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.

Nvesta81

If You Could Only Recommend 1 Trading Book?

Recommended Posts

as the title says, if you could only recommend 1 trading book, which would it be?

 

I've only read about 3 so far and to be honest I haven't found much value in them. Most of what I've learned I had to learn the hard way, from trial and error and just plain screen time. I'm looking to expand my knowledge as much as I can so I'd like to buy a new trading book. I'm hoping some of you more experienced traders can lend me a hand and point me in the right direction. Thanks. :cool:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

nvest - knowing what I know now (and understand), I would pick this one book that I reviewed on TL: http://www.traderslaboratory.com/forums/f8/japanese-candlestick-charting-techniques-second-edition-1561.html

 

Which is for: Japanese Candlestick Charting Techniques, Second Edition by Steve Nison

 

Now, there is one caveat to why I would recommend this one... I now 'get' what candlesticks do... I understand what the candles are 'saying'. It's much more than hunting for shapes, which is what many noobs do and then claim that candles do not work...

 

So that's the book that I would have by my side if only one.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

It's difficult to pick just one considering that there has never been a comprehensive enough book ever published.

 

But to take a stab I would say...

 

Mind Over Markets

 

I say MoM because it teaches one critical element of successful trading and that is latteral thought.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I think it depends on where you are as a trader (beginner, advanced or vet). Giving someone a book that's too complex hope help unless he goes through basics first.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

This is a very intelligent post by Brownsfan. Most specifically these few words.

I now 'get' what candlesticks do... I understand what the candles are 'saying'. It's much more than hunting for shapes, which is what many noobs do and then claim that candles do not work...

If someone would take the time to really think about that statement they may reap great rewards. That is the real key to the method part of your trading plan. There are three parts to trading mind,money,and method. That statement deals exclusively with method and to be successful one must master all three not just one.

Now dealing with the actual statement. I now 'get' what candlesticks do... I understand what the candles are 'saying'. It's much more than hunting for shapes, which is what many noobs do and then claim that candles do not work... Steve Nisons book is a great place to start and learn about the candles. However, I think that he doesn't elaborate to much on how to really trade the candles. This is no real fault of his because its next to impossible to really explain it. Its similar to having a child learn to ride a bike by reading a book. It simply wont help. The child must internalise how to ride a bike from genuine practise not stimulation of his brain from book knowledge. Nisons only real suggestion is trade the candles when a confluence of things are lining up at the same time and always trade in the direction of the major trend. I personally think this is a real good idea for active investing but not trading. These type of occurrences are rather rare, it doesn't provide enough frequency to trade like a professional. A professional knows that any trade can very easily fail therefore his job is altogether different than what most traders think it really is. His real job is to intelligently increase his sample size so that his confirmed edge has ample opportunity to play its self out and deliver its statistically reliable results.In my mind trading is not a game, or a skill, or a competition, or any other thing that most traders like to call it and get their ego involved. Trading is simply having an edge and letting the edge work by itself for you. Most people really believe that over trading is bad or wrong. This is of course true if you are incompetent. On the other hand if you are qualified over trading is your best friend because it allows you to increase your sample size. Enough rambling here is my suggested reading and it cant be done in only one book. However, it could be done in only five.

Mind- 1. Trading in the Zone Mark Douglas 2. Reminisces of a Stock Operator Edwin Lefreve

Method- 3. Japanese Candlestick Charting Techniques Steve Nison 4. John Murphy's book on technical analysis (I cant think of the correct name off the top of my head)

Money- Trade your way to financial freedom Van Tharp

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Wasn't there a thread along these lines quite recently? The answer for me and many others for that matter is "Reminiscences of a Stock Operator" it's a 1923 book written by Edwin Lefèvre which tells a fictionalized version of the early years of the life story of Jesse Livermore. Every sentence is chock full of wisdom on many different levels. Read market wizards and see how many great traders cite it as the most influential book about trading ever written. Read it a dozen times at least. The style of writing ensures that it is entertaining on every read also.

 

Currently reading "Trading Exchanges & Market Microstructure for Practioners." Absolutely splendid book, I intend to add it to the reviews section but it is taking me a long long time to finish. This one is full of facts and information about who trades and why it details there effects on the markets they operate in and why they slect them. Actually there is probably as much raw information in this book as any I have read on any subject. Despite that it is quite accessible and easy to read. I have a feeling that when fully digested this will become quite 'profound'. Its certainly one I would urge people to read if they want to further there understanding of markets traders and trading.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
If this really is about "trading" as opposed to "investing", I would say Trading in the Zone...Mark Douglas. Get your head on straight from the start. Next would be the Bible.

 

I 2nd this book. Even somewhat for investing the psych game is big on when to take profits etc...

 

:cool:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I think it depends on where you are as a trader (beginner, advanced or vet). Giving someone a book that's too complex hope help unless he goes through basics first.

 

I'd say I'm intermediate at this point. I realize that it's hard to sum up all of trading in 1 book, and I know there are several good ones, but the reason I want just 1 recommendation per person is that it'll be easier for me to choose which book I want to buy for now. I also knew that not everyone would agree on the same book so at the very least we'll get a good list going.

 

I've decided to order 3 in total for now:

 

Japanese Candlestick Charting Techniques

Mind Over Markets

Trading in the Zone

 

That should hold me over for awhile. I found a free PDF of Reminiscences of a Stock Operator. I got a lot of reading to do. :). Keep em coming.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I would recommend checking out your local library and seeing what they have. When I first got into this I would check out 10 books at a time and quickly go through them and read what seemed important. You might be surprised at how good the finance section is at a big library, saves alot of cash. As mentioned you can also find virtually every trading book as pdf on p2p networks. Its nice to browse before you buy.

