If I told you the answer you would get depressed as a trader. Computer driven efficiency will drive price action in this manner on daily charts. News disrupts equilibrium and a new state of equilibrium is achieved.
ES price action was pretty lousy from July through October but tradable. Markets base and I would consider recent flatness a condition of market uncertainty and tired bulls more than any sea change in the nature of the markets. Price has broken out and trading is currently quite good. I have been trading manually for 18 years and will do so until and unless it stops working. I have nothing against algo's or automation but have no interest in fixing what isn't broken.
The only thing you can rely on is a carbon-based neural network b/w your ears. Soon, too soon slicon-based neuron will replace carbon. AKA AI. Much more efficient at processing data...and trading. and anything for that matter.
//////Is the market traded by humans anymore?/////// Biggest Achilles heal of all time. Not sure how it will all work out... but when company fundamentals are a thing of the past.... it doesn't take a degree in rocket science to know in some way shape or form... sh*ts gonna hit the fan. I foresee smart venture capital staying private. That's the next wave. Futures and Forex will be fine... Stocks.... a fools game gaming fools. And therein leads to their demise as we know it now. Change is coming. In a big way. Across all spectrum's. Interesting time to be alive.
Stocks.... a fools game gaming fools. And therein leads to their demise as we know it now. _____________________________________________________________________________ Go ahead and hate on the stock market while many of us traders are basking in the after glow of profits, more profits, and an endless stream of future opportunities. Its the biggest game on the street, you cant buy companies with futures or Forex. Futures and Forex for most new traders equates to using leveraged money they otherwise would not have to speculate on what they think other traders are speculating on while being so massively under capitalized so as to have it mathematically impossible for them to have any success. So they day trade trying to remove the risk since the smallest fluctuations will end them - the broker makes a killing in commissions - the over leveraged trader goes bust - the non-leveraged person holding ETFs & stocks is at the beach getting wealthier. So who's the fool now? Nothing wrong with Forex or futures - I trade them also, but lets keep it real. If stocks are good enough for Jim Rodgers or Warren Buffet it's good enough to all of us mini mouse traders.