So you aren't really reading the 'order flow' but trading with the trend. Pretty damn good. Do you think now, that you can trade with just a chart and not the md trader?
nice work. Why was the "intent"(however you figure that out) to be short on that run up? that looks like it was a fairly decent push up, so it was going back to the HOD....what happens when its an up trend and goes on to break to new highs like its done all year, or can you see when it has that "intent" too? Such a pity you won't explain a little about how you do it, the size thing baffles me, nearly every bit of size I see is fake, maybe its just when it is real and starts printing into it, and its at its HOD then that's a good short, dunno. Still, as mysterious as you are, impressive results/consistency
The chart is still a good tool as, for example, providing confirmation - visually - where important levels are, which will always be confirmed with size (or lack thereof) at that level. So, yes, I can trade with a chart, and I do glance at them, but they don't provide the whole picture and what I look for because all I need and look for is on MD Trader (dome/matrix) and happening live in front of my eyes. I am not being mysterious, but it seems a little difficult articulating what I look for since it all seems so experiential and truly learned (if you ever learn anything from trading ) by spending hours and hours watching, as it becomes second nature to your eyes. On that run up and why I initiated a short there, please consider the following factors: 1) Make the distinction between whether the big players were liquidating their longs for a profit, or initiating a short position? They both are considered a "sell", but if you say they were shorting, then you were playing pick the top game - very dangerous. The way I was reading it seemed that the big money needed to liquidate some of their longs with a profit, and in order to do so, they needed the "bids" or, what's that word - aha - "liquidity" on the buy side to sell to them! But as I have said before, how to do you do that without tipping your hand and without moving the market against you 10s of ticks? See where I am going with this . . . you did not end up picking a top, and you minimized the risk by not trying to get long and getting stopped out. 2) Also, short of reading the tape (T&S), pay attention to the speed, size, and the side that the prints are being traded on your matrix. This whole thing is seemingly so abstract and it is so hard to explain because it requires watching this "live" as it happens, and because at the end of the day, this type of trading is all about participation - participating in the market - rather than predicting based on what you see on the chart.
Ahh that's more like it Very good So what sort of parameters do you use, as far as stopping out and targets you aim to get, do you just have a certain price where you think something is being done(or where size is) and if it goes through that's it you're out straight away for a tick or two? Do you try and stay in it until you see something that makes you want to trade back the other way or do you have a definite X ticks you always try to take? I wish I could sit behind you and watch while you trade, you should do a video! Keep it up
I just have not had any time to keep up with this. But today, as on Wednesdays, Crude Inventories report draws me to the CL! But if you think the bots/algos are eating your lunch and wreaking havoc in the 6s, then you have to watch the CL! Here's an interesting article: http://www.economist.com/node/21547988 Btw, I was watching/trading the CL when the Infinium trade happened in 2010! Anyhow, I was quick enough to click on the "PrintScreen" button to take a screen shot of the MD Trader when this size showed up! Will try to take more of these screen shots if I am quick enough - and I am quick when it comes to scalping!