Sounds like what Peter Brandt does Your onto me. Peter B. has diffidently been a major influence on refining my trading - so has Mark Minervini, he also looks for the 4-26 week patterns. In some cases I will take setups shorter or longer than 4-26 weeks if I don't to have to much on my plate already Here is an example of an 16 month pattern.
That BIDU trade took patience. Did you study Edwards and Magee, and Schabacker, the 2 texts Peter recommends? I'm naturally curious about everything, so I've wanted to read them, but that's not what I trade and I'm busy with other stuff. Someday when time permits.
Risk management is a challenge for me, how to manage size, winners and losers. To survive, preservation of capital is paramount, to be successful and not just subsistence sometimes one has to bet the farm. Buffett said: When you see a fat pitch, you don't bunt. I guess he could say that because of survivor bias.
Yes...most on here don't realise that fundamentals are what counts and explains so much of what happens.
1. I started with long term stocks then commodities, then day trading/scalping 50 plus markets, then swing trading, reluctant to do swing as has same risk as long term, fine tune spread trading and finally options for profits as generally used them to hedge. Funding wise is much more in very long term of stocks and commodities. 2. I use variations of charting, TA and market breadth indicators for entry, but longer am in trading I realize where you get in is least importance and how to hedge is greatest importance. 3. Day trading/scalping don't use any fundamentals at all, and all systems can be traded to much longer term models. Fundamentals, have designed methods to trade, but cause of amount and delays, I use very little as my approaches long term are actually based more on Jim Rogers Major turning points way of trading but I have been able to use TA instead of my opinion of what is too high/low. 4. I am very happy with my output, all automation, but work more now at studying risk management and much less at entry design. Am doing many more "what if's" brainstorming and at what point in terms of size where I can't hedge and then work at going beyond. Working at considering doing a Hedge fund in few years. Have to do something, retirement can be boring. Find a way to do what you love and it is never work.
I see that quote from The Art of War being mentioned from time to time. While I really like the book I wonder if those that mention it in regards to financial markets have any idea how cliche (or pointless BS) it really is? It was fine for the movie and it is fine for stocks traders using insider information (like in the movie) but other than that it is of no use in trading financial markets. If one paid close enough attention to the book (specifically ALL the chapters, not SOME chapters), he/she would understand why. Yes, you could always say that there are SOME chapters in the book that somehow relate to trading, but so does everyday life. Better yet, the book is just a simple collection of everyday wisdom packaged together for military leaders, that's it. In my opinion there is no point in repackaging it's contents to sell it to traders now, especially given the fact that in trading the outcome of the next "battle" is always unknown.
Thank you for a great post and lots of food for thought for me as usual. I am still working on my entry. I found that if my entry was good, everything else came easier. I realized now I am too old for a whipsaw type outcome so am starting to study risk management. However, I am still working on a risk management plan, as it is easier said than done. Regards.
It actually dates from the 5th century BC and was written by a legendary Chinese General, known variously in the West as Master Sun, Sun Zhu, Sunzi etc.. The book has been studied by military and political leaders ever since and I would recommend it highly to traders and non-traders as yes it contains much wisdom.