A History of Trading at TradersLab

[TheNegotiator 13]

Here at Traders Lab, we've had some great threads over the time since Soultrader founded the site. There have been some amazingly generous people with some superb knowledge(and of course some with slightly less:) ). I know there have been some pretty good threads more recently, but I'd like to take a look back at a few threads where people have discussed methods they use and ask them how they are getting on with them now. Markets have been quite interesting to say the least over the last few years and I for one would love to see how these methods have held up for them.

[TheNegotiator 13]

Okay so I've compiled a short list of some of the big ones and a few smaller ones. Please, if I've missed anyone out let me know and don't take any offence! I'll add them on as we go. But take a look at some of the threads and badger the thread starters to see how they're doing and what's changed.

 

Here's the list in no particular order:-

 

Waveslider - Wolfe

http://www.traderslaboratory.com/forums/market-analysis/2229-wolfe.html

dbphoenix - Dbs Burrow

Traders Laboratory Forums - Dbs Burrow

hunter1 - way-trade-emini

http://www.traderslaboratory.com/forums/e-mini-futures-trading-laboratory/4650-way-trade-emini.html

Soultrader - how-i-use-pivot-point-clusters

http://www.traderslaboratory.com/forums/e-mini-futures-trading-laboratory/55-how-i-use-pivot-point-clusters.html

walterw - chimp-s-new-futures-scalps, walter-s-forex-trend-trades, chimp-s-forex-trades

http://www.traderslaboratory.com/forums/technical-analysis/2788-chimp-s-new-futures-scalps.html

http://www.traderslaboratory.com/forums/forex-trading-laboratory/2364-walter-s-forex-trend-trades.html

http://www.traderslaboratory.com/forums/forex-trading-laboratory/2698-chimp-s-forex-trades.html

Dogpile - taylor-trading-technique

http://www.traderslaboratory.com/forums/swing-trading-position-trading/2623-taylor-trading-technique.html

Tams - proflogics-method

http://www.traderslaboratory.com/forums/swing-trading-position-trading/5419-proflogics-method.html

jperl - trading-market-statistics-i-volume-histogram

http://www.traderslaboratory.com/forums/market-profile/1962-trading-market-statistics-i-volume-histogram.html

(see http://www.traderslaboratory.com/forums/market-profile/4803-trading-market-statistics-links.html for all links)

Tingull - volume-spread-analysis

http://www.traderslaboratory.com/forums/volume-spread-analysis/1369-volume-spread-analysis-volume-spread-analysis.html

Spydertrader - price-volume-relationship

http://www.traderslaboratory.com/forums/technical-analysis/6320-price-volume-relationship.html

ant - market-profile-strategies

http://www.traderslaboratory.com/forums/trading-articles/373-market-profile-strategies.html

Soultrader - advanced-pivot-point-trading

http://www.traderslaboratory.com/forums/trading-articles/351-advanced-pivot-point-trading.html

Nial Fuller - forex-price-action-strategies

http://www.traderslaboratory.com/forums/trading-articles/4594-forex-price-action-strategies.html

Soultrader - nyse-ticks-tick-strategies

http://www.traderslaboratory.com/forums/trading-articles/1075-nyse-ticks-tick-strategies.html

Linda Bradford Raschke - tape-reading

http://www.traderslaboratory.com/forums/trading-articles/1026-tape-reading.html

[TheNegotiator 13]

Okay well I'll comment on the post at the bottom. Tape reading by Linda Bradford Raschke. I added it in not so much because I think it was a highly detailed in-depth argument of a particular strategy(although if you read it carefully it is pretty useful) but because there are aspects of tape reading which some use which have changed.

 

I actually think it's still more than possible to tape read as Linda describes it. It's just that you should be looking always for activity in respect to certain references. So if your references are wrong, you'll possibly find tape reading much harder.

 

The one big thing at the cme that has changed, is the unbundling of big orders. Now in fairness, there were plenty of algorithms to break your big order down into small size prior to this change. Traders however who used to lean on the big prints coming through, struggle to do that. There is software out there to rebundle orders, but these are still going to only be guesses.

 

The other point I'd like to make is about retail data feeds. These have improved drastically in some cases and not much in others. Say if you want to watch the action at a certain price in order to make a decision on whether or not to trade, you'd want a data feed which is fast and doesn't lag and is unfiltered so you do actually see all the orders. Some poor quality retail feeds just don't cut it if you want to get a sense of activity for tape reading.

[MadMarketScientist 11]

Here are a couple of more recent + great ones.

