(-> to threadstarter) get yourself a great book: "New trading systems and methods", from Perry kaufman you'll thank me later
First of all, programming knowledge is not essential for trading - there are ways of get whatever you want (within reason) working with Excel and other programs without resorting to coding. My background is in computer programming, but I rarely program any more - I spend more time managing data, studying data and creating models in Excel. I miss programming, but would prefer to spend the time where it matters and where I see immediate return. If you need to do advanced programming, then you are entering into areas where people with big pockets have teams of the best developers working for them. If you are a good enough programmer, you would probably make as much money working for these people than you would tradign for yourself. You simply could not compete on your own in the area of high-frequency trading - too much work and infrastructure required. So, what do you need to move into trading? I would say you simply need an incredible amount of time and dedication, if you want to make more money than you could do programming. If you read enough good books (like the ones suggested by others), look at charts enough and research all the time then you are on the right track.
I guess you really need to ask yourself are you a programmer or are you a trader? I never learned C++ as my mentor suggested. I found software that did the trick. I hate programming unless I need to do it...then I learn what I need. Why don't you offer to program for other traders and maybe one or two of them might take an interest in your desire to trade.... I don't know. I think your odds of success in this business are better if you want to trade more than anything else. Or if you want to use the money from trading to do some really cool things for yourself and others... If you want to trade just because you can program i think you need to re=evaluate your strengths and desires.
OH....I almost forgot. The most important element in your trading is developing discipline. I fyou don't have that, your programming will reflect it too....
95% of traders lose. Most fund managers can't beat the index. It should be obvious that you don't want to follow the traditional trading advice. Read the books FOOLED BY RANDOMNESS, THE BLACK SWAN and HOW WE DECIDE. Forget about reading most trading books.
So you are good at programming ..Congratulations, you are 3% into your trading journey. Unfortunately the trading failure rate is 95%+ so you have yet to achieve any traction. Just learn to trade and do not be blinded by programming until you have some worthwhile strategy to programme. If your strategy turns out to be robust, you will then realize how simple the programming component really is. sosueme
Very easy question to answer. Study the market movements, analyze the factors that drives the market up and down. Find some black-box solutions, read about magically indicators, look at other traders and their stories and watch their ignorance over lagging indicators. (hint: search for lagging indicators) And when you truly believe what drives the market, then you know what to program. Look for instance here: http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=180252 A real newbie still looking for the Holy Grail.