody uses muhfreedoms to lift their truck, people be thugging and bums are very vulnerable here. The history of a large mobile workforce means nobody has a village to go home to. Source: https://askdaddy.quora.com/Are-the-poor-people-in-the-United-States-the-richest-poor-people-in-the-world-6   Profits from free accurate cryptos signals: https://www.predictmag.com/ 
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.