 

thalestrader - Reading Charts in Real Time

http://www.traderslaboratory.com/forums/trading-markets/6151-reading-charts-real-time.html

 

Maelstrom - Trading the Storm - Methods for the Struggling Trader -

http://www.traderslaboratory.com/forums/technical-analysis/10206-trading-storm-methods-struggling-trader.html

 

steve46 - An Institutional "Look" at the S&P Futures

http://www.traderslaboratory.com/forums/e-mini-futures-trading-laboratory/8859-institutional-look-s-p-futures.html

 

OptionTimer - Optiontimer's Project: Using Trend, Momentum, & Timing with Strategy, Patience, & Discipline to Trade

http://www.traderslaboratory.com/forums/trading-psychology/10158-optiontimers-project.html

 

phantom - What Really Works for Technical Traders

http://www.traderslaboratory.com/forums/technical-analysis/9764-what-really-works-technical-traders.html

 

thx

MMS

[TheNegotiator 13]

They are definitely some great ones too MMS. I was hoping to discuss some older strategies and how they have faired given changing market environments. I think it's a useful exercise to better understand fundamental strengths in strategies and their frailties so that we may adapt our own more quickly and effectively.

 

Anyone who has used a great strategy in the past but dropped or changed it or even uses it just as they always have is welcome to pitch in as well. Whether it's has been on the TL forums or not.

[steve46 12]

Still using the same basic approach with supply demand nodes and time-based pivots. At the onset of the Euro/Greece crisis, we did see problems with the system (because it used the DAX indice for confirmation)...since that time the DAX has stabilized and is working quite well again.....and happily we found an additional edge that is working quite well and integrates with our basic system...

 

We intend to continue to work with a small group of students. During our process we have learned that one key to progress is to simplify concepts as much as possible. Trading as a profession is very demanding and it is often the case that people start on this road thinking it is going to be a quick path to riches...instead they find that it is often a grinding profession, requiring continous focus and discipline and the ability to accept and manage periodic loss. To help student deal with the everyday realities of trading we now break up the trading day into sequences (morning and afternoon) and we look for trade opportunities based in part on specific times of the day. This allows us to take regular breaks and maintain our attention at times when we are most likely to see tradable opportunities.

 

As regards the concept of time-based pivots, it should be apparent (as we draw closer to the end of the year) that markets seem to orient to the idea of profit targets (based on the yearly, quarterly, monthly, weekly and daily open, high and low). The rationale simply put is that institutions are paid based on whether they can generate a profit for their clients, and it is easier to do so on the long side (the side the public is most comfortable with). As of this evening, the S&P futures touched 1263 (the year's open) and we expect it to test 1300 before Christmas.

 

As mentioned (several times previously) we don't intend to go further than training this small group.

 

Good luck to everyone.

Steve

[TheNegotiator 13]

Sorry Steve, I must have missed something, but I don't quite understand the relevance of mentioning your students.

 

As for using supply and demand, I think that it will always for a solid basis for many different systems. The systems themselves will change though. The idea of weekly/monthly/quarterly/yearly targets is also likely to remain unless the way funds and money managers and their clients change the way they do their business. These are imo two facets which have and will always have importance.

[steve46 12]

Sir

 

According to this site I am a vendor...this implies that I have students....and I am commenting not only on my system, but on the several methods that I think could benefit all interested readers...for example, breaking up the day into sequences (morning and afternoon) seems to help me to stay focused. I believe it will help my students and others here to maintain their focus as the day wears on (just one example)..since I don't intend to continue teaching, I hope the comment helps traders in a general way.

 

Thank you

 

Steve

Edited October 27, 2011 by steve46

[TheNegotiator 13]

Breaking the day up definitely would be important to me overall in my trade selection. During the middle of the day, there tends to be far less impetus to move the market than at the open and close. This is generally always the case. However, like the recent summers being far from dull(in the trading sense), I'd say that when there's important stuff going on, the market will move.

[steve46 12]

Yes, well to elaborate briefly there is a single trade that sometimes occurs almost exactly one half hour before close of cash (the NYSE cash close). That trade is called "the clean-up" and it occurs as participants flatten or establish positions in anticipation of an event the next day or in Europe. It can be traded or one could simply observe and use the direction of that last trade to provide a way to establish a bias for trading in the Globex, Asian or European markets that follow. Actually there are many other examples but it would be a digression from the subject of your thread....In fact I see that I have wandered off the subject quite a bit...please feel free to remove this post if you don't mind.

 

Steve

[TheNegotiator 13]

Lol. I think it's actually useful to demonstrate how an understanding of the underlying mechanics of a market should be the cornerstone of any nutritious strategy!

 

The how and the why of the markets are likely to dictate its longevity.

[steve46 12]

For general interest I think I will post today's "clean up" trade that occurred about 6 minutes early

 

As mentioned a few posts ago, this is considered one of the easiest setups to take advantage of...because when it occurs it usually gives you at least 5 points.