Show me the program, after you have made $$ consistently with it...I don't even want to know how it works, just show me a successful program... I've had literally hundreds of systems tried here, and except for a couple (who use several individual traders), nothing has worked. These programs have been developed by teams of professionals...to no avail.... Can you imagine how much we could make, given the capital and the costs that I could put to use?? Just show me the first couple of hundred thousand dollars of real money made with a system, and we can control the markets. I'm not saying that there aren't programs to help out traders, there are plenty of them...but the pure mechanical system has not (and in my opinion, will not) been developed. Since we are responding to an ever changing group of variables in the market, it makes it pretty tough. Trading, in my opinion, is much easier than trying to write a program to trade. Just another few cents worth.....
both trading and 'ball", baseball, basketball etc on a competitive level requires strategy, decision, discipline and execution.
yes, successful trading & sports have those things in common, however, the physical aspects of sports is not required in successful trading. trading does not require complex psychomotor skills as sports does. everyone can click a mouse with equal precision but can everyone toss a basketball with the aplomb of a michael jorden? the obvious answer is no. what is the difference ...the physics of the game and the gamer. trading doesn't involve physics, it relies on pattern recognition and simple reaction. therefore, trading is more easily emulated because the mind, unlike the body, is protean. think like the successful trader, recognize the patterns like the successful trader, and react like the successful trader and you will reproduce the results of the successful trader. we don't even have to bring up the notion of automation, although that's essentially what is done when you emulate someone, you are automating yourself to perform according to a set of rules or algorithm. automating some *thing* is just the next step.
I think the comparison is fair. If we look at the first comeback era Jordan (age 36ish?), he wasn't good because he was faster than everyone, or taller, or could jump the highest. There were probably college players who were faster, bigger, stronger, and even had a better shot. I would say he was so good because he knew how to anticipate the other players and their reactions. He knew that in a given situation a particular player was likely to react in a certain way and Jordan could preempt or counter that move. I don't know if it was all instinct, or research, or experience, or what. But I do think it was this mental aspect that gave him the edge at a point in his career where he did not necessarily have a physical edge over many of the players he played against (and beat). We aren't trading against stocks, or charts. We trade against people and their reactions, fear and greed. If we know how they react most of the time, we can gain an edge. -Johnny
Anyone can be taught to make a foul shot fairly easy. I think trading is more akin to making the foul shot in OT with 30 thousand people screaming at you. It is the mental part of having actual hard earned money at risk. That is why paper trading has a limit as to its usefulness.
Don, If you are referring to me; I think I sent you an account statement in January when I was looking for an additional route. Do the math on it.
I agree with you that his mental framework is what gave him the edge. But a better analogy I think would be someone less gifted than MJ, Larry Bird. He coudn't jump yet he was usually in the right spot to get the rebound.Why?. He had him outboxed most of the time. Was slow as molasses but got his shot off so fast that it compensated. He wasn't the best at any one thing, but did so many things so well that he was considered by many to be the best player ever (pre-Jordan). I don't want to be like Mike or Larry for that matter, I'd just settle to be like Vern Fleming, 15 year NBA career, made some nice change, probably never heard of him but if you have you might know he has an identical twin, who also played bball except he only made it as far as Europe. Twin brothers, same genes, one with a lot more skills than the other. What was it that made Vern so much better, his drive, his coaching. I saw him getting coached in High School, and I can say that his coach had a lot to do with his success. Vic went to a different high school. Anyway, just some more sports analogies.