I feel like this is excellent advice. This is how I execute most of my trading, especially when back tests fail. One can always rely on indexes to perform, and when they don't, just stay out!
Here are a couple from Edwards and Magee, or Pring, whichever tech analysis book you prefer: Channel breakout retracement dow theory buy / sell signals .......fyi the world was shown a bodacious dow theory sell signal on 01Aug this year, waiting to be confirmed with a lower high. Short this when it appears.
How has this thread got to 121 responses? I looked back at a couple pages of responses and threw up my hands. Where are we going with all this?
You asked how long did it take for a person to find the holy grail. Amost everyone told you they could not find it. Four or five weeks is what it takes to learn how to take the full offer of the market in any of many possible systems. Now, I use three applications of one system because of different markets' capacity and their application of capital limitations. In the future more people may possibly answer your question or you can offer a summary of what you learned from their courtesy of answering you.
Really? Interesting stuff, you're describing a second derevitave it sounds like... basically three times ahead of the psychological curve
Im a pretty young guy, and hence new to trading relatively, but im curious about how profficent some of the posters asking for the holy grail, or for a solid system, are at trading. Ill let you in on one holy grail that works year round: guessing. Yes, thats right. Its as simple as GUESSING the direction of indicies, and/or do what everyone else is doing in the es journal thread. Have one or two tick stops, and let the correct guesses run more than two ticks. Its THAT E-A-S-Y. After all, many of us are unemployable anyways. The dow jones went from a few points to over 10,000 in the past centur. How could one not make money? Answer: theyre f'ing dumbasses who cant fight their way out of a wet paper bag.
Bottom line: so longs as the slope of stocks is under 1 (which they always are), how can you not make money?
Human psychology is what is measured to take the full offer of the markets. The measure is a direction (Sentiment) AND it is measured as a derivative. The unfortunate assumption made by most is that time is the criteria for determining the derivative. Time is replaced by events, instead. This changes the mathematics FROM a scalar TO a vector. Additionally, an expert practitioner MUST use the correct mathematics. It comes down to obeying the precepts of Keynes (paradigm theory) and Carnap (logic theory) all in the context of George Boole. Binary Vector Logic emerges using an "in kind" Hypothesis Set. Humorously, the "ings" are the things. The two hypotheses are orthogonal as a matter of fact. Amazing to say the least. You can probably see why so many have failed. To talk about applying Calculus derivatives was just humor. Turning to MLR is just a fun adventure that is extremely visual regarding the human psychology. Using Theoretical Physics training is a contemporary diversion as is HFT. So now we are in a technically determined Depression that has 10 to 12 years to go. This is not a function of prediction it is just a matter of the Order of Events (human psychology you are aware of) of the slowest fractal of a set of nested fractals that proceeds from smallest market granularity (thank god for granularity). It gets worse (accelerates four times) before the next Bull market appears and overlaps the depression.