While some books are alot better than others I don't think I've ever read a trading book that was literally useless. I would go for quantity over quality until you find your personal style.

"Statistics Without Tears" is also also an amazing book if you never took stats in school and certainly helpful to know.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Most people really believe that over trading is bad or wrong. This is of course true if you are incompetent. On the other hand if you are qualified over trading is your best friend because it allows you to increase your sample size
Even if it increases your sampling size, overtrading is wrong for most beginners because there is no edge and commission and slippage adds up easily. It also reinforce bad habits if you don't have an edge and it tires you out before you can find a better set up - often you will get into a bad trade and become reluctant to enter the next trade which could be a much better setup. LBR (Raschke) has mentioned how most professionals will trade less with less size and break even on a lot of choppy days but make it up on large, usually trending days where their setups are optimal. LBR doesn't need any plugs, but there are many free articles on her site as well. Edited by thrunner
add url to free articles

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Even if it increases your sampling size, overtrading is wrong for most beginners because there is no edge and commission and slippage adds up easily. It also reinforce bad habits if you don't have an edge and it tires you out before you can find a better set up - often you will get into a bad trade and become reluctant to enter the next trade which could be a much better setup. LBR (Raschke) has mentioned how most professionals will trade less with less size and break even on a lot of choppy days but make it up on large, usually trending days where their setups are optimal. LBR doesn't need any plugs, but there are many free articles on her site as well.

 

Agreed and I know this first hand. Sample size with no edge is a pointless sample set. And the fees will ruin the odds as you stated.

 

Almost all my losses on my 70 stock and 54 future trades were commish.

$1100 in commish, down $1300 lifetime. I now have a new perspective on fees and how it impacts the bottom line bigtime. ;)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

If you have no edge it can be show statistically that your best option to win is to go all in on one trade rather than lots of small trades which will surely empty your account. Whether that is considered over trading or not I dunno.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I think it depends on where you are as a trader (beginner, advanced or vet). Giving someone a book that's too complex hope help unless he goes through basics first.

 

Good answer Torero. My number one recommendation would be Mind Over Markets. I owe everything to market profile so will be biased :)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
If you have no edge it can be show statistically that your best option to win is to go all in on one trade rather than lots of small trades which will surely empty your account. Whether that is considered over trading or not I dunno.

 

Poor money management more than overtrading.

Over extending might be a proper word for that...or just gambling even. ;)

 

Good point though. :)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Poor money management more than overtrading.

Over extending might be a proper word for that...or just gambling even. ;)

 

Good point though. :)

 

I've noticed that even on days where I get carried away and over-trade I never lose that much money because I use proper money management and reasonable stops. Even if you were only getting 50% accuracy you can still manage to not lose too much or even be ahead depending on the size of your winners. People that really lose big must be reckless. :confused:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I've noticed that even on days where I get carried away and over-trade I never lose that much money because I use proper money management and reasonable stops. Even if you were only getting 50% accuracy you can still manage to not lose too much or even be ahead depending on the size of your winners. People that really lose big must be reckless. :confused:

 

Most people I've seen take BIG losses were overextended for their equity level. Swinging for the fences will get you knocked out at one point or another. It's a combo too of not knowing when to cut a loser and freezing up though. Double whammy.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The most valuable trading books I have read are:

 

Undeclared Secrets of the Stock Market - Tom Williams

The Wyckoff Course in Stock Market Science & Technique - Richard Wyckoff

Reminisensces of a Stock Operator - Edwin Lefever

Trading in the Zone - Mark Douglas

 

Eiger

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The value of a book alters as your skill level changes. My current No. 1 is

The Definitive Guide to Point and Figure by Jeremy du Plessis.

 

I have also found

 

Bollinger on Bollinger Bands by John Bollinger.

and

Trading Without Fear by Richard Arms

 

good books.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

One book isn't enough, though I would encourage you to read the following;

 

Reminiscences of a Stock Operator - Edwin Lefevre

Studies in Tape Reading - Richard Wyckoff

Enhancing Trader Performance - Breet Steenbarger

Trading in the Zone - Mark Douglas

 

You should be aware however that if all you do is read books about trading rather than actually trade, you'll become little more than a knowledgeable amateur. I refer you to an entry in DbPhoenix's blog regards the practice of becoming a trader;

 

http://www.traderslaboratory.com/forums/blog.php?b=36

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

-"Way of the Turtle" by Curtis Faith. (It's not about the turtles or trend following what make this book so good. It's the psychology, discussion on robust trading systems and thinking on profitable trading)

 

If you need more:

 

- "Trade Your Way to Financial Freedom" by Van K. Tharp (I hate the title of the book though)

- "Evidence-Based Technical Analysis" by David Aronson (cuts through all the bullshit in trading)

 

For fun and education:

 

-"Reminiscenes of a Stock Operator"

- "Market Wizards" Books

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I think volume-price spread, technique is the Key

so I suggest

1. Undeclared Secrets of the Stock Market - Tom Williams

2.The Wyckoff Course in Stock Market Science & Technique - Richard Wyckoff

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
-"Way of the Turtle" by Curtis Faith. (It's not about the turtles or trend following what make this book so good. It's the psychology, discussion on robust trading systems and thinking on profitable trading)

 

This is the worst book on trading ever. Of course, I think Faith and his outside view of being a turtle (since never being one) just shows how arbitrary trading ideas can be.

 

;)

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

    • 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/ 
    • TDUP ThredUp stock, watch for a top of range breakout above 2.94 at https://stockconsultant.com/?TDUP
    • TDUP ThredUp stock, watch for a top of range breakout above 2.94 at https://stockconsultant.com/?TDUP
    • TDUP ThredUp stock, watch for a top of range breakout above 2.94 at https://stockconsultant.com/?TDUP
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